THE ROMANCE OF MARY. SOBIESKI.

Bush Advocate, Volume XI, Issue 866, 2 December 1893, Page 5

THE ROMANCE OF MARY. SOBIESKI.

The " Nouvelle Revue " of the Ist of July contains an article which should form an "interesting chapter in the history of the Stuarts, for in it remarks the " Reiow of Reviews " (from which we extract), Count Wodzinski teila at length the story of the Old Pretender's marriage to Mary dementia Sobieski, tho grand-daughter of the great Polish hero of that name. A I'OHSIf BEAUTY. This lady, who came so near to becoming Qneen of England, spent her youth at Olaw, a little town in Silesia, for it was there that her father James Sobieski had establiahed himself with his wife and young- daughters — threo roses on one stalk, as they were styled by apoetof the, time. Mary Clementina, whose second name by the way came to her from her godfather, Pope Clement the Eleventh, was 17 years of age, and already exceedingly beautiful, when a certain James Murraj , a Scotch gentleman in the service of the Pope, arrived at the castle of Olaw to nsk for the hand of Sobieski'a yonngest daughter for James Stuart, then stylod tho Chevalier Saint George, It is sjid that the Pope, who had an equal n Section for both young people, had long wished the marriage, and even before the subject was publioly mooted the Chevalier Saint George a', ways wore round his neck a miniature of his fnture betrothed. A KOYAI, LOVE LETTER. The Pope's envoy brought with him a quaint Royal love-letter, which doubtless laid the foundation of the sincere and loyal affeotion afterwards borne to the Pretender by bis wife, " Madame," ran the epistle, "The incomparable graces of your parson, the eminent qualities of your wit and of your neart have long inspired in me the truest udmiration. May I hope that you will not repulse him who hopes to henceforth love you alone. Aly supreme wish is to see you happy. Your virtues will draw down a divine benediction on my cause, and will redouble the affection and ardor of my snbjects." " THE COURSE OF TRUE tOVE, ETC." But the young Prinoess was destined to go through many perils and trials before sho finally met her lover. As it was obvious that the Chevalier St. George could not come to seek her at Olaw it was arranged that the Prinoess and her mother should go to meet him at Bologna. George tho First, King of England, was then the olose friend and ally of the Emperor of Austria, and although Mary Clementia and her mother travelled incognito and under an assumed nnrao, they were both arrested at Innsprnck, and informed that the Emperor Leopold had sent them a message saying that all thought of tho Stuart marriage must bo abandoned. The Princesseß, however, never wavered, and the two unfortunate ladies spent a dreary autumn and winter shut up iv an Austrian garrison, whilst the Pope in vain attempted to soften the heart of the Emperor. Meanwhile the Chevalier, who seems by this time to have worked himself to a perfect frenzy of affection for his unknown betrothed,suggested toher parents, her pontifical godfather, and herself, the possibility of her escaping from her quasi imprisonment and making her way disguised to Italy, where he could ultimately join her. After much hesitation the little Princess consented to her lover's plan. THE IWE A3 MATCH-MAXES. Her parents, as may easily be imagined, found it more difficult to do so ; but they at last gave way in deference to tho Pope's wishes, for Clement the Eloventh seems to have been from the first determined to give his ijod-daughter a chance of becoming Queen of England. An elaborate plan was accordingly arranged by Pretender himself. A certain picked number of men belonging to the "Royal Irish," a Stuart regimont then in garrison at Schletstadt, took part intho rescue and journey, officered by Major Gaydon. Two ladies devoted to the Stuiut cause acted as ohaperones to the Prinoess, and a little comedy was arranged, by whicn it was to appear that, during the journey, the Princes was to poBB as belonging to a family of wealthy travellers orossing the Tyrol. RESCUED. The rescuing party assembled at on inn oppositu the oastle where the two Princesses were ooufiDed, and on the fateful evening, after a delay of one day, obtained, we are told, by Mary Clementina's mother, the Princess crept out, met her future husband's faithful baud of friends and servants, and the party started in a heavy eix-place coach lor tbeir long and perilous journey. At last the party readied Venice; two days later they arrived at Bologna, where they were received with great pomp by the Cardinal Legate. It was there that " faithful Murray ''• met her, bringing from his master as an engagement ring that which had been worn by James the Second on liis wedding day to Alary of Modona. MARRIED BY PROXY. By special permission of the Pope, the Princess, whose troubles were by no means at an end, was married by proxy to Murray in a simple white go«?n, by special desire of her future lord and master. J>'rom that day Mary Clementina bore the title of Queen of England, being always styled by the Pope " Your Majesty." She then entered the Urauline convent, and waited patiently for the return of her husband. At last ho came back from his I disastrous Spanish expedition to his faithful bride, and during their all too ehort married i life it is said that he had but one reproach to bring against her — that of her exceeding piety and love of God. To her two sons, Charles Edward the Young Pretender, and to tho Duko of York, afterwards Cardinal of the Konuai Church, she was much devoted, and it was owing to hor efforts that they were both brought up in tho Roman Catholic faith rather than as Anglicans, which their father would at oce moment have preferred. llljl'.lKD IN ST. I'K'CKK'H. The heroine of this romantic episode died at the age of thirty- four in a Roman convent. Curiously enough her dead body was treated in more queenly fashion than she had ever been herself during her short life, for although she had asked to be buried in the Dominicinn habit, her wishes were disreregarded, and round her corpse was wound a purple mantle, while a gold crowu was put on her brow ; and so, with a sceptre in one hand and & golden apple in the other. Mary Clementina was buried in St Peter's, the Pope placing on the stone which marked the spot — Cj.kmentina, Mac:xj: Britanx.i:. Fuamcl/i: kt Hibkuxi.i: Ekoina.