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  HIS MAJESTY'S WELL-BELOVED

  AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF MR. THOMAS BETTERTON AS TOLD BY HIS FRIEND JOHN HONEYWOOD

  BY

  BARONESS ORCZY

  AUTHOR OF "THE LEAGUE OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL," "FLOWER O' THE LILY," "LORD TONY'S WIFE," ETC.

  NEW YORK

  GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

  _Copyright, 1919,_

  _By George H. Doran Company_

  _Printed in the United States of America_

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER

  I. How it all Began II. The Rift Within the Lute III. A Criminal Folly IV. More than a Passing Fancy V. The Outrage VI. The Gathering Storm VII. An Assembly of Traitors VIII. The Lion's Wrath IX. A Last Chance X. The Hour XI. Rumours and Conjectures XII. Poisoned Arrows XIII. The Lady Pleads XIV. The Ruling Passion XV. More Deaf than Adders XVI. The Game of Love

  HIS MAJESTY'S WELL-BELOVED

  CHAPTER I

  How it all Began

  1

  _From Mr. John Honeywood, clerk to Mr. Theophilus Baggs,attorney-at-law, to Mistress Mary Saunderson, of the Duke's Theatre inLincoln's Inn Fields._

  1662. October the 10th at 85, Chancery Lane in the City of London.Honoured Mistress,--

  May it please you that I, an humble Clerk and Scrivener, do venture toaddress so talented a Lady; but there is that upon my Conscience whichcompels me to write these lines. The Goodness and Charity of MistressSaunderson are well known, and 'tis not as a Suppliant that I cravepardon for my Presumption, but rather as one whose fidelity and loyaltyhave oft been tried and never been found wanting. 'Tis said, mostgracious Mistress, that your fancy hath been touched by the tendernessand devotion of a Man who is as dear to me as if he were mine ownBrother, but that You hesitate to bestow upon him that for which hecraves more than for anything in the world, your Hand and Heart. Andthis because of many Rumours which have sullied his fair Name. Mr.Betterton, Madam, hath many enemies. How could this be otherwise seeingthat so vast a measure of Success hath attended his career, and that theKing's most gracious Majesty doth honour him with Friendship and Regardto the exclusion of others who are envious of so great a fame? ThoseEnemies now, Madam, seeing that your Heart hath been touched with theman's grace and bearing, rather than with his undying Renown, have setthemselves the task of blackening Mr. Betterton's character before youreyes, thus causing you mayhap grievous Sorrow and Disappointment. Butthis I do swear by all that I hold most sacred, that Mr. Betterton hathnever committed a mean Act in his life nor done aught to forfeit yourRegard. Caustic of wit he is, but neither a Braggart nor a Bully; hehath been credited with many good Fortunes, but so hath every Gentlemanin the Kingdom, and there is no discredit attached to a man forsubjugating the Hearts of those that are both frail and fair. My LadyCastlemaine hath bestowed many favours on Mr. Betterton, so hath theCountess of Shrewsbury, and there are others, at least the Gossips doaver it. But on my Soul and Honour, he hath never ceased to love You,until the day when a certain great Lady came across his path for hismisfortune and his undying Regret. And even so, Madam, thoughappearances are against him, I own, let me assure You that the swervingof his Allegiance to You was not only transitory but it was never one ofthe Heart--it was a mere aberration of the senses. He may never forgetthe Lady--he certainly will never forget her Cruelty--but he no longerloves Her, never did love Her as he loves You, with his Heart and Mind,with Tenderness and Devotion. The other was only a Dream--a fitfulfancy: his Love for You is as immortal as his Fame. Therefore, graciousMistress, I, the humble Friend of so great a Man, have ventured to setforth for your perusal that which he himself would be too proud to putbefore you--namely, his Justification. As for the rest, what I am aboutto relate is the true Historie of Mr. Betterton's Romance, the only onewhich might give you cause for sorrow, yet none for uneasiness, becausethat Romance is now a thing of the past, like unto a Flower that isfaded and without fragrance, even though it still lies pressed betweenthe pages of a great man's Book of Life. Everything else is mereEpisode. But this which I have here set down will show you how muchnobility of heart and grandeur of Character lies hidden beneath theflippant and at times grim exterior of the Man whom you have honouredwith your regard.

