,illustration3 ,,arise ,,pray ,,work ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,biographical ,,catalogue ,,of ,,the ,,portraits ,,at ,,panshanger ,,the ,,seat ,,of ,,earl ,,cowper1 ,k4,g4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,biographical ,,catalogue ,,of ,,the ,,portraits ,,at ,,panshanger ,,the ,,seat ,,of ,,earl ,,cowper1 ,k4,g4 #8,a true delineation1 even of the smallest man1 and his scene of pilgrimage through life1 is capable of interesting the greatest man2 for all men are to an unspeakable degree brothers1 each man's life a strange emblem of every man's1 and human portraits faithfully drawn are1 of all pictures1 the welcomest on human walls4' ,,carlyle4 ,,london3 ,,elliot ,,stock #ahhe4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,to ,,francis ,,lord ,,cowper ,,and ,,katrine ,,cecilia ,,his ,,wife1 ,the ,light of her ,home1 ,,these ,,pages ,,are ,,affectionately ,,inscribed ,,by ,,mary ,,louisa ,,boyle4 ,,michaelmas #ahhe4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,preface ,in the ,biographical ,sketches contained in this volume1 ,i have pursued the same system as in my two former ,catalogues1 of the ,galleries of ,hinchingbrook and ,longleat1--devoting especial attention to the immediate members1 or to personages in any way connected with the family in question4 ,in the historical characters1 ,i have purposely made the details of public and official life 7which are elsewhere recorded7 subservient to those of a private and domestic nature1 although it is obvious that in some cases the two cannot be disentangled4 ,in fact1 ,i have preferred painting my portraits in the costume worn at home1 rather than in robes of office and suits of armour4 ,i have refrained from mentioning the innumerable authorities to which ,i have had recourse1 in the ,british ,museum and other ,public and ,private ,libraries1 from a dread of adding to the weight of a volume already1 ,i fear1 too bulky4 ,for help in my labours1 ,i am indebted to the noble owner of ,panshanger himself1 for the able papers on ,charles ,james ,fox1 ,lord ,melbourne1 and the brothers ,de ,witt1--while the author of that delightful memoir1 #8,fifty ,years of my ,life1' so well known to the reading public1 contributed the interesting sketch of his ancestor1 the first ,earl of ,albemarle4 ,the good services of ,mr4 ,elliot ,stock procured me the assistance of ,monsieur ,charles ,rueles1 the learned ,keeper of ,manuscripts in the ,royal ,library at ,brussels1 when at a loss for information regarding the ,marquez de ,leganes1 a commander little spoken of by ,english writers4 ,on the kindness of friends my impaired sight has compelled me to rely for details of dress and descriptions of many of the portraits1 and1 on this account1 my especial thanks are due to a fair member of the ,cowper family4 ,in other respects1 the work1 it may be #8a poor thing1 is mine own1' and1 although in some respects arduous and difficult1 ,i have found it on the whole an undoubted labour of love4 ,m4 ,l4 ,b4 ,,michaelmas #ahhe4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,gallery4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,gallery4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,henri ,,de ,,la ,,tour ,d',,auvergne1 ,,vicomte ,,de ,,turenne4 ,equestrian ,portrait1 full size4 ,mounted on a dappled charger4 ,buff jerkin4 ,ruff4 ,embroidered sleeves4 ,white scarf4 ,plumed hat4 ,,born #afaa1 ,,killed ,,in ,,action #afge4 ,,by ,,rembrandt4 ,,he was the second son of the ,duke de ,bouillon1 by ,elizabeth of ,nassau1 daughter of ,william the ,silent and ,charlotte de ,montpensier4 ,de ,bouillon was attached in early life to ,henry the ,fourth1 ,king of ,france and ,navarre1 who spoke of him as #8my lieutenant1 my friend1 and comrade4' ,the ,duke was a soldier1 diplomat1 politician1 and man of letters2 and1 moreover1 founder of the ,academy at ,sedan1 which became the resort of all the youthful nobility and chivalry of ,europe4 ,the ,duke was one of the chief leaders of the ,calvinistic party1 and in their tenets he brought up his two sons1 the ,prince de ,sedan and the ,vicomte de ,turenne4 ,when the education of the elder was completed1 he went to ,holland to learn the art of war1 under his uncle ,maurice1 ,prince of ,orange1 while ,henry continued his studies at home4 ,in early childhood his constitution was far from robust1 which inclined the ,duke to destine him for some civil employment2 but the little ,vicomte had set his whole heart on being a soldier1 and he was resolved to prove to his father that the decision he had come to was ill-founded4 ,he took1 in consequence1 rather an ingenious method of manifesting his health and strength4 ,one evening the boy contrived to elude the vigilance of his governor1 who spent hours of anxious search1 and never discovered the truant till the next morning1 on the ramparts of the town4 ,on the carriage of a cannon1 where he had passed the whole night1 lay the little fellow1 smiling in his calm sleep over the dreams which had visited his iron pillow1--visions1 in all probability1 of the daring exploits of some of his beloved heroes of antiquity1 or some brilliant foretaste of his own future glory4 ,but a still more characteristic anecdote is told of ,turenne's boyhood4 ,he took great delight in lecturing1 as it were1 to a group of admiring listeners1 on the merits of his favourite historian1 ,quintus ,curtius1 or the mighty deeds of ,alexander the ,great4 ,in such moments his eye would kindle1 his whole face brighten1 and he would overcome that hesitation of speech under which he laboured in calmer moments4 ,one eventful day an officer 7of mature years71 who was in the company1 ventured to speak disparagingly of ,henry's favourite historian1 and even to question his veracity6 ,this was too much for the impetuous boy2 he waxed wroth1 and answered the attack with indignation1 to the infinite amusement of his mother1 who was present4 ,she made a sign to the officer to prosecute the argument1 till the ,vicomte de ,turenne1 with all the offended dignity of his ten years1 left the room in a towering passion1 and the same evening challenged the officer to mortal combat4 ,the #8cartel' was carried to the ,duchess1 who was much delighted with this early development of her son's military ardour4 ,the challenge was of course accepted1 the place of rendezvous settled1 and thither the small hero hastened the next morning1 #8his soul in arms1 and eager for the fray4' ,to his surprise he found his mother on the ground1 and the officer by her side1 while on the green turf at their feet was spread a goodly banquet4 ,the ,duchess advanced with a smile1 and embracing her son told him she had come to act as second to his antagonist1 but that they must first breakfast1 upon which the three sat down1 together with the gentlemen of the hunt1 who were also there assembled1 and during the repast1 as may easily be believed1 peace was concluded1 the honour of the young firebrand appeased1 and an exhilarating gallop put an end to all discord4 ,henry was only twelve when his father died2 he remained a year longer at home1 during which time he showed a far greater taste for athletic and military exercises than for sedentary studies2 above all1 he delighted in horsemanship1 and the more unmanageable the steed1 the more willingly would ,henry mount it4 ,hearing that the ,comte de ,roussy 7afterwards his brother-in-law7 had brought a charger from ,paris that was considered wild and vicious1 he never rested till he had it saddled1 and leaped on its back1 in spite of the expostulations of the whole household4 ,in a short time the juvenile ,alexander returned from his triumphant ride1 having tamed the modern ,bucephalus6 ,when thirteen1 the ,duchess sent him to join his brother at the ,court of the ,stadtholder2 ,maurice received him graciously1 but insisted on his entering the army as a private soldier4 ,the ,prince died a very short time after ,turenne's arrival in ,holland1 but the youth had already imbibed those lessons of military tactics1 and that reverence for discipline1 which1 added to his own talents and aptitude for the service1 stood him in good stead his life long4 ,henry ,frederic1 ,maurice's successor as ,stadtholder and commander-in-chief1 continued his protection to ,turenne1 and gave him the command of a regiment of infantry1 which soon became a model of discipline4 ,under his uncle's auspices1 the young soldier now commenced active service2 in #afbi he distinguished himself more especially at the siege of ,bois-le-,duc1 a fortress known as ,la ,pucelle de ,brabant4 ,it is not our intention to make a list of the military exploits of this great man1 whose campaigns in ,lorraine1 ,italy1 ,germany1 etc41 would fill many volumes1 and indeed form part of the history of ,france1 or rather of ,europe4 ,while his brilliant victories1 his skilful retreats1 and1 for the most part1 his successful diplomatic negotiations1 established his lasting fame1 we shall only enumerate those which are necessary to a narrative of this nature4 ,in the early days of which we are now speaking1 ,turenne's valour and thirst for enterprise were so remarkable that ,prince ,henry ,frederic deemed it advisable to reprimand the young soldier for his rashness1 with 7it may be conceived7 but ill-concealed admiration for his prowess4 ,the ,prince said one day to some officers who were standing near him1 #8,if ,i mistake not1 ,turenne will one day rival our greatest captains in fame and glory4' ,turenne remained five years in the service of ,holland1 when his mother1 who had been engaged in political negotiations with ,france1 sent him to that country1 where the ,king and his ,prime ,minister1 ,cardinal ,richelieu1 received him most graciously1 and gave him the command of a regiment of foot in the ,french army4 ,at the siege of ,la ,motte he mounted the walls in person1 and carried the bastion1 for which he was rewarded with the bton of a field-marshal--a grade only second to that of ,marshal of ,france1--being an honour almost unheard of for a young man of three-and-twenty4 ,his humanity was equal to his valour4 ,during the privations and hardships of the retreat from ,mayence in #afce1 the ,marshal exerted himself to the utmost to alleviate suffering4 ,he caused many of the valuable contents of his own baggage-wagons to be thrown away1 in order to provide room for the weary and wounded2 he shared his own provisions with the common soldiers1 consoling and helping all those who were in need1 without distinction of rank or nationality4 ,never slackening for one moment in his military duties1 which he pursued with untiring zeal1 at the siege of ,saverne1 foremost1 as usual1 in mounting the breach1 his arm was struck by a musket-ball1 and for some time it was believed amputation must ensue4 ,the recovery was slow and tedious1 but long before it was complete the ,marshal had resumed his duties4 ,in #afch he became a lieutenant-general1 on being sent to the relief of ,duke ,bernhard of ,saxe-,weimar1 with whom an alliance had been formed by ,france4 ,in #afdf he returned to ,paris1 to the ,court1 where the ,prime ,minister1 ,cardinal ,mazarin1 whose recognition of his great services had hitherto been but lukewarm1 was loud in his commendation1 and offered him the ,duchy of ,chteau ,thierry1 and the hand of one of his beautiful and well-dowered nieces2 but ,turenne refused all these offers1 from the conviction that some of the conditions therein involved would prove prejudicial to the interests of his brother1 the ,duke de ,bouillon1 to whom he was warmly attached4 ,he was defeated by the ,comte de ,mercy1 in command of the ,bavarians at ,mariendal1 but made a most skilful retreat1 and by the side of the ,prince de ,cond took his revenge at the battle of ,nordlingen1 where ,mercy was routed1 and received his death-wound4 ,this brave general was buried near the place where he fell1 and his tomb bore this inscription3 ,sta1 ,viator1 ,heroem ,calcas4 ,turenne then marched to join the ,swedish ,general ,wrangel1 the friend and comrade of the great ,gustavus ,adolphus1 in ,hesse1 and was preparing for fresh warfare when the signing of the ,treaty of ,westphalia gave peace to ,central ,europe1 concluding the ,thirty ,years ,war4 ,a most flattering letter to the ,vicomte de ,turenne was written by the ,elector of ,mayence1 the ,duke of ,wrtemberg1 and many other ,princes and ,ambassadors1 attributing this happy event as much to his military exploits as to the efforts of the ,plenipotentiaries4 ,france did not long enjoy the blessings of peace for civil war was now about to shed its baneful influence over the land4 ,anne of ,austria1 the ,queen-,mother and ,regent 7during ,louis the ,fourteenth's minority71 was almost entirely under the influence of her ,prime ,minister1 ,cardinal ,mazarin1 who was very unpopular with the ,parliament and the greater part of the ,french nation4 ,the successes of the ,english ,parliamentarian troops over those of the ,royalists1 and the downfall of the ,monarchy1 had given a strong impetus to the anti-,court party in ,france1 and a faction was formed1 well known in history as the #8,fronde4' ,this nickname was given to the party who were opposed to the policy of the ,queen-,regent1 ,anne of ,austria1 and her favourite and adviser1 ,cardinal de ,mazarin1 whose measures they condemned as unjust and oppressive4 ,one of the principal adherents was the ,cardinal de ,retz1 or ,coadjutor1 as he was called1 a turbulent and intriguing spirit2 but it soon numbered among its members the most important and noble names in ,france4 ,the designation of ,frondeurs was given by a contemporary writer1 from the word ,fronde1--,anglic1 a sling4 ,he likened the malcontents to boys who went about the streets slinging stones1 till put to flight by the appearance of any officer of the law4 ,by degrees the faction assumed a much more imposing form1 and though the name remained1 it had certainly lost its significance4 ,discontent increased every day1 the people clamoured for redress of grievances1 and deputations flocked to ,parliament to entreat the interference of the members against the oppressions of the ,court4 ,the ,parliament was divided into three different factions1--the ,frondeurs aforesaid1 the ,mazarinists1 who supported the ,cardinal1 and the ,modrs1 who blamed the ultra views of both parties4 ,three members in particular rose up as champions of the oppressed1 and so incensed the ,queen by their seditious language1 that she caused them to be arrested4 ,this was the signal for open revolt3 shops were closed1 streets blocked1 barricades formed1 and the liberty of #8the fathers of the people1' as they were called1 loudly and insolently demanded4 ,anne of ,austria showed courage and determination1 arguing that compliance would be a fatal admission of weakness2 but the ,duke of ,orleans and the ,cardinal1 alarmed for their own safety and property1 overruled her decision4 ,the captives were released1 and the ,court departed hastily to ,st4 ,germains1 a step which was designated as #8l'enlvement du ,roi4' ,the popular party was triumphant1 and the ,cardinal de ,retz1 considering it a favourable opportunity1 exerted himself to gain proselytes1 and the malcontents soon numbered among their adherents such men as the ,dukes de ,bouillon1 de ,lorraine1 de ,beaufort1 de ,longueville1 de la ,rochefoucauld1 and the ,prince de ,conti1 brother of the great ,cond1 with many others4 ,they were also rich in noble female partisans1 #8les hroines de la ,fronde4' ,beauty1 birth1 and talent swelled the list of the fair conspirators1--,mademoiselle de ,montpensier1 #8la grande demoiselle1' as she was called1--the ,duchesses de ,chevreuse and de ,bouillon1 the ,princess ,palatine1 and last1 but least in no sense of the word1 the ,duchesse de ,longueville4 ,when ,anne of ,austria deserted her post at ,paris1 a rival in power1 a superior in youth and beauty1 reigned for a time paramount in her stead1--the charming despot of an elective monarchy4 ,anne ,gnvive de ,bourbon was at one time so nearly connected with the fortunes of ,turenne that we are tempted to give some details respecting her eventful life4 ,her father was ,henry1 ,prince de ,cond 7or #8,monsieur le ,prince1' as the head of that illustrious house was always called71 her mother the beautiful ,charlotte de ,montmorency1 daughter of the ,grand ,conntable of that name4 ,they were both imprisoned in the ,chteau de ,vincennes1 where their daughter was born in the year #afah4 ,mademoiselle de ,bourbon was educated at the ,convent of the ,carmelites1 where she showed a decided bias towards the vocation of a recluse1 and a corresponding aversion to the idea of a life at ,court1 or in the great world4 ,a very short experience1 however1 of admiration and success entirely changed her views1 and she became one of the most lovely prcieuses of the ,htel ,rambouillet4 ,the cynosure of all eyes1 a crowd of suitors clustered round her1 none of whom found favour in the sight of her parents1 till the ,duc de ,longueville presented himself4 ,he was her senior by many years1 and still under the influence of a former mistress1 the ,duchesse de ,montbazon2 but he came of an illustrious family1 and was not far removed from the rank of a prince of the blood-royal2 and ,mademoiselle de ,bourbon had the paternal commands laid upon her to receive him as her bridegroom4 ,at first she showed the greatest possible repugnance to the marriage1 but there was no alternative2 and she walked to the altar1 radiant in beauty1 and gorgeously attired1 assuming a cheerfulness of demeanour which belied the feelings of her heart4 ,from that time forward the young ,duchess gave herself up to a system of cold-blooded coquetry1 which had most disastrous results4 ,we quote an eloquent description from the pages of her biographer1 ,ville ,flore3 #8,un an s'tait peine coul1 que la blanche robe de la jeune marie avait dj des tches de sang1 et que sans mme avoir donn son cur elle faisait natre involontairement la plus tragique querelle1 o ,coligny perissait la fleur de l'ge par la main d'un de ces ,guises1 auquel elle avoit t un moment destine4 ,prlude sinistre des orages qui l'attendaient4' ,adorers crowded round her1 poets sang her praises1 novels were written of which she was the peerless heroine1 and still ,gnvive de ,longueville proceeded on her triumphal march1 careless and fancy-free1 making conquest after conquest1 creating cabals and jealousies that became political feuds1--the ,court now taking part against1 now with1 the beautiful syren4 #8,mais on ne badine pas ternellement avec l'amour4' ,m4 de ,masillac 7or as we will call him by his better-known title1 the ,duc de la ,rochefoucauld1 to which he shortly succeeded71 who had once been loved1 and was now hated1 by ,anne of ,austria1 laid siege to the fortress which had held out so long1 and carried the heart of the ,duchesse de ,longueville by storm4 ,witty1 handsome1 cynical1 reserved1 and self-contained1 with a reputation already established for valour and intellect1 ,la ,rochefoucauld soon gained a complete ascendency over this daughter of the proud house of ,cond4 ,he was a man who1 for the most part1 practised what he preached and expounded in his world-famed #8,maxims1' and whose character1 drawn by his own pen1 showed how the head preponderated over the heart in his composition4 ,that he admired the ,duchess there can be no doubt3-- #8,pour mriter son cur1 ,pour plaire ses beaux yeux1 ,j'ai fait la guerre aux rois1 ,je l'aurais fait aux dieux4' ,but his first advances were unquestionably made in cold blood1 and it was in the hope of gaining proselytes to the cause of the ,fronde that he desired the alliance and co-operation of this beautiful woman4 ,touched and flattered by the simulated passion of so remarkable a man1 the ,duchess gave herself up1 heart and soul1 to her lover1 obedient to his every wish1 submissive to his every direction4 ,she forgot her pride of birth and position1 her marriage vows1 and the tender affection which had hitherto bound her to her elder brother4 ,let us hear how the man for whom she made such sacrifices speaks of her in the early days of their liaison3 #8,ses belles qualits taient moins brillantes cause d'une tche qui ne s'est jamais vue en une princesse de ce mrite1 qui est1 que bien loin de donner la loi ceux qui avaient une particulire adoration pour elle1 elle se transformait si fort dans leurs sentimens qu'elle ne reconnaissait point les siens propres4' ,and so he despised the very quality for which he had wooed her1--a palpable moral6 ,madame de ,motteville testifies that ambition had little part in ,madame de ,longueville's proceedings4 ,she was only ambitious for her lover1--#8qui toit peut-tre plus intress qu'il n'tait tendre4' ,among her proselytes she gained over her younger brother to the cause2 her husband also was nothing loath to join the ,fronde4 ,but ,la ,rochefoucauld1 when he thought to win the great ,cond through the medium of his sister1 had reckoned without his host4 ,madame de ,longueville used all her powers of persuasion1 vainly appealing to the tender memories of home and childhood1 but ,cond was implacable4 ,he upbraided his sister with her dishonour1 expressed his aversion to ,la ,rochefoucauld1 and joined the ,court at ,st4 ,germains1 where he assumed the command of the troops that had remained faithful to the ,king1 and shortly afterwards marched upon ,paris to attack the ,frondeurs1 who had named his brother1 the ,prince de ,conti1 their #8,generalissimo4' ,now the ,duchesse de ,longueville had excused herself from joining her mother1 the ,princesse de ,cond1 who was at ,st4 ,germains in attendance on the ,queen1 on the plea of her approaching confinement4 ,but the delicacy of her situation did not prevent her acting under the orders of her despotic lover4 ,she shared all the perils and hardships of her friends the ,frondeurs1 assisted at the parades and reviews of the troops and the civic guard1 took part in all the military discussions1 and in fact transformed the ,htel de ,longueville into a barrack4 ,in this state of strife and discord both sides concurred in the advisability of gaining over ,marshal ,turenne to their interests1 and he1 being now in command of the ,french army in ,germany1 received the most flattering letters from the ,queen and her ,minister4 ,mazarin was profuse in his offers of civil and military aggrandisement2 renewing the proposal of an alliance with his richly-dowered niece at the same time that he complained to ,turenne of the disloyalty of his brother1 the ,duc de ,bouillon4 ,the ,marshal's answer was manly and straightforward to all these flattering advances4 ,he wrote respectfully indeed1 but said this was not a moment for men to think of their own personal advancement4 ,he regretted the disaffection of his brother1 and deeply deplored the troubles that reigned in ,france2 he stigmatised the blockade of ,paris as a most dangerous step1 declined with courteous thanks the offer of the matrimonial alliance on the score of difference of religion1 and told his ,eminence plainly that1 if he continued to oppress the people1 he 7,turenne7 could no longer hold out to him the hand of friendship2 moreover1 that on his return to ,france1 at the head of his troops 7according to orders from headquarters71 he was resolved neither to favour the revolt of ,parliament nor the injustice of the ,minister4 ,it was reserved for the seductive arts of a syren to lead the hero astray from the straight path he had chalked out for himself4 ,the ,duchesse de ,longueville had already made a deep impression on the proverbially susceptible heart of the ,vicomte de ,turenne4 ,about the time of the signing of the ,treaty of ,westphalia1 when she joined her husband at ,mnster1 the hero had on that occasion held a review of all the troops under his command to do honour to the beautiful sister of his former brother in arms1 the ,prince de ,cond4 ,but to return to the time of which we are treating3 the ,marshal assembled his soldiers1 and made them a formal address1 in which he expressed his regret at the state of affairs in ,france1 and assured them that on their return he would use all his influence to persuade the ,king to go back to ,paris1 and to take measures for checking the maladministration of the ,cardinal4 ,he would also use his best endeavours to obtain the pay 7with considerable arrears7 that was owing to the troops1 both ,french and auxiliary2 and1 not content with spoken words1 he published a manifesto to the same effect4 ,the ,regency1 indignant at ,turenne's independent manner of proceeding1 and confident that they could not reckon on his co-operation1 caused him to be superseded in his command2 and to reconcile the soldiers 7with whom he was very popular7 to this step1 they sent them out considerable sums of money4 ,turenne calmly resigned his post1 exhorted the men to loyalty and obedience1 and repaired with some friends and followers to ,holland1 there to await more peaceful times4 ,before long the ,court and the malcontents came to terms by what was called the ,peace of ,ruel4 ,deputies from both sides met and negotiated1 an amnesty was proclaimed1 posts and governments were offered to the chief ,frondeurs1 and concessions of all kinds served out1 as sops to the disaffected4 ,the wily ,cardinal knew his world4 ,turenne had little ambition1 in the common acceptation of the word1 no greed of gold or worldly advancement1 as to office1 or the like2 but his pride of birth was a ruling passion1 and dearly did he love anything that tended to the glorification of his family4 ,to his brother1 as head of the house1 he paid a species of obedience1 as to a suzerain1--a line of conduct he pursued towards his nephew1 though still a youth1 on succeeding to the title4 ,all these things considered1 it is not to be wondered at that ,turenne was delighted when he received the news that patents had been granted to himself and his brother 7with other concessions to the elder71 entitling them and their descendants to the