her those particular Advantages that repaid that unregretted Loss For to her Glory the Closet and Altar had so much the more of her Company as the Throne had the less The less of the Hurry and Pomps of Life it gave her so much the fairer Occasion an Occasion always embraced of more closely following the great Original of her own Name viz. In choosing the better part However as much Restrained or Reserved as her own princely Character obliged her to live there yet still her extraordinary Civility and Caress to the Burgher-Master's Ladies or any of the more eminent Grandees of State upon any occasions of Complement Visit or Address made to her gained her that Veneration and Esteem amongst them that it is almost incredible to imagine how entirely she carried the Hearts of the whole United Provinces The visible Charms in her Person and no less in her Carriage with her exalted Piety equally visible to the whole Eyes of the World were those Attractions that all joined together to dazle and astonish such as obliged them to pay her the most Cordial LOVE HONOUR and RESPECTS Besides for one Contentment still which extracted a particular sweetness from this Recluser sort of Life she was too passionate a Lover of her Dear LORD even for that single Consideration alone to affect a more noisy or more popular Court Her Worldly Delights were wholly circled in his Embraces A Prince so worthy of the most tender conjugal Affection as being adorned with so many surpassing Virtues to attract and secure that Affection Of whom a great Minister of State and one who had been long acquainted with his excellent Endowments gives this noble Character A PRINCE who joined to the great Qualities of his Royal Blood possesses all the popular Virtues of his Country Silent and Thoughtfull Given to Hear and Enquire Of a Sound and Steddy Understanding Much Firmness in what he once Resolves or once Denies Great Industry and Application to his Business Little to his Pleasure Piery in the Religion of his Country but with Charity to others Temperance unusual to his Youth and to the Climate Frugal in the common Management of his Fortune and yet Magnificent upon Occasion Of a great Spirit and Heart aspiring to the Glory of Military Actions with strong Ambition to grow Great but rather by the Service than the Servitude of his Country In short a Prince of many Virtues without any appearing Mixture of Vice But though the Princess in her Holland Court had not those high qualified Guests at Home to Welcome However she had sometimes the happiness of more Illustrious Royal Visitants that came a little farther Abroad to honour her Court For on Tuesday the First of October 1678. Her Royal Highness the Dutchess of York and the Princess Anne began a Journey from White-hall to the Hague to visit the Princess of Orange A Visit so extraordinary grateful to her that she received them with all the highest Marks of Respect and Affection and with all the Entertainment suitable Particularly the Transports of Caresses and Endearments between the two Princely Sisters was inexpressible But the Felicity the Princess enjoyed was no lasting Blessing for they made but a short stay there whilst the parting of the two Princesses was little less than a â—ivorce between them so fond and tender a Love and Friendship had linked their Hearts Not long after Providence was pleased to send her another Royal though then unexpected Visitant more For in February 1678 9. at that time when the prophetick Fears of England from the Duke 's suspected Inclinations and Adherence to the Romish Faith and Interest for hitherto they were only suspicions had made that Ferment in the English Blood that the Nation 's pulse beat high his protecting Royal Brother his constant Sheild against the Assault of Fortune had sent him over with his Dutchess and Family to the Hague in hopes that Distance and Absence the common Cure of Jealousie might at least have wrought that Medicinal Operation as in some measure to allay the Ferment and cool the then too threatning Heats against him But whatever this Expedient might work towards the End desired the Duke found an extraordinary and affectionate Reception from the true filial Duty of the Princess and a very hospitable Roof from the generous Prince whilst the Princess melted into all the tendrest Condolance and Pity on the mournful Occasion of his Visit there 'T is true the Belgian Populace gave him but a colder Welcome and to say truth afforded him very little more Civility than the Herd does the wounded Deer An ungrateful Remembrance of the too long and too warm Zeal of the Crown of England for the Interest of theirs and the common Enemy the French together with an unhappy Surmize and Reflection that a great part of the Malignancy of that raigning English Disease was influenced by his Royal Highness's Sway and Steerage at the English Helm Those unlucky Suggestions shrunk them into those languid and faint Embraces to this Royal Guest amongst them though so nearly related to their darling Princess that the Duke not insensible of his poor Welcome in so unsociable a Climate removed his Court a little further to Brussels Now for one further Observation upon this happy Marriage