  The writing of the Historie hath caused me much anxiety and deepthought. I desired to present the Truth before you, and not thehighly-coloured effusions of a Partisan. I have slurred over nothing,concealed nothing. An you, gracious Mistress, have the patience to readunto the End, I am confident that any Hesitation as to your Future whichmay still linger in your Heart will vanish with the more intimateKnowledge of the true Facts of the case, as well as of the Man whosefaults are of his own Time and of his Entourage, but whose Merits arefor the whole World to know and to cherish, for as many Cycles of yearsas there will be Englishmen to speak the Words of English Poets.

  2

  Dare I take you back, honoured Mistress, to those humble days, fiveyears ago, when first I entered the Household of your worthy Uncle, Mr.Theophilus Baggs, and of his still more worthy Spouse, MistressEuphrosine, where for a small--very small--stipend, and free board andlodging, I copied legal documents, Leases, Wills and Indentures for myEmployer?

  You, fair Lady, were then the only ray of Sunshine which illumined thedarkness of my dreary Life. Yours was a Gaiety which nothing coulddamp, a Courage and Vitality which not even the nagging disposition ofMistress Euphrosine succeeded in crushing. And when, smarting under hermany Chidings, my stomach craving for a small Measure of satisfaction,my Bones aching from the hardness of my bed, I saw your slim Figureflitting, elf-like, from kitchen to living-room, your full young Throatbursting with song like that of a Bird at the first scent of Spring, Iwould find my lot less hard, the bread less sour, even MistressEuphrosine's tongue less acrimonious. My poor, atrophied Heart felt thewarmth of your Smile.

  Then sometimes, when my Work was done and my Employers occupied withtheir own affairs, You used to allow me to be of service to you, to helpyou wash the dishes which your dainty Hands should never have beenallowed to touch.

  Oh! how I writhed when I heard Mistress Euphrosine ordering You about asif You were a kitchen-wench, rather than her husband's Niece, who washonouring his House with your presence! You, so exquisite, so perfect,so cultured, to be the Handmaid of a pair of sour, ill-conditionedReprobates who were not worthy to tie the lacets of your dainty shoes.With what Joy I performed the menial tasks which never should have beenallotted to You, I never until now have dared to tell. I did not thinkthat any Man could find dish-washing and floor-scrubbing quite soenchanting. But then no other Man hath ever to my knowledge performedsuch tasks under such happy circumstances; with You standing before me,smiling and laughing at my clumsiness, your shapely arms akimbo, yourVoice now rippling into Song, now chaffing me with Words full ofkindness and good-humour.

  I have known many happy Hours since that Day, Mistress, and many Hoursfull of Sorrow, but none so full of pulsating Life as those whichoutwardly had seemed so miserable.

  And then that wonderful afternoon when Mr. Theophilus Baggs and hisSpouse being safely out of the way, we stole out together and spent afew hours at the Play! Do you remembe
r the day on which we ventured onthe Escapade? Mr. Baggs and Mistress Euphrosine had gone to HamptonCourt: he to see a noble Client and she to accompany him. The day beingfine and the Client being a Lady possessed of well-known charms,Mistress Euphrosine would not have trusted her Lord alone in the companyof such a forward Minx--at least, those were her Words, which sheuttered in my hearing two Days before the memorable Expedition.

  Memorable, indeed, it was to me!

  Mr. Baggs left a sheaf of Documents for me to copy, which would--hethought--keep me occupied during the whole course of a long Day. Youtoo, fair Mistress, were to be kept busy during the worthy couple'sabsence, by scrubbing and polishing and sewing--Mistress Euphrosineholding all idleness in abhorrence.

  I marvel if you remember it all!

  I do, as if it had occurred yesterday! We sat up half the Nightprevious to our Taskmasters' departure; you polishing and sewing, and Icopying away for very life. You remember? Our joint Savings for thepast six Months we had counted up together. They amounted to threeshillings. One shilling we spent in oil for our lamps, so that we mightcomplete our Tasks during the Night. This left us free for the greatand glorious Purpose which we had in our Minds and which we had plannedand brooded over for Days and Weeks.