dignities and privileges of ,princes of the blood-royal4 ,he hastened back to ,paris1 and was received by the ,cardinal with outward signs of welcome4 ,but breakers were ahead4 ,the peace was a hollow one1 leaving both parties in much the same condition3 the ,cardinal and the ,parliament each preserving authority as before1--the one over the ,court1 the other over the people4 ,the ,prince de ,cond was always at issue with the ,minister1 whom he treated with ill-concealed contempt2 and his ,eminence1 wearied and perplexed by the exigencies and requirements of the great man1 and maddened by his sarcasms1 plotted his ruin4 ,the ,duchesse de ,longueville1 who watched all passing events with vigilance1 chose this opportunity to renew her overtures of reconciliation to her brother2 and she not only succeeded in so doing1 but persuaded ,monsieur le ,prince to give in a half-and-half adhesion to the cause of the ,fronde1 in which party he had many friends1 and perhaps more enemies4 ,among the most inveterate of the latter was the ,cardinal de ,retz1 at this moment on friendly terms with the ,court2 and it was by the joint arrangement of the two ,churchmen that a step was taken which rekindled the torch of public discord4 ,the ,queen-,regent had also lately been much incensed against the ,prince de ,cond1 who had shown himself wanting in respect and deference to her ,majesty2 and petty intrigues of all kinds were at work against him4 ,on the #ahth of ,january #afej1 as the ,princes of ,cond1 ,conti1 and the ,duc de ,longueville entered the ,royal ,council-chamber1 they were arrested1 and sent off without a moment's delay to the ,chteau de ,vincennes4 ,this step caused a panic among their friends1 who dispersed in all directions4 ,the ,duchesse de ,longueville left ,paris by night with a large escort1 headed by her adorer1 the ,duc de la ,rochefoucauld1 and repaired to ,normandy1 to raise the inhabitants of the province against the ,king1 in which undertaking1 however1 she was unsuccessful4 ,turenne took his way to ,stenai1 a stronghold belonging to the ,prince de ,cond1 and openly avowed his indignation at the imprisonment of the ,princes4 #8,on prtend'--we again quote his ,mmoires--#8que l'amour pour la sur et autant de part aux fausses dmarches du vicomte que l'amiti pour le frre4' ,be this as it may1 he was soon joined by the ,duchess2 and in answer to all the flattering missives sent him by the ,cardinal1 and the offers of high military commands and the like1 he declared his determination not to return to his allegiance until the ,princes were set at liberty4 ,he also wrote to the ,queen1 expostulating with her on the step she had taken1 and pointing out that such a man as the great ,cond was far more worthy her confidence1 on account of his birth and character1 and the military services he had rendered his ,sovereign1 than the ,cardinal1 who was an object of aversion to the country at large1--arguments which had no effect on the ,royal mind4 ,it appears that the ,duchess was not as grateful to ,turenne as he had hoped1 her liaison with the ,duc de la ,rochefoucauld interfering with the ,marshal's claim2 but so great an adept in the arts of coquetry doubtless knew how to keep her most valuable ally betwixt hope and despair for some time4 ,he had certainly transferred his loyalty from ,queen ,anne to ,queen ,gnvive1 for the ,duchess gave herself all the airs of a sovereign--levying an army1 publishing manifestoes1 and even concluding treaties4 ,she sold her diamonds1 an example which was followed by the obedient ,marshal1 who disposed of his splendid silver plate in order to raise troops4 ,he collected together all those who adhered sufficiently to the ,princes to serve in their behalf1 together with those over whom he exercised a personal influence1--some of whom he received into the citadel1 and others he stationed round the walls of ,stenai4 ,these were soon dispersed by the ,royal troops1 and ,turenne1 finding himself reduced to straits1 listened once more to the suggestions of his evil genius1 and under her auspices concluded a treaty with the ,spaniards1 in order to obtain money and auxiliaries to assist in the deliverance of the captives4 ,the ,marshal did not take a step so foreign to his nature without regret1 and indeed remorse1 and the treaty was concluded with many stringent conditions4 ,he again wrote to the ,queen1 pointing out to her the horrors of a war which would be cruel1 for that her son would be opposed to his subjects on the one hand1 and to her own brother on the other2 but she paid no heed to his advice4 ,he therefore placed himself at the head of the ,spaniards1 and commenced a march which was for a while successful1 besieging and carrying many places of importance4 ,but his foreign troops caused him great trouble and annoyance1 refusing to obey his commands1 or to march on ,vincennes4 ,he was defeated with great loss at the battle of ,rhetel1 in spite of his personal valour1 which never failed1 and he felt this disaster acutely4 ,it is related of him that1 some time afterwards1 being asked by a flippant young officer how it chanced that he lost the battles of ,mariendal and ,rhetel1 he replied with calm dignity1 #8,by my own fault4' ,still bent on the deliverance of the ,princes1 ,turenne was about to proceed to ,vincennes without the assistance of the ,spaniards2 but the prisoners had been already removed elsewhere4 ,hopes of peace began to dawn on the distracted country4 ,the ,ducs de la ,rochefoucauld and de ,bouillon1 the ,princesse de ,cond and her young son1 who had been leagued together against the ,court1 now tendered their submission1 and repaired to the ,royal camp at ,bourg in person1 pledging themselves in future not to take arms against the ,king4 ,these proud spirits carried their newly-born loyalty so far1 that1 on entering the presence of their ,majesties1 they knelt down to solicit pardon4 #8,la reine les reut avec bont1 et le ,cardinal ,mazarin leur donna dner4' ,but the release of the ,princes was not to be effected without cabals and intrigues of all kinds4 ,the ,queen was hardly pressed on the subject1 and at length she was compelled to dismiss her ,minister1 and to promise pardon to the captives4 ,the ,marshal de ,grammont was named as the bearer of the good tidings to ,cond and his companions1 but the ,cardinal stole a march on him1 and contrived to appropriate all the honour of the transaction1 by forestalling ,de ,grammont's journey4 ,he repaired to ,havre1 where the ,princes were now imprisoned1 entered their presence1 and1 offering them the hand of friendship1 announced to them that they were at liberty4 ,they then dined together 7for it seemed a hobby of ,mazarin's to cement a reconciliation at the banqueting-table71 after which his ,eminence departed for ,cologne1 while the ,princes took their way to ,paris4 ,here they were received with acclamations1 and bonfires were lighted in honour of their release1--a similar demonstration having been made the year before to commemorate their imprisonment6 ,the ,duke of ,orleans1 the ,duc de ,beaufort1 the ,cardinal de ,retz himself1 were all loud in their professions of welcome and friendship1 and there was much embracing on the occasion4 ,turenne1 on learning the news1 returned to ,stenai1 whence he wrote to the ,prince de ,cond1 begging him to use his newly-regained influence with the ,court to bring about an honourable peace with ,spain4 ,cond's answer was eloquent of gratitude and friendship1 and1 in accordance with the ,marshal's wish1 a ,parliamentary counsellor was sent to ,stenai with powers to negotiate4 ,he was also bearer of a letter from the ,king to the ,vicomte de ,turenne1 wherein ,louis offered a free pardon to the ,marshal1 and all those who had taken arms with him against the ,crown1 on condition they returned to their allegiance4 ,the letter concluded with these words3 #8,j'ai la bonne volont pour ce qui regarde votre personne1 et les intrts de votre maison1 et je prie ,dieu1 mon cousin1 qu'il vous ait en sa sainte et digne garde4--,,louis4' ,this was followed by the exchange that had so long been talked of1--the town of ,sedan for places of far greater importance1 and many advantageous concessions to the house of ,de ,bouillon4 ,turenne failed in his mediation between ,france and ,spain1 and having found the ,king of the last-named country unreasonable in his demands1 he gave up the attempt and returned to ,paris4 ,discovering that it was the intention of the ,princes to give him a public reception1 ,turenne defeated their intentions by arriving a day sooner than was expected1 for he considered that it would be incongruous to make a triumphal entry into the capital of the kingdom when he had so lately been in arms against the ,sovereign4 ,no sooner had he arrived than ,cond made him overtures and propositions of all kinds1 and did all in his power to induce the ,marshal to enter into his political views1 which were of a most ambitious character4 ,turenne answered him firmly4 ,he was now perfectly satisfied1 he said1 and he only required1 from the gratitude of ,cond1 that the troops who had fought in his behalf should have good and healthy quarters for the winter2 for he never forgot to plead the cause of his soldiers4 ,the brothers ,cond and ,conti were soon again at issue with the ,court1 and engaged in seditious warfare1 while ,cardinal ,mazarin re-entered ,france at the head of an armed force1 upon which the ,duke of ,orleans once more revolted from his allegiance4 ,turenne joined the ,king and ,queen at ,saumur1 where he was offered 7and did not refuse1 as many in his place would have done7 the command of the army1 in conjunction with a ,marshal of very short standing1 ,d',hocquincourt4 ,one of the ,vicomte's most daring exploits took place at ,gergeau1 then in possession of the rebel forces1 the taking of which was owing to his own personal skill and courage1 and was reckoned so important1 that1 on his return1 the ,queen1 in the presence of the assembled ,court1 acknowledged that he had saved the ,monarchy6 ,every tongue was loud in his praise2 and yet1 in speaking of the matter in a letter to his sister1 the only allusion he makes to the whole affair is in these words3 #8,il s'est pass quelque chose ,gergeau qui n'est pas de grande considration4' ,later on1 when the ,prince de ,cond was approaching ,gien 7where the ,king held ,court7 with rapid strides1 after gaining considerable advantages over the ,marshal ,d',hocquincourt1 ,turenne made head against him with a force vastly inferior in numbers4 ,it was a moment of imminent peril for the ,court3 ,cardinal ,mazarin1 who had once more joined the ,king and ,queen1 watched the movements of the two armies with great anxiety1 constantly despatching couriers to learn the last tidings2 but ,anne of ,austria manifested her usual calm1 #8tranquille sa toilette et son dner elle ne donnoit aucune marque de crainte1 quoique on avoit dj commenc dfendre son appartement4' ,then came the welcome news that ,turenne was victorious1 and the ,prince de ,cond in retreat4 ,another enthusiastic welcome awaited the ,vicomte1 and again the ,queen thanked him for having once more replaced the crown on the head of her son4 ,cardinal ,mazarin wrote an elaborate account of the proceedings of the memorable day1 in which he blamed the ,marshal ,d',hocquincourt for having withstood the advice of his noble colleague2 but the generous-hearted ,turenne insisted on the passage being erased1 #8for1' said he1 #8,i am most unwilling that any fresh mortification should be heaped on the man who was already sufficiently distressed by several failures4' ,henrietta1 ,queen of ,england1 was now residing in ,france1 where she had taken refuge during the ,protectorate1 and was joined by her sons1 ,king ,charles and ,james1 ,duke of ,york1 who1 in those early days of his career1 was a soldier at heart4 ,he had a profound admiration for ,marshal ,turenne1 whose camp he joined1 and was present at many of the engagements which took place at that time between the ,royal and the rebel army1 ,turenne always treating the exiled ,prince with the utmost consideration and kindness2 and the ,duke of ,york was more than once employed as a mediator between the opposing armies4 ,turenne pursued the ,prince de ,cond on his march towards ,paris1 coming up with him in the ,faubourg ,st4 ,antoine1 close to the capital4 ,the ,cardinal was so persistent in his desire that ,turenne should here attack ,monsieur le ,prince1 and that the ,royal troops should commence the attack1 that he overruled the ,marshal's wish to await the arrival of reinforcements4 ,and so it chanced that1 from a neighbouring height1 as from an amphitheatre1 the ,king1 his ,minister1 and the whole ,court1 became spectators of one of the bloodiest encounters that ever cursed a civil war4 #8,jamais1' says the biographer of ,turenne1 #8action ne fut dispute avec une valeur plus continue1 et plus opinitre4 ,les deux gnraux1 tout couverts de sang1 et toujours exposs aux feux des mousquetaires1 qui tiroient de maison droite et gauche1 combattirent souvent vis vis l'un d'autre1 la porte du pistolet4 ,la fureur martiale de l'un1 et le sangfroid de l'autre1 faisoient un contraste1 dont le spectacle excitoit l'admiration et la terreur4' ,after many fluctuations on one part and the other1 the ,prince de ,cond's army was hemmed in1 and must have been cut to pieces had not the ,parisians1 seeing his danger1 opened the gates1 and received the rebels within their walls1 while the cannon began playing on the ,royal army1 by command of the ,king's own cousin1 ,mademoiselle de ,montpensier4 ,so hot was the fire1 and so close the quarters1 that ,turenne was obliged to abandon his desire of pursuing the enemy within the walls4 ,disorder and tumult reigned in ,paris1 and a terrible massacre took place at the ,htel de ,ville4 ,the ,court1 by the ,marshal's advice1 repaired to ,pontoise1 and he himself to ,compigne2 and it was chiefly through his instrumentality that the ,spanish troops were at length obliged to evacuate ,france1 and retreat to ,flanders4 ,a sad affliction was in store for the hero about this time1 in the death of his brother1 the ,duc de ,bouillon1 to whom he was fondly attached4 ,but he was not a man to allow sorrow to interfere with duty4 ,the ill feeling that was still rife against the ,cardinal ,minister continued to be used as a pretext for revolt and rebellion of all kinds4 ,turenne went in person one day1 and had a long and confidential conversation with ,mazarin1 in which he pointed out1 in the most emphatic manner1 that it was incumbent upon him 7the ,minister7 to make at least a temporary sacrifice for the good of the ,king1 his master1 and the country in general4 ,this1 urged the ,marshal1 would be effected by his absenting himself1 for a time at least4 ,his arguments prevailed4 ,mazarin consented to leave ,france1 but in so doing he made his own conditions4 ,the ,king 7who was directed to say he #8only gave in to the plan of dismissing his faithful ,minister in order to pacify his people'7 received a paper from the ,cardinal1 in which directions were drawn up for his own conduct2 and ,his ,majesty was further instructed to place two of his ,eminence's most devoted adherents at the head of affairs4 ,after this was done1 ,mazarin1 strong in the conviction that the ,queen would soon recall him1 took his way to ,bouillon4 ,but ,cond and the ,duc de ,lorraine still continued to harass the kingdom1 and peace seemed still far off2 it was again by ,turenne's advice that the ,court was induced to proceed once more to ,paris1 where the ,marshal assured ,louis that the ,parisians1 being wearied by the unsettled state of affairs1 would gladly welcome him4 ,accordingly the ,court set out2 but as the cortge approached the ,bois de ,boulogne1 they were met by a deputation1 the members of which pointed out in the most formidable colours the danger which his ,majesty would incur in entering ,paris1 where those arch-rebels1 the ,duke of ,orleans1 and ,mademoiselle de ,montpensier1 his daughter1 were caballing to incite the people against him4 ,the royal coach came to a stand-still1 and ,anne of ,austria1 with her accustomed energy and promptness1 made the ladies who were inside alight1 and summoning the ,vicomte de ,turenne1 the ,marshals ,de ,villeroi1 ,du ,plessis1 and others1 she held an open-air council4 ,every one1 with the exception of ,turenne1 was of opinion that they had better retrace their steps4 ,the noble soldier spoke1 as he always did1 with firmness and judgment4 ,he did not believe1 he said1 in the friendship of men who could give such pusillanimous advice2 that the return of the ,court would make them despicable in the eyes of all1 and would discourage the loyal1 and give fresh impetus to the plans of the disaffected4 ,the ,queen approved and seconded him on every point1 and the procession moved on once more4 ,the young ,king1 at the head of his guards1 rode in amid loud cries of #8,vive le ,roi6' and the acclamations of a huge concourse that accompanied him to the gates of the ,louvre4 ,the next day the ,duke of ,orleans and his daughter thought it advisable to leave ,paris1 and amicable relations were entered into between the ,king and his ,parliament4 #8,l'ordre ft bientt rtabli dans la ville1 et le calme qui succeda fit oublier les troubles de la ,fronde4' ,the ,prince de ,cond alone refused to comply with the conditions of the amnesty which was proclaimed1 preferring1 he said1 to suffer any loss rather than live in the same country with the ,cardinal1 whose return was1 of course1 a matter of certainty2 and he chose the alternative of making a league with the ,spaniards4 ,turenne remained in ,paris until he considered ,louis to be safely reinstated on the throne1 and then he went again into the field at a time of year when troops generally go into winter quarters4 ,on parting from the ,king1 he promised to drive ,cond and his allies out of ,france before the expiration of the winter2 and he redeemed his pledge4 ,the ,prince de ,cond was compelled to leave the country1 and comparative peace was restored in the interior of the kingdom2 but peril1 hardship1 and scarcity still pursued the ,royal army1 and exposed their noble commander to dreadful straits1 which were much aggravated by the jealousy of his colleague1 the ,marshal de la ,fert4 ,at the end of the year #afeb1 the troops were ordered into winter quarters2 and in the commencement of the ensuing year the ,vicomte de ,turenne espoused a lady1 whose name1 possessions1 titles1 and good qualities engross a large space in the pages of the ,marshal's biography4 ,her merits are best summed up in this one sentence3 #8,she was worthy to be the wife of the hero4' ,charlotte de ,caumont was the daughter and heiress of ,armand ,nompar de ,caumont1 ,duc de la ,force1 ,pair et ,marchal de ,france1--beautiful1 modest1 rich1 well educated1 and1 in short1 possessed of all those qualities which are generally the attributes of a bride-elect4 ,the newly-married pair were not long allowed to enjoy their spell of happiness1 for the month of ,june once more saw the ,marshal in the field1 and the old warfare recommenced between the ,king's army and ,cond and his ,spanish allies4 ,the marches1 counter-marches1 attacks1 sieges1 and retreats belong to the military annals of the time4 ,mazarin continued to make fruitless overtures to ,cond1 who entangled himself more and more with the ,spaniards2 but fell out with his other ally1 the ,duke of ,lorraine1 whom he was instrumental in causing to be arrested and imprisoned4 ,the ,prince de ,conti did not follow his brother's example1 and finding he reaped no advantage from being at variance with the ,court1 he became reconciled to the ,king and the ,cardinal ,minister1 whose niece1 ,anna ,maria de ,martinozzi1 he shortly afterwards married4 ,turenne's attack on the ,spanish lines and ,cond's troops added so much to his military fame that complimentary messages and letters from ,german princes and ,european generals poured in on all sides4 ,a characteristic trait is told of the hero about this time1 characteristic also of the spite and jealousy of the ,marshal de la ,fert4 ,this general1 finding one of ,turenne's guards outside the camp1 caused him to be severely beaten4 ,the man1 covered with blood1 sought the presence of his commanding officer1 and complained of his usage4 ,turenne sent him back1 under the escort of a lieutenant of the ,guards1 with a message to ,de la ,fert1 apologising for any want of respect the man may have shown1 as it must have been something very reprehensible to cause so severe a punishment4 ,the message was given in the presence of the whole staff of officers1 who were acquainted with the real state of the case1 and ,de la ,fert was betrayed into exclaiming aloud1 #8,cet homme sera-t-il toujours sage1 et moi toujours fou8' ,in the month of ,august the ,marshals ,d',hocquincourt and ,de la ,fert joined the ,king1 and the ,vicomte de ,turenne remained in the undivided command of the army4 ,towards the end of ,september he went back to ,paris1 where he was again serviceable in negotiating affairs between the ,king and the ,parliament1 but soon returned to active service4 ,the ,frondeurs were dispersed or pardoned2 the ,duke of ,orleans reconciled to his brother2 ,cardinal de ,retz1 who had been imprisoned and escaped1 had sought refuge in ,rome2 but ,turenne still pursued his path of glory and of peril1 gaining fresh laurels1 even when unsuccessful in the literal sense of the word4 ,his despatches and private communications were invariably marked by that modesty which is the true attribute of greatness4 ,after the famous siege of ,dunkirk1 he wrote to his wife3 #8,les ennemis sont venus1 ils out t battus1 ,dieu soit lou2 j'ai t un peu fatigu toute la journe2 je vous donne le bon soir1 et je vais me coucher4' ,this taking of ,dunkirk was an affair of such importance1 that it is said ,cardinal ,mazarin wished to take the glory on himself of projecting and planning the enterprise2 and it is further stated that he endeavoured to bribe the great general into bearing witness to the ,minister's share in the matter1 by a written document4 ,it was wonderful that the ,cardinal should not by this time have learned better to understand the character of the man with whom he had to deal4 ,turenne replied that ,mazarin might pride himself as much as he pleased on his knowledge of military tactics1 but for himself he would never bear testimony to a falsehood4 ,at the end of the year #afeh ,turenne brought back his army to ,france1 and returned to ,court1 having routed the ,spaniards1 taken twelve towns of importance1 subdued large tracts of country1 and garrisoned the places he had annexed4 ,the reverses of the ,spanish arms inclined ,philip ,,iv4 to listen to terms1 while ,anne of ,austria represented to the ,cardinal that peace would be a fit thank-offering to ,heaven for the recovery of the ,king1 who had been dangerously ill4 ,mazarin himself was also in favour of a treaty1 as during all these campaigns he had never quite abandoned a darling scheme for uniting the interests of the two nations by the marriage of ,king ,louis with ,maria ,theresa1 ,infanta of ,spain4 ,the moment seemed propitious in every way1--,cromwell was dead1 and ,england treating with her exiled ,king for his return4 ,both ,charles and his brother1 the ,duke of ,york1 were personally attached to ,france1 and the latter1 as we have seen1 had served in the ,french army under the great ,turenne4 ,in ,november #afei the ,treaty of the ,pyrenees was made1 which had for its basis the marriage of ,louis with his cousin1 ,maria ,theresa1 and contained numerous conditions1 stipulations1 exchanges of territory1 and the like1 which were very advantageous to ,france4 ,cardinal ,mazarin was unsuccessful in his endeavours to make peace between ,spain and ,portugal1 which he desired2 otherwise1 matters were arranged to his satisfaction1 and the marriage fixed for the spring or early summer of the ensuing year4 ,louis ,,xiv41 anxious to bestow some mark of special favour on ,marshal ,turenne1 offered to revive in his honour the dormant title of ,grand ,conntable1 the highest dignity which was in the power of the ,crown to bestow4 ,but the acceptance of the office entailed a renunciation of the ,protestant religion1 and ,turenne was not the man to sacrifice his faith to his worldly interest4 ,the ,king1 on hearing the decision1 invented a new title1 #8,henri de la ,tour d',auvergne1 ft intitul ,marchal ,gnral1 des ,camps1 et des armes du ,roi4' ,in the month of ,june1 the ,kings of ,france and ,spain1 attended by a brilliant assemblage of princes1 nobles1 and officers1 met on the ,ile des ,faisans1 formed by the river ,bidassoa1 which separates the two kingdoms1--a small and insignificant place1 suddenly transformed into a theatre for the display of the magnificence and luxury in which the ,courts of both nations delighted4 ,the young ,king of ,france1 in the flower of his age1 handsome in form and features1 and majestic in bearing1 the venerable ,king ,philip ,,iv41 and ,anne of ,austria1 sumptuous in dress and imposing in manner4 ,the brother and sister1 who had not met for nearly half a century1 fell on each other's neck and shed tears of joy1 though the tender affection thus manifested had not prevented them from engaging for so long a space of time in bloody warfare4 ,perhaps the most distinguished member of the ,french ,king's ,court was the ,marshal ,turenne1 who kept as much as was possible in the background1 until singled out by the ,king of ,spain1 who desired that he should be presented4 ,gazing with eager scrutiny at the world-renowned soldier1 #8,that is the man1' he said1 #8who has caused me so many sleepless nights4' ,the ,treaty of the ,pyrenees produced a temporary lull in ,european hostilities2 but ,spain and ,portugal were still at issue1 and ,france involved in their quarrels4 ,in ,march #affa died ,cardinal ,mazarin1 who had been ,prime ,minister for sixteen years1 and the ,king assumed the reins of government1 retaining the heads of the ,administration in office1 but constantly consulting his faithful friend1 the ,vicomte1 on matters political as well as military2 and war being declared between ,england and ,holland1 ,france sided with the latter country4 ,the ,vicomtesse de ,turenne died the same year1 to the great sorrow of her husband4 ,his biographer speaks of the noble lady in high terms1 #8casting but one slur on her memory1--she clung to the prejudices of her childhood1 even though she had the advantage of lengthened conferences with the most eminent divines of the ,church of ,rome2' ,anglic1 she had remained steadfast in the ,protestant faith4 ,anne of ,austria was no sooner dead than ,louis ,,xiv4 once more declared war with ,spain and the ,emperor of ,germany1 at the same time1 strengthening himself by fresh alliances with ,england1 ,holland1 ,sweden1 and other powers4 ,he then announced to ,turenne his intention to place himself at the head of his army1 and learn the art of war under the auspices of that great commander4 ,the rapid successful advances of the ,french arms alarmed both ,england and ,holland1 and caused them to form a defensive league with ,sweden1 under the name of ,the ,triple ,alliance1 the object of which was to arrest the encroachments of ,france4 ,a treaty between ,spain and ,portugal1 by which the independence of the last-named country was established1 was shortly followed by the peace of ,aix-la-,chapelle1 which compelled ,louis to come to terms with ,spain4 ,the enumeration of these diplomatic relations is essential to the details of our biography4 ,turenne had now leisure1 although it did not last long1 to turn his thoughts seriously to a subject which for some time past had occupied his mind4 ,he had often1 in his letters to his wife1 expressed doubts and scruples on points of religious faith1 and it is supposed that he would have embraced the ,roman ,catholic creed earlier1 had he not feared1 by so doing1 to afflict and distress the wife whom he loved so dearly4 ,be this as it may1 he now saw and conferred with the eloquent and learned ,abb de ,bossuet1 afterwards ,bishop of ,meaux1 and the result was that he abjured the faith for which his house had fought and bled1 and was received into the ,church of ,rome4 ,unable as we are to join in the exultation of the ,marshal's biographer on this point1 we still coincide with him in the belief that no hope of worldly advancement had any part in ,turenne's change of creed4 ,we are told that he became from that time more rigid in his morals1 more circumspect in his life1 and1 at all events1 the answer he made to his confessor deserves to be recorded4 ,the priest asked him whether he had fallen back into a fault1 of which he had repented4 #8,je n'ai jamais manqu de parole aux hommes1 en manquerais-je ,dieu8' ,he went very little into society1 and even showed an inclination towards a monastic life1 having a great desire to give himself up to the study of theology2 but the ,king1 alarmed at the prospect of losing services invaluable to the ,state1 interfered to prevent him from taking this step4 ,turenne now resided in ,paris1 surrounded by a small circle of friends1 keeping a frugal table1 #8where the conversation was far more remarkable than the fare4' ,about this time occurred an episode in his life which occasioned him lasting regret4 ,louis ,,xiv41 feeling himself bound and crippled by the conditions of the ,triple ,alliance1 consulted with his ,prime ,minister ,louvois1 and his faithful friend the ,vicomte de ,turenne1 on the possibility of detaching the ,king of ,england from his share in the ,treaty4 ,turenne was a constant visitor at the ,court of the ,duchess of ,orleans1 sister of ,charles ,,ii41 and he now turned his thoughts towards influencing that ,princess to persuade her brother to secede from the ,alliance4 ,now ,madame had a young and very beautiful lady-in-waiting1 the ,marquise de ,cotquen1 daughter of the ,duke of ,rohan-,chabot1 who was a great favourite with her royal mistress4 ,turenne thought it would serve his purpose to win the confidence of the ,duchess through the medium of her lady1 and1 feeling a security in the disparity of years1 paid ,madame de ,cotquen the most marked attention2 while she1 on her part1 seemed to ignore the difference of age1 being highly flattered by the devotion of so great a personage4 ,a hero's heart is proverbially susceptible 7we have already seen that ,turenne was not exempt from such amiable weaknesses72 and he was accepted as a lover4 ,the two were inseparable1 and the liaison attracted the attention of the ,duke of ,orleans4 ,jealous of his wife's favour at ,court1 he imagined that some political intrigue was being carried on1 in which the ,marquise and the ,marshal were implicated4 ,he accordingly directed his favourite1 the fascinating ,chevalier de ,lorraine1 to devote himself to ,madame de ,cotquen1 and extract the secret from her4 ,in order to please her younger adorer1 the lady wrung from the ,marshal the details of the ,king's conversation1 which she immediately imparted to the ,chevalier4 ,the ,duke of ,orleans in a fury sought the ,royal presence1 and complained to the ,king that every one was trusted with ,state secrets except himself2 but that he had ascertained without doubt that steps were being taken to annul the ,triple ,alliance4 ,the ,king1 indignant at the betrayal of his confidence1 summoned ,turenne to his presence1 and burst into violent complaints against ,louvois1 #8,for1' said his ,majesty1 #8you and he were the only persons to whom ,i mentioned the subject4' ,the ,minister had always shown himself inimical to ,turenne1 and never lost an opportunity of endeavouring to lower or supplant him in the ,royal favour1 a circumstance of which the ,marshal was well aware2 but he was in no way tempted to swerve from his unwavering veracity4 ,he exonerated the ,minister1 by taking the whole blame on himself1 and confessed that1 in a moment of weakness1 he had divulged the ,king's secret to ,madame de ,cotquen4 #8,a fellow-feeling makes one 7sometimes7 wondrous kind3' the ,king1 perhaps reflecting he might have acted in the same manner in a similar position1 forgave his friend2 but ,turenne never forgave himself or the lady1 whom he never saw again4 ,for himself1 many years afterwards1 when the ,chevalier de ,lorraine jestingly inquired some particulars of the affair1 the ,vicomte replied1 #8,commenons par teindre les bougies4' ,the ,duchess of ,orleans1 as is well known1 did undertake the mission to her brother1 in which she was successful2 and shortly after her return to ,france1 she retired to ,st4 ,cloud1 accompanied by several nobles2 among others the ,vicomte de ,turenne and the ,duc de la ,rochefoucauld4 ,her sudden and mysterious death1 generally believed to be the effect of poison1 in the bloom of life and beauty1 threw a deep gloom over the whole nation4 ,turenne1 in particular1 was profoundly affected by the event1 and again contemplated the idea of retirement from the world2 but ,france could not spare him1 and he was soon once more in the field1 gaining fresh laurels4 ,his last campaign was the crowning-point in his glory1 and in the beginning of the year #afge he returned to ,versailles1 his whole route one triumphal procession1 flowers strewing his path1 acclamations and blessings attending him wherever he appeared4 ,in the whole of ,france no enemy was left1 with the exception of such as were prisoners2 on his arrival at ,versailles1 he was embraced by the ,king1 and congratulated and made much of by all classes4 ,in the early summer of #afge1 ,turenne1 at the head of the ,french army1 and the ,count de ,montecuculi1 in command of the ,imperialists1 were pitted against each other4 ,few periods in ,european history could have been richer in names of distinguished military commanders1--the ,king of ,france himself1 the ,prince of ,orange1 the ,prince de ,cond1 the ,elector of ,brandenburg1 the ,swedish ,general ,wrangel1 and above all1 the two heroes1 ,marshal ,turenne and the ,count de ,montecuculi1 who now disputed with each other the passage of the ,rhine4 ,a paragraph in the life of the former1 from which we have so freely quoted1 in speaking of the rival generals1 draws so good a parallel that we are tempted to transcribe it verbatim3-- #8,les yeux de toute l',europe furent fixs sur ces deux grands capitaines1 tous deux peu prs du mme ge1 qui avoient eu la mme ducation1 forms par deux oncles rivaux1 le ,prince ,maurice1 et le ,comte ,ernest1 ils avoient port le mousquet1 avant que de parvenir aucune grade1 et acquis par cinquante annes de combats une exprience consomme dans toutes les parties de l'art militaire4 ,l'un et l'autre avoit reu du ciel un esprit suprieur1 un jugement solide1 et un sangfroid1 qui dans un gnral n'est pas moins ncessaire1 que la prvoyance et la valeur4 ,capitaines par tude1 ils combattoient par principes1 et ne donnoient presque rien la fortune4 ,adors du soldat1 l'amour pour le gnral plutt que l'obissance due au souverain1 paroissoit animer l'une et l'autre arme4 ,ces deux gnraux se connoissoient1 s'estimoient1 et se craignoient mutuellement1 ni l'un ni l'autre n'osoit attendre la victoire des fautes de son ennemi1 il falloit l'emporter1 force de gnie1 et de science militaire4' ,this last campaign was pronounced by an unquestionable authority to be the chef d'uvre alike of ,turenne and ,montecuculi4 ,their marches1 countermarches1 attacks and retreats1 were worthy of themselves and of each other2 but ,turenne was stronger and more active than his rival1 who often suffered from gout1 which prevented his being as much on horseback as he desired4 ,on the #bgth of ,july the two armies drew up in order of battle not far from the village of ,salzbach1 and the position seemed so advantageous for the ,french troops that ,turenne1 contrary to his custom1 expressed himself most confidently as to the result4 ,that morning1 after hearing ,mass and partaking of the ,holy ,communion1 the ,marshal mounted his horse and carefully reconnoitred the ground4 #8,c'en est fait1 je les tiens1' he said to some by-standing officers4 #8,ils ne pourroient plus m'chapper2 je vais recueillir les fruits d'une si pnible campagne4' ,the hero was indeed about to rest from his labours1 but not in the manner he anticipated4 ,observing a movement in the enemy's infantry1 which he imagined denoted an intention to retreat1 he alighted from his charger1 and sat down to rest under a large tree and eat his breakfast2 after which he again mounted1 and rode up a small eminence1 forbidding his officers to follow him1 and speaking with well-simulated severity to his nephew1 the ,duc d',elbeuf1 #8,pray do not stick so close to me1' he said2 #8you will cause me to be recognised4' ,the youth's life was very dear to him4 ,the ,english general1 ,hamilton1 now came up1 and begged him not to #8ride up there1 for they are firing in that direction4' ,turenne smiled1 and said1 #8,oh1 ,i must not be killed to-day1' and passed on his way4 ,he then met ,general ,st4 ,hilaire1 who asked his opinion of the spot at which he had stationed a battery4 ,turenne reined back his horse a few paces in order to judge1 when a stray shot shattered ,st4 ,hilaire's arm1 and lodged in the middle of the ,marshal's body4 ,his favourite charger1 #8,la ,pie1' wheeled round1 and galloped back to the point where he had left his company1 then1 halting suddenly1 the lifeless body of ,henri de la ,tour d',auvergne fell into the arms of his weeping soldiers4 ,twice he opened his eyes and moved his lips1 but never spoke again2 while ,st4 ,hilaire thus addressed his son1 who was lamenting over his father's sufferings3 #8,keep your tears1' he said1 #8for the great man whom we have this day lost4' ,the consternation of the spectators of this sad scene was indescribable2 no one appeared to have retained his presence of mind4 ,hamilton ordered a cloak to be thrown over the body1 and desired that the ,marshal's death should be kept secret as long as possible1 foreseeing the panic which would ensue in the ,french army4 ,but the news soon spread1 and infused fresh vigour into the enemy's troops4 ,the gallant and generous ,montecuculi1 on hearing his great rival was no more1 was much affected1 and uttered these memorable words 7no insignificant or inappropriate epitaph71 #8,il est mort6 un homme qui faisoit honneur l'homme4' ,the intelligence spread from rank to rank1 and was at first received in dead silence1 broken after a few moments by sobs1 and the loud cry1 #8,our father is dead1 and we are lost6' ,then they rushed in crowds to gaze on his dead body1 and called on their officers to lead them on to revenge his death4 ,but no one seemed willing to take the command4 ,there was delay and deliberation1 till the soldiers again burst forth angrily1 #8,lchez la ,pie1 elle nous conduira4' ,the ,marshal's death changed and reversed the plans of both armies4 ,the ,french began to retire1 the ,imperialists to advance1 and on the #bith a desperate battle took place1 with considerable loss on both sides1 after which the ,french crossed the ,rhine in retreat4 ,so strong was their belief1 even to superstition1 in the ruling star of ,turenne1 that some soldiers were overheard to say1 #8,if our father had been alive we should not have been wounded4' ,on their march to ,paris1 the troops paid funeral honours to their beloved commander1--his nephews and brother officers with crape-bound arms1 the soldiers with muskets reversed1 the voice of the officiating priest often inaudible from the sobs and lamentations of the mourners4 ,the ,king was deeply affected1 as we learn from ,madame de ,svign's touching letter to her daughter1 and all the more so1 that he received a despatch from the ,marshal1 full of the most sanguine anticipations of coming victory simultaneously with the account of his death4 ,so deep a sensation was produced at ,court1 that1 marvellous to relate1 a projected fte that was to have taken place at ,versailles was postponed1 and a courtier was on the point of fainting6 ,when the hero's body reached ,paris1 the ,king ordered it to be placed in the ,chapel of ,st4 ,denis1 usually allotted to the ,royal family4 ,it was not only in the ,french capital that people of all classes came to swell the funeral procession1 artisans leaving their work unfinished for that purpose1 but all the way along the road from the ,rhine country1 marks of honour and respect were paid1 alike by friend and foe4 ,the ,court1 the ,parliament1 the ,university1 the ,municipality1 all attended the ,marshal's funeral1 and the most celebrated divines vied with one another in eulogising him from the pulpit4 ,pre ,mascaron1 in his funeral oration1 says1 #8,au milieu du tumulte et du bruit des armes1 les sentimens du chrtien1 accompagnoient1 animoient1 et perfectionnoient1 en lui1 ceux du heros4' ,in emergencies his decisions were prompt2 where the matter did not press he took time to consider4 ,his military skill needs no encomium2 to that his whole life bore testimony4 ,his early education had taught him to revere discipline1 and he consequently submitted willingly to those in authority1 except--as in the case of the ,prime ,minister ,louvois1 who presumed to dictate to him on military tactics--when they interfered in matters with which they were not competent to deal4 ,the love his soldiers bore him bordered upon worship1 and he returned their affection4 ,although a strict disciplinarian1 he always tempered justice with mercy2 he shared the hardships of the men1 and ministered to their comforts1 frequently paying out of his own privy purse the arrears which he could not wring from the ,government4 ,his compassion to his prisoners made him esteemed among his enemies2 and he was most severe in the prohibition of pillage4 ,in one of his campaigns 7we allude to it with deep regret71 his own troops1 driven to terrible straits in the matter of provisions1 and burning with the desire to take reprisals for cruelties practised on their countrymen1 ,turenne not only sanctioned1 but enforced1 devastation and destruction in the ,palatinate2 so much so1 that the ,elector wrote him a furious letter1 terminating with a challenge4 ,his love of truth was proverbial2 his simple word outweighed the oaths of other men1 and his own memoirs vouch for his modesty of speech4 ,when he alluded to a defeat1 he used to say1 #8,the battle ,i lost2' when to a victory1 #8,the battle we gained4' ,he was moral and religious2 he hated excess of any kind1 and1 with the exception of occasional attacks of gout1 his health was good to the end4 ,in appearance1 ,turenne was about the middle height1 broad shoulders1 bushy eyebrows1 and rather heavy features2 simple but decent in dress4 ,in youth he had loved athletic exercises and military studies too well to give his thoughts to other branches of learning2 but as years passed on1 he became aware how necessary is general knowledge to a commander1 and he gave his mind to the study of history1 geography1 languages1 etc4 ,he was not carried away by impulse1 but calm in adversity as in prosperity1 unmoved by abuse or praise1 he went like an arrow straight to the mark4 ,his pride was that of birth2 his glory was in the honour of his house1 never in his own4 ,he treated his brother as a sovereign1 and even yielded the pas to his nephew1 while he1 the latter1 was still a child4 ,numerous anecdotes are told of ,turenne1 which redound to his advantage4 ,an officer1 wishing to ingratiate himself with the general1 showed him a way to obtain a large sum of money1 and #8no one be the wiser4' #8,thank you1' said ,turenne coldly2 #8,i have had plenty of such chances before now1 without taking advantage of them4' ,another time1 the inhabitants of a certain town came to offer him a considerable bribe if he would not pass through their district4 #8,keep your money1' was the reply2 #8you do not lie in my line of march4' ,walking one evening on the ramparts of a town1 he was attacked by several robbers1 who insisted on his giving them a ring he habitually wore4 ,the ,marshal calmly began to parley with them4 #8,see1 my friends1' he said1 #8we will come to terms4 ,if you will leave me in possession of that trinket1 ,i will promise you a hundred louis1 which is considerably above its value4 ,i have not the money on my person1 but if one of you will come and claim it to-morrow1 ,i will guarantee your safety4' ,no one ever doubted the ,marshal's given word4 ,the next morning1 surrounded by his staff1 ,turenne received the robbers' messenger1 and giving him the money1 dismissed him with courtesy1 much to the surprise and amusement of his officers1 when made acquainted with the facts of the case4 ,one day a servant of his household1 coming behind him so quickly as not to recognise the ,marshal1 dealt him a heavy blow2 overcome with confusion1 the man apologised in the humblest terms1 offering as an excuse that he thought it was a fellow-servant4 #8,well1' said his master1 smiling good-naturedly1 though still smarting from the blow1 #8even if it had been ,george1 you need not have hit so hard4' ,turenne was mourned1 not only by his countrymen and his allies1 but his very enemies showed the greatest respect for his memory4 ,the spot where he fell was left untouched1 and the tree under which he had reposed shortly before his death was held sacred by the peasants1 and pointed out by them to passers-by4 ,neither did it perish through decay1 but was carried off branch by branch as trophies1 by soldiers of all nations4 ,in #agha the ,cardinal de ,rohan erected a monument to his memory at ,salzbach1 which was repaired by ,moreau in #ahja1 and about thirty years afterwards a large pyramid of granite was raised on the spot4 ,many and strange were the vicissitudes which befell the body of this great man4 ,it was placed 7as we have said7 in the ,royal ,chapel of ,st4 ,denis1 by order of ,louis ,,xiv41 and when the tombs of the royal family were desecrated in the ,revolution of #agic1 ,turenne's embalmed body was so well preserved as to be an object of desire to the owner of a ,museum of ,natural ,history4 ,he gained permission to place it there1 and it was exhibited among the skeletons and fossils of animals for some time1 and then removed to an antiquarian museum for the edification of its members4 ,buonaparte1 who had a profound admiration for the memory of the great soldier1 caused the remains to be carried with much solemnity to the ,church of the ,invalides1 and there deposited1 while the ,marshal's heart1 which had been placed in the ,abbey of ,cluny1 was restored to his family4 ,this splendid picture is said to be the only equestrian portrait extant by ,rembrandt4 ,its date has been given #afdi-afej1 when it is said in a ,life of the painter that ,turenne passed a month in ,holland1 and this picture was most probably painted4 ,it was bought in #agdj by the ,earl of ,grantham 7father-in-law to the second ,earl ,cowper7 from a private collection at ,amsterdam4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,no4 #b4 ,,three ,,children1 ,,archduchesses ,,of ,,austria4 ,white quilted frocks4 ,one child holds a bird4 ,one is in a cradle with a blue coverlet4 ,,by ,,titian4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,andrea ,,vannucchi ,,detto ,,del ,,sarto4 ,seated writing at a table1 with striped cover4 ,black dress and cap4 ,,born #adhh1 ,,died #aecj4 ,,by ,,himself4 ,,he was the son of a tailor in ,florence2 and this trade1 which is so often 7for one reason or another7 spoken of derisively in ,england1 has surely gained to ,italian ears a species of glorification1 from the sobriquet attached to this illustrious painter4 ,when only seven years old1 the little ,andrea was taken from the school where he received instruction in reading and writing1 and placed with a goldsmith in the city4 ,even at that tender age his predilection for drawing1 and even designing1 showed itself1 and1 in like manner1 his aversion to handling the mechanical instruments used in the handicraft4 ,indeed1 the boy's drawings were so clever as to attract the attention of one ,gian ,barile1 a ,florentine painter2 so much so1 that he did not rest until he had secured ,andrea for his own studio2 and as old ,vasari quaintly says1 #8,no sooner did the boy begin to exercise himself in the art of painting than he acknowledged that ,nature had created him for that employment4' ,in a very short space of time1 ,andrea1 or ,del ,sarto1 as he was called1 produced such excellent pieces of colour as to excite the admiration of his master and all the artists in ,florence1 more especially ,piero ,cosimo1 whose works were much esteemed in the city1 and who proceeded to engage ,andrea as his pupil4 ,nothing could be more diligent than the young man proved himself1 studying and copying the cartoons of ,michel ,angelo1 ,leonardo da ,vinci1 etc41 which were allotted the scholars as models2 and he surpassed all his fellow-workers in the studio and academy1 with one of whom1 ,francia ,bigio1 he soon formed an intimate friendship4 ,one day1 working1 as was their custom1 side by side1 the two young men began to compare notes1 with respect to the manner in which they were treated by their respective masters2 they had each complaints to make2 they were each discontented with their lot4 ,after some little discussion1 they resolved to set up house1 or rather to take a room1 together1 which they accordingly did1 in the ,piazza del ,grano4 ,here they laboured diligently1 painting chiefly sacred subjects for galleries1 churches1 etc41 both in oil and in fresco4 ,there was at that time a confraternity1 #8,detto del ,scalzo1' whose meetings were held in the ,via ,larga4 ,they were formed for the most part of the artificers of the city1 but included men of all classes1 who met for charitable and religious purposes2 although not essentially a religious order1 they took the name of ,the ,scalzo1 from the fact that when they met in prayer1 or to walk in procession1 they went barefoot4 ,this company was most desirous that ,andrea del ,sarto should adorn the walls of their court with paintings from the life of their patron saint1 ,st4 ,john the ,baptist4 ,the company was not very wealthy1 neither was our painter grasping1 whatever may have been said of him later on1 when subjected to a bad influence4 ,he cheerfully undertook the work for a small remuneration1 and reaped his reward1 for these frescoes added so considerably to his fame that innumerable orders came in from all sides4 ,he now moved to better quarters 7in company with ,francia ,bigio71 from the ,piazza del ,grano to a house situated in the neighbourhood of the ,annunziata1 where he made acquaintance with ,jacopo ,tatti1 better known as the celebrated ,sansovino1 in whose society and conversation ,andrea took so much delight that the two young enthusiasts in art became almost inseparable4 ,del ,sarto was now gaining a good income1 and might have been happy in the company of his friends1 and the pursuit of his beloved art1 but for a false step which involved his whole life in ruin and disaster4 ,in the ,via ,san ,gallo lived a certain hatter1 who had married ,lucrezia ,bartolommeo de ,fede1 the daughter of indigent and ill-conditioned parents4 ,she was a young woman of exceeding beauty1 violent and arrogant by nature1 exercising a tyrannical influence over her many admirers1 of whom ,andrea was one of the most infatuated4 ,unfortunately for our painter1 the husband died suddenly1 and nothing would content ,del ,sarto but he would immediately espouse his inamorata4 ,from the very beginning of their married life she possessed such a mastery over him that he was her slave in everything1 and spent all his time and money on her and her relations1 neglecting1 in consequence1 his own aged parents1 whom he had hitherto supported4 ,his friends shunned his society1 his servants quitted his service1 so ungenial and unamiable was the behaviour of ,lucrezia4 ,the fame of ,del ,sarto's great talent had reached the ears of ,francis ,i41 ,king of ,france1 who gave him orders for pictures1 and invited him to ,paris--a proposition which smiled upon ,andrea2 but he was detained in ,florence to assist in the splendid decorations of the city1 in which all the painters1 sculptors1 and architects were employed1 to celebrate the triumphal entry of ,pope ,leo ,x41 of the house of ,medici2 and the beautiful works of ,andrea on this occasion inspired his ,holiness with unqualified admiration4 ,the unworthy woman to whom he was united interfered with his advancement in every way2 although unable to throw off the spell by which she bound him1 he began to find her tyranny irksome1 and he listened to the advice of a friend1 who bade him separate from her for a season1 and assert his independence4 ,this was in #aeah1 when ,francis ,i41 having renewed his invitation to our painter to enter his service1 ,del ,sarto gladly accepted the money which had been sent him for the journey1 and proceeded to ,paris1 where the ,king received him with every mark of distinction1 and gave him a settled salary1 together with gifts and garments of most costly description4 ,caressed and admired by the monarch and his whole ,court1 ,andrea set to work in high spirits1 and began1 as it were1 a new life4 ,amongst other pictures1 he painted one of the ,king's infant son1 in rich swaddling-clothes1 which so delighted ,francis that he gave the artist on the spot three hundred dollars4 ,this was a happy period in ,andrea's life2 he painted numerous portraits and historical and sacred pictures for the ,king and his courtiers1 and was much esteemed by all4 ,these halcyon days were not destined to be of long duration4 ,he was occupied in finishing a ,st4 ,jerome for the ,queen-,mother when he received a letter from his evil genius2 in this epistle ,lucrezia appealed to his affection1 his compassion1 his duty as a husband1 coaxing1 menacing1 exciting his easily roused feelings1 and working on them so strongly as to make him seek the ,royal presence and ask leave of absence1 promising to return shortly with his wife1 and to bring with him some fine works of painting and sculpture4 ,he pledged his solemn word to this effect1 and the generous-hearted ,king furnished him with fresh funds for the journey and the commission4 ,on his arrival in ,florence1 once more under the sway of his unworthy wife1 ,andrea gave in to her every wish1 and with the money that he had made1 and1 it is also to be feared1 the sums intrusted to him by the ,french ,king1 he built a house1 and lavished large sums on ,lucrezia and her family1 still to the detriment of his own parents4 ,when the time of his leave had expired1 he made a feeble attempt to return to his duty1 but he could not withstand the prayers1 tears1 and expostulations of his wife1 and thus broke his plighted word1 and relinquished his hopes of honourable advancement in ,france4 ,the ,king1 exasperated at such conduct1 expressed himself in most indignant terms1 and vowed he would never harbour another painter from ,florence4 ,thus was ,andrea hurled from a high and honourable estate by the wicked woman he had made his wife1--the model for almost every picture he painted1 sacred or secular1 and whose lineaments were so vividly impressed on his memory that he often involuntarily reproduced them on canvas4 ,leo ,x4 had given a commission for the ornamentation and decoration of the dome of the great hall at ,poggi a ,cajano1 one of the ,medicean villas near ,florence1 to be executed in stucco and frescoes by the best ,florentine artists1 and ,andrea's contribution on that occasion is described in glowing terms by his admirer ,vasari4 ,it represented ,csar receiving the present of innumerable animals of every description1 the delineation of which1 in their truth and variety1 could not be surpassed4 ,he interspersed the birds and beasts with ,oriental natives in picturesque costume1 and we quote ,vasari's words1 #8,altre belle fantasie1 lavorate in fresco divinissimamente4' ,the choice of this subject was supposed to convey an allusion to the menagerie of animals which had been sent to ,lorenzo the ,magnificent some years before by an ,eastern potentate4 ,the works at ,poggi a ,cajano were stopped in consequence of the death of ,pope ,leo1 and ,andrea's fresco was afterwards finished by ,bronzino4 ,he began bitterly to repent his ingratitude to the ,french ,king1 and if he had had the slightest hope of obtaining pardon1 he would have risked going to ,paris4 ,several times he resolved to send some of his best pictures to the ,french capital1 with the chance of their meeting the ,king's eye1 but the idea was relinquished4 ,in #aebc the beautiful city of ,florence and its environs were visited by the plague1 which caused a terrible mortality2 but in that country everything that happens seems to tend to picturesque and poetical results1 and all the world knows how ,boccaccio glorified that affliction by the production of his ,decameron4 ,andrea1 with his wife and daughter-in-law1 her sister1 and a child1 desirous of escaping from the infected neighbourhood1 and at the same time to continue his labours1 gladly accepted an order from the nuns of ,san ,pier de ,luco1 of the ,order of ,camaldoli1 to paint for them a ,pieta in their convent at ,mugello4 ,in consequence of these holy women caressing and making much of the painter1 his wife1 and the whole #8troop1' he determined to stay on for some time in that place1 and set himself to work with great zeal and delight4 ,vasari's descriptions of the beauty and pathos of these paintings are most eloquent in their old-world style of expression2 we regret we have no space for extracts4 ,on his return to ,florence1 ,del ,sarto resumed his labours1 and executed orders without number1 chiefly on sacred subjects4 ,he was as skilful in his copying as in his original paintings1 and a curious anecdote is given in illustration of this fact4 ,frederick1 the second ,duke of ,mantua1 in his passage through ,florence to do homage to ,pope ,clement ,,vii41 saw the celebrated portrait of ,pope ,leo ,x41 with two ,cardinals1 the work of the immortal ,raphael d',urbino1 with which he was so much struck1 as to excite in him an inordinate desire to possess that splendid picture2 and he made so urgent a request to his ,holiness that ,clement knew not how to refuse him1 but sent ,ottaviano de ,medici1 his kinsman1 an order to send the painting to ,mantua4 ,this command was received with dismay at ,florence1--for was not that portrait one of the glories of the city8 ,in this strait ,ottaviano sent for ,andrea1 took counsel with him1 and it was arranged between them that ,del ,sarto should make an exact copy of this capo d' opera of ,raphael1 which he executed with such skill in every respect1--not only as regarded the excellence of the drawing and colouring1 but also the reproduction of certain little marks and after-touches and other details1--so much so that1 when completed1 ,ottaviano himself confessed he could scarcely detect the original4 ,the two conspirators were delighted with the success of their scheme1 and the ,duke was in like manner delighted with the picture when it was unpacked at ,mantua4 ,giulio ,romano1 ,raphael's disciple and own familiar friend1 who was there at the time1 never doubted its authenticity for a moment4 ,but there was a small bird of the air that carried the matter1 and this was young ,giorgio ,vasari1 who had been brought up in the household of the ,medici1 and who1 when asked by ,giulio ,romano if he did not think the portrait in question a splendid work of ,raphael1 replied that it was indeed splendid1 although not the work of ,raphael1 but of ,andrea del ,sarto4 #8,as if it were likely1' said ,giulio1 #8that ,i should not recognise the painting6 ,why1 ,i can see the very touches ,i myself added to it4' #8,for all that1' persisted the youth1 #8this picture is from the hands of ,del ,sarto1 and ,i saw him working at it with my own eyes2 and ,i will prove it to you4 ,if you will look at the back1 you will see a mark which shows that it was executed in ,florence4' ,giulio ,romano turned the picture1 and finding the mark which confirmed ,vasari's words1 he could only shrug his shoulders and acknowledge the wonderful talent of the painter1 who had made a perfect facsimile of one of ,raphael's masterpieces4 ,yet one more anecdote1 to illustrate the admiration which ,andrea's works inspired1 and we have done4 ,at the siege of ,florence1 in #aebi1 the infuriated soldiery were sacking the town1 especially the sacred buildings4 ,they had already destroyed the church and belfry of ,san ,salvi1 and rushing into the convent1 undisciplined as they were1 their attention was arrested by the fresco of ,andrea del ,sarto's ,last ,supper1 by some esteemed the rival of ,leonardo's ,cenacolo at ,milan4 ,this divine painting had such an effect on the minds of those rude men1 excited as they were1 that1 after gazing on it for a short time in reverence1 they left the room in silence1 thus sparing that incomparable work for the wonder and reverence of upwards of three centuries4 ,after the siege was over1 ,andrea still cherished a hope of some day regaining the favour of ,francis ,i41 and kept revolving in his mind how to do so1 when he was taken suddenly ill4 ,some soldiers who had returned to ,florence were said to have brought back the plague1 and food was supposed to have become infected4 ,whether or not ,andrea's sickness were of this nature1 it is certain he took to his bed1 and gave himself up for lost4 ,his worthless wife fled in terror1 leaving him to die alone1 without help or comfort4 ,the brethren ,del ,scalzo1 for whom he had worked so assiduously1 gave him burial1 though with great haste and little ceremony1 and a monument was raised to him in the ,annunziata by one of his pupils1 with a ,latin epitaph1 most eulogistic4 ,lucrezia del ,fede survived ,andrea many years1 and received payment after his death for the works of that husband whose life she had helped to make miserable4 ,her death took place in #aegj4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,no4 #d4 ,,portrait ,,of ,,an ,,italian ,,lady4 ,,by ,,andrea ,,del ,,sarto4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,portrait1 ,,supposed ,,to ,,be ,,that ,,of ,,the ,,fattore ,,of ,,san ,,marco1 ,,at ,,florence4 ,,by ,,andrea ,,del ,,sarto4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,andrea ,,del ,,sarto4 ,nearly the same dress and attitude as the former ,portrait4 ,,by ,,himself4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,tommaso ,,guidi1 ,,detto ,,masaccio4 ,bright scarlet suit4 ,black cap4 ,,born #adjb1 ,,died #addc4 ,,dates ,,not ,,very ,,certain4 ,,son of ,ser ,giovanni ,simone1 da ,castello di ,san ,giovanni1 in ,val d',arno4 ,from his earliest years he cared for nothing but art4 ,nature designed him for a painter1 and no other amusement or occupation had any charms for ,tommaso4 ,he cared not for money1 he did not study his appearance as is the way with most youths1 and from a certain recklessness and lack of interest in his surroundings1 he acquired for himself the epithet of ,masaccio1--most assuredly not from any bad quality that could be discovered in him1 for he was goodness itself4 ,his masters were ,masolino de ,panicale in painting1 ,ghiberti and ,donatello in sculpture1 and ,brunelleschi in perspective4 ,could the young aspirant have had more illustrious teachers8 ,he worked assiduously1 and received many commissions1 chiefly for the decoration of churches1 both in ,florence and ,pisa1 the excellence of which gained him the friendship and patronage of ,cosimo de ,medici1 who was always ready to encourage merit in any branch1 more especially in the fine arts4 ,when dark days fell on ,florence1 and ,cosimo was exiled1 ,masaccio determined to go to ,rome and study the antique4 ,the ,pope gave him many orders1 and his paintings in ,santa ,maria ,maggiore gained him lasting fame1 and called forth enthusiastic expressions of admiration from ,michel ,angelo many years later4 ,masaccio was very fond of introducing portraits into his pictures and frescoes1 and in this church he painted ,pope ,martin and the ,emperor ,sigismund ,,ii4 ,he was busied over the faade of ,san ,giovanni1 when1 hearing his friend ,cosimo had been recalled to ,florence1 he lost no time in joining him4 ,cosimo gave him orders innumerable1 and the facility with which ,masaccio executed them was only equalled by their excellence4 ,the notice which was taken of him in high places1 and the superiority of his talents1 caused great jealousy among his fellow-artists1 but he worked on4 ,in the church of the ,carmine he painted a procession of citizens repairing to the consecration of the sacred building1 introducing therein innumerable portraits1 amongst others his masters1 ,masolino1 ,brunelleschi1 ,donatello1 etc41--all marvellous1 says ,vasari1 in their truth and beauty4 ,later on1 in a painting of ,st4 ,peter paying tribute1 he depicted his own likeness1 taken from the reflection in a looking-glass1 which is described as to the very life4 ,he was attacked by sudden illness in the midst of his successful career1 under which he soon succumbed1 and was buried in the church of the ,carmine without an epitaph on the stone1 but ,annibal ,caro wrote the following in later years3-- #8,pinsi1 e la mia ,pittura1 al ver1 fu pari2 ,l' atteggiai1 l' avvivai1 le diedi il moto ,le diedi affetto4 ,insegni il ,bonarroto ,a tutti gli altri1 e da me solo impari4' ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,algernon ,,percy1 ,,earl ,,of ,,northumberland4 ,black dress4 ,white collar4 ,blue ribbon4 ,,born #afjb1 ,,died #affh4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,the third son of ,henry ,percy1 ninth ,earl of ,northumberland1 by ,dorothy1 daughter of ,walter ,devereux1 ,earl of ,sussex4 ,educated at ,christ ,church1 ,oxford1 under ,robert ,hughes1 the celebrated mathematician1 and in #afaf was one of the youthful ,knights of the ,bath at the creation of ,charles1 ,prince of ,wales4 ,on the accession of that ,prince to the ,throne1 he was called by writ to the ,house of ,peers 7his father being then alive7 as ,baron ,percy4 ,he afterwards1 as ,privy ,councillor1 attended the ,king to ,scotland for his coronation1 having by that time succeeded to his father's titles and estates4 ,in #afcf he had the command of a noble fleet1--the largest1 says ,lodge1 since the death of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,lord ,northumberland was much commended for his services in the expedition against the ,dutch fishery1 making advantageous terms for the ,king of ,england1 after which he turned his time and thoughts to reforming many abuses then prevalent in the ,navy4 ,in #afcg he was named ,lord ,high ,admiral1 and in #afci commander of the troops marching against the ,scots1 but was prevented--so he pleaded--from joining the army by illness1 when the real command devolved on the ,earl of ,stafford4 ,clarendon says1 #8,lord ,northumberland was chosen for ornament4' ,it appears by a letter to his brother-in-law 7,lord ,leicester7 that he had most gloomy forebodings as to the result of the enterprise1 which #8it grieves my soul to be involved in4' ,an incident occurred shortly afterwards1 which does not redound to the credit of the ,earl of ,northumberland4 ,we will give an abridged account of ,lord ,clarendon's version4 ,henry ,percy1 a zealous ,royalist1 brother to the ,earl of ,northumberland1 was on his way to ,france1 on the ,king's service1 just at the time that the ,commons had petitioned ,charles to prohibit any of his servants leaving ,england4 ,striving to embark1 he was attacked and wounded by the people of the ,sussex coast1 and narrowly escaped with his life to a place of concealment1 whence he wrote to his brother in a private and confidential manner4 ,northumberland carried the letter to the ,house of ,commons 7which had already voted an impeachment of high treason against ,henry ,percy71 and laid the document upon the table4 ,clarendon makes but a lame defence for his conduct on the part of the elder brother1 who was1 he said1 #8in great trouble how to send ,henry in safety beyond seas1 when his wound was cured1 he having taken shelter at ,northumberland ,house4' ,but the end of the matter was1 that ,henry did escape from ,england1 and there was enmity between the brethren from that day forth4 ,this was the first time in which ,northumberland #8showed his defection from the ,king's cause1 and ,charles had been a good friend to him1 and laden him with bounties4' ,he acted in direct opposition to the ,king's commands1 when he obeyed those of the ,parliament1 to equip the ,royal ,navy1 and to appoint the ,earl of ,warwick ,admiral of the ,fleet4 ,in #afdb he resigned his commission of ,lord ,high ,admiral1 and openly abandoned his allegiance1 siding with the ,parliamentarians2 and though their faith was rather shaken in him on one occasion1 he was too valuable an ally to quarrel with4 ,northumberland was appointed head of the ,commissioners employed to negotiate with the ,king1 in the several treaties of ,oxford1 ,uxbridge1 etc41 and was intrusted with the custody of the ,royal children1 which he retained until the ,king's death4 ,it would appear that he had at least the grace to facilitate their interviews with their unhappy and loving father1 and that he cared for the wellbeing of his ,royal wards4 ,they were subsequently committed to the guardianship of his sister1 the ,countess of ,leicester1 and were removed to her ,lord's house of ,penshurst in ,kent4 ,words1 in truth1 ,lord ,northumberland used to prevent the execution of the ,king1 but his deeds had hastened the catastrophe4 ,we are told he #8detested the murder4' ,immediately after ,charles's death ,northumberland repaired to his seat at ,petworth1 in ,sussex1 where he remained until #affj1 when he joined ,monck in his exertions to bring about the ,restoration4 ,he held no public office under ,charles ,,ii41 excepting the ,lord-,lieutenancies of ,sussex and ,northumberland4 ,clarendon1 in a long character of him1 says3 #8,his temper and reservedness in discourse got him the reputation of a wise man4 ,in his own family no one was ever more absolutely obeyed1 or had fewer idle words to answer for2' and1 alluding to his defection from the ,royal cause1 #8,after he was first prevailed upon not to do that which in honour and gratitude he was obliged to1 he was with the more facility led to concur in what in duty and fidelity he ought not to have done1 and so he concurred in all the counsels which produced the ,rebellion1 and stayed with them to support it4' ,he took great delight in his gardens and plantations at ,petworth1 where he resided in the summer1 but in the winter he was much in town1 attending to his ,parliamentary duties4 ,he had two wives3 the first was ,lady ,anne ,cecil1 daughter to ,thomas1 second ,earl of ,salisbury4 ,on her death we hear ,lord ,northumberland #8is a very sad man1 and his sister 7,lady ,leicester7 has gone to comfort him4' ,by ,lady ,anne he had five daughters4 ,his second wife was the second daughter of ,theophilus ,howard1 second ,earl of ,suffolk1 who brought him in ,northumberland ,house in ,london1 originally called ,northampton ,house4 ,sion ,house had been granted by the ,crown to the ninth ,earl4 ,evelyn went to see it1 and thought it #8pretty1 but the garden more celebrated than it deserved4' ,by ,lady ,elizabeth ,howard1 who long survived her husband1 he had an only son and heir1 and a daughter1 who died unmarried4 ,algernon1 ,earl of ,northumberland1 was buried at ,petworth1 in ,sussex4 ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,sir ,,anthony ,,vandyck4 ,black dress4 ,white collar4 ,,born #aeii1 ,,died #afda4 ,a ,,head ,,by ,,himself4 ,a ,,native of ,antwerp1 his father1 a merchant in silk and woollen stuffs1 was himself a painter in glass1 whose first wife1 ,cornelia ,kerseboom1 dying without children1 he married again one ,maria ,cuypers1 by whom he had a large family1 ,anthony being the seventh1 a proverbially magic number4 ,the ,vandycks were strenuous adherents of the ,church of ,rome1 and two of our painter's sisters became nuns1 while one of his brothers took ,holy ,orders4 ,maria ,vandyck was a skilful artist in embroidery1 her works being much admired1 and she encouraged her boy's taste for drawing1 in the rudiments of which he received instruction from his father4 ,when about ten years of age he was placed under the tuition of ,henry van ,balen1 a much-esteemed painter1 who had studied in ,italy4 ,here young ,vandyck remained some time1 but he had fixed his heart on becoming the pupil of his already famous fellow-citizen1 ,peter ,paul ,rubens2 and that desire was fulfilled4 ,his remarkable talent and his untiring industry made him a favourite both with master and scholars1 when an incident happened which brought the youth into prominent notice4 ,it so chanced that one afternoon1 when ,rubens was absent1 that the students invaded the sanctity of the private studio1 and in the exuberance of animal spirits began to indulge in some rough play4 ,an unfinished ,holy ,family stood on the easel1 the colours not yet dry1 and in the course of the #8bear-fight' one of his companions pushed ,van ,diepenbeke so heavily against the precious canvas that the arm of the ,magdalene and the head of the ,virgin were nearly effaced1 and the colours all smudged4 ,the general consternation may be easily conceived2 a council of war was held1 and the decision arrived at that the most skilful among the students should endeavour to repair the mischief as best he could4 ,jan van ,hoeck proposed ,vandyck for the work1 and the choice was unanimously approved1 for in such a case there was no room for rivalry4 ,anthony set to work in right earnest2 there was not a moment to be lost4 ,he had but a few hours of daylight to complete his task1 but he accomplished it before nightfall4 ,early next morning the dreaded moment arrived4 ,rubens entered his studio in order to examine the work of the preceding evening1 when he pronounced the memorable words1 which seemed to bestow a diploma on his young disciple1--#8,why1 this looks better than it did yesterday6' ,then1 approaching nearer1 he detected the traces of a strange hand4 ,investigation and explanation followed1 and ,vandyck came in for great praise from the lips of his loved master4 ,idle tales have been told of the jealousy subsisting between these two great painters1 while1 on the contrary1 every recorded instance seems to prove how close was their friendship4 ,rubens was most desirous that his talented pupil should proceed to ,italy to study the works of the great masters1 and extend his connection with the world1 but in the meantime ,vandyck received an invitation to ,england4 ,the first visit he paid to our country was short and unsatisfactory2 and there are so many discrepancies in the accounts given of the work done at that period1 and his reasons for leaving somewhat abruptly1 that we refrain from entering on the subject4 ,from ,england he proceeded to the ,hague1 where he painted portraits of every class and denomination of person1 commencing with the whole family and ,court of the ,stadtholder1 ,henry ,frederic1 including every member of the illustrious house of ,nassau4 ,nobles1 warriors1 statesmen1 burghers1 all vied for the honour of sitting to him4 ,in #afbb the news of his father's illness recalled him to ,antwerp4 ,he arrived just in time to receive that father's last farewell1 and listen to his last injunctions4 ,franz ,vandyck made his son promise to paint an altar-piece for the chapel of the ,dominican ,sisters1 who had nursed him tenderly during his illness1--a pledge nobly redeemed by ,anthony1 though the execution was postponed for a time4 ,he then took leave of his master1 to whom he presented1 at parting1 three pictures1 one of which was the likeness of ,rubens's first wife4 ,our painter now set his face towards ,italy1 but he did not get far on his road without a hindrance4 ,the story of the little episode we are about to relate is so differently given1 that we only pretend to offer the most likely version4 ,at ,brussels1 where ,vandyck tarried1 the ,infanta ,isabella gave him a commission to paint the mistress of her ,highness's favourite hounds1 a beautiful girl1 by the name of ,anna von ,orphen4 ,we are not told why a maiden of lowly origin was chosen for a place1 though not very exalted1 about ,court1 unless it were on account of her loveliness4 ,but the portrait was executed1 and ,anna appeared1 surrounded by her pack1 each dog having its name duly inscribed on the canvas4 ,the picture is mentioned as being at the castle of ,tervueren1 near ,brussels1 in #agfc4 ,vandyck speedily fell a victim to the charms of the lovely villager of ,saventheim1 and at her cottage he whiled away some months1 to the great indignation of ,rubens1 who continued to write and expostulate with his former pupil1 pointing out to him the value and importance of the time he was losing4 ,vandyck1 however1 was not wholly idle while at ,saventheim2 he painted 7it is said at the instigation of his mistress7 two pictures3 one a ,holy ,family1 in which he introduced likenesses of ,anna and her family1 and the other a ,st4 ,martin1 being his own portrait1 riding a horse which ,rubens had given him4 ,the last-mentioned painting was held in such high estimation by the inhabitants of ,saventheim1 that on three separate occasions1 at the interval of many years1 the peasantry rose en masse to prevent the treasure from being carried away1 either by fraud or purchase4 ,at length ,rubens hit on an expedient to extricate his friend from the spells of his rustic ,armida4 ,he sent the ,chevalier ,nanni1 who was en route for ,italy1 to urge on ,vandyck the expediency of accompanying him thither4 ,the arguments chosen were successful2 the lovers parted with mutual regret4 ,poor ,anna was left disconsolate1 and ,vandyck set forth on a journey which was destined to be a triumphal progress4 ,we have no space to detail his residence