19S THE DOVER ROAD 



and the Kinor was warriiicr with the Parhamcnt, the 

 Dover Road and Canterbury witnessed a strange 

 journey. None knew of it, for the matter was secret. 

 It was, in fact, tlie smugorhng out of the country of the 

 little Princess Henrietta, away from the custody of the 

 King's enemies. The French tutor of the Princess 

 afterwards told the story of this escape. The Countess 

 of Dalkeith was in charge of the little girl at Oatlands, 

 and resolved at all hazards to restore her to her mother 

 in France. Disguising herself, this tall and elegant 

 body, one of the handsome Villiers family, acted the 

 part of a poor French servant, little better than a beggar. 

 She even fitted herself with a hump, and, carrying a 

 bundle of linen, and with the Princess dressed in rags, 

 set out by road for Dover, with the girl on her back, in 

 the character of her little boy Pierre. 



On the road, we are told, the Princess indignantly 

 tried to tell everyone she was not " Picric," but the 

 Princess. Fortunately, no one understood, and these 

 strange travellers arrived safely at Dover and crossed to 

 Calais. 



The adventure seems incredible when we consider 

 that the Princess Henrietta Maria was born June 16, 

 1644, and that this journey to Dover is stated to have 

 taken place towards the end of July, 1646. We have 

 to ask ourselves, " Could a child of two years and a 

 little over one month, understand and talk like that ? " 

 But the source of the story has been noted ; and we are 

 to recollect, as to the authentic date of the adventure, 

 that Edmund Waller, the courtly poet, on New Year's 

 Day, 1647, presented the Queen, then in Paris, with a 

 23oem on the subject, in which the Countess of Dalkeith's 

 exploit is referred to : — 



The faultless nymph, changing her faultless shape 

 Becomes unhandsome, handsomely to 'scape. 



Canterbury's rejoicings were not renewed until after 

 the Commonwealth had come and run its course, and 

 the Stuarts were free once more to show their curious 

 facility for rendering their House unjDopular. 



