Page:Catherine of Bragança, infanta of Portugal, & queen-consort of England.djvu/212

176 unexpected step. Bristol, up till then, had not shown interest in any form of religion. He answered,"Please, Your Majesty, it was writing a book for the Reformation." Charles smiled gently : "Then pray, my lord, write a book for Popery!" Bristol was actuated in his attack on Clarendon by mixed motives. He hated him for himself, and also because of his stand against Lady Castlemaine in the past. For his sake he also loathed Catherine, and did his best to injure her. In point of fact, Catherine would hardly have counted Clarendon amongst her friends after his advice.

In the previous December the Duchesse d'Orldans had written to her brother that " she would have done herself the honour of writing to Catherine, but as she would not understand a word, the Duchesse preferred to send her message by Charles." She begged the King to tell his wife the reason she did not send her a letter personally, and added that she felt sure a compliment from Charles would be far more welcome than one sent by herself, "though," she added, "there is no one who honours her more than I do."

Charles, in an answer to his "dearest Minette" on February 9, bears witness to Catherine's new love of dancing. After saying that he is persuading her to follow the example of the Queen-mother of France, and "goe in masquerade before the carnivall bee done," and slyly adding that he imagined it would be worth seeing Lord St. Albans in a like occasion, he tells her, "My wife hath given a good introduction to such a business, for the other day she made my Lord Aubigny and two other of her chaplains dance country- dances in her bedchamber."

Again in May he writes to his sister : "My wife sends for me just now to dance, so I must end, and can only add that I am intirely yours."