if it were not a sort of Superstition from the concurrence of any eminent Actions or Accidents done or befaln on such ticular Days to ground any Omens or Presages of Fortune from any such fouâ—â—lâ—tion otherwise I should propoâ—â—â—â—t to the Curious as a thing straâ—â—â—â—y remarkable That the Prince of Orange's Wedding-Day being the Fourth of November was likewise his Birth-Day too and not only so but also the Birth-Day of his own Mother the Princess Royal Mary the Daughteâ—â— to King Charles the First Nay if be â—ot too nice a Critiscime to add any further Remarks of this kind 't was on the Fourth of November too that afterwards in his Expedition for England he approacht the English Coast as the Assertor of our Common Liberties 'T is true he set not foot on English Ground till the Day following However that may give us a Matter of Observation as Curious as the other viz. That on the Fifth of November a Day so famous in the English Annals and possibly as infamous in some other remoter Chronicles that England Dates her Deliverance from Popery Twice from the same DAY As this Course of her Life in her Court abroad being indeed all little else but one unvaried Scene affords us but little Matter of particular Memoirs worthy a peculiar Relation there happened nothing of Importance or Weight at least such as might make any Change in the Face of her Court till the Death of her Royal Uncle King Charles the Second Here amongst all the Sighs and Tears pay'd to that expiring Prince none certainly could be a truer or heartier Mourner than the Princess of Orange 'T is true his lamented Death advanced the Princess so much the nearer to a
that finish'd it I can only say if Excess be a Fault there wanted even a General Pardon for the Joys of that Day And here in Relation to her Majesty's share of Glory I must now remark as an everlasting Trophy to her never-dying Honour a Record that shall keep her Memory fragrant to the end of the World That not only our Altars the whole Church of England owes its Supporters and Bulwarks to Her his now Majesty's double Alliance through her Marriage to the Crown of Great Britain being the greatest Invitation and Encouragement to the People of England to call him over for their Deliverer But likewise 't was this Royal Conjunction in our Ascendant that has taken up the Ballance of Christendom which the Un-British Effeminacy Coldness and Negligence of the foregoing Reigns had so weakly so poorly and so unkindly let fall The before so long Titular and only Titular Blazon in the Royal Scutcheon of Arbiter of Europe is now become and that a Work I may say so far of her own fair Creation a true and massy Jewel in the English Crown whilst her propitious Marriage alone has lent this happy Kingdom that Hand and that Heart that dare put in Execution what his Predecessors made only a Feint and Shadow has crown'd us that Sovereign Prince who in the Head of an Army dares speak true English again true Royal English A Prince whose publick Benefits and Obligations to Mankind have reconciled those almost incompatible Names the Protestant Deliverer and yet at the same time the Romish Darling whilst his indefatigable and active Services in Relief of the common Distresses of Christendom have made even the most rigid Royal Sons of the Vatican Mother both love embrace and honour him The next Year after their Majesties Coronation his Majesty's Personal Appearance being required in Ireland for the Reduction of that Kingdom to his Obedience a Work that appeared too difficult for any other Conduct but his own the Parliament by a Statute made for that purpose settled the Royal Administration in the Queen to hold for such time during his Majesty's Absence By virtue of this Act whenever his Majesty's leading Sword in the common Cause of Christendom has been called abroad and thereby the Regency devolved into the Queen's Hand as all those times of his Majesty's Absence were ever at that active Season of the Year as required the most vigorous and most vigilant Councils of England so the Royal Helm tho steered by a Female Hand was never better guided or more firmly by the most Manly Royal Pilot. I may truly say that as she was a second Elizabeth in the Church so she was no less in the Council-Chamber But as highly qualified as she was for Exercise of Sovereign Power how she affected it I shall refer my Reader to the Reverend Dean of St. Paul's his more eminent Authority where in the Enumeration of her several other Vertues he is pleased to leave us this Record of her She was the Glory of her Sex and an Ornament to the Crown she wore made truly Great by Nature Birth and Education She had a large and capacious Mind a quick and lively Apprehension and a piercing and solid Iudgment she had a Strength and Firmness of Mind beyond her Sex and such a Dexterity in managing the greatest Affairs as would have become the greatest and most experienced Ministers Never was there greater Skill in Government with less Fondness for it which she could take up and lay down with the same Equality of Mind Tho I doubt I must unsay that for she was always grieved at the occasion of taking the Government and as glad to resign it Never was Majesty better