Burnet, who is never apt to attribute the best motives for any action, declares that Anne took the step in the desperate hope of winning back her husband’s affections, alienated from her by the affair with Henry Sidney. She, so says Burnet, “lost the power she had over him so entirely that no method she could think of was likely to recover it except one.”[[248]]
[248]. Burnet’s “History of His Own Time.”
But to this assertion Anne’s own avowal, which carries the stamp of conviction, gives the lie; and besides, as the Duke of York had not then, nor did for some time after, openly abjure the Anglican Church, his wife’s strong common-sense must have told her that her own apostasy could only have a disastrous effect on the future fortunes of both. That she did not renounce her Church lightly is certain. She had read much on the subject, and among other books she was conversant with Heylin’s “History of the Reformation.”[[249]] There is no evidence that the Duke’s sister-in-law, the Queen, influenced her in any way. Indeed, poor Catherine was not a person to exercise such a quality, nor to bring pressure to bear on anyone, devout and conscientious though she was from first to last. Besides, Duchess Anne was too strong willed and resolute to bow to any one’s ruling, least of all to that of one so yielding, placable and self-effacing as the neglected wife of Charles II.
[249]. “Adventures of King James II.,” by the author of “Life of Sir Kenelm Digby,” introduction by F. A. Gasquet, D.D.
It is impossible to lay a finger on the precise period when Anne first began to waver in her allegiance to the Church, but the falling off was first suspected in 1669, and not before. When her neglect of the Holy Eucharist was first noticed by him, Morley spoke to her plainly and faithfully on the point, when she gave him an evasive answer, alleging as deterrent reasons the state of her health and the claims of business, and at the same time declared that no Roman priest had ever spoken to her of these questions. She also voluntarily promised the bishop, that if any scruples should occur to her, she would at once tell him of them. This, however, so he afterwards told Burnet, she never did. It is strange and sad that, after so many years of complete confidence, Anne should shrink from consulting this faithful adviser, but there were reserves in her character which were manifested to the end. Possibly a certain pride had something to do with it, a reluctance to own herself capable of change in any direction, and she preferred to wrestle with her perplexities unaided and unthwarted. At last the King became conscious of his sister-in-law’s continued abstention from Holy Communion, and questioned his brother on the subject.[[250]] The Duke at once owned the fact of his wife’s conversion, and her intention of being received into the Roman Communion.[[251]] On this he was peremptorily charged to keep the momentous secret, at all hazards, for the King, always astute and, when he chose to be, far-seeing, was too well aware of the temper of the English people to run the risk of making public a matter of such importance. It was in August 1670 that Anne was formally reconciled to the Church of Rome by Father Hunt, a Franciscan, who with Lady Cranmer, her lady-in-waiting, and one Dupuy, a servant of the Duke, were for a time the sole depositaries of this matter; for it does not appear that even the Queen was at this time, at any rate, a party to the secret. It must be borne in mind as giving weight to the King’s prohibition, that Anne was the wife of the heir presumptive to the Crown, and the mother of his apparent successors, and this rendered her faith, in the eyes of the nation, of the last importance.
[250]. “Life of James II.” Rev. J. S. Clarke, from original MSS. in Carlton House, 1816. “A suspicion the Duchess was inclined to be a Roman Catholic. She that had all her life been very regular in receiving once a month the Sacrament in the Church of England’s way, and upon all occasions had shown herself very zealous in her profession.”
[251]. Macpherson’s “Original Papers,” 1775 ed.
In that same month of August[[252]] the Duchess of York wrote the confession now transcribed, which was published by James after his accession to the throne “for his Household and Chappel” in 1686.
[252]. It is dated the 20th of the month.
“It is so reasonable to expect that a person always Bred up in the Church of England, and as well instructed in the Doctrine of it, as the best Divines, and her capacity could make her, should be liable to many censures for leaving That, and making herself a member of the Roman Catholic Church, to which, I confess, I was one of the greatest enemies it ever had; That I chose rather to endeavour to satisfy my friends by reading this Paper then to have the trouble to answer all the questions that may dayly be asked of me. And first, I do protest in the presence of Almighty God, That no Person, Man or Woman, Directly nor Indirectly, ever said anything to me (since I came into England) or used the least endeavour to make me change my Religion. It is a blessing I wholly owe to Almighty God, and I hope the hearing of a Prayer I dayly made Him, ever since I was in France and Flanders, Where seeing much of the Devotion of the Catholicks, (though I had very little myself) I made it my continual request to Almighty God: That if I were not, I might before I died be in the true Religion: I did not in the least doubt, but that I was so, and never had any manner of scruple till November last, when reading a book called the History of the Reformation, by Doctor Heylin which I had heard very much commended, and had been told, if ever I had any doubt in my Religion, that would settle me: Instead of which, I found it the description of the horridest Sacriledges in the World: and could find no reason why we left the Church, but for Three the most abominable ones that were ever heard of amongst Christians. First, Henry the Eighth Renounced the Pope’s Authority because he would not give him leave to part with his Wife and marry Another in her life time: Secondly Edward the Sixth was a Child and govern’d by his Uncle who made his Estate out of Church Lands: and then Queen Elizabeth, who being no Lawful Heiress to the Crown could have no way to keep it but by renouncing a Church that could never suffer so unlawful a thing to be done by one of Her Children. I confess, I cannot think the Holy Ghost could ever be in such Counsels and it is very strange that if the Bishops had no design but (as they say) the restoring us to the Doctrines of the Primitive Church, they should never think upon it how Henry the Eighth made the Breach upon so unlawful a Pretence. These scruples being raised, I began to consider of the difference between the Catholicks and Us, and Examin’d them as well as I could by the Holy Scriptures, which though I do not pretend to be able to understand, yet there are some things I found so easie that I cannot but wonder I had been so long without finding them out. As the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, the Infallibility of the Church, Confession, and Praying for the Dead. After this I spoke severally to Two of the best Bishops we have in England, who both told me, there were many things in the Roman Church which (it were very much to be wished) we had kept. As Confession, which was no doubt commanded by God; That Praying for the Dead was one of the Ancient Things in Christianity. That for their parts they did it Daily, though they would not own it; but afterwards pressing one of them very much upon the other Points, he told me That if he had been bred a Catholick he would not change his Religion, but that being of another Church, wherein he was sure were all things necessary to Salvation, he thought it very ill to give that Scandal, as to leave that Church, wherein he had received his Baptism. All these Discourses did but add more to the desire I had to be a Catholick, and gave me the most terrible Agonies in the World, within myself. For all this, fearing to be rash in a matter of that Weight, I did all I could to satisfie myself, made it my Daily Prayer to God to settle me in the Right, and so went on Christmas Day to receive in the King’s Chappel, after which I was more troubled than ever, and could never be in quiet till I had told my desire to a Catholick who brought a Priest to me, and that was the First I ever did Converse with upon my Word. The more I spoke to him, the more I was Confirm’d in my design, and, as it is impossible for me to doubt of the words of our Blessed Saviour, who says the Holy Sacrament is his Body and Blood, so I cannot Believe, that He who is the author of all truth and who has promis’d to be with His Church to the End of the World would permit them to give that Holy Mystery to the Laiety but in one kind, if it were not Lawful so to do.