44 Original Papers in iJie 



to John Skelton, tutor to Prince Henry, 

 &c ;" to whom may be added also, to 

 our George Tolbery, tiilor to Henry 

 I'itzroy, Duke of Riehmond. 



Cole, xix. 227. 

 Lxv. Extracts from Original Letters of 



the Princess Anne of Daunai-k, to 



her sister, the Princess of Orange. 

 " Cockpit, Dec. 9, 1G87. 



" I am sorry people have taken such 

 pains to give you so ill a character of 

 Lady Churchill ; I believe there is no- 

 body in the world has better notions of 

 religion thaasiie lias. It is true she is 

 not so strict as some are, nor does not 

 keep up such a bustle about religion; 

 ■which I confess I think is never the 

 ■worse, for one sees so many saints turn 

 devils, that if one be a good Christian, 

 the less show one makes it is t!ie better 

 in my opinion. Then, as lor moral 

 principles, it is impossible to have bet- 

 ter; and, without that, all the lifting up 

 of hands and eyes, and going often to 

 church, will prove but a very laiue de- 

 votion. One thing more I must say, 

 for which is, that she has a true sense 

 of the doctrine of our church, and ab- 

 hors all the principles of the church of 

 Rome ; so that, as to tliis particular, I 

 can assure you, she will never change. 

 The same thing I will venture, now I 

 am on this subject, to say for her Jjord, 

 for tho' lie is a very faithful servant of 

 the king, and that tiie king is very kind 

 to him, and I believe he will always 

 obey the K. in all things thai are con- 

 sistent with religion, yet rather than 

 change tiiat, I dare say he \'> ill lose all 

 Lis places and all that he has." 



" January 31, 168-^. 



"I am sorry t!ie King encourages the 

 Papists so much, and I think it is very 

 much to be feared that the desire the 

 King has to take off the Test, and all 

 other laws against them, is only a pre- 

 tence to bring in Popery. 



" I am sorry the King relics so much 

 tipon Lord Sunderland and Lord Godol- 

 phin, for every body knows that once 

 they were as great enemies as any he 

 had, and their own hcar.s can oiily tell 

 ■what converts they are ; as for the first 

 of them, by all outward appearance, he 

 must be a great knave, (if I may use 

 that expression of a minister,) for he 

 goes on fiercely for the interests of tiie 

 Papists, and yet goes to no church, and 

 has made no public declaration of liis 

 religion- whatever it is; I fear, he has 

 not much of any. All we can do in 

 these matters is, to pray to God to open 

 the King's eyes, and to order all thhi^'s 



British Museum. fAug- I» 



for the best, that thig poor nation may 

 not be overthrown by Popery." 



" 3Iarch 13, 168f . 



"This letter going by some hands, I 

 will now venture to write my miud vciy 

 freely to you. 



"You may remember I have once 

 before ventured to tell you, that I 

 thought I,iord Sunderland a very ill man, 

 and I anr more confirmed ever day in, 

 that opinion. Every body knows how 

 often this man turned backwards and 

 forwards in the late king's time ; and 

 now, to complete his virtues, he is 

 working with all his might to bring in 

 Popery. He is perpetually with tho 

 priests, and stirs up the king to do 

 things faster than I believe he would 

 of himself. Things are come to that 

 pass now, that if they go on so much 

 longer, I believe in a little while ua 

 Protestants will be able to live here. 



" The K. has never said a word to me 

 ab' religion since that time I told you 

 of, but I expect it every minute, and 

 am resolved to undergo any thing rather 

 than change my religion ; nay if it 

 should come to such extremities, I will 

 choose to live ou alms rather than 

 change. 



"This worthy Lord [Sunderland] does 

 not go publicly to mass, but he has it 

 privately at a priest's chamber, and 

 tiever lets any body be there but a ser- 

 vant of his. His lady is as extraordi- 

 nary in her kind, for she is a flattering, 

 dissembling, false, woman; hut she has 

 so fawning and endearing a waj', that 

 she will deceive any bt^y at first, and 

 it is not possible to find out all her ways 

 in a little time. She cares not at what 

 rate she lives, but never nays any body. 

 She will c'lK-at, tho' it bo but for a 

 little. Then she has had her gallants, 

 tho' may be not so many as some ladys 

 here ; and, with all these good qualities, 

 she is a constant church«oman, so that 

 to outward appearance one ^^05^1d think 

 her a saint, aiid to hear her talk you 

 would think siie were a very good Pro- 

 testant, but she is as much the one as 

 the other, for it is cerlaiti her lord does 

 nothing without her. 



" One thing there is which I forgot to 

 tell you about this noble lord, which is, 

 that it is thought if evei^ thing does not 

 go as he wonld have it, that lie w ill pick 

 a quarrel witli the court, and so retire ; 

 and, by that means, it is possible he will 

 tiiink to make his court to yoii. 



" There is one thing about yourself 

 which I cant help giving my opinion in, 

 which is, tliat if the Kiny should desiro 



you 