temper'd with Easiness and Sweetness She knew how to be familiar without making her self cheap and to condescend without Meanness She had all the Greatness of Majesty with all the Vertues of Conversation and knew very well what became her Table and what became her Council-Board c. In short her greatest and most implacable Enemies for Vertue it self will meet with Enemies in the World had no other fault to charge her with but her Throne which is the only thing for which most Princes are valuable She ascended the Throne indeed before she desired it but was thrust into it not by an hasty Ambition but to save a sinking Church and Kingdom And I hope England will always have Reason to say That an empty Throne could never have been filled with a nobler Pair As the heighth of her Birth and the depth of her Conduct and Capacity so every ways suted to her Place and Character her little Ambition of Power only excepted had so signally enrich'd her for a Sovereign Head And to all this the bountiful Riches of Nature in so many Personal Accomplishments had mark'd her out as well for the leading Court-Star too yet either of these Claims and Prerogatives were so little her Concern that the only Study of her Life was that Exemplary Piety as should render her the leading Vertue that shin'd there For so free was she from the least Pride and Vanity those too common Taints both of Greatness and Beauty that if it were possible for her to glory in any of her illustrious Perfections or Acquisitions it was not in the Beauties of her fair Eyes or the Glories of her exalted Station but those of her more exalted Mind so far was she from being transported or delighted with what her Crown or her Glass reflected her that on the contrary she only looked upward for the Lustre to adorn her and inward for the Mirror to please her And altho three Diadems were a very alluring Birth-right a fair Portion of Worldly Felicity yet she had still a higher Ambition The Crown she aspired to was enrich'd with far brighter Lustre than that of Pearls and Diamonds and so little was she elevated with her first that she waited only for her later and dearer Coronation But not only to survey her in this higher Sphere of Piety and Religion but descend from her Communication with Heaven to her Converse with Man and describe her Morals as well as Divinity She was the kindest and most constant Patroness to her Friends And to keep up no less to the great Christian Maxim of returning Good for Evil so she was a Protectress even to her Enemies whilst many a just Blow from too many deserving Heads has been shielded off by her interposing Mercy Then for another of her shining Vertues she was Charitable if that Doctrine might hold in our Church even to Merit And as so many hundred poor Widows are now provided for mourning Attendants at her Funeral so in her Life-time she has made many more hundreds of them smile at her Gate than those are now order'd to mourn at her Hearse when so many Mouths have been fed and Backs clothed by her Majesty's Royal Bounty And whilst so many living Monuments of her Honour shall ever sing her Praises so the
cheerful and thankful Prayers of the Poor are of all the loudest Trumps of Fame for their Sound reaches Heaven and makes the sweetest and most grateful Musick there Take her in all Capacities she was a Wife so tender that all her Sex might take Pattern from A Princess so gracious that all Mankind could do no less than reverence A Mistress so obliging that even the poorest of her Menials could not but doat upon her And a Companion so cheerful where ever she vouchsafed her Friendship and Conversation that made all Harmony where-ever she spoke every thing smiled round her Heaven only excepted when it so early snatch'd her away Yet pardon that Expression Heaven smiled not less on her in advancing her to that brighter Crown of Glory she so long aspired to and was so well prepared for but on us when we were thought unworthy the longer Blessings of such a Princess To all her more Princely Perfections those superiour Ornaments for we have still new Subject of her Praises in a yet lower Class of Vertues she thought it no Disgrace to wear the humbler Feminine Badg even of common Domestick Housewifery whilst that Hand that graced a Royal Scepter condescended to the poor Needle as if she resolved to make her Life a Pattern to Woman-kind as well to the Cottage as the Court and by this particular Humility to shame the Idleness of the highest and proudest as well as lead and encourage it from so Royal an Example even the lowest and the meanest And now to descend to the humblest and at least the most neglected part of her Life her Diversions the Hours she rarely stole from Books or Devotion The Theatres have sometimes but very rarely prevailed and that by Dint of Address and Supplication for the Honour of her Royal Presence The Muses for whom both her Person and her Life were the fairest Scene have now and then obtain'd the Grace of her Royal Encouragement And besides the several Balls and Masks at Court upon the Anniversaries of her Coronation or those of her own or his Majesty's Birth-days her Majesty was twice publickly entertain'd by the City of London the