at ,venice1 where he studied ,titian and ,veronese1 or his still longer sojourn at ,genoa1 where he became the favourite guest of the proudest nobles of the proud city1 in which almost every palace is enriched by the works of the great ,fleming1 chiefly consisting of portraits1 with a sprinkling of sacred subjects4 ,this was the period when1 as ,vandyck afterwards confessed1 he painted for fame1 and not alone for money4 ,at ,rome1 where he remained several years1 the first order he undertook was the world-renowned portrait of ,cardinal ,bentivoglio1 which1 when once seen1 attracted crowds of sitters to the studio1 as at ,genoa1 including not only the nobility of the city1 but most of the visitors sojourning there at the time4 ,a most curious portrait of that period may now be seen at ,petworth1 representing ,sir ,robert ,shirley1 who had come from the ,east on a mission to his ,holiness1 representing him and his ,persian wife both in ,oriental costume4 ,in the ,duke of ,buccleuch's invaluable collection of miniatures there is a most eccentric effigy of this same lady1 in the dress--or shall we say undress8--of her country4 ,on leaving ,rome1 many writers say driven thence by the jealousy of fellow-artists1 especially among his own countrymen1 ,vandyck proceeded via ,florence to visit the more northern cities of ,italy1 and after paying a second visit to his favourite ,genoa1 he sailed with his friend1 the ,chevalier ,nanni1 for ,sicily1 whither he had been invited by ,prince ,philibert of ,savoy1 who sat to him1 as did also the famous painter ,sofonisba ,angusciola1 celebrated alike for her talents and her romantic adventures4 ,this remarkable woman was in her ninety-second year1 and quite blind1 but her mind was clear1 and her love of art as keen as ever2 and ,vandyck said he had learned more from the conversation of this blind old lady than from all his former studies4 ,there is a charming portrait of her by her own hand1 when young and handsome1 in the collection of ,earl ,spencer at ,althorp4 ,vandyck was driven from ,sicily by the breaking out of the plague1 and he once more set out for ,antwerp1 which he reached about the end of #afbf4 ,in his native city he at first shared the proverbial fate of the prophet in his own country2 he found few patrons1 and many cavilled at the prices1 which were less than had been gladly paid him in ,italy4 ,rubens came to his rescue by buying every completed picture in his studio1 and1 departing from ,antwerp on diplomatic missions 7from the ,archduchess ,isabella7 to ,portugal and ,england1 left his friend ,vandyck the undisputed master of the field4 ,his hands were now full4 ,orders from numerous religious fraternities in the city and neighbourhood1 anxious to enrich their several churches and chapels1 poured in on all sides1 and the candidates for the honour of sitting to the great painter were incalculable4 ,yet ,vandyck's cup was mingled with gall1 through the envy and jealousy of his fellow-artists1 who attacked and traduced him on all occasions4 ,he paid another short visit to ,england1 where the ,earl of ,northumberland was his chief patron and employer1 and afterwards to ,paris2 but it was not till #afcb that he listened to the persuasions of the ,earl of ,arundel 7who many years before had admired the early promise of ,vandyck's talent71 and once more went over to ,england4 ,in consequence of the death of ,buckingham1 who literally #8brooked no rival near the throne1' ,lord ,arundel was in high favour with his ,royal master1 and ,king and subject were alike enthusiastic worshippers of art4 ,vandyck was received at ,court with every mark of distinction4 ,charles ,i4 provided apartments for him1 and in all respects treated him as a personal friend1 taking the greatest delight in his society4 ,it was supposed that his ,majesty had even entertained the idea of building a house expressly for his guest1 since among the ,state papers1 in the handwriting of one of the officials1 there is an entry1 #8,things to be done3 to speak with ,inigo ,jones concerning a house for ,vandike4' ,the painter was however well lodged at ,blackfriars1 and a pleasant summer residence at ,eltham was also allotted him4 ,indeed1 wherever he went1 ,anthony ,vandyck was the centre of attraction1 the cynosure of all eyes4 ,pre-eminently handsome1 brilliant in conversation1 a good linguist1 an enlightened traveller1 even without the crowning quality of his splendid talent1 the painter must assuredly have proved a shining light in the refined and aristocratic circles of the ,english capital4 ,courted in society1 foremost in art1 crowds resorted to his studio4 ,the ,king himself was not only his constant sitter1 but often dropped down the river in his royal barge as far as ,blackfriars1 to pass a pleasant hour1 and gossip of art and artists with his newly-created knight1 ,sir ,anthony ,vandyck1 to whom he had presented a valuable miniature of himself1 splendidly set with diamonds4 ,neither of their ,majesties ever appeared wearied of sitting for their portraits to their #8,painter in ,ordinary1' and few records of a sad life can be more touching than the three heads 7at ,windsor ,castle7 of ,henrietta ,maria1 in which ,vandyck so truthfully delineated the mental and physical changes wrought by grief and misfortune4 ,amongst ,vandyck's closest and most intimate friends may be reckoned the ,earl of ,strafford1 whose noble and characteristic countenance gazes intently at us from the walls of so many dwelling-houses1 and who was said to have sat oftener to his artist friend than any one in ,england1 with the exception of ,charles ,i4 and his ,queen4 ,sir ,kenelm ,digby was another of ,sir ,anthony's chosen companions1 and the portraits of the learned knight and his beautiful wife1 ,venetia ,stanley1 have become familiar to us by the magic touches of ,vandyck's brush4 ,on the sudden and mysterious death of the #8divine ,venetia1' her widower summoned the great painter to portray1 for the last time1 that lovely countenance in #8a calm unbroken sleep1 that hath no awakening1'--a beautiful and touching picture1 which forms one of the gems of ,lord ,spencer's collection4 ,notwithstanding the number of his sitters1 and the large sums 7by comparison7 paid for his paintings1 ,sir ,anthony was invariably in pecuniary difficulties4 ,luxurious in his manner of living1 splendid even to ostentation in his dress and equipages1 his hospitality was boundless1 his generosity to struggling members of his own profession proverbial4 ,added to all his other expenses1 there was invariably a ,margaret ,lemon1 or one of her class1 ever ready to drain his purse4 ,on the subject of his monetary troubles1 the noble knight was candid and outspoken4 ,one day the ,king and ,lord ,arundel were sitting in intimate conversation with the painter in his studio at ,blackfriars1 when ,charles began a sorrowful dissertation on his own lack of money4 ,turning to ,sir ,anthony1 he said with a smile1 #8,and you1 ,sir ,knight1 has it ever happened to you to be at a loss where to turn for one or two thousand pounds8' #8,sire1' was the reply1 #8when a painter keeps an open house for his friends1 and an open purse for his mistresses1 he is not unlikely to have empty coffers4' ,it was doubtless on account of these pecuniary difficulties that ,vandyck in his latter days painted in so hurried and slovenly a manner1 as might well have gained him the name of #8,fa ,presto4' ,he got into the habit of intrusting many of the details of his paintings to the numerous scholars in his studio1 and the similarity of the shape and character of the hands in his portraits1 which has so often been remarked and marvelled at1 may surely be accounted for by the fact that he usually painted the hands from those of models of both sexes retained by him for that purpose4 ,yet there were exceptions to this rule1 for ,vandyck1 who had beautifully formed hands of his own1 was a great admirer of that particular personal charm2 and an amusing anecdote is told of him1 when he had a no less noble sitter than ,margaret de ,bourbon1 daughter to ,henry ,,iv4 of ,france4 ,the ,royal lady1 after watching ,vandyck for some time1 ventured the question1 why he gave so much more attention to the painting of her hands than of her head1 or indeed any other detail of the picture4 #8,it is1 ,madam1' replied ,sir ,anthony1 with a sly smile1 #8that ,i anticipate a rich compensation from those beautiful white hands4' ,it would not have been difficult1 by all accounts1 for ,vandyck to have selected a bride from the noblest and most wealthy in the land1 so generally admired was he by the fair sex2 but his friends1 the ,king and the ,duke of ,buckingham1 had already arranged a suitable match1 desirable in every way1 excepting that the lady was poor1 a fact which seemed an oversight in the circumstances1 or rather in ,vandyck's circumstances4 ,mary ,ruthven was the granddaughter of the unfortunate ,earl of ,gowrie4 ,her father1 suspected of complicity in the so-called conspiracy1 had in consequence not only been imprisoned1 but his property confiscated2 therefore the winsome lady's dower consisted of goodness1 beauty1 and gentle birth1 but tocher the lassie had none1 excepting a small portion given her as ,lady of the ,queen's ,household4 ,she was much esteemed at ,court4 ,during his residence in ,england ,vandyck had paid flying visits to his native country1 and we hear of him1 in #afcd1 serving as ,dean of the ,guild of ,st4 ,luke's at ,antwerp1 which1 be it remarked1 is the date of the magnificent portrait1 in this same gallery of ,panshanger1 of ,john of ,nassau ,siegen1 and his family4 ,after his marriage he proceeded once more with his bride to his native city1 where they were received with every possible demonstration of respect and affection4 ,sir ,anthony1 then1 hearing that ,louis ,,xiii4 intended to have the walls of the ,louvre adorned with paintings1 after the fashion of those by ,rubens in the ,luxembourg1 went to ,paris in hopes of obtaining the order1 but in this design he was frustrated1 and1 disappointed and depressed1 he returned to ,england4 ,it was a dreary time4 ,his ,royal and private friends were all involved in trouble and perplexity1 through the gathering of heavy clouds on the political horizon4 ,his friend ,lord ,strafford had perished on the scaffold2 the ,king was absent from ,london2 the ,queen had sought safety in ,france4 ,vandyck's spirits sank1 and he gave himself up to a fatal and visionary consolation4 ,in the pursuit of the philosopher's stone1 he became a professed alchemist1 and1 as it was well said1 #8the gold he had gained by his labours fast melted away in the crucible4' ,he would stand for hours over a hot fire1 which conduced not a little to undermine his failing health2 he grew haggard and wrinkled while still in the prime of life4 ,the ,king1 on his return to ,england1 hearing of his friend's illness1 sent his own physician to minister to the patient1 holding out1 it was said1 a large sum of money in the event of a cure4 ,but human aid was unavailing2 a severe attack of gout1 combined with other maladies1 proved fatal1 and on the #ith ,december #afda1 the man who by many has been esteemed the chief of the world's portrait-painters breathed his last4 ,followed by a large retinue of friends1 he was buried in ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral4 ,it was but eight days before he died that a daughter was born to him1 and on the very date of his death there was an entry in the register of ,st4 ,anne's1 ,blackfriars1 #8,justiniana1 daughter of ,sir ,anthony ,vandyck and his lady1 baptized #ith ,december #afda4' ,whatever ignorance or mismanagement of money matters the great painter had shown during his life1 his last will was most praiseworthy and considerate in all points1 and he had waited until the birth of his child to complete the same4 ,there was not much to leave1 but no one he loved or esteemed was forgotten2 wife1 child1 sisters1 servants1 were all remembered2 even the poor in the two parishes--that of his residence and that of his burial--had a small sum dealt out to them4 ,sir ,anthony ,vandyck's widow married a ,welsh baronet1 ,sir ,robert ,pryse1 as his second wife1 but they had no children4 ,justiniana married ,sir ,john ,stepney of ,prendergast1 ,pembroke 7their grandson was ,george ,stepney1 the poet71 and her second husband was ,martin de ,carbonell4 ,she received a pension from ,king ,charles ,,ii4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,fran,,ois ,,duquesnoy1 ,,detto ,,il ,,fiammingo1 ,,sculptor4 ,green1 red1 and white slashed dress4 ,black cloak4 ,white collar and cuffs4 ,he is sitting4 ,,born #aeid1 ,,died #afdf4 ,,by ,,nicholas ,,poussin4 ,a ,,native of ,brussels1 his father was his first master1 and while quite young he found a generous patron in the ,archduke ,albert of ,austria4 ,this ,prince gave the youth a pension to enable him to go to ,rome1 and study the art of sculpture1 for which he evinced a considerable talent4 ,but the ,duke dying when ,fiammingo 7as he was called at ,rome7 was only twenty-five1 the young artist found himself in great poverty1 and obliged to work very hard to keep the wolf from the door4 ,in the same straits was at that moment the afterwards celebrated painter ,nicholas ,poussin1 and the two students became friends and companions1 sharing a scanty but common purse4 ,the painter and the sculptor sympathised in their love of art1 but differed in their taste of subjects4 ,poussin's tendency was for the severe1 ,fiammingo's for the tender2 his admiration for the works of ,albano led him to the execution of childish forms in every imaginable attitude of grace and beauty2 these were seldom of large dimension1 but he modelled the #8,putti' for the high altar in ,st4 ,peter's1 the ,santa ,susanna in the ,church of ,our ,lady of ,loretto1 near the ,trajan ,column1 and a colossal ,st4 ,andrew1 also in ,st4 ,peter's4 ,bernini1 who was evidently jealous of ,fiammingo's talent and popularity1 said he was incapable of executing anything more than a gigantic boy1 but the admirers of pure art gave the palm to ,fiammingo far and away before the mannerist ,bernini4 ,added to his ability1 the ,flemish sculptor was a conscientious and indefatigable workman4 ,he not only produced statues1 but made careful studies in detail of the human figure1 the hands and feet in particular2 but in spite of his industry he never extricated himself from poverty4 ,in #afdf he meditated going to ,france1 where doubtless his faithful friend1 ,nicholas ,poussin1 would have befriended him1 but a cruel death awaited him in ,rome4 ,he was poisoned by his own brother1 ,jerome ,duquesnoy1 himself a sculptor1 who was jealous of ,fiammingo's increasing fame4 ,but the murderer did not escape vengeance2 found guilty of many crimes1 he was 7according to the barbarous practice of the age7 burned alive at ,ghent4 ,of a gentle1 amiable disposition and winning manners1 ,fiammingo was much esteemed and respected4 ,poussin and ,albano were among his closest friends4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,the ,,wife ,,of ,,carlo ,,dolce4 ,red dress4 ,brown cap4 ,holds a scroll and an olive branch4 ,,by ,,carlo ,,dolce4 ,,this painter was born in #afaf1 and died #afhf4 ,his heads of ,madonnas1 female saints1 and ,herodias1 are1 for the most part1 portraits of his wife or daughter4 ,of the latter there is a head in a ,florentine palace1 crowned with bay leaves1 representing ,poetry1 which has more depth of colouring and expression than is generally observable in the works of this master4 ------------------ ,no4 #ab4 ,,eleanora ,d',,este4 ,blue and pink cap4 ,white dress4 ,red drapery4 ,pearl necklace4 ,chain and pendant4 ,,born #aecg1 ,,died #aeha4 ,,by ,,pierin ,,del ,,vaga4 ,,she was the sister of ,alfonso d',este1 the second ,duke of ,ferrara1 but is immortalised in history and fiction1 prose and verse1 as the object of ,torquato ,tasso's unfortunate passion4 ,the story of his residence at her a brother's ,court1 and at that of ,urbino1 where her elder sister1 ,lucrezia1 was ,duchess1 has so often been told1 and the details of his relations with the two ,princesses so ill authenticated and so variously narrated1 that we do no more than allude to the fact of the affection which subsisted between them1 although by many writers it is questioned which of the two ,princesses reigned supreme in the heart of the ,laureate1 who was never wearied of singing the praises of both these noble ladies4 ,this picture was bought in ,italy by ,emily1 wife of the fifth ,earl ,cowper1 and given by her to her husband at the time he was occupied in building the new picture gallery at ,panshanger4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,library4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,library4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,edmund ,,burke4 ,brown ,coat4 ,white ,cravat4 ,powder4 ,,born #agbi ,n4,s41 ,,died #agig4 ,,by ,,jackson after ,,reynolds4 ,,born at ,dublin1 the eldest of three sons1 his father a solicitor in good practice1 his mother a ,miss ,nagle1 of ,county ,cork1 a ,roman ,catholic1 whose family had been zealous adherents of ,james the ,second4 ,edmund and his brothers were brought up as ,protestants1 their father's faith2 his only sister was educated according to her mother's religion4 ,young ,burke went to school at ,ballitore1 about thirty miles from ,dublin1 under the tutelage of one ,shackleton1 a ,quaker1 and native of ,yorkshire1 a good man1 and a good teacher1 who endeared himself to his pupils1 and of whom ,burke spoke in the highest terms of gratitude and affection1 #8who had1' he said1 #8not only educated his mind1 but also his heart4' ,while still a schoolboy1 ,edmund had formed a close friendship with young ,shackleton1 his master's son1 and continued to correspond with him for many years on all subjects1 classical1 social1 religious4 ,in #agdc he went to ,trinity ,college1 ,dublin1 where1 he confesses1 his studies were very desultory4 #8,they proceeded more from sallies of passion than preference for sound reason1 and1 like all natural appetites that are violent for a season1 soon cooled4' ,he thought it a humorous consideration to reflect into how many madnesses he had fallen during the last two years4 ,first1 the furor ,mathematicus1 then the furor ,classicus1 the furor ,historicus1 the furor ,poeticus2 later on he would have added to his list the furor ,politicus4 ,richard ,shackleton1 from whom he had parted with tears at ,ballitore1 urges him1 with tender admonitions1 #8to live according to the rules of the ,gospel4' #8,i am desirous of doing so1' was the answer to the friendly little sermon1 #8but it is far easier to do so in the country than in a town1 especially in ,trinity ,college1 ,dublin4' ,burke sends ,richard a poetical description of the manner in which he spends his day3 how he rises with the dawn and careers through fragrant gardens and meads1 #8mid the promise of ,may1 till hunger drives him home to breakfast2 how he goes down to the beach in the afternoon to sit upon the sea-wall and watch the shipping1 and the varying colours of the ocean in the glowing sunset2 and amid it all1 how his thoughts travel back to the sparkling river and pretty fir-woods of dear old ,ballitore4 ,he finds time1 however1 almost every day1 to spend at least three hours in the public library1 among the books1 #8the best way in the world for killing thought4' ,assuredly far better than most methods used for that purpose4 #8,i have read some history1' he says1 #8and am endeavouring to make myself acquainted in some degree with that of our own poor country4' ,during his whole life ,burke loved and compassionated and endeavoured to serve his own unhappy island4 ,his only contemporary of note at ,college was the ,sizar1 ,oliver ,goldsmith1 but they do not appear to have been acquainted4 ,in #agej1 having taken his degree1 ,edmund went to ,london to study the law in the ,middle ,temple2 but that species of study did not suit his taste1 although he expresses his high respect for the same4 ,he was never called to the ,bar2 he preferred literature1 courted the society of authors1 frequented the debating club in ,covent ,garden1 and was a great lover of the theatres4 ,his father1 who was a hard man1 and had never shown him much tenderness1 was very angry at ,edmund's neglect of legal studies1 and either withdrew1 or curtailed1 his son's allowance so much as to make it difficult for him to subsist in ,london4 ,he was very fond of the country1 however1 and used to go on walking expeditions1 and spend a great part of his summer in picturesque villages1 reading and writing all the time1 in the companionship of ,william ,burke1 his friend and namesake4 ,he mentions his love for wandering in a letter to ,richard ,shackleton1 when1 after apologising for a long silence1 he says1 #8,i may have broken all rules1 neglected all decorums1 but ,i have never forgot a friend whose good head and heart have made me esteem and love him4' ,it was about the year #agef that ,edmund ,burke's marriage took place1 with the daughter of ,dr4 ,nugent1 an ,irish ,roman ,catholic1 who had settled at ,bath4 ,we hear that she was a gentle1 amiable1 and well-bred woman1 and a ,presbyterian by creed4 ,in this year ,burke published ,a ,vindication of ,natural ,society1 and his immortal essay on the ,sublime and the ,beautiful4 ,the ,vindication was written in the form of a letter to a noble ,lord by a late noble writer4 ,it was intended to simulate the style of ,lord ,bolingbroke1 and was pronounced in that respect eminently successful1 so far as to deceive many expert critics4 ,it was a satire on the opinions of ,lord ,bolingbroke1 lately deceased1 whose posthumous works were now attracting great attention in the literary world4 ,boswell is said to have asked ,johnson in after years whether he thought the ,vindication would be damaging to ,burke in his political career4 #8,no1 sir1' replied the ,doctor2 #8though it might perhaps be mentioned at an election4' ,burke himself appears to have had the same misgivings as ,boswell1 for1 on the eve of standing for ,parliament1 he thought it advisable to print a second edition of the ,vindication1 with a preface1 in which he explained that the design of the work was ironical4 ,when in ,london he was not slow in forming friendships with all the eminent men of the day1 and amongst those with whom he became most intimate were ,reynolds1 ,garrick1 and ,samuel ,johnson4 ,he was one of the original members 7as was his father-in-law1 ,dr4 ,nugent7 of the ,literary ,club2 and so popular was he at the ,turk's ,head1 that ,sir ,john ,hawkins1 #8that most unclubbable man1' was actually expelled from the chosen circle on account of an attack he had made on ,burke4 ,in #ageh he conceived the scheme of the ,annual ,register1 and proposed it to ,dodsley1 the great publisher of the day1 who was so much pleased with the notion that he immediately embarked in the undertaking1 and gave ,burke #ajj a year to contribute the #8,survey of ,events1' which he continued for many years4 ,about the same time1 the young author was introduced to the man who is known to posterity as #8,single-speech ,hamilton1' on account of the brilliant success of his maiden speech1 which threw into the shade such orators as ,pitt 7afterwards ,lord ,chatham71 ,grenville1 and ,fox1 who all spoke on the same occasion4 ,horace ,walpole met ,burke at ,hamilton's house in company with ,garrick1 and says of him1 #8,a young ,irishman who wrote a book in the style of ,bolingbroke1 which has been much admired4 ,he is a sensible man1 but has not worn off his authorism1 and thinks there is nothing so charming in the world as writers1 and to be one4 ,he will know better some day4' ,mr4 ,hamilton went to ,ireland1 as private secretary to the ,viceroy1 ,lord ,halifax1 and ,burke accompanied him4 ,while there he busied himself in inquiring into the grievances and causes of discontent1 especially among the ,roman ,catholic portion of the community4 ,it was owing to his liberal-minded views on the subject of ,catholic ,emancipation that a false rumour was spread that ,edmund ,burke had gone over to his mother's creed1 with many other reports equally untrue4 ,hamilton obtained for his companion a pension of #cjj a year from the ,irish ,treasury1 which was at first received with gratitude1 but ,burke would not accept the salary unconditionally2 he must have some of his time to himself for literary labours2 in fact1 he could not barter his freedom4 ,hamilton was offended4 ,he wished to bind down the noble spirit for life to his own personal service1 or1 as the writer himself expresses it1 #8to circumscribe my hopes1 to give up even the possibility of liberty1 to annihilate myself for ever4' ,so the pension was given up1 the connection with ,hamilton at an end1 and ,burke returned to ,england4 ,in #agfe ,lord ,rockingham replaced ,george ,grenville as ,prime ,minister1 and appointed ,edmund ,burke his private secretary4 ,this nomination caused much surprise and displeasure in some quarters4 ,the ,duke of ,newcastle expostulated with the ,premier1 and denounced ,burke as an ,irish adventurer1 a ,papist1 a disguised ,jesuit1 with a false name1 and what not4 ,lord ,rockingham put his secretary in possession of the charges brought against him1 all of which ,burke denied1 and answered indignantly he would instantly vacate the post1 as no possible consideration would induce him to continue in relation with any man whose trust in him was not entire4 ,but ,lord ,rockingham had implicit trust in his noble-hearted secretary1 and would not accept his resignation2 and for seventeen years1 that is1 till ,rockingham's death1 the friendship between these two distinguished men was unbroken1 the confidence unlimited4 ,in ,december1 this same year1 ,burke was returned ,member for the borough of ,wendover4 ,his maiden speech1 a few days after the opening of the session in #agff1 on ,american affairs1 produced the profoundest sensation1 and ,pitt 7the elder7 not