as her eyes gave him some
encouragement, he entertained no other thoughts than how to please her,

[This lady was Isabella, daughter to Lewis de Nassau, Lord Beverwaert,
son to Maurice, Prince of Orange, and Count Nassau. By her, Lord
Arlington had an only daughter, named Isabella.]

without considering her fickleness, or the obstacles he had to encounter.
His intention, which we mentioned before, of establishing himself in the
confidence of Miss Stewart, no longer occupied his thoughts: she now was
of opinion that she was capable of being the mistress of her own conduct:
she had done all that was necessary to inflame the king's passions, without
exposing her virtue by granting the last favours; but the eagerness of a
passionate lover, blessed with favourable opportunities, is difficult to
withstand, and still more difficult to vanquish; and Miss Stewart's
virtue was almost exhausted, when the queen was attacked with a violent
fever, which soon reduced her to extreme danger.

Then it was that Miss Stewart was greatly pleased with herself for the
resistance she had made, though she had paid dearly for it: a thousand
flattering hopes of greatness and glory filled her heart, and the
additional respect that was universally paid her, contributed not a
little to increase them. The queen was given over by her physicians:
the few Portuguese women that had not been sent back to their own country
filled the court with doleful cries; and the good nature of the king was
much affected with the situation in which he saw a princess, whom, though
he did not love her, yet he greatly esteemed. She loved him tenderly,
and thinking that it was the last time she should ever speak to him, she
told him, that the concern he showed for her death, was enough to make
her quit life with regret; but that not possessing charms sufficient to
merit his tenderness, she had at least the consolation in dying to give
place to a consort who might be more worthy of it, and to whom heaven,
perhaps, might grant a blessing that had been refused to her. At these
words, she bathed his hands with some tears, which he thought would be
her last: he mingled his own with hers; and without supposing she would
take him at his word, he conjured her to live for his sake. She had
never yet disobeyed him; and, however dangerous sudden impulses may be,
when one is between life and death, this transport of joy, which might
have proved fatal to her, saved her life,