  We meant to go to the Play!

  It seems strange now, in view of your Renown, fair Mistress, and of mineown intimacy with Mr. Betterton, that You and I had both reached an ageof Man and Womanhood without ever having been to the Play. Yet Youbelonged from childhood to the household of Mistress Euphrosine Baggs,who is own sister to Mr. Betterton. But that worthy Woman abhorred theStage and all that pertained to it, and she blushed--aye, blushed!--atthought of the marvellous Fame attained by her illustrious Brother.

  Do you remember confiding to me, less than a month after I first enteredthe household of Mr. Baggs, that You were pining to go to the Play? Youhad seen Mr. Betterton once or twice when he came to visit hisSister--which he did not do very often--but you had never actually beenmade acquainted with him, nor had you ever seen him act. And You told mehow handsome he was, and how distinguished; and your dark Eyes wouldflash with enthusiasm at thought of the Actor's Art and of the Actor'sPower.

  I had never seen him at all in those Days, but I loved to hear abouthim. Strange what a fascination the Stage exercised over soinsignificant and so mean a creature as I!

  3

  Will you ever forget the dawn of that glorious Day, fair Mistress?

  Mr. Baggs and his Spouse went off quite early, to catch the chaise at LaBelle Sauvage which would take them to Hampton Court. But however earlythey went, we thought them mighty slow in making a start. An hundredRecommendations, Orderings, Scoldings, had to be gone through ere therespectable Couple, carrying provisions for the day in a BandanaHandkerchief, finally got on the way.

  It was a perfect Morning early in March, with the first scent and feelof Spring in the air. Not a Cloud in the Sky. By Midday our tasks wereentirely accomplished and we were free! Free as the Birds in the air,free as two 'prentices out for a holiday! But little did we eat, Iremember. We were too excited for hunger; nor had Mistress Euphrosineleft much in the larder for us. What did we care? Our Enthusiasm, ourEagerness, were Cook and Scullion for us, that day!

  We were going to the Play!

  Oh! how we tripped to Cockpit Lane, asking our way from passers-by, forwe knew so little of London--fashionable London, that is; the London ofGaiety and Laughter, of careless Thoughts and wayward Moods. Holdinghands, we hurried through the Streets. You wore a dark Cape with a Hoodto hide your pretty Face and your soft brown Hair, lest someAcquaintance of your Uncle's should chance to see You and betray ourguilty secret.

  Do you remember how we met Mr. Rhodes, the bookseller, and friend of Mr.Baggs?--he to whom young Mr. Betterton was even then apprenticed. At thecorner of Princes Street we came nose to nose with him, and but forgreat presence of mind on my part when, without an instant's hesitation,I ran straight at him and butted him in the Stomach so that he lost hisBalance for the moment and only recovered complete Consciousness afterwe had disappeared round the corner of the Street, he no doubt wouldhave recognised us and betrayed our naughty Secret.

  Oh, what a fright we had! I can see You now, leaning, breathless andpanting, against the street corner, your Hand pressed to your Bosom,your Eyes shining like Stars!

  As for the rest, it is all confusion in my mind. The Crowd, the Bustle,the Noise, this great Assembly, the like of which I had never seenbefore. I do not know how we came to our seats. All I know is that wewere there, looking down upon the moving throng. I remember that someWorthy of obvious note was sitting next to me, and was perpetuallytreading upon my toes. But this I did not mind, for he was good enoughto point out to me the various Notabilities amongst the Audience or uponthe Stage; and I was greatly marvelled and awed by the wonderfulfamiliarity with which he spoke of all these distinguished People.

  "There sits General Monk. Brave old George! By gad! 'twere interestingto know what goes on inside that square Head of his! King or Protector,which is it to be? Or Protector _and_ King! George knows; and you markmy words, young Sir, George will be the one to decide. Old Noll issick; he can't last long. And Master Richard hath not much affectionfor his Father's Friends--calls them Reprobates and ungodly. Well! canyou see George being rebuked by Master Richard for going to the Play?"