only complimented the young ,member himself1 but congratulated the ,ministry on their acquisition4 ,dr4 ,johnson said1 #8,no man had ever gained more reputation on his first appearance4' ,the second and third speeches were even more successful1 and it was universally admitted that ,burke's eloquence carried the repeal of the ,american ,stamp ,act1 which measure was supported by ,pitt1 although in ,opposition4 ,the ,rockingham ,ministry did not stand above twelve months1 and made way for what was termed the ,grafton ,administration1 the ,duke being1 for a time at least1 nominal1 and ,lord ,chatham real leader of the party4 ,burke describes this ,government as a piece of joinery1 curiously indented and whimsically dove-tailed2 a piece of tesselated pavement1 without cement1 unsafe to touch1 insecure to stand on4 ,in #agfi he became the possessor of ,the ,gregories1 in the parishes of ,penn and ,beaconsfield1 in ,buckinghamshire4 ,he thus speaks of it to ,shackleton3 #8,i have made a push with all ,i could collect1 and the aid of my friends1 to cast a little root in this country4 ,i have bought a house1 with an estate of about #fjj acres1 twenty-four miles from ,london3 it is very pleasant1 and ,i propose1 ,god willing1 to become a farmer in good earnest4' ,he is sure his friend will approve of the acquisition1 when he knows it was once the property of ,waller the poet4 ,there is always a large portion of the community who consider it incumbent on them to inquire into1 and animadvert upon1 their neighbours' affairs1 more especially their finances4 ,the world was much exercised over the chances of ,burke's ability to defray such an expense as the purchase of an estate2 but there seems little doubt that ,lord ,rockingham assisted him materially1 and at his death that kind friend desired that all ,edmund ,burke's bonds should be destroyed4 ,the ,irishman did not belie his nationality with regard to money2 it must be confessed he was lavish1 and it is said that from the day1 in #agfi1 when he applied to ,garrick for the loan of #ajjj1 till #agid1 when he received a pension from the ,crown1 he was never out of debt4 ,but ,burke's extravagance was far removed from selfishness2 he never closed his ear or his purse against the appeals of struggling talent or deserving poverty1 and was generous and compassionate in every relation of life4 ,in #aggc1 his only child1 his #8darling ,dick1' having left ,westminster1 was entered student at ,christchurch1 ,oxford1 but he being considered too young for ,college life1 his father determined to send him to ,auxerre to study the ,french language4 ,the youth was lodged in the house of the ,bishop of the diocese1 a good prelate1 who treated him with the utmost kindness1 which ,richard's father amply repaid1 when1 in after years1 the ,bishop visited ,england as an exile and a pauper4 ,edmund ,burke went to ,paris at the same time1 not merely for the pleasure of making acquaintance with the agreeable and distinguished members of society1 but for the purpose of investigating the causes of the revolutionary movement1 which was beginning by degrees to convulse the ,french nation4 ,he was presented to the ,duchesse de ,luxembourg1 and to ,madame du ,deffand1 who laments that #8the ,englishman speaks ,french so badly1 in spite of which everybody likes him1 and thinks he would be most agreeable1 if he could make himself understood'6 ,what a strange position for ,edmund ,burke2 he was able1 however1 to follow ,french perfectly as a listener1 and was much delighted with hearing ,la ,harpe's tragedy of ,les ,barmecides read at the ,duchess's house4 ,he became acquainted with the ,count de ,broglie1 one of the ,king's confidential ,ministers1 and ,caraccioli1 the ,neapolitan ,envoy1 and many members of the haute noblesse4 ,bent on weighing the balance of political opinion in ,paris1 ,burke did not confine his visits to the salons of one faction or another2 he was a frequent guest at the house of ,mademoiselle d',espinasse1 the well-known writer of love-letters so ardent1 that it was feared they would consume the paper on which they were written6 ,and here he saw the man who inspired those tender epistles1--one ,guibert1 a colonel in the ,corsican ,legion1 who had lately written a book1 which had made a great noise in ,paris1 all the more that it had been suppressed by the ,government4 ,burke studied the men and their works1 and drew his own conclusions2 he also1 in common with all foreigners1 went to ,versailles1 and saw the old ,king1 ,louis ,quinze1 at ,mass1 in a pew1 just above ,madame du ,barry1 and the ,dauphin and his young bride dine in public with great pomp3 ,marie ,antoinette1 who1 #8glittering like the morning star1 full of life1 and joy1 and splendour1'--that vision of beauty1 indelibly stamped on his memory1 which suggested many #8words that burn1' and inspired many an enthusiastic and eloquent appeal in behalf of the unfortunate ,french ,sovereigns4 ,madame du ,deffand flattered herself that ,burke had gone home enamoured with the nation at large1 but she was mistaken2 he was never blinded1 as were so many of his countrymen1 especially his own party1 by theoretical benefits of the ,french ,revolution1 but foresaw1 in all their terrible distinctness1 the horrors and excesses of the impending ,reign of ,terror4 ,on his return to ,london1 he renewed his acquaintance with all the eminent men of the day4 ,his friendship with ,johnson and ,reynolds lasted till the death of both those loved companions2 and ,johnson1 whose opinions1 especially on politics1 were usually opposed to those of ,burke1 used to say he did not grudge ,edmund being the first man in the ,house of ,commons1 for was not ,edmund the first man everywhere8 #8,indeed1 he is a man1 sir1 that if you met him1 for the first time1 in the street1 when1 overtaken by a drove of oxen1 you both stepped aside for five minutes' shelter1 from whom you could not part without saying1 8,what an extraordinary man60' ,so extraordinary was ,burke's fame for eloquence1 ability1 and the liberality of his views1 that the important city of ,bristol chose him for their ,member unsolicited4 ,during the time he represented them1 the ,bristolians1 for the most part1 were very proud of their brilliant ,m4,p41 but his popularity began to wane when he opposed war1 and advocated1 not only ,irish free-trade1 but the ,catholic ,relief ,bill4 ,it would appear that constituents1 for the most part1 aspire to a despotic rule over the speeches and votes of their representatives1 in proportion to the democracy of their own opinions4 ,now ,edmund ,burke was in reality what most politicians are in name only1 independent1 and some words of his that bear on this subject deserve to be engraved in golden letters3 #8,he who sits in ,parliament should speak the language of truth and sincerity1 should never be ready to take up or lay down any great political question for the convenience of the hour2 his duty is to support the public good1 not to form his opinions in order to get into1 or remain in1 ,parliament4' ,he therefore sacrificed his seat at ,bristol to his love of independence2 for although his constituents1 after attacking and maligning him1 offered to re-elect him1 ,burke went down in person to decline the honour1 in a speech1 the eloquence of which could only be equalled by its dignity4 ,he was then elected for ,malton1 the borough for which ,lord ,rockingham had originally destined him1 and for which he sat until the close of his ,parliamentary career4 ,the ,gordon ,riots broke out this year1 and ,burke's house was one of the first doomed to destruction1 for #8was he not the patron and promoter of ,popery8' ,the authorities provided him with a garrison of sixteen soldiers1 thus saving his dwelling in ,charles ,street1 ,st4 ,james's1 from sharing the fate of ,sir ,george ,savile's 7who had brought in the ,catholic ,relief ,bill71--his house being gutted1 and the whole of the furniture converted into a bonfire4 ,savile was a neighbour of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4 ,in #aghb ,lord ,rockingham once more resumed the head of affairs1 on the resignation of ,lord ,north1 and ,edmund ,burke was appointed ,paymaster of the ,forces4 ,this had hitherto been a place of great emolument1 but ,burke was not one to advocate reform in every department but his own--he who had so lately urged economical reform in high places4 ,he considered the office overpaid1 and cut it down1 salary and profits1 to the tune of some thousands4 ,his #8dear ,dick' was made his father's deputy1 with a stipend of #ejj a year1 and was shortly afterwards promoted to a better post under ,government4 ,the death of ,lord ,rockingham broke up the party4 ,burke resigned when ,lord ,shelburne came in1 but resumed office under the ,coalition ,ministry--,duke of ,portland1 ,premier4 ,in #aghd1 #8the pilot that weathered the storm1' ,william ,pitt1 took the helm1 and ,burke retired from official life for good2 but he never slackened in his ,parliamentary labours1 taking a lead in all the important business of the day1 and1 above all1 displaying the liveliest interest in ,indian affairs4 ,his name is indissolubly connected with that of ,warren ,hastings1 of whose impeachment he was the principal mover2 and during the weary prolongation of the trial1 he never rested from his attack on the ,governor-,general1 either by speech or writing4 ,suffice it to say1 that1 on the opening of the trial1 ,edmund ,burke made a speech which lasted four days1 and1 at the conclusion of the proceedings1 one which occupied nine days1 and was indeed a wonder1 though it did not influence the sentence1 as ,warren ,hastings was acquitted4 ,in the meantime all ,burke's preconceived notions of displeasure at the progress of the ,revolution in ,france were more and more increased and confirmed by the rapid strides which were being made towards the anarchy he had foretold4 ,one memorable day he rose in the ,house to speak on the subject which absorbed and agitated his mind4 ,he was worked up to a pitch of excitement2 he commented1 with vehemence1 on the encouragement which ,fox's eulogiums had afforded the ,french ,revolution1 and went on to say that1 in speaking his mind1 he was well aware he should this day provoke enemies1 and incur the loss of friends4 #8,no6 no6' cried ,fox1 #8there will be no loss of friends4' ,burke knew better2 he knew what was in store for him4 #8,but if my firm and steady adherence to the ,british ,constitution place me in such a dilemma1 ,i am ready to incur the risk1 and my last words shall be1 8,fly from the ,french ,constitution60 ,i have done my duty at the price of my friend2 our friendship is at an end4' ,he was right in his prognostications2 not only was there a breach between him and ,fox1 who had been one of his most intimate friends1 and whom he henceforth met as a stranger1 but the whole party kept aloof from ,burke4 ,they accused him of having deserted his principles1 and the ,whig newspapers were most violent in their abuse4 ,he was annoyed and grieved by these charges1 but they did not influence his opinions or his conduct4 ,he sent his son to ,coblenz1 to communicate with the ,royalist exiles1 but the mission was productive of no good4 ,he published his celebrated ,reflections on the ,french ,revolution1 which converted some readers to his way of thinking1 and exasperated others2 and he continued to write pamphlet upon pamphlet on the same subject1 waxing warmer and warmer as he wrote1 and urging interference on the ,english ,government4 ,miss ,burney1 who met him about this time1 writes that #8he is not well1 and much tormented by the state of political affairs4 ,i wish you could see this remarkable man when he is easy1 happy1 and with those whom he cordially likes2 but politics1 even on his own side1 must be carefully excluded3 on that theme his irritability is so terrible that it gives immediately to his face the expression of a man who is defending himself against murderers4' ,the news of the ,french ,king's execution produced a profound sensation in ,england1 and turned the current of feeling1 for the most part1 in the direction to which ,burke had so long1 and vainly1 endeavoured to direct it4 ,we must not omit to record a strange episode in his ,parliamentary life that occurred on the bringing in of the ,alien ,bill1 which imposed certain pains and restrictions on foreigners coming to this country4 ,fox had already spoken1 when ,edmund ,burke rose to address the ,house1 and it was easy to perceive he was1 if possible1 more excited than usual4 ,he thrust his hand into his bosom1 and drew forth a dagger with a tragic gesture which would have done honour to his friend ,david ,garrick2 and flinging the shining weapon on the floor of the ,house1 called on all present to keep all ,french principles from their heads1 all ,french daggers from their hearts2444 to beware of the intrigues of murderous atheists1 and so forth2 and he concluded by adjuring his audience to listen to his warning1 by all the blessings of time and the hopes of eternity6 ,this extraordinary proceeding1 which is remembered in history as #8the dagger scene1' produced1 as may be imagined1 different effects on different hearers2 there were some on whom it made a deep impression1 while there were others who accused the speaker of having imagined and rehearsed a bit of melodrame4 ,rehearsal there was none4 ,the facts were these3 ,burke1 on his way to the ,house of ,commons1 had been shown the dagger in question1 which had been sent over from ,france as a pattern for a large order to be executed in this country4 ,he had announced his intention of retiring from public life as soon as the trial of ,warren ,hastings should be brought to a conclusion2 and when at length it was so1 he applied for the ,chiltern ,hundreds1 and his son ,richard was elected for his vacant seat4 ,pitt proposed to confer a peerage on the man1 for whom he had1 in spite of many opposite ways of thinking1 a profound admiration1 by the title of ,lord ,beaconsfield2 but a storm was fast gathering1 which darkened the remnant of ,burke's life1 and hastened his end4 ,his only child1 his idolised ,richard1 was attacked with sudden illness1 to which he succumbed4 ,this young man's handsome face1 familiar to us from the portraits by his father's friend ,reynolds1 bore a sullen and somewhat defiant expression1 which inclines us to believe the general verdict1 that he was a man of ungovernable disposition4 ,two years before his death he had been sent to ,ireland on business by the ,catholic ,committee1 and while there1 as also on his return to ,london1 he had proved himself totally unfit for the trust reposed in him4 ,the character given of ,richard ,burke by one who knew him well was as follows3 #8,he is by far the most impudent and opinionative fellow ,i have ever met4' ,yet in his parents' fond eyes he was faultless1 and few things are more pathetic than the father's allusion to his heavy loss4 #8,the storm has gone over me1' he says2 #8,i lie like one of those old oaks that the late hurricane has scattered round me2 ,i am torn up by the roots2 ,i am alone1 ,i have none to meet my enemies in the gate4 ,i live in an inverted order3 those who should have been to me as posterity are in the place of my ancestors4' ,both the ,king and ,pitt 7the ,premier7 were anxious to provide for the great statesman's declining days1 and a considerable grant was assigned him by the ,crown4 ,acceptable as the relief from financial anxiety must have been to the man1 now advancing in years and bowed down by sorrow1 ,burke was much disturbed that the question of the pension had not been brought before ,parliament4 ,the sequel proved that his scruples were well founded1 for the ,duke of ,bedford and ,lord ,lauderdale made this stipend a plea for attacking the ,government1 to which they were in opposition4 ,but ,edmund ,burke1 says one of his latest biographers1 #8was not slow to reply1 and1 in his letter to a noble ,lord1 made one of the most splendid repartees in the ,english language4' ,the ex-statesman in his retirement continued to write political tracts1 some of which were not published till after his death4 ,he found his best and truest consolation in the exercise of that charity and benevolence in which his soul had ever delighted4 ,he had established at ,beaconsfield a school for the orphans of those who had perished in the ,french ,revolution1 or the children of poor emigrants2 sixty boys in number2 and it is pleasant to learn how1 in the society of the little ones he was befriending1 his cheerfulness returned2 how the great man1 the distinguished orator1 would join in their childish sports1 roll with them on the green turf1 and convulse them with laughter by his #8wretched puns4' ,the visits of some faithful friends at ,the ,gregories gave him also unfeigned pleasure1 and he loved to speak with1 or of1 his old associates4 ,alluding one day to ,fox1 he said1 #8,ah1 that is a man made to be loved6' ,when he felt his end approaching he sent affectionate messages to his absent friends1 gave calm directions respecting his worldly affairs1 and enlarged sorrowfully on the melancholy state of the country4 ,fox was much affected when he heard of the death of his former friend1 and proposed that he should be buried in ,westminster ,abbey4 ,but the will provided otherwise3 #8,a small tablet or flagstone1 in ,beaconsfield ,churchyard1 with a short and simple inscription4 ,i say this1 because ,i know the partiality of some of my friends2 but ,i have had too much of noise and compliment in my life4' ,burke left all he possessed to his #8entirely loved1 faithful1 and affectionate wife1 with whom ,i have lived so happily for many years4' ,after mentioning several noblemen and gentlemen1 whose friendship he highly valued1 and who all followed him to the grave1 he adds1 #8,if the intimacy ,i have had with others has been broken off by political difference on great questions1 ,i hope they will forgive whatever of general human frailty1 or of my own particular infirmity1 has entered into that consideration2 ,i heartily entreat their forgiveness4' ,we insert this short extract1 because we think this last of ,burke's writings gives the best notion of his character1 and because we consider that the feelings which dictated these words are sublime1 and their expression beautiful4 ,he does not forget to recommend his little emigrants to the continued generosity and patronage of ,william ,pitt and other influential personages4 ,edmund ,burke was very popular with women1 #8even1' says the biographer from whom we have already quoted1 #8those who were angry at his sympathy with ,american rebels1 his unkind words about the ,king 7this was on the subject of economical reform71 and his cruel persecution of poor ,warren ,hastings4' ,meantime he contrived to captivate such different characters as ,hannah ,more1 ,elizabeth ,carter1 and ,fanny ,burney1 who met him at ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds's on ,richmond ,hill1 and could not find terms for her admiration of his noble air1 commanding address1 clear1 penetrating1 sonorous voice1 powerful1 eloquent1 copious language2 at home on every subject1 she had never seen a more delightful man4 ,his features are familiar to us from the portraits of ,sir ,joshua and ,romney1 who also painted him4 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,charles ,,james ,,fox4 ,blue coat4 ,buff waistcoat4 ,powder4 ,,born #agdi1 ,,died #ahjf4 ,,by ,,jackson after ,,reynolds4 ,,charles ,,james ,,fox1 third son of the first ,lord ,holland1 was born in #agdi4 ,lord ,holland was the most able and unprincipled of the able and unprincipled statesmen of the school of ,walpole4 ,in private life he seems to have had something of the generous and sweet-tempered disposition of his son ,charles1 towards whom he exhibited a boundless1 but not very judicious1 affection4 ,he spoilt him as a child4 ,he gave him so much money at ,eton1 as by example to inaugurate a new state of things at that school1 and he was constantly taking him away from his studies at ,oxford to indulge him prematurely in the dissipations of fashionable life4 ,he brought him into ,parliament before he was of age1 and encouraged him from the first to take part in every important debate4 ,such were the early circumstances of ,charles ,fox4 ,his abilities at once showed themselves to be of the very highest order1 and exactly fitted for the field in which they were to be displayed4 ,a power of close and rapid reasoning1 combined with a strength and passion which would have made even mere declamation effective1 a slight hesitation indeed in his cooler moments1 but when he was excited a flow of language almost too rapid and too copious1 and altogether inexhaustible1 a miraculous quickness in perceiving at a glance the weak points in the speech of an opponent1 and a matchless dexterity in taking advantage of them3 these were the characteristics of his extraordinary eloquence4 ,in no age and no country could he have found an audience more capable of appreciating his particular gifts than the ,house of ,commons of that period4 ,on the other hand1 no audience could have been more ready to forgive the total absence of preparation1 the occasional repetition1 the want of arrangement and the want of finish1 which were his faults1 and which would have seemed very serious faults in the ,athenian ,assembly or the ,roman ,senate4 ,his private life at the outset1 and long afterwards1 was stained by dissipation of every kind4 ,he entered ,parliament with no fixed principles4 ,he was to the last unduly carried away by the spirit of faction4 ,but there was a goodness as well as a manliness in his nature1 and a justness in his judgment1 which were apparent from the very first1 and which more and more asserted themselves till they threw his faults entirely into the shade4 ,he grew steadily in character and estimation1 till1 at the time of his death1 he was regarded by a large circle with an idolatrous attachment1 which no other statesman has ever inspired4 ,more than twenty years after there were people who could not mention his name without tears in their eyes4 ,fox at once took a prominent part in public life4 ,he vehemently defended the unconstitutional action of the ,government against ,wilkes1 accepted office1 was turned out soon afterwards for speaking against the ,ministry1 struck right and left for some time in an irregular manner1 and finally1 at the age of six-and-twenty1 settled down into steady and vigorous ,opposition to the war with our ,american colonists1 which then broke out4 ,this threw him into association with ,burke1 and with the ,whigs1 and his stupendous ,parliamentary abilities made him1 before the end of the war1 virtually the leader of the ,opposition in the ,house of ,commons4 ,in #aghb ,lord ,rockingham came in on the question of acknowledging the independence of ,america4 ,fox and ,lord ,shelburne were the ,secretaries of ,state4 ,jealousies and disputes arose between the two last1 and when1 in a few months1 ,lord ,rockingham died1 open enmity was declared between them4 ,the ,king sent for ,shelburne4 ,fox and his supporters formed a coalition with the old war party1 under ,lord ,north4 ,shelburne had to resign1 and ,fox1 much to the disgust of the ,king1 became master of the situation1 and with the ,duke of ,portland for nominal ,prime ,minister1 exercised complete power4 ,all this seems to us who live in these days very unprincipled1 and though the politicians of that depraved period do not seem to have been much shocked1 the general public took a different view1 as was very shortly made evident4 ,at first ,fox and ,north seemed to carry everything before them2 but retribution was at hand4 ,the first great measure which they brought forward was caused by the cruel and unprincipled conduct of the servants of the ,east ,india ,company4 ,it was no less a scheme than to vest the whole ,government of ,india for four years in the hands of a ,commission appointed by ,parliament1 or1 in other words1 by the ,ministers who happened at the moment to be in power4 ,a ,bill to this effect passed the ,house of ,commons almost without opposition1 but by the personal influence of the ,king it was thrown out in the ,house of ,lords1 and ,fox and the other ,ministers1 though they commanded an immense majority in the ,house of ,commons1 were immediately dismissed4 ,they must speedily have been restored to power1 if the ,house of ,commons had really represented the feelings of the people2 but this was not the case1 for public opinion1 as ,i have said1 had been thoroughly scandalised by the unnatural coalition between two such completely opposite parties as those of ,fox and ,north4 ,but in spite even of this state of public opinion1 it is very doubtful if the unexampled and absolute personal ascendency which ,fox had established in ,parliament would not have ensured his speedy return1 if another most extraordinary man had not appeared upon the scene4 ,this was ,william ,pitt1 at this time only twenty-three years of age4 ,pitt had shortly before burst forth upon the world as a full-fledged orator of the very highest order4 ,he now assumed the lead of the ,government in the ,house of ,commons2 fought battle after battle1 still defeated1 but steadily increasing his numbers1 till he at last succeeded in arriving within one of a majority4 ,then1 and not till then1 did he dissolve ,parliament1 with so overwhelming a result1 that he remained for many a long year in complete though not unchallenged possession of supreme power4 ,fox now entered upon what was destined to be a long career of opposition4 ,he was the acknowledged leader of the ,whig party in the ,house of ,commons4 ,supported by ,burke and ,sheridan and ,windham1 he waged ceaseless and desperate war against the young ,prime ,minister4 ,never1 perhaps1 in the whole course of our ,parliamentary history was there a brighter display of eloquence than at this period1 though the speakers were few in number1 for this simple reason1 that