“I am not able, or, if I were, would I enter into Disputes with any Body, I only in short say this for the changing of my Religion, which I take God to Witness I would never have done if I had thought it possible to save my Soul otherwise. I think I need not say, it is any Interest in this World leads me to it; it will be plain enough to every body, that I must lose all the Friends and Credit I have here by it; and have very well weighed which I could best part with, my share in this world or the next; I thank God I found no difficulty in the Choice.
“My only Prayer is, that the poor Catholicks of this Nation may not suffer for my being of their Religion; That God would but give me Patience to bear them, and then, send me any affliction in this World, so I may enjoy a Blessed Eternity hereafter.”[[253]]
[253]. Harleian MSS.; also “Copy of a paper written by the late Dutchess of York. Published by His Majesties command. Printed by Henry Hills, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty for His Household and Chappel. 1686.”
The inherent weakness and insufficiency of the arguments put forward by the writer in this paper are manifest at once, but her sincerity can scarcely be impugned. Indeed, throughout her career this quality was always conspicuous in Anne Hyde, to an extent which often, in her relations with those about her, made for unpopularity.
It must be mentioned in this place that John Evelyn disbelieved the authorship of this letter. Writing to Bishop Morley as early as 1681, he says:
“Father Maimburg has had the impudence to publish at the end of his late Histoire du Calvinisme a pretended letter of the late Duchess of York intimating the motives of her deserting the Church of England, amongst other things to attribute it to the indifference, to call it no worse, of those two bishops upon whose advice she wholly depended as to the direction of her conscience and points of controversy. ’Tis the universal discourse that your Lordship is one of these bishops she mentions, if at least the letter be not suppositious, knowing you to have been the most domestic in the family, and one whom her Highness resorted to in all her doubts and spiritual concerns, not only during her former circumstances, but all the time of her greatness to the very last. It is therefore humbly and earnestly desired (as well as indeed expected) amongst all that are concerned for our religion and the great and worthy character which your Lordship bears, that your Lordship would do right to it, and publish to all the world how far you are concerned in this pretended charge and to vindicate yourself and our Church from what this bold man would have the world believe to the prejudice of both. I know your Lordship will be curious to read the passage yourself and do what becomes you upon this signal occasion, God having placed you in a station where you have no great one’s frowns to fear or flatter, and given you a zeal for the truth and for his Glory. With this assurance I humbly beg yr Lordship’s blessing.”[[254]]
[254]. “Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn.”
We have already seen that Morley distinctly stated to Burnet that his pupil the Duchess had never asked his counsel in her difficulty, therefore he could not have been either of the bishops whom she cited, and a marginal note to Anne’s letter states, moreover, that the bishops referred to were Sheldon and Blandford. Evelyn, it is true, does not give the ground for his scepticism in the authenticity of the letter. He may or may not be right, but the fact of James’ order for its publication would seem to stamp it as genuine, even if the writer had been prejudiced, or mistaken, in her references to the bishops.
Anne’s dutiful and regular attendance on religious observances naturally drew attention to the neglect of them which she manifested in later years, but the secret was well kept, and though suspected in some quarters, did not leak out to the world in general in her lifetime.
We can, without much difficulty, picture the bitter heart-searchings, the doubt, the reluctance, intensified by failing health, which must have accompanied this momentous change; but we must at least give her credit for the absolute candour of her convictions.