first was on the 29 th of October in 1689 being the Festival Day of Sir Thomas Pilkington's Instalment into his Mayoralty and the second on the same Day in the Year 1692 the like Festival Triumph at Sir Iohn Fleet 's Accession to the Chair At the first of these Invitations from the City their Majesties with both the High Courts of Parliament then sitting with all the Chief Ministers of State Foreign Ministers their Majesties Privy-Council the Judges Ladies of the Court c. besides the Pageantry of the Day were treated at a splendid and magnificent Dinner at Guild-hall At the second Entertainment there was much the like Splendor and Magnificence repeated excepting that the Parliament not then sitting that part of their Honourable Guests were wanting Both which were attended with the universal Shouts and Acclamations of the People in Gratitude for the Honour the City and the Satisfaction they themselves received from their Majesties Royal Presence there both through their Entry into the City and also their Return to White-hall I shall only recite some part of the Solemnity Upon the Hastings at the upper End of the Hall where under a Royal Canopy of State the Table for their Majesties was seated being erected a stately Structure supported with noble Columns and Pillasters of Egyptian Marble the Base and Capitals of Gold bearing a large Etableture of Silver with Banners Trophies Escutcheons Statues all sutable to the Grandure of the Royal Guests and the Solemnity of their Reception upon a large Shield was excellently painted the Poetical Story of Perseus and Andromeda with this Inscription HVC VOLAT HOC FVGAT HANC SOLVENS CVPIENTE POTITVR Thus English'd Hither he flew this Monster he destroy'd And his deer Care the grateful Nymph enjoy'd Under their Majesties Effigies was written this Motto FIDEI STATORES Thus Paraphrased T' our Faith's Defenders let our Homage bow Those Titular Names are solid Glories now Round the two middle Columns were enwreathed these words REX REGINA BEATI Our LION and our ROSE the Great and Fair Live ever happy this Imperial Pair In a long Scroll under their Majesties Arms was inscribed IMPERIVM OCEANO FAMAM NON TERMINET ASTRIS Let the wide Ocean his Dominion bound But his loud Fame beyond the Stars resound On a large Target on which was painted the memorable Naval Victory gain'd over the French Fleet at La Hogue was under written EXTINCTO SOLE VICTA INVINCIBILI When Power meets Pride thus Insolence subdued Their Sun extinct Invincible subdued On another piece of Triumph was this Inscription NASSOVIAE NIL NON EFFICIENT MANVS What Glories are for NASSAU's Arms decreed His own Steel Pen shall write and Ages read But now to come to the most mournful part of our History On Thursday the 20 th of December her Majesty felt an Indisposition which at first she did not think of moment enough for Application to her Physicians The Day following her Illness increasing the worthy Dr. Millington and Dr. Ratcliff were called and upon the growing Danger Dr. Brown Dr. Cox Dr. Gibbons Dr. Robinson and Dr. Cole and some other learned Gentlemen were added to the Consult of Physicians On Saturday the Symptoms of the Small Pox appeared At the same time for her Ghostly Physicians the most Reverend the Bishop of Canterbury the Right Reverend the Bishops of Worcester Ely Sarum and Bath and Wells paid her their Religious Attendance These worthy Prelats the ever most delightful Society of her Life are now the mournful Assistants to conduct her out of it And tho 't is easily to be imagined what a more melancholy tho Christian Office they undertook in this last duteous Service to their most gracious Royal Mistress their best of Friends and Patronesses Yet as afflicted as they were at the too visible Face of that King of Terrors DEATH that so imminently threatned that Sacred Life however on the other side they could not but be as extraordinary pleased to find her so well and so richly prepared to receive him His Grace of Canterbury who was the most constant Attendant even to her last Breath was one day ask'd by her Majesty What her Physicians Opinion of her was To which his Grace ingeniously replying to this Effect that they despaired of her Recovery Her Majesty wholly unstartled with her natural Sweetness was pleased to answer in these words God be praised I am provided That constant Tranquillity and Composure of Mind attended her through her whole Sickness her Preparation for Eternity being not the Work of her Death-bed that all along she express'd a perfect Resignation to the Pleasure of Heaven and seem'd to have nothing in this World that she should be concern'd to part from but her dear Lord to whom amongst many other affectionate and tender Expressions she was pleased to utter this