none but the very best speakers could obtain a hearing4 ,pitt and ,fox towered conspicuously above these brilliant few4 ,this sketch would be far too long if ,i were to attempt to give any account1 however brief1 of the subjects of discussion during the next few years1 nor will ,i pretend to say which of these great men was oftenest in the right or in the wrong4 ,fox1 however1 certainly seems to lay himself open to the charge that whatever ,pitt brought forward he steadily and systematically opposed4 ,i will now come to the beginning of the ,french ,revolution4 ,this tremendous occurrence so completely filled the minds of all parties in ,england as to cause every other subject to be forgotten4 ,the first news of the destruction of the ,bastile seems to have been received on the whole with satisfaction1 for the tyranny and corruption of the ancien rgime were well known1 and justly reprobated in this country4 ,but as things went on1 the upper classes began to become seriously alarmed4 ,the ,tories1 of course1 led the way2 and the brilliant and forcible pen of ,burke1 the most richly gifted and learned statesman1 though not the most successful ,parliamentary orator1 among the ,whigs1 expressed and inflamed the rising passion of the people4 ,the execution of the ,king1 and still more that of the ,queen1 were received with an outburst of horror and indignation4 ,then came the ,reign of ,terror4 ,by this time there was a wild panic among owners of property4 ,the just hatred of the cruelty which was daily being perpetrated rose to frenzy4 ,the old national animosity against ,france intensified the public fury4 ,in short1 the tide of ,english feeling ran with such overwhelming force against everything connected with the ,french ,revolution1 as to sweep away from power and popularity every man who had in the smallest degree identified himself with any of its principles4 ,fox had done this4 ,at the outset he had expressed his exultation1 in his usual vehement manner1 and afterwards1 when others had begun to stand aghast1 he in the main adhered to his opinion4 ,nobody inveighed more strongly against the ,royal murders1 and the other atrocities1 but he still clung to the belief that the ultimate result would be good4 ,he strongly opposed the interference of ,europe1 and particularly of ,england1 with the internal concerns of ,france4 ,he denied that there was any necessity for our going to war1 and during the war he continued on every possible occasion to urge the ,government to make peace4 ,the opinion of later generations has1 ,i think1 on the whole1 decided that he was right1 though people are still divided upon the subject4 ,but1 be this as it may1 it is impossible not to admire his conduct during these years4 ,his once proud and powerful party was scattered to the winds4 ,his #8darling popularity1' as ,burke had formerly called it1 altogether disappeared4 ,friends of long standing became estranged1 and he was one who felt acutely the dissolution of friendship4 ,still1 however1 he remained firm to his principles4 ,session after session1 though he stood almost alone1 he continued to advocate his views with such masterly ability as to extort the applause even of his enemies4 ,but at last1 so hopeless did he find it to contend any more against the stream1 that1 though he retained his seat1 he almost ceased to attend ,parliament4 ,fox now retired to his house at ,st4 ,ann's ,hill4 ,he had become the most domestic of men1 and in company of the only woman he ever really loved1 and whom he soon afterwards married1 he gave himself up to all the pleasures of literary ease4 ,in spite of the dissipation of his youth1 and the activity of his maturity1 he had contrived to acquire a large amount of information1 and such was the constitution of his mind1 that whatever he learned he learned thoroughly4 ,he was an accomplished and accurate classical scholar1 well acquainted with modern languages1 and well versed in the history and the poetry of all countries and all times4 ,his letters at this period to his nephew1 ,lord ,holland1 throw a very pleasing light upon his pursuits and character1 and enable us to a certain extent to realise the fascination which he possessed in his middle age for those who were just entering upon manhood4 ,every subject is treated of in turn in the easiest and most spontaneous manner2 ,greek and ,latin authors are critically examined1 and their corresponding passages compared1 or a canto of ,ariosto is discussed1 or a couplet from one of ,dryden's plays is pointed out as capable of being happily quoted in a speech on current politics4 ,nor are the deeper lessons of history forgotten1 nor the public events of the moment2 and all this in the simple and familiar language of a man of the world1 frequently illustrated by similes drawn from racing or other sport4 ,so far is there from being any touch of pedantry or condescension1 that it seems as if he was asking his nephew's advice upon all these matters1 rather than giving any opinion of his own4 ,it was at this time he wrote his book upon the reign of ,james ,,ii4 ,these years in which1 as a public man1 he was almost totally eclipsed1 were perhaps the happiest in his life4 ,on the rare occasions when he was persuaded by his few remaining political friends to appear in ,parliament1 and to make a speech1 he left home with the most intense reluctance1 and returned there with all the pleasure of a schoolboy at the end of the half4 ,after the ,peace of ,amiens he went to ,holland and ,france1 and was received everywhere with respect and admiration4 ,on the renewal of the war1 his ,parliamentary attendances became more frequent4 ,he gathered round him a gradually increasing body of devoted personal adherents1 drawn largely from the new generation4 ,in his vigorous denunciation of the manner in which the war was conducted1 he frequently found himself supported by the most extreme members of the war party4 ,many of these1 like ,windham1 had originally been ,whigs1 and the remembrance of old friendship assisted in cementing the new alliance4 ,there seems also to have been at this time a growing feeling that one who divided with ,pitt1 and with ,pitt alone1 the reputation of being the ablest and most illustrious statesman of the day1 should no longer be excluded from the service of the ,state4 ,on the death1 therefore1 of his great rival1 in #ahjf1 when ,lord ,grenville became ,prime ,minister1 ,fox was at once1 and with general applause1 made ,secretary for ,foreign ,affairs4 ,his efforts were immediately directed towards carrying out what had long been his wish1--the making of an honourable peace4 ,but he found that this was no easy matter4 ,it had suited the purpose of his political opponents to represent him as being deficient in patriotism1 and this charge has been since repeated4 ,there is nothing in his public speeches to justify this odious accusation1 and those passages in his private letters which seem to lend some colour to it exult1 it is quite true1 in the victories of the ,french arms1 but only over the ,austrians and the ,prussians4 ,he writes with all the feelings of an ,englishman at the news of the battle of ,trafalgar1 though he cannot help lamenting that one of the effects of that brilliant victory will be to confirm the ,government in what he considers a mistaken policy4 ,but the chief answer to the charge which ,i have mentioned may be found in his conduct1 now that for the first time he was installed in a responsible position4 ,notwithstanding his ardent and avowed desire for peace1 the ,french soon discovered that they had to deal with a man who could be as tenacious as ,pitt himself1 when the real interests and the honour of his country were concerned4 ,negotiations were protracted1 and he was not destined to effect his object4 ,but we are within sight of the end4 ,fox was still in what we should now call middle age4 ,he had long renounced the vices and excesses of his youth4 ,the factiousness and the ambition of later years were also extinct4 ,his intellect1 without losing the smallest portion of its power1 had acquired a calm serenity4 ,never did he stand higher with the public1 and never was a statesman surrounded by a more faithful and admiring band of supporters4 ,it seemed as if at last his mighty talents were to have free scope1 and that his renown as an orator was to be equalled by his success as a ruler of men4 ,but it was not to be4 ,nature cannot be overstrained with impunity1 and he had tried his constitution very severely in his earlier days4 ,he was in bad health when he took office1 he was soon found to be suffering from dropsy1 and he sank rapidly4 ,he died in ,september #ahjf1 attended by his wife1 his nephew1 and his niece1 with all the affection due to such a man4 ,his vigorous mind was still unclouded1 and he retained his high courage and his sweet temper to the last4 ,c4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,cardinal ,,de ,,retz4 ,cardinal's robes4 ,red skull-cap4 ,,born #afad1 ,,died #afgi4 ,,by ,,le ,,brun4 ,,jean ,,fran,,ois ,,paul ,,de ,,gondi was born at ,montmirail en ,brie4 ,his father1 ,emmanuel de ,gondi1 served as ,general under ,louis ,,xiii41 and subsequently became a recluse at the ,oratory of ,notre ,dame4 ,the family was originally ,florentine1 and the first who settled in ,france was ,albert ,gondi1 son of a ,tuscan banker1 who was ,marshal of ,france under ,catherine of ,medicis4 ,it was easy to trace his ,southern descent in the warm blood that raced through the veins of ,jean ,franois de ,gondi4 ,two members of the family had already sat on the ,archiepiscopal throne of ,paris2 ,emmanuel destined his son to be the third1 and with that view he caused him to be educated as a priest1 under the auspices of ,vincent de ,paul1 the pious confessor of ,anne of ,austria4 ,assuredly the pupil did not follow in the master's footsteps4 ,it was said of the two men by a contemporary1 #8,il en fit un saint1 comme les ,jsuites firent de ,voltaire un dvot4' ,no vocation in the world could have been less fitted for the wild1 worldly1 and ambitious spirit of the young acolyte1--a fact which he vainly endeavoured to force on his father's mind by the irregularities of his conduct4 ,he not only indulged in every excess1 but gloried in making his behaviour known to the world3 a duellist1 he had already had two hostile meetings1 he spoke openly of his affaires d'honneur2 a man of gallantry1 he boasted of his affaires de cur1--indeed1 among many others1 he relates how at one time he was on the point of carrying off his beautiful cousin1 ,mademoiselle de ,retz2 a conspirator1 he had gone so far as to plot against the life of ,richelieu4 ,he had contrived to incur the enmity of the ,minister by crossing his path1 both in love and friendship1 and they hated each other cordially4 ,when only eighteen1 ,de ,retz had shown his predilection for secret conspiracy by writing a panegyric on the ,genoese ,fiesco4 ,but with all these warring and tumultuous propensities1 he could not shuffle off the clerical habit which weighed so heavily on his young shoulders4 ,he took an abrupt resolution1 made a virtue of necessity1 preached brilliant sermons1 wrote fervent homilies1 became remarkable for his deeds of charity1 and paid court to the higher members of the ,church1--and1 crowning glory1 he invited a learned ,protestant to a polemical conference1 and brought him home safely into the fold of ,mother ,church4 ,this conversion made such a noise in ,paris as to reach the ears of the old ,king1 ,louis ,,xiii41 then on his deathbed1 who immediately named ,gondi ,coadjutor to his kinsman1 the ,archbishop of ,paris1 a post that was usually a stepping-stone to the ,archiepiscopal ,see itself4 ,gondi now preached sermons1 the eloquence of which made him the theme of conversation1 more especially the very flowery discourse which he delivered on his first appearance at ,court2 but his growing popularity among the citizens of ,paris1 during this time of strife between the ,parliament and the ,regency1 made him an object of suspicion to the ,queen4 ,he lavished enormous sums of money in largesses to the lower classes in ,paris1 which caused him to become too popular with one party not to excite the fears of the other4 ,being one day reproached for his prodigality1 ,gondi1 who always took the ancient ,romans as his models1 said flippantly1 #8,why should ,i not be in debt8--,csar at my age owed six times as much as ,i do4' ,in the growing struggle between the popular party and the ,court1 he temporised and coquetted with both4 ,he refused to join the cabal of #8,les ,importans' against ,mazarin1 the ,prime ,minister1 whom he much disliked1 and on the breaking out of the revolt1 on the day of the first barricades he exerted himself to protect the ,queen and her surroundings4 ,habited in full pontificals1 the ,coadjutor mixed with the crowd1 exhorted them to respect the building of the ,palais-,royal1 and exposed himself so far as to be thrown down and bruised by a stone1 which was hurled at him4 ,yet1 when in the course of the evening he sought the ,royal presence1 in the expectation of receiving thanks for his conduct1 ,anne's reception was cold and haughty4 #8,allez-vous reposer1 ,monsieur1' she said1 #8vous avez beaucoup travaill4' ,the slights put upon him by the ,court1 and a further offence given him by the ,queen1 determined ,gondi to co-operate with the opposite faction4 ,we have given a full account of the history of the ,fronde in the notice of ,marshal ,turenne1 and shall therefore only allude to the personal actions of ,gondi1 who became1 if not at first the nominal leader1 assuredly the moving spirit1 of the malcontents4 ,he had expressed his opinion some time before1 that it required higher qualities to be leader of a party faction than to be emperor of the universe1 and he now resolved to show his qualifications for that position4 #8,before noon to-morrow1' he said1 #8,i will be master of ,paris4' ,now began that epoch of internal warfare in ,france1 when the men of action and strong will rose to the surface1 without reference to the honesty or morality of their characters4 #8,les troubles civils1' says one of the historians of the ,fronde1 #8sont le rgne des oiseaux de proie4' ,the ,regent and her ,minister well knew how much they had to fear throughout the wars of the ,fronde1 throughout the ups and downs of popularity and hatred from such men as ,gondi1 who became in time both ,archbishop of ,paris and ,cardinal1 and maintained for the most part his political ascendency until the conclusion of the civil war in #afeb1 when the ,court returned to ,paris4 ,he was offered to go to ,rome as ,ambassador1 but hesitated and demurred and procrastinated1 till ,anne of ,austria's old hatred broke out afresh1 and he was arrested and conveyed1 without any resistance on the part of his good ,parisians1 to the ,chteau de ,vincennes4 ,here he was treated with much severity1 and could only gain the favour of being transported to the ancient ,castle of ,nantes at the price of some concessions in ecclesiastical matters4 ,he contrived to escape1 through an ingenious contrivance1 and to evade the vigilance of the guards during one of his daily promenades on the ramparts1 though he ran great risks while dangling to a rope1 which had been thrown over the wall for his descent4 ,two young pages saw him1 and cried loudly to the soldiers above1 but as the ,cardinal's good star would have it1 there was a great tumult going on below on the banks of the river4 ,a bather was drowning1 and people were shouting and calling for help in all directions1 so that the boys' feeble voices were unheard1 or confounded with the general uproar4 ,the ,cardinal had friends awaiting his descent with horses1 and they set forth at a furious pace1 intending to make their way to ,paris4 ,but the ,cardinal's horse was scared by the report of a pistol which ,de ,retz himself had fired on a supposed pursuer1 and the rider fell to the ground1 dislocated his shoulder1 and had to ride for many leagues in tortures of pain4 ,after passing several nights in misery and apprehension1 hiding in barns and outhouses1 under piles of hay1 half suffocated1 the fugitive contrived to reach the ,spanish frontier1 whence after a short sojourn he repaired to ,rome4 ,he had a very good reception1 despite the rancour of the ,french ,cardinals1 and made himself conspicuous at the ,conclave by his eloquence1 which was instrumental in securing the election of ,alexander ,,vii4 ,this smoothed the way for his return to ,france1 where the ,king received him well2 but the firm spirit of ,de ,retz was not broken1 and he withstood to the uttermost the endeavours1 both of ,louis and ,mazarin1 to make him resign his ,archbishopric4 ,however1 he was at length persuaded to exchange it for the ,abbey of ,st4 ,denis4 ,the rest of his life1 we are told by some of his biographers1 was passed in retirement1 piety1 and charitable deeds4 ,by some we are also told that his humility was so great that he offered to resign the ,scarlet ,hat1 of which he was unworthy2 but other writers are sceptical enough to doubt his good faith in this transaction1 and to whisper that while he tendered his resignation to the ,king1 he sent secret petitions to the ,pope to refuse this offer4 ,one thing is certain3 the ,cardinal became economical1 and paid to the uttermost farthing the enormous debts which he had contracted4 ,in his latter days he found amusement in the compilation of his own memoirs1 which are characterised by extreme candour2 and he found consolation in the society and friendship of ,madame de ,svign4 ,in her charming ,letters this admirable writer praises the tired man of the world for his charming conversation1 his elevation of character1 and his mild and peaceable disposition4 ,surely it must be acknowledged that our ,frondeur had reformed6 ,she speaks of his constant visits4 #8,nous tchons1' she says1 #8d'amuser notre bon ,cardinal2 ,corneille lui a lu une pice qui sera joue dans quelque temps1 et qui fait souvenir des anciennes4 ,molire lui lira1 samedi ,trissotin1 qui est une fort plaisante chose4 ,despraux lui donnera son lutrin1 et sa potique4 ,voil tout ce qu'on peut faire pour son service4' ,he died in ,paris at the ,htel ,lesdiguiers in #afgi4 ,madame de ,svign1 writing on the subject to her daughter1 says1 #8,cette mort est encore plus funeste1 que tu ne saurais le penser4' #8,these ambiguous words1' observes a ,french writer1 #8were considered very mysterious at the time1 but the easy solution appears to be that the ,cardinal had1 unknown to ,madame de ,grignan herself1 stated or hinted at the fact that he intended to make that lady his heir1 a circumstance of which her mother was cognisant4' ,de ,retz at one time not only aimed at superseding his enemy1 ,cardinal de ,mazarin1 in his post at the ,councils1 but also in the affections of the ,queen-,regent1 a project in which he was utterly foiled4 ,voltaire1 speaking of his ,autobiography1 says it is written with an air of grandeur1 an impetuosity1 and an inequality of genius1 which form a perfect portrait of the man2 it might be added1--with an audacious candour1 from which many writers of their own memoirs would have shrunk4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,thomas ,,hobbes4 ,black gown4 ,grizzly hair4 ,,born #aehh1 ,,died #afgi4 ,,born at ,westport1 an outlying parish of ,malmesbury1 of which his father was the ,vicar1--#8a man who cared not for learning1 having never1 as ,aubrey tells us1 #8tasted the sweetness of it4' ,thomas ,hobbes's advent into the world was premature1 in consequence of his mother's terror1 caused by the rumours of the impending invasion of the ,spanish ,armada4 ,one of his biographers truly remarks1 #8,the philosopher was not in such a hurry to leave as to enter the world1 since he lived to attain his ninety-second year4' ,in a ,latin poem1 written when he was past eighty1 he terms himself1 #8,fear's twin1' alluding to his mother's fright1 and says1 #8,that is the reason1 methinks1 why ,i so detest my country's foes1 being a lover of the ,muses1 and of peace1 and pleasant friends4' ,he began authorship while still a schoolboy at ,malmesbury1 by translating the ,medea of ,euripides into ,latin verse4 ,he is described as a playful boy enough1 but with a spice of contemplative melancholy1 #8who would get himself into a corner1 and learn his lessons presently4' ,his chief amusements consisted in #8catching jackdaws with cunningly-devised traps1 and strolling into booksellers' and stationers' shops1 in order to gape at maps or charts4' ,a generous uncle sent him to ,oxford1 where he was regular in his studies and in his habits1 at a time when1 as he tells us in the ,leviathan1 drinking1 smoking1 and gambling were the order of the day at ,oxford4 ,the ,principal of his ,college1 ,magdalen ,hall1 recommended the young student to the notice of ,lord ,cavendish of ,hardwicke 7afterwards the first ,earl of ,devonshire71 who appointed him tutor to his eldest son2 and thus began a friendship with that noble family which endured for upwards of seventy years1 even to the end of ,hobbes's long life4 ,tutor and pupil were of the same age1 nineteen years1 and together they made the grand tour of ,france1 ,germany1 and ,italy1 reaping great advantages from the opportunities thus afforded them4 ,as to ,hobbes1 he cultivated the society and conversation of all the men of eminence in the countries through which they passed1 #8at a time1' says a recent writer1 #8when the spirit of inquiry was rife in ,western ,europe4' ,he mastered modern languages1 and laid the foundation of friendships which stood him in good stead in after life4 ,on his return he devoted himself more than ever to the study of the ,classics1 translating and commenting on the ,greek and ,latin poets of antiquity1 so that his works began to attract considerable attention4 ,he resided with the ,cavendish family1 both in the country and in ,london1 and greatly utilised the resources of the library at ,chatsworth2 while in ,london he frequented the society of such men as ,lord ,bacon1 ,ben ,jonson1 ,lord ,falkland1 ,herbert of ,cherbury1 and others4 ,king ,james ,i41 who was a match-maker1 brought about a marriage between young ,lord ,cavendish 7,hobbes's pupil7 and the only daughter of his favourite1 ,lord ,bruce of ,kinloss1 in ,scotland4 ,the ,king gave her a good portion1 and induced ,lord ,devonshire to make a handsome settlement on her2 but the excellent qualities of this remarkable woman would have made ,christian ,bruce a desirable alliance for any family in ,england1 even had she not been so well endowed4 ,she was a competent and superior lady1 as her after life proved4 ,but heavy clouds were gathering over the house of ,cavendish4 ,in #afbf died ,william1 first ,earl of ,devonshire1 son of the celebrated ,bess of ,hardwicke1 and in #afbh his son1 the second ,earl4 ,hobbes mourned them both sincerely1 but especially the last mentioned1 his dear lord1 friend1 and pupil2 in a letter to whose son and successor1 after speaking in the highest terms of the deceased1 and enumerating his many virtues and endowments1 he goes on to say1 #8,what he took in by study1 he by judgment digested1 and turned into wisdom and ability1 wherewith to benefit his country4' ,this was in every respect a severe loss to ,hobbes4 ,the establishment at ,chatsworth was broken up1 and the widowed ,countess was left in great pecuniary difficulties4 ,her son 7who was of tender age7 had his estates charged with thirty lawsuits1 #8which1 by the cunning of her adversaries1 were made as perplexed as possible2 yet she so managed1 with diligence and resolution1 as to go through them all with satisfaction4' ,one day ,king ,charles said jestingly to her1 #8,madam1 you have all my judges at your disposal4' ,in #afbh1 ,hobbes published his translation of ,thucydides1 which attracted great attention1 and brought down on the author many severe attacks4 ,in an opening dissertation on the life and works of the ,greek historian1 ,hobbes endeavoured1 by the example of the ,athenian1 to warn his countrymen against the evils of democracy1 at a moment when political strife was raging and the ,monarchy in danger4 ,for ,hobbes was a zealous ,royalist1 and believed that the cause of the ,king was in essentials the cause of law and order4 ,thrown for a while on his own resources1 he accepted the post of travelling tutor to the son of a country gentleman1 with whom he went on the ,continent1 residing chiefly at ,paris1 where he took up mathematics as a new study4 ,it was not long1 however1 before the widowed ,countess of ,devonshire recalled the friend of her father-in-law1 the tutor of her husband1 to occupy the same position in the family1 and superintend the education of her sons1 the young ,earl and her beloved ,charles1 the gallant soldier who closed his short and noble career by dying for his ,king on the field of ,gainsborough4 ,in #afcd old memories were recalled and old habits resumed by ,hobbes taking his youthful charge over very much the same ground as he had travelled with his first pupil some years before1 #8making the longest stay in ,paris for all the politer parts of breeding1' having during his sojourn in ,italy inspired the admiration and gained the friendship of ,cosimo de ,medici1 ,grand ,duke of ,tuscany1 and paid a visit at ,pisa to the illustrious ,galileo1--#8for ,i also1' says ,hobbes of himself1 #8am now numbered among the philosophers4' ,in ,paris1 where ,richelieu was in the zenith of his power1 and had just founded the ,academy1 ,hobbes fraternised1 as was his wont1 with all the learned men1 and was on the most intimate terms with every one in any way remarkable for culture1 whether in literature1 science1 or philosophy4 ,in #afcg ,lord ,devonshire with his governor went back to ,england1 where he found that his mother had taken advantage of his absence to restore order into his estates1 which she now gave up to him1 free and unencumbered of debt1 and his beautiful homes well furnished to receive