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inscurmotintable  difficulties.  Both  these  prin-
cesses, after  their  father  had  become  a  Ca-
tholiC;  were  considered  as  the  hope  of  the
Protestant  religion,  and  accordingly  trained
in  the  utmost  horror  of  Popery.  Their  par-
tialities and  resentments  were  regulatea  by
difference  of  religion  ]  their  political  import-
ance and  their  splendid  prospects  were  de-
pendent on  the  Protestant  Church.  Anne
was  surrounded  by  zealous  Churchmen ;  she
was  animated  by  her  preceptor  Compton:
her  favourites  Lord  and  Lady  Churchill  had
become  determined  partisans  of  Protestant-
ism ;  and  the  King  found  in  the  obstinacy  of
his  daughter's  character,  a  resistance  hardly
to  be  apprehended  from  a  young  princess  of
slight  understanding.*  Some  of  ihe  reasons
of  this  zeal  for  conyertixig  her  clearly  show
that,  whether  the  succession  was  actually
held  out  to- her  as  a  lure  or  not,  at  least  there
was  an  intention,  if  she  became  a  Catholic,
to  prefer  her  to  the  PHncess  of  Orange.  Bon-
repos,  a  minister  of  ability,  had  indeed,  at  a
somewhat  earlier  period,  tried  the  efect  of
that  temptation  -on  her  husband,  Prince
George.t  He  ventured  to  ask  his  friend  the
Danish  envoy,  <^  whether  the  Prince  had  any
ambition  to  raise  his  consort  to  the  throne  at
the  expense  of  the  Princess.  Mary,  which
seemed  to  be  practicable  if  he  became  a
Catholic."  The  envoy  hinted  this  bold  sug-
gestion to  the  Prince,  who  appeared  to  receive
it  well,  and  even  showed  a  willingness  to
be  instructed  on  the  controverted  qaestions.
Bonrepos  found  means  to  supply  the  Princess
Anne  with  Catholic  books,  wliich,'for  a  mo-
ment, she  showed  some  willingness  to  con-
sider. He  represented  her  to  liis  Court  as
timid  and  silent^  but  ambitious  and  of  some
talent,  with  a  violent  hatred  for  the  Queen.