Vs wake Those fair seal'd Eyes meet their long sweet Repose Whilst our's alas are too brim full to close From this sad Scene my Muse turn thy wet Eyes To a new Prospect her Great Exequies The Funeral Pomp must her last Rites conclude The Publick Debt of Grief and Gratitude Here the fair Britain's CORONETS and You Her Great Five Hundred all the Sons of Woe Those Representing Heads in Night and Shade March her whole Albion in one Cavalcade And thou RICH HEARSE with all thy Glories spread To bear the Fair Remains of this GREAT DEAD Drive heavily thy sable Chariot strong Thy rolling Wheels for O thou drag'st along Three wailing Nations whilst thy Passage lies Through thousand bleeding Hearts and drowning Eyes And thou proud Minster thou who not alone Beholdst her Setting once her Rising-Sun Sawst the Rich Drops and circling wreath of Gold Those shining but now shaded Brows enfold To crown the State her Funeral Pomp shall bear Call down thy Patron thy Great Peter there By his own Hand th' unfolded Portal spread For the Reception of this Royal Dead Beyond this last dear Charge he has no more His Brighter Gates he had open'd her before And thou Illustrious Pyramid shalt stand Erected by Britannia's pious Hand T' enrich the proud Magnificence of Woe And hold the hallow'd Sweets that sleep below If made of melting Marble-mould thou be Ioin in her Tears and weep as well as she And thou Sev'nth Henry's ever sacred Pile Where Royal Heads from Empires Care and Toile In their last Resting-bed of Dust lay down The Load of Pow'r and Burthen of a Crown To this Imperial welcom'd Guest unfold Thy Gates of Brass or burnish them with Gold Round thy gay Roof a thousand Lamps shall burn All fun'ral Tapers to this Royal Urn Ioin all your Lights to grace a Pomp so fair Her own all blazing Fame the brightest there Odours and burning Sweets our Senses feast The richest Compounds of her spicy Nest Whilst Aromatick smoking Clouds around With their rich falling Dew scent all the hallow'd Ground And to all these her sweeter Memory With that ascending Fragrance mount so high Those but her Tomb but this perfume the vaulted Sky And proud Augusta in thy Royal Byrse Pay thy last Rites to dear MARIA's Herse The Royal Pair by some Apelles hand In monumental Scepter'd Marble stand WILLIAM and MARY thy great Tutelar Pow'rs The Guardians of thy Walls and Genii of thy Tow'rs Let those rich Shrines no common Homage share Thou holdst thy Troynovant's Palladium there And you once Royal Plants her little Grove Twixt Heav'ns and William's dear divided Love Her contemplating Walk close by whose side Did the pleas'd Thames his silver Currents glide Proud that his swelling Tide so high cou'd rise To be the Mirrour to those Smiling Eyes Break all your Urns root up your flowry Beds No verdant Greens where those now drooping heads The Pink and Rose and sweeter Jas'mine grew Plant the sad Cypress and the rueful Yew And thou great Viceroy of the float Thrones The Watry God and all thy Triton Sons Who scarce seven circling Planets of the Year That glorious Yesterday in our bright Sphere Borest thy proud Mistriss o're her Vassal Main The Waves her dancing those her singing Train Now break your vocal Shells those Trumps-Marine And drown your Eyes in more than Ocean Brine Bid the commission'd Seas our Loss deplore And waft our Sighs to the World 's utmost Shoar If this sad face the Publick Sorrow bears What are her Royal Closet-Mourner's Tears Those delug'd Eyes for his dear darling Queen That more than dismal Scene But be 't unseen No opening no unhallow'd hand dare draw The widow'd Curtains of her Lov'd NASSAU Despair Death Horrour Oh be strong great Heart Thou 'st now to play thy mightiest Hero's part Yes Great Nassau the Parting-Call was giv'n Too dire Divorce Thy happier Rival Heav'n T' its own Embrace has snatch that darling Fair Translated to Immortal Spousals there But must this narrow Isle the Sorrows bound Only to move the sad Britannick round Albion is here a Mourner but in chief Hers is a whole Confed'racy of Grief All the fair Austrian Eagles hang their Wings Nay the whole Europe her sad Tribute brings But in the Hecatombs pay'd to that Urn What Incense must the mourning Belgia burn To what vast Height thy flowing Sorrows swell A whole long Lent for thy sad Funeral Knell Beneath this Stroke thy fainting Courage stoops The Belgick with the British LION droops But when such dazling Excellence must dye What 's all our empty Funeral Pageantry Can unbraced Drums or broken Trumpets sound And dusty Standards trail'd upon the ground Thy Rites perform No thy rich Herse t' attend To mourn such PIETY Temple Veils shall rend Ev'n widow'd Altars shall thy Loss bemoan And untun'd Sphears thy Funeral Dirges groan Albion to pay what here her Sorrows owe Her Tears must like her Ocean round her flow Her ever open'd Founts must pour those streams Of Grief for Thee like her own flowing Thames To the vast Deep the sliding Currents born And wasted back in swelling Tides return Nor Albion's Tears alone ev'n Albion's Foes The very Lillies droop for such a ROSE The Viper's Tooth unedg'd to hurt that Fair Ev'n Gallick spight has lost its Poison there Well if th' empov'risht World must yield to Fate Thy Loss too early but deplor'd too late Go then to the Bright Region of the Blest Yes mount fair Saint but come no Stranger-Guest The Heaven-crown'd Heads their Royal-partner meet And Angel-Trains the welcom'd Angel greet To the Seraphick-Songs thou add'st no more Thy Life was tun'd to that High Quire before FINIS * The Small Pox. * Her Majesty's Terras Garden at the Privy-Stairs * Their Bells ordered to Tole six Weeks together