tho' she gave him no Hopes, yet she did not rebuff him.
When my Brother was retir'd, Gertrude went into the Apartment of the Queen her Mistress, who plac'd her whole Confidence in her. That Princess no sooner saw her but she made a thousand Complaints of the King's Treatment of her. Gertrude seem'd to sympathize in her Resentment, and believing that the Queen could not fail to know that the King had talk'd with her in the Antichamber, she told her that the Prince having met her in her Passage gave her an angry Account of what had passed; and that she had done all she could to pacify him, but to no purpose: At the same time she blam'd the King's Proceeding; and encourag'd by the Liberty which the Queen gave her, told her that if she who was but a private Gentlewoman was so treated by any Husband, she would never pardon him tho' he were a King. She added several other Sayings which instead of pacifying this silly Queen, did but exasperate her the more.
In the mean time, Malcolm, who was impatient to know the Success of his Amour, wrote a Letter to Gertrude which he sent her by one of his chief Domestics, together with a rich Diamond Equipage. But the artful Gertrude whose Aim was to draw on his Passion, rather than to gratify it, was far from yielding to his first Attacks, and sent him back the Diamonds, tho' with a modest and respectful Answer, wherein she desir'd him to talk no more to her of Love. My Brother was too deeply smitten to be repuls'd; he doubled his Presents, was assiduous, and eager in his Courtship; and as 'tis very rare for a King of his amiable Personage to meet with long Resistance, Gertrude abated of her Shyness by degrees, and at length discovered that she was not insensible of Love. Their Correspondence which did not exceed the Bounds of Honour, was
kept secret for a considerable time, but made the greater Blaze when it was known. Malcolm being one day with his Wife, happen'd, without perceiving it, to drop a Letter which the Queen took up, and found to be the Hand-writing of Gertrude. The Letter being written in Latin made the Queen the more curious to know what was in it; and she gave it to her Cousin, Prince Valamir, desiring him to unfold the Contents of it to her. This Prince was so unwise as to satisfy her Curiosity, and acquainted her that Gertrude by this Letter assur'd the King that he had gain'd her Heart. You will easily imagine how much the Queen was ruffled when she heard of this Intrigue: She could not contain herself; and without giving ear to the Arguments made use of by Valamir, she ran immediately to Gertrude's Apartment in the Palace, who by good luck was gone abroad. The Queen thinking her Casket was in Gertrude's Closet caused it to be broke open, and finding it there, open'd it, and took out all the Letters, of which several that appear'd to be from the King her Husband left her no room to doubt of that Prince's extraordinary Passion for Gertrude, and of the Intimacy there was between them. My Brother was quickly inform'd of what the Queen had been doing, but conceal'd his Uneasiness, shew'd his Wife no manner of Resentment, and only sent a Caution to Gertrude not to return to the Palace. Malcolm's Silence deceiv'd the Queen, who indeed was not a Lady of very great Penetration, so that she flatter'd herself the King might possibly be ignorant of the Outrage she had committed; and upon this Supposition she thought it her best way to dissemble her Hatred and Wrath against Gertrude. She pretended therefore to be very uneasy for fear of what had happen'd to her, caus'd a Search to be made for her several days, and seem'd very much dejected at her
Absence. She hoped by all these Demonstrations of Friendship to decoy her back to the Palace, in order then to be compleatly reveng'd of her.
Thus Matters stood when the King of the Suevi, the Brother-in-law of the Queen my Sister-in-law, came to Court with the Queen his Wife. This Prince having observ'd the Queen's Melancholy on several occasions, ask'd her the reason of it one day as they sate at Table. 'You must not be surpriz'd, said Malcolm, to see the Queen my Wife out of temper; 'tis her common Infirmity, and very often she her self knows not the cause of it. My Ailment is but too real (reply'd the Queen in a great Pet;) and (then addressing herself to her Husband) said she, it does not at all become you whose dishonourable Amours have been the only Cause of my Disorder, to insinuate as if it were but imaginary.' This Answer made in so public a manner, so nettled my Brother that he turn'd pale for meer Vexation, and not being able to curb his Passion, forgot his Dignity so far as to strike her; upon which the unfortunate Princess rose from Table, and retir'd in Tears to her own Apartment. My Brother, whose Passion was always as soon over as it was easily kindled, was sorry in a very few moments after for what he had done, made his Excuses to the King and Queen of the Suevi, and rising from Table, went with them to his Wife's Apartment, where he ask'd her pardon for what had pass'd. This Atonement, which the Queen did not expect so soon, touch'd her to the quick: The King and she embrac'd each other, and exchang'd their Promises to forget as well as to forgive every Offence. But would you believe it? that fickle, fantastical Creature my Sister-in-law chang'd her mind all on a sudden, and when her Husband came in the Evening with an intention to spend the Night with her, she absolutely refus'd to let him bed with her unless he
would resolve to deliver up Gertrude to her. Malcolm, who was still asham'd at what he had done in his last Fury, receiv'd so violent a Proposition with more Patience than he would have done upon another Occasion. He endeavour'd by fair Words to pacify his Wife, assuring her that nothing criminal had ever pass'd between him and Gertrude, and that tho' he had corresponded with the Girl by Letters, it was not out of any Love he had for her, so much as to know whether it was true that she wrote as good Latin as he had been told she did. Tho' this Speech of his was not very probable, yet as People are easily inclin'd to believe what they wish to be true, the Queen suffer'd herself to be at last persuaded, and was reconciled to her Husband without insisting any farther on the Sacrifice she at first demanded.
The Emperor being come to spend some Time at Pluibourg, summon'd an Assembly thither of the Princes of the Empire. My Brother went thither with the Queen his Wife; but the Consequence was that they were more embroil'd than ever; and my Sister-in-law was so unadvised as to let Cæsar and his Court be Witnesses of certain Brawls, which for her own Interest as well as her Husband's, she ought to have carefully confin'd within the Limits of her own Houshold. 'Tis true that my Brother had no very great Respect for her, and he lov'd Gertrude more than ever. Being hindred by a slight Indisposition from going to Montpayen where he kept her at one of his Houses, not a Day pass'd but he sent an Express to know how she did, and the Queen's ill Temper, who no doubt had better have try'd good-natur'd Methods to reclaim him, only incens'd him against her, and made him the fonder of Gertrude.
The Assembly of the Princes of Germany being over, and the Emperor return'd to Rome, my Brother
set out for Montpayen the Capital of his Kingdom, and gave orders for his Queen to follow him next Day. But for a Reason which I never could dive into, the Princess instead of obeying him stay'd a Month longer at Pluibourg, without vouchsafing to let the King her Husband know the Reason of her delay; and not only so, but when she came to Montpayen, she had the Assurance to go with a bold Face to her Husband's Apartment, without knowing how he would take it: But the Prince who had just Reason to be angry, foreseeing that she was like enough to take such a step, had given orders to refuse her Entrance; wherefore she was oblig'd to retire to her Apartment, whither a Captain of the Guards came in a Moment after, to tell her from the King that she was a Prisoner.