royal, but very secret entertainment 'in this kingdom' (Sweden?),
Charles went into Lithuania, where old friends of his maternal
ancestors, the Sobieskis, welcomed him. He resumed a gaiety which he
had lost ever since his arrest at the opera in Paris, and had 'an
interview with a most illustrious and firm friend to his person and
interest.' Though his marriage, says the pamphleteer, had been much
talked of, 'he has always declined making any applications of that
nature himself. It was his fixed determination to beget no royal
beggars.' D'Argenson reports Charles's remark that he will never
marry till the Restoration, and, no doubt, he was occasionally this
mood, among others. {51a} The pamphleteer vows that the Prince
'loves and is loved,' but will not marry 'till his affairs take a
more favourable turn.' The lady is 'of consummate beauty, yet is
that beauty the least of her perfections.'

The pamphlet concludes with vague enigmatic hopes and promises, and
certainly leaves its readers little wiser than they were before. In
the opinion of the Messrs. 'Sobieski Stuart' (who called themselves
his grandsons), Charles really did visit Sweden, and his jewel, as
Grand Master of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Stockholm, is still
preserved there. {51b} The castle where he resided in Lithuania, it
is said, is that of Radzivil. {51c} The affectionate and beautiful
lady is the Princess Radzivil, to whom the newspapers were busy
marrying Charles at this time. The authors of 'Tales of the
Century,' relying on some vague Polish traditions, think that a party
was being made to raise the Prince to the Polish crown. In fact,
there is not a word of truth in 'Henry Goring's letter.'

We now study the perplexities of Courts and diplomatists. Pickle was
not yet at hand with accurate intelligence, and, even after he began