  And I, not being on such intimate terms with the Lord Protector's Son orwith General Monk, could offer no opinion on the subject. And after awhile my Neighbour went on glibly:

  "Ah! here comes my Lady Viner, flaunting silks and satins. Aye, thefair Alice--his third Wife, mark you!--knows how to spend the moneywhich her Lord hath been at such pains to scrape together. By gad! who'dhave thought to see red-haired Polly Ann so soon after the demise of HisGrace! See, not an inch of widows' Weeds doth she wear in honour of theold Dotard who did her the infinite favour of dying just in the nick oftime...."

  And so on, the Man would babble in a continuous stream of talk. You,Mistress, listened to him open-mouthed, your great brown Eyes aglow withcuriosity and with excitement. You and I knew but little of those greatFolk, and seeing them all around us, prepared for the same enjoymentwhich we had paid to obtain, made us quite intoxicated with eagerness.

  Our Neighbour, who of a truth seemed to know everything, expressed greatsurprise at the fact that Old Noll--as he so unceremoniously named theLord Protector--had tolerated the opening of the Cockpit. "But," headded sententiously, "Bill Davenant could wheedle a block of ice out ofthe devil, if he chose."

  4

  Of the Play I remember but little. I was in truth much too excited totake it all in. And sitting so near You, Mistress--for the Place wasovercrowded--my Knee touching yours, your dear little hand darting outfrom time to time to grip mine convulsively during the more palpitatingmoments of the Entertainment, was quite as much as an humble Clerk'sbrain could hold.

  There was a great deal of Music--that I do remember. Also that theentertainment was termed an opera and that the name of the piece was"The Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru." My omniscient Neighbour told mepresently that no doubt the Performance was an artful piece of Flatteryon the part of Bill (meaning, I suppose, Sir William Davenant) who, byblackening the Spaniards, made Old Noll's tyranny appear like bountifulMercies.

  But I did not like to hear our Lord Protector spoken of with suchlevity. Moreover, my Neighbour's incessant Chatter distracted me fromthe Stage.

  What I do remember more vividly than anything else on that memorable Daywas your cry of delight when Mr. Betterton appeared upon the Stage. Ido not know if you had actually spoken with him before; I certainly hadnever even seen him. Mr. Betterton was then apprenticed to Mr. Rhodes,the Bookseller, and it was entirely against the Judgment and Wishes ofMistress Euphrosine Baggs, his Sister, that he adopted the Stage as anadditional calling. I know that there were many high Words on thatsubject
between Mr. Betterton and Mistress Euphrosine, Mr. Rhodesgreatly supporting the young Man in his Desire, he having alreadyformulated schemes of his own for the management of a Theatre, andextolling the virtues of the Actor's Art and the vastly lucrative Statethereof.

  But Mistress Euphrosine would have none of it. Actors were Rogues andVagabonds, she said, ungodly Reprobates who were unfit, when dead, to beburied in consecrated ground. She would never consent to seeing aBrother of hers follow so disreputable a Calling. From high words itcame to an open Quarrel, and though I had been over a year in the Houseof Mr. Theophilus Baggs, I had never until this day set eyes on youngMr. Betterton.

  He was not taking a very important part in the Opera, but there was nodenying the fact that as soon as he appeared upon the Stage his veryPresence did throw every other Actor into the shade. The Ladies in theBoxes gave a deep sigh of content, gazing on him with admiring eyes andbestowing loud Applause upon his every Word. And when Mr. Bettertonthrew out his Arms with a gesture expressive of a noble Passion andspoke the ringing lines: "And tell me then, ye Sons of England..."--hisbeautiful Voice rising and falling with the perfect cadence of anexquisite Harmony--the uproar of Enthusiasm became wellnigh deafening.The Ladies clapped their Hands and waved their Handkerchiefs, theGentlemen stamped their feet upon the floor; and some, lifting theirHats, threw them with a flourish upon the Stage, so that anon Mr.Betterton stood with a score or more Hats all round his feet, and wasgreatly perturbed as to how he should sort them out and restore them totheir rightful Owners.

  Ah, it was a glorious Day! Nothing could mar the perfection of itsCourse. No! not even the Rain which presently began to patter over theSpectators, and anon fell in torrents, so that those who were in the Pithad to beat a precipitate retreat, scrambling helter-skelter over theBenches in a wild endeavour to get under cover.