CHAPTER II
THE BRIDEGROOM
AND what manner of man was the bridegroom for whom Catherine had been destined by the hopes of her country from her cradle? Charles Stuart, third of the Stuart Kings of England, was the Prince Charming of Europe at the time of his restoration to his father's throne. Witty, quick, brave, accomplished, there was no prince in existence who could compare with him in engaging qualities. He was good-natured to a grave fault; he was kind-hearted and warmly affectionate. He had from birth a generous disposition, and his manners were perfection. Nobody so excelled in all courtly ways and customs. He danced so that the whole Court of The Hague stood still to look at him. He had had a career so romantic, and misfortunes so great, and escapes so daring, that a girl might well be forgiven if his name seemed to her like that of the hero of a fairy tale. He was Roland, he was Oliver, he was every paladin. Born at the Palace of St. James's, on May 29, 1630, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the whole nation hailed the appearance of the planet Venus in full daylight at that moment as the most happy of omens. His parents welcomed him with joy. Their first-born son, Charles James, had died at his birth, and the nation went frantic over this new heir to the crown. De Vic, the English Ambassador
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