. 
) 
: 
By C. Penruddocke. 285 
King speaks of her as a cousin. Lord Clarendon calls her a niece, 
a cousin, or very near kinswoman. Sir Richard Bulstrode, in his 
memoirs, says cousin ; and Blount, a special friend, or friend. But, 
in the scarce work, called “ Monarchy Revived,” published in 1661, 
and dedicated to Jane Lane, the writer uses these words: “ She 
having by accident procured a pass from a Parliamentarian officer 
for herself and a man to go thither [Bristol] ¢o see her sister, who 
was then near her time of lying in.” In another somewhat scarce 
3rd Edition, 1775. book called “ Historia pueriles,” written by Robert 
Compton Wharton, she is styled sister. This is rather 
piberr. curious. Egglesfield, in the former work, leaves 
Jane Lane and the King at Bristo/, and declares that secrecy was 
necessary, and that many untrue stories were promulgated. Can it 
be that Mary (Lane) Nicholas, Jane’s sister, was at or in the 
neighbourhood of Bristol, and practically aiding, in some way, the 
escape of the King? Mistress Lane (says Egglesfield) was very 
modest and reticent, and for ten years after the escape was planned 
and carried out had not spoken of the details. If she had, perhaps 
she might have endangered the life or liberty of her Wiltshire 
__.. . sister. Pére Cyprien of Gamache (from whose 
Memoirs Mission . : : : 
Capuchin Friars, memoirs Miss Strickland has gathered much in- 
Bee te ABER. teresting material), in writing of Charles’s escape, 
is evidently under the impression that Mistress Lane had a married 
sister at Bristol. He describes Jane as twenty-four years old. Is 
it not possible that during his long mission in England he had seen 
and known the part Mary took in the service of the King, and had 
got mixed as to the age and appearance of ‘the two sisters. I have 
seen a miniature purporting to be that of Jane Lane (on copper.) 
It is the property of Major Dilke, of Maxstoke Castle, who most 
kindly sent it to me to examine. It represents a full sweet sad face 
of a young woman, and the features have a resemblance to those of 
Mistress Lane in her portrait at King’s Bromley. She wears a 
kind of wimple, or travelling head-dress, with a kerchief over her 
neck and shoulders, fastened closely under her chin. It is interesting 
to conjecture that this may be Mary Lane, who married Edward 
Nicholas, of Manningford Bruce, in Wiltshire, and whose epitaph 
VOL. XXVI.—NO, LXXVII, U 
