Page:Catherine of Bragança, infanta of Portugal, & queen-consort of England.djvu/79

1661] Braganga he had orders to take his leave presently and declare war against him, Charles blazed at him with indignation. He replied with warmth that Vatteville "might be gone as soon as he liked. He himself would not receive orders from the Catholic King how to dispose of himself in marriage!"

Vatteville was aware he had exceeded his instruc- tions. Spain was not at all anxious for a war with England under present circumstances. He came to wait on Charles next day, in a meek frame, and, after saying many flattering things, he made him the offer, in his royal master's name, to endow Henrietta of Orange with a portion equal to that of a Princess of Spain, if Charles would marry her. Spain thought that this offer would certainly save the situation. But neither Vatteville nor the King of Spain understood Charles. His pride still burned at any mention of the girl whose mother had so insolently scorned him. He was not the sort of person to be coerced, as he showed again and again in his history. It roused all his opposition when people presumed on what they thought his weak-mindedness. He would at once have closed with the Portuguese marriage, merely to show Spain he was not to be driven, but the unpleasing accounts of poor Catherine's looks still made him hesitate to marry her.

It was France that settled the matter. Louis XIV. was eager for a marriage which might draw his cousin again into the bosom of the Catholic Church, if a good use were made of it. There was another even more vital reason why he desired the alliance. He looked with dislike on any attempt on the part of his royal brother-in-law of Spain to increase his power by annexing Portugal. He now sent a special messenger to Charles to express his regret that anything should have taken place to delay his marriage with " a lady of great beauty and admirable endowments, and added that he himself had formerly had serious thoughts of