12

HISTOKY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

VII.

168T.

pains to conceal them: but, in spite of all his precautions,Mary well knew that he was not strictly faithful to her. Spiesand tale-bearers, encouraged by her father, did their best toinflame her resentment. A man of a very different character,the excellent Ken, who was her chaplain at the Hague duringsome months, was so much incensed by her wrongs that he,with more zeal than discretion, threatened to reprimand herhusband severely. * She, however, bore her injuries with ameekness and patience which deserved, and gradually ob-tained, William’s esteem and gratitude. Yet there stillremained one cause of estrangement. A time would probablycome when the Princess, who had been educated only towork embroidery, to play on the spinet, and to read the Bibleand the Whole Duty of Man, would be the chief of a greatmonarchy, and would hold the balance of Europe, while herlord, ambitious, versed in affairs, and bent on great enter-prises, would find in the British government no place markedout for him, and would hold power only from her bounty andduring her pleasure. It is not strange that a man so fond ofauthority as William, and so conscious of a genius for com-mand, should have strongly felt that jealousy which, duringa few hours of royalty, put dissension between GuildfordDudley and the Lady Jane, and which produced a rupturestill more tragical between Darnley and the Queen of Scots.The Princess of Orange had not the faintest suspicion of herhusband’s feelings. Her preceptor, Bishop Compton, hadinstructed her carefully in religion, and had especiallyguarded her mind against the arts of Roman Catholic divines,but had left her profoundly ignorant of the English constitu-tion and of her own position. She knew that her marriagevow bound her to obey her husband; and it had never oc-curred to her that the relation in which they stood to eachother might one day be inverted. She had been nine yearsmarried before she discovered the cause of William’s discon-tent; nor would she ever have learned it from himself. Ingeneral his temper inclined him rather to brood over his griefs

* Henry Sidney’s Journal of March 31 . 1080, in Mr. Blencowe’sinteresting collection.