and adventures. From Custrin the little party made their way to Holland, where the unfortunate Queen lived, with her children, for many years in retirement and poverty. All her riches and

grandeur had been taken from her, but she herself remained brave and cheerful, and sought to bring up her children in the faith and fear of God.

When King James I. of England heard of these troubles, he sent some soldiers to fight for his daughter Elizabeth and her husband. But a sickness broke out amongst them, before they could get out of the crowded vessels that were bringing them across the sea, and so many of them died, that the small number remaining could not be of much use; and the poor discrowned King Frederick was obliged to wander about from one town to another, in search of men who would be brave and strong enough to fight for him against the Emperor Ferdinand. Very soon afterwards King James died, and on his deathbed he charged his son Charles to do what he could to help the Elector Palatine and his family. But at first Charles did not interest himself very much in his sister's misfortunes, and she and her husband were left to struggle on the best way they could; yet in after-days, when Charles himself was in want of a friend, Rupert forgot all this coldness and neglect, and gave him his willing services.

Elizabeth dearly loved her son Rupert, who was born when she was still a happy Queen. She devoted much of her time to his instruction, and was careful to fill his mind with the truths

of religion. And we shall see that when the Prince grew up, he remembered his good mother's lessons, and would not listen to those who tried to persuade him or frighten him into giving up the holy religion he had been taught.

There was a college in the town of Leyden, not many miles from the Hague, in Holland, where Elizabeth lived with her children, and here, as Rupert grew older, he used regularly to attend. Even in those early years he always said he should like to be a soldier, and he was very diligent in learning languages, because he thought they might be useful to him when fighting battles in strange countries.

It is probable that when Rupert was a boy he may often have heard of the unhappy state of his country, and how his father was continually seeking to recover his kingdom, or even his palatinate of Bavaria; and that brooding over these sad subjects may have made his heart burn to win back for his family their former glory and independence.

Rupert was only thirteen years of age when his father died, in the year 1632, at Mayence, broken-hearted, and without recovering his crown. None of his sons were yet old enough to fight for their rights, and so for a time there was peace.

Elizabeth took an interest in the amusements of her children as well as in their studies, and she often herself accompanied Rupert when, as a college lad, he went hunting in the country round about the Hague and Leyden. An amusing story is told of one of their adventures. Elizabeth, Rupert, his tutor, and their attendants were all upon the

hunting-field when, suddenly, the poor lady missed She looked anxiously around, hoping to

her son.

see him, and then discovered that the teacher was also absent. Her alarm continued every moment to increase, until, with astonishment, she beheld the legs of the tutor sticking out of a hole in the ground. He was immediately dragged from his hiding-place, when it was discovered that he was holding on to Rupert's legs, who was buried still deeper in the hole. Amid great surprise and merriment, the young prince was drawn out after his tutor, grasping with firm hands his favourite dog, who had run into the hole after a fox, and would not return without his prize, which he now carried out in his mouth, to the amazement of the little group who stood watching this strange

scene.

The truth of this story is uncertain, but it is very like what Rupert would have done, had he been really fond of his dog; for we shall see, all through his life, that he never spared himself when he could help a friend.

In the Christmas of the year 1633, Rupert had some merry holidays, very different from the quiet hours he spent at Leyden. The Prince of Orange invited him to a grand tournament, or mock battle, where there was great gaiety and feasting. It is said that he bore off the prize at the tournament, and it is certain that he entered heartily into all the merriment of the time. After this short interruption, he returned again to his college, and pursued his studies with industry, until his childhood had gone by, and he was called out into the world to act his part as a man,

and to fight a good many battles, which were sadder and more difficult than those he had seen at the grand tournament in his Christmas holidays.

King Charles I. now sent a message to his sister Elizabeth, inviting her to come and live in England. But the poor Queen did not wish to go just then. She had a great many children, and very little means for their support; so that she owed large sums of money in Holland, and she did not like to leave the place without paying her debts. King Charles used to make her an allowance, but it was not very regularly paid to her; and Elizabeth, though she was a king's daughter, a king's sister, and a king's widow, was after all, at this time, a very poor woman, full of anxiety and care, trying to make her money go as far as possible in supplying the wants of herself and her children. In this quiet manner, in an humble home in Holland, were passed the early years of Prince Rupert's life.

CHAPTER II.

COURT AND CAMP.

THOUGH not an Englishman himself, England was the country that Rupert loved the best of all. His mother was an Englishwoman, and frequently told him stories of her native country, that made him long to visit its shores. And he often thought of the time when his studies at Leyden should be completed, and when perhaps he might go to see his uncle King Charles in his own court.

In the year 1635, while still a lad of sixteen years of age, he left his quiet college never to return. He paid a short visit to his old friend the Prince of Orange, and became a volunteer in his life-guard. We read that, on this occasion, though he was so young, he took a brave part in some battles the Prince was then fighting against Spain. But his great wish was to go to England, and before the end of the year, he bade farewell to the Prince of Orange, and set out to visit his uncle.

Rupert's eldest brother, Charles Louis, had already gone to England before him. Since his father's death, people called this young prince the "Elector Palatine;" but in reality he had no land of his own to rule, for the Emperor of Ger