Part 6 (1/2)

If we consider those monarchs who have in some curious way touched the popular fancy without reference to their virtues we o back to Richard of the Lion Heart, who saw but little of England, yet was the best essentially English king, and to Henry V, gallant soldier and conqueror of France Even Henry VIII had a warm place in the affection of his countrymen, fehom saw hial incarnation of John Bull-wrestling and tilting and boxing, eating great joints of beef, and staying his thirst with flagons of ale-a big, healthy, ratified the national love of splendor and stood up le with the Pope

But if you look for sos to senti to beco the Stuart kings It is odd, indeed, that even at this day there are Englishn to be a minor Bavarian princess in whose veins there runs the Stuart blood Prayers are said for her at English shrines, and toasts are drunk to her in rare old wine

Of course, to-day this cult of the Stuarts is nothing but a fad No one ever expects to see a Stuart on the English throne But it is significant of the deep strain of roland have ilish heart The old Jacobite ballads still have power to thrill Queen Victoria herself used to have the pipers file out before her at Bal” of ”Bonnie Dundee,” ”Over the Water to Charlie,” and ”Wha'll Be King but Charlie!” It is a sentiment that has never died Her late majesty used to say that when she heard these tunes she becaenie at the height of her power used pertly to reitiested that the Stuarts are still loved by lishmen because they were unfortunate; yet this is hardly true, after all Many of the Ja broad Scotch, tinity of a n The two royal women of the family-Anne and Mary-had no ned for more than a quarter of a century, lapped in every kind of luxury, and died a king

The first Charles was beheaded and afterward styled a ”saint”; yet the ance, or else he would have won his great struggle against Parliament The second James was not popular at all Nevertheless, no sooner had he been expelled, and been succeeded by a Dutch of cheeses, than there was already a Stuart legend Even had there been no pretenders to carry on the cult, the Stuarts would still have passed into history as much loved by the people

It only sho very little in for Many monarchs have had just a few popular traits, and these have stood out brilliantly against the darkness of the background

No one could have cared greatly for the first Jae when viewed afar He was handso the French princess who becaood to look upon, and had a kingly land a tyranny, there were many fine old cavaliers to ride afield for him when he raised his standard, and hen he died, mourned for him as a ”martyr”

Many hardshi+ps they underhile Cromwell ruled with his iron hand; and when that iron hand was relaxed in death, and poor, feeble Richard Cromwell slunk away to his country-seat, onder is it that young Charles cah the streets of London with a sh upon his lips? What wonder is it that the cannon in the Tower thundered a loud welcoland, at one season or another, lishmen at heart are not onlyand all sorts of ht well at first have seemed a worthier and wiser successor to his splendid father As a child, even, he had shown hireat Civil War broke out he had joined his father's arehill, and was finally shattered by the crushi+ng defeat of Naseby, which afterward inspired Macaulay'sballad

Charles was then only a child of twelve, and so his followers did wisely in hurrying hih the Scilly isles and Jersey to hiscould be of no value as a leader, though his presence ht prove an inspiration

In 1648, however, when he was eighteen years of age, he gathered a fleet of eighteen shi+ps and cruised along the English coast, taking prizes, which he carried to the Dutch ports When he was at Holland's capital, during his father's trial, he wrote es to the Parliaht fill in with any stipulations they desired if only they would save and restore their king

When the head of Charles rolled from the velvet-covered block his son showed himself to be no loiterer or lover of an easy life He hastened to Scotland, skilfully escaping an English force, and was proclai and crowned at Scone, in 1651 With ten thousand land, where he knew there were many ould rally at his call But it was then that Croenius and with his Ironsides crushed the royal troops at Worcester

Charles knew that for the present all was lost He showed courage and address in covering the flight of his beaten soldiers; but he soon afterent to France, reht years as a pensioner of Louis XIV He knew that tiht for hiland had not been called ”Merry England” for nothing; and Cromwell's tyranny was likely to be farSo Charles at Paris and Liege, though he had little ed to maintain a royal court, such as it was

Here there came out another side of his nature As a child he had borne hardshi+p and privation and had seen the red blood flow upon the battlefield Now, as it were, he allowed a certain sensuous, pleasure-loving ease to envelop hiundy; the sound of truive way to theof pleasure if he were to be king at all And therefore his court, even in exile, was a court of gallantry and ease The Pope refused to lend hi of France would not increase his pension, but there werereave hiive them what they would ask for in their turn

Charles at this time was not handsoure by no raceful When he chose he could bear hiularly pleasant manner, and a word from him could win over the harshest opponent

The old cavaliers who accompanied their master in exile were like Napoleon's veterans in Elba With their tall, powerful for their disapproval at these foreign ways and longing grient powder of the battle-field But, as Charles had hoped, the change was co for hi, but continental an to know of this To the who before long would take possession of his kingdoal-was the first to act on this infor a petty state It had wealth at ho was seen on every sea The queen regent, being at odds with Spain, and wishi+ng to secure an ally against that power, ht not be anza It was not hter's hand that she offered, but a splendid dowry She would pay Charles a land two valuable ports

The ed The Spaniards were furious, for Charles's cause began to appear successful

She was a quaint and rather piteous little figure, she as destined to be the wife of the Merry Monarch Catharine was dark, petite, and by no means beautiful; yet she had a very sweet expression and a heart of utter innocence She had been wholly convent-bred She knew nothing of the world She was told that in s, and that the chief duty of a as to racious preparation for a very graceless husband Charles, in exile, had already made more than one discreditable connection and he was already the father ofson

First of all, he had been smitten by the bold ways of one Lucy Walters Her impudence amused the exiled monarch She was not particularly beautiful, and when she spoke as others did she was rather tireso when he went into exile made her seem attractive She bore him a son, in the person of that brilliant adventurer whom Charles afterward created Duke of Monmouth Many persons believe that Charles had e IV htest proof of it, and it ends

There was also one Catherine Peg, or Kep, whose son was afterward made Earl of Plylish women Charles showed little care for rank or station Lucy Walters and Catherine Peg were very illiterate creatures

In a way it was precisely this sort of preference thatthe people He seemed to make rank of no account, but would chat in the most familiar and friendly ith any one whom he happened to race and prestige of royalty, ht be nearly bankrupt; the navy ht be too ave him all, because everybody knew that Charles would clap an honest citizen on the back and joke with all who caent's Park

The popular name for hiin, though it is said to have been given him from a fancied resemblance to a famous hunter in his stables Perhaps it is the very final test of popularity that a ruler should have a nicknaland to a frenzy of king-worshi+p The Roundhead, General Monk, and his soldiers proclailand and escorted him to London in splendid state That was a day when national feeling reached a point such as never has been before or since Oughtred, the famous mathematician, died of joy when the royal emblems were restored Urquhart, the translator of Rabelais, died, it is said, of laughter at the people's wild delight-a truly Rabelaisian end

There was the king onceperiod of Puritanished and danced with more vivacity than ever the French had shown All the pipers and the players and panderers to vice, the mountebanks, the sensual men, and the lawless wo, who had been too long deprived of the pleasure that his nature craved Parliament voted seventy thousand pounds for aspent the whole sum on the women who surrounded him His severest counselor, Lord Clarendon, sent him a remonstrance