him4 ,england was in a most perturbed state on the travellers' return4 ,hampden's trial1 the insurrection of the ,scots1 the violence of ,parliament1 all presaged the impending downfall of the ,monarchy4 ,hobbes's natural bias1 as we have already said in a former page1 was in favour of the ,royal cause1 a sentiment which was naturally fostered by the ,cavendishes1 who were one and all zealous ,royalists2 their hearts1 lives1 and fortunes1 were ever at the service of the ,throne4 ,and so it came to pass that our philosopher raised his voice and wielded his pen in support of the ,king1 until1 as the saying goes1 the country was too hot to hold him1 and he fled4 ,he thus speaks of his own reasons for taking this step3-- #8,on the meeting of the second ,parliament1 when they proceeded fiercely against those who had written or preached in defence of regal power1 ,mr4 ,hobbes1 doubting how they would use him1 went over into ,france1 the first of all that fled1 and there continued eleven years4' ,here he made a short friendship and quicker quarrel with the celebrated ,des ,cartes2 here1 when once brought to the brink of the grave1 whatever his religious opinions were1 he resisted the endeavours of an ,italian friend to gain him over to the ,roman ,catholic faith2 here1 his health re-established1 he published manifold works1--philosophical1 theological1 and polemical1--which attracted great attention1 and his fame spread so far and wide that it was said people came from great distances even to gaze on the portrait of ,mr4 ,thomas ,hobbes4 ,public favour was very much divided1 and some of those who could not deny his eloquence and brilliancy of style inveighed against the heterodoxy of his tenets4 ,while in ,paris1 he gave instructions in different branches of learning1 especially mathematics1 to the ,prince of ,wales1 afterwards ,charles ,,ii41 who was then in exile2 and his intercourse with the ,prince1 and the intimacy which he formed with many of the ,english ,royalists then residing in ,paris1 helped to foster ,hobbes's hatred of the popular party in ,england4 ,john ,evelyn1 in his ,diary1 says1 #8,i went to see ,mr4 ,hobbes1 the great philosopher of ,malmesbury1 at ,paris1 with whom ,i had been much acquainted4 ,from his window we saw the whole procession and glorious cavalcade of the young ,french monarch1 ,lewis ,,xiv41 passing to ,parliament1 when first he took the kingly government upon him1 he being fourteen years of age1 and out of the ,queen's pupilage4 ,the ,king's aydes1 the ,queen-,mother1 and the ,king's light horse all in rich habits1 with trumpets1 in blue velvet and gold2 the ,swiss in black velvet toques1 headed by two gallant cavaliers in habits of scarlet satin1 after their country fashion1 which is very fantastick4 ,the ,kinge himself looked like a young ,apollo4 ,he was mounted on an ,isabella barb1 with a houssing of crosses of the ,order of the ,holy ,ghost1 and seme fleurs-de-lys1 stiffly covered with rich embroidery4 ,he went almost the whole way with his hat in his hand1 saluting the ladys and acclamators1 who had filled the windows with their beauty1 and the aire with 8,vive le ,roy60' ,in #afea ,hobbes wrote the book so indissolubly connected with his name1 ,leviathan4 ,when this work was first circulated in ,paris1 he found himself the object of aversion to every class4 ,to readers of every way of thinking1 there were passages at which to cavil and take objection4 ,indeed1 ,hobbes was warned that from the priesthood his life was in danger2 and he once more sought safety in flight4 ,he returned to ,england1 where he published the obnoxious volume1 and took up his abode in ,london for some time1 in ,fetter ,lane1 made his submission to the ,council of ,state1 and busied himself with literary labours1 ,english and ,latin4 ,the winter of #afei he spent with his friends at ,chatsworth1 and in #affj came up to ,london with them to ,little ,salisbury ,house4 ,one day1 soon after the ,restoration1 the ,king was passing through the ,strand1 when he perceived his old master standing at the gate of ,lord ,devonshire's house4 ,the ,royal coach was stopped1 ,charles doffed his hat most graciously1 and inquired after ,mr4 ,hobbes's health1 who was summoned to the ,palace before a week was over1 and found himself sitting for his portrait by ,royal command4 ,we are told that the king of limners1 ,mr4 ,cooper1 was much delighted with ,mr4 ,hobbes's pleasant conversation1 and that his ,majesty delighted in his wit and repartees4 ,the ,merry ,monarch's courtiers would #8bayte' ,mr4 ,hobbes1 so much so that when he appeared the ,king would often cry1 #8,here comes the bear to be bayted4' ,but the philosopher knew how to take his own part1 and his answers were always full of wit and drollery1 but usually evasive1 from fear of giving offence4 ,the ,king granted him an annual pension of #ajj a year1 but refused his petition of a grant of land to found a free school at ,malmesbury4 ,he continued his controversial writings1 which brought down upon him attacks from all quarters4 ,the publication of his works was prohibited in ,england1 which determined him to bring out a complete edition of them at ,amsterdam4 ,the cry against him continued1 and an undergraduate at ,cambridge venturing to support some of his most daring theories1 was summarily expelled the ,university1 while ,adam ,hood1 who had affixed a panegyric on the philosopher to the commencement of the ,antiquities of ,oxford1 was compelled to suppress half his compliments4 ,hobbes retired into the country1 translated ,homer into ,english1 wrote the ,philosophical ,decameron1 and the ,civil ,wars in ,england1 which he dedicated to the ,king1 with a petition to be allowed to publish it4 ,charles was much displeased with the book1 and gave him a flat denial4 ,during the panic which was caused by the plague and fire of ,london1 a ,bill was brought into ,parliament for the suppression of all atheistical writings1 and a committee formed to inquire into any work suspected of promulgating such doctrines4 ,public attention was directed towards ,leviathan1 and many people believed that the greater number of the ,bishops would willingly have roasted the old philosopher alive2 at all events1 ,hobbes was much alarmed1 being in terror of the whole ,bench1 more especially of the ,bishop of ,ely1 whom he had offended4 ,he accordingly burned a great portion of his papers1 and took his departure for ,chatsworth4 ,it was well for ,hobbes1 that1 disappointed and thwarted in many ways1 he had so peaceful and beautiful a haven wherein to anchor4 ,lord ,devonshire allowed his old tutor to live under his roof in ease and plenty1 claiming no service of any kind in return for so much hospitality4 ,neither the ,earl nor his wife subscribed in any way to ,hobbes's opinions1 but often expressed their abhorrence of his principles1 both in politics and religion1 sometimes avoiding mention of his name1 or excusing him in some measure by saying he was a humorist1 and there was no accounting for him4 ,but they were uniformly kind to the old man1 in spite of it all4 ,hobbes divided his time and thoughts between attention to his health and to his studies4 ,the morning he dedicated to the first consideration--climbing the nearest hill as soon as he got up2 or1 if the weather were bad1 taking hard exercise in the house as soon as he had finished his breakfast1--after which meal he would make a circuit of the apartments1 and visit my lord1 my lady1 the children1 and any distinguished strangers that might be there1 conversing for a short time with all of them4 ,towards the end of his life he read few books1 preferring1 he said1 #8to digest what he had already fed upon2' #8besides1' he remarked1 laughing1 #8if ,i were to read as much as most men do1 ,i should be as ignorant as they4' ,in company he was free in discourse1 but could not brook contradiction1 then he was short and peevish2 indeed it was usual1 on admitting strangers1 to warn them not to vex the old man by differing from him in argument4 ,hobbes1 by his own testimony1 was of a timid nature4 ,kennet1 the biographer of the ,cavendishes1 from whose amusing volume we have drawn largely1 says1 #8,it is not trampling on the ashes of the late ,mr4 ,hobbes to say he was a coward4 ,he was constantly under apprehension of messengers to arrest him1 and that they would enter ,chatsworth or ,hardwicke by force1 and compel ,lord ,devonshire to give him up4' ,under the pressure of these fears he wrote an ,apology for himself and his writings1 in which he affirmed that the doctrines at which exception had been taken were not so much his opinions as his suppositions1 a delicate distinction enough4 ,in his latter days ,hobbes made an open profession of religion1 and frequented service in the chapel1 often partaking of the ,holy ,communion4 ,if any one in conversation questioned his belief1 he would invariably allude to these practices1 and refer the speaker to the chaplain1 who would bear testimony to his orthodoxy4 ,some people thought this chapel-going was the result of his wish to conform to the rules of the household1 as he never went to a parish church1 and always turned his back on the sermon1 #8for1' said he1 #8they can teach me nothing that ,i do not know4' ,he had a perfect terror of being left to himself in an empty house1 and would always accompany the family from ,chatsworth to ,hardwicke and back1 however weak and ill he might be4 ,on the last occasion he journeyed to ,hardwicke on a feather bed in a coach1 and the exertion at so advanced an age hastened his death4 ,he could not endure the thought of dying1 and had a new coat made when on his deathbed1 which1 he hoped1 would last him three years1 and then he would have another4 ,he questioned the physician at last whether his disease were curable1 and on being told he might hope for alleviation1 but no cure--a fact which his science and philosophy might surely have told him at ninety-two years of age--he said1 #8,then ,i hope ,i shall find a hole to creep out of the world4' ,they were his last words1 and were somewhat ambiguous1 as #8,hardwicke ,hall1 more glass than wall1' could not well be described as a #8hole1' with its lordly gallery1 its noble staircase1 and its historical memories of ,mary ,queen of ,scots1 and ,arabella ,stuart4 ,many of ,hobbes's most remarkable writings are preserved there in manuscript4 ,our philosopher upheld the expediency of making use of an evil instrument in an emergency1 and said1 #8,if ,i had fallen into a well1 and the devil let down his leg1 ,i would willingly lay hold of his cloven foot to haul myself up by4' ,he amused himself by making his friends write provisional epitaphs for him1 only one of which satisfied him1--#8,this is the true philosopher's stone4' ,hobbes continued studying and translating to the end of his life2 but ,pope considered his rendering of the ,iliad and ,odyssey #8too mean for criticism4' ,although not very strong in youth1 ,hobbes enjoyed excellent health on gaining middle age4 ,he was six feet high1 of a fresh and ruddy complexion1 yellowish moustache1 which turned up naturally after the ,cavalier fashion2 with a tip1 or #8,king ,charles1' under his lip1 being otherwise close shaven4 ,he did not affect to look severe1 considering #8heaviness of countenance no sign of ,god's favour1 and a cheerful1 charitable1 upright behaviour a better sign of religion than the zealous maintaining of controverted opinions4' ,he had always a book of #8,prick ,songs' lying on the table1 and at night1 when every one in the house was asleep1 he would sing aloud1--not because he had a good voice1 but for the benefit of his lungs4 ,thomas ,hobbes appears to have been too much of a philosopher to have fallen at any time under the spell of beauty2 at least we can find no mention in his ,memoirs of even a passing subjugation to female charms4 ,lord ,clarendon speaks of him as #8one of the most ancient acquaintance ,i have in the world1 whom ,i have ever esteemed1 not only for his eminent parts of learning1 but as a man of probity1 and one whose life has been free from scandal4' ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,abraham ,,cowley4 ,dark dress1 long flowing hair4 ,,born #afah1 ,,died #affg4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,beale4 ,,the posthumous son of a small ,london tradesman1 his mother1 although in straitened circumstances1 resolved to give her boy the best education in her power2 and she was rewarded by living to see him rise to eminence and distinction4 ,little ,abraham one day1 sitting in the window seat in his mother's home1 found a volume of ,spenser's ,fary ,queen lying there4 ,he opened the book1 and was soon absorbed in the contents1 #8sucking the sweet honey of those inspired lines4' ,he read1 and re-read1 and1 as ,dr4 ,johnson tersely expresses it1 became #8irrecoverably a poet4' ,his mother contrived to get him a nomination on the foundation at ,westminster ,school1 where he soon became remarkable for his powers of versification4 ,at ten years old he wrote the ,tragical ,history of ,pyramus and ,thisbe1 and soon afterwards ,constantia and ,philetus1 and before he was fifteen a volume of his poems was actually published4 ,in #afcf he went to the ,university of ,cambridge1 where1 without neglecting his studies1 he continued his poetical pursuits1 and wrote a play called ,love's ,riddle1 which he dedicated to ,sir ,kenelm ,digby 7the fashionable patron of the day71 as also a ,latin comedy1 inscribed to the ,master of his ,college4 ,cowley was expelled from ,cambridge on account of his adherence to the ,king's party1 and took shelter at ,st4 ,john's ,college1 ,oxford4 ,a satire which he wrote about this time1 entitled ,the ,puritan and the ,papist1 gained him the favour of the ,royalists1 and especially of ,lord ,falkland1 who made him known and welcomed at ,court4 ,when ,queen ,henrietta ,maria went to ,france1 ,cowley followed her fortunes1 and1 becoming ,secretary to ,lord ,jermyn1 was employed in correspondence of the most confidential nature1 such as communications between the ,royalists in ,england and those in ,france1 and private letters between ,king ,charles ,i4 and his ,queen4 ,he was indefatigable in his labours1 and would cipher and decipher far into the night1 yet finding time for poetical compositions in the midst of such arduous work4 ,he produced an amorous drama1 entitled ,the ,mistress1 for he considered that no man was worthy of the name of poet till he had paid his tribute to ,love4 ,in #afef he went over on a mission to ,england1 to inquire and report on the political state of affairs2 but the ,parliamentarians were on his track1 and he was thrown into prison1 and only set free on the payment of a considerable ransom1 which was generously advanced by a friend4 ,he became a ,doctor of ,medicine at ,oxford1 but does not appear to have practised in that capacity1 though in the early days of the ,royal ,society1 just founded at ,oxford1 and not yet translated to ,london1 the poet figured as #8,dr4 ,cowley4' ,he made a pilgrimage to ,kent1 and in the fair fields of #8,england's garden' he studied botany1 and gathered materials which led to the composition of several ,latin poems treating of trees1 herbs1 and flowers1 and their peculiar qualities4 ,cowley was destined to great mortification and disappointment at the ,restoration1 being scarcely noticed by the ,king4 ,it is supposed that a faction had been formed against him1 by which his hopes of obtaining the ,mastership of the ,savoy1 that had been promised him both by ,charles ,,ii4 and his father before him1 were frustrated4 ,the ill success of his comedy1 ,the ,guardian1 when put upon the stage1 was another source of mortification4 ,there was a spiteful rumour set about1 that the drama was intended as a satire on the ,royalists1 and the author was so discomfited1 hearing of its failure1 that ,dryden said he did not receive the news with the calmness becoming so great a man4 ,he wrote an ,ode1 in which he designated himself as the #8melancholy ,cowley1' and this production brought down upon him a host of squibs and lampoons1 on the dejected #8,savoy-missing ,cowley1' and the like4 ,disgusted with the outer world1 our poet languished for the retirement of a country life1 and settled at ,chertsey1 in ,surrey4 ,his friends the ,earls of ,arlington and ,st4 ,albans 7whom he had served when ,lord ,jermyn7 procured him an office which brought in a certain salary1 #8but1' says ,johnson1 #8he did not live long to enjoy the pleasure1 or suffer the weariness1 of solitude4' ,he died at ,chertsey in #affg4 ,he was the author of numerous works1 which are little read at the present day1 although the name of ,abraham ,cowley ranks high in literature4 ,he was at the ,university with ,milton1 but the two poets differed as much in the quality of their writings as in the bias of their political views4 ,the ,duke of ,buckingham1 on hearing the news of ,cowley's death1 said he had not left behind him as honest a man in ,england4 ,he erected a monument to the poet's memory in ,westminster ,abbey4 ,we find in ,john ,evelyn's ,diary3 #8,i heard the sad news of the death of ,abraham ,cowley1 that incomparable poet and virtuous man1 ,aug4 #affg4--,went to ,cowley's funerall1 whose corpse lay at ,wallingford ,house1 and was thence conveyed to ,westminster ,abbey in a hearse with six horses1 and all decency4 ,neere a hundred coaches of noblemen and persons of qualitie following2 among these all the witts of the towne1 divers bishops and cleargymen4 ,he was interred neere ,geoffrey ,chaucer and ,spenser4 ,a goodly monument is since erected to his memorie4' ,sir ,william ,cowper was much attached to ,cowley1 and had his portrait painted especially for his own gallery4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,james ,,northcote1 ,r4,a4 ,dark dress4 ,white hair4 ,,born #agdf1 ,,died #ahca4 ,,by ,,himself4 ,,the son of a watchmaker1 he was born at ,plymouth1 and1 like his illustrious fellow-townsman1 showed an early enthusiasm for art1 and a distaste for any other occupation4 ,but his father was prudent1 and bound his son apprentice to himself1 allowing him no money1 and discouraging in every possible manner the boy's artistic tendencies4 ,they were too strong to be repressed4 ,young ,james gave all his spare time to the study of drawing1 and1 having scraped together five guineas1 he doubled the sum by the sale of a print of the new assembly rooms and bathing-place at ,plymouth1 from one of his own ,indian ink sketches4 ,armed with this large fortune1 he plotted a secret journey to ,london with his elder brother ,samuel2 his only confidants being ,dr4 ,mudge and a ,mr4 ,tolcher1 both ,plymouth men1 and friends of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 the newly-elected ,president of the ,royal ,academy1 to whom they gave ,james letters of introduction4 ,the brothers set forth on their pilgrimage one fine ,may morning1 being ,whit-,sunday2 and the younger tells us that when they arrived on the hill and looked homewards1 ,samuel felt some regret--,james nothing but satisfaction4 ,the travellers performed the whole of the journey on foot1 with a rare lift on the top of a stage-coach2 sleeping wherever they could3 in small ale-houses1 by the wayside1 sometimes in haylofts1 and even under hedgerows4 ,the new ,president received the young aspirant with the greatest kindness1 and installed him in his own house4 ,samuel ,northcote soon returned home1 but ,james wrote to a friend in ,devonshire1 in raptures with his new domicile4 #8,the house1' he says1 #8is to me a paradise2 all the family behave with the greatest kindness1 especially ,sir ,joshua's two pupils4 ,miss ,reynolds has promised to show me her paintings1 for she paints very fine1 both history and portraits4 ,sir ,joshua is so much occupied that ,i seldom see him2 but1 when ,i find him at liberty1 ,i will ask his advice for future guidance1 and whether there will be any chance of my eventually gaining a subsistence in ,london1 by portrait-painting4' ,the master soon found out that his new pupil was earnest and industrious1 and it was arranged that ,northcote should remain in the ,president's service for five years4 ,the hall in which he worked was adjacent to his master's sitting-room1 and he was both amused and edified by overhearing the conversations of such men as ,burke1 ,johnson1 ,garrick1 etc4 ,he worked diligently1 copying ,sir ,joshua's pictures1 studying the human form--drapery1 etc41--persuading the housemaids to sit to him1 and working as a student at the ,academy4 ,he tells an amusing incident of ,reynolds's favourite macaw1 which had a violent hatred for one of the maid-servants in the house1 whom ,northcote had painted4 ,it flew furiously at the portrait1 pecking the face with its beak4 ,we might be inclined to suspect the artist of inventing this implied compliment to his own handiwork1 were we not also assured that ,sir ,joshua tried the experiment of putting the portrait in view of the bird1 who invariably swooped down on the painted enemy4 ,the maid's crime1 we believe1 consisted in cleaning out the cage4 ,northcote began to exhibit on his own account in #aggd1 and became eventually ,a4,r4,a4 and ,r4,a4 ,samuel ,northcote met ,sir ,joshua on one of his visits to ,plymouth1 at the house of their common friend1 ,dr4 ,mudge1 and writes to his brother to tell him the ,president had spoken of him in very satisfactory terms4 ,when the five years' apprenticeship was nearly over1 ,northcote took leave of his master4 ,he gives rather a tedious account of the interview1 in which he announced his determination1 but ends the paragraph by saying #8it was of course impossible to leave a house1 where he had received so much kindness1 without regret2 it is a melancholy reflection1 even at this moment1 when one considers the ravages a few short years have made in that unparalleled society which shone at his table1 now all gone4' ,on leaving ,london1 our painter went into ,devonshire1 made some money by his portraits1 and then proceeded to ,italy alone1 ignorant1 as he was1 of one word of the language4 ,he spent his time in copying the ,italian masters1 more especially the works of ,titian2 returned from ,rome to ,england via ,flanders1 and again had recourse to portrait-painting1 first in his native county1 and afterwards in ,london1 where he settled4 ,about this time the scheme for the ,boydell ,shakespeare ,gallery was started1 making a great sensation1 and ,northcote gained much for his contributions to that work1 more especially #8,the ,princes in the ,tower1' which furnished ,chantry with the idea for his beautiful and touching monument in ,lichfield ,cathedral4 ,northcote took great delight in this work1 as his bias had always led him to historical and fancy subjects4 ,his sacred pictures were not much admired1 and his plagiarism of ,hogarth1 which was a species of parody on the great works of that great man1 gained him no popularity4 ,an answer of his amused ,sir ,joshua much1 on one occasion4 ,when the ,president asked him how it chanced that the ,prince of ,wales so often mentioned him1 #8,i was not aware you even knew him8' #8,well1' replied ,james1 #8,i know very little of him1 or he of me2 it is only his bragging way4' ,his conversations were sufficiently esteemed to be recorded by ,hazlitt1 his friend and constant companion4 ,by nature ,northcote was intelligent1 energetic1 and industrious2 he triumphed over the disadvantages of an imperfect education1 and knew how to benefit by his opportunities4 ,we have never read his ,life of ,sir ,joshua1 but by the numerous extracts which ,leslie and ,taylor give us1 it would appear he was scarcely a worthy biographer of so great a man4 ,he resided for nearly half a century in ,argyll ,street1 ,london1 his sister keeping his house1 and died there in his eighty-sixth year1 leaving a good fortune1 the product of his labours4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,sir ,,william ,,cowper1 ,,first ,,baronet4 ,black dress4 ,white collar4 ,pointed beard4 ,moustaches4 ,,born #aehb1 ,,died #affd4 ,,by ,,cornelius ,,jansen4 ,,descended from ,robert ,cowper1 who1 in the reign of ,henry ,v41 in consideration of his good services1 received the sum of sixpence a day for life out of the ,king's rents in the county of ,north ,hants4 ,william ,cowper1 in the reign of ,henry ,,viii41 married ,margaret1 daughter of ,thomas ,spencer1 of ,st4 ,peter's1 ,cornhill1 and this lady's maiden name has been perpetuated in the ,cowper family to the present day4 ,sir ,william1 of whom we are treating1 was grandson of the above1 and eldest surviving son of ,john ,cowper and ,elizabeth ,ironside of ,lincoln1 his wife1 who had five sons and four daughters4 ,william succeeded his father1 and was seated at ,ratling ,court1 in ,kent4 ,he was created a ,baronet of ,nova ,scotia1 afterwards of ,england1 and subsequently knighted by ,king ,charles ,i4 at ,theobalds4 ,he was also appointed ,collector of ,imposts on strangers in the ,port of ,london2 and when the civil war began1 being a zealous ,royalist1 he was imprisoned in ,ely ,house1 ,holborn1 together with his eldest son4 ,but1 says ,collins1 ,sir ,william outlived all his troubles1 and went to dwell at his castle at ,hertford1 where he gained the hearts of his neighbours by the cordiality of his manners and his generous hospitality1 while his name was beloved in the country round for the ,christian acts of charity and kindness in which he took delight4 ,neither was it the formal dispensation of alms alone1 for ,sir ,william loved to visit and comfort his poorer neighbours in their own dwellings4 ,he married ,martha1 daughter of ,john ,masters1 of ,east ,langdon1 county ,kent1 and sister to ,sir ,edward ,masters1 ,knight1 by whom he had six sons and three daughters4 ,sir ,william was buried in the cloister of ,st4 ,michael's1 ,cornhill1 beside his parents1 who lie there beneath #8a goodly monument4' ,cornelius ,jansen1 who painted ,sir ,william's portrait1 and that of his son ,john1 was a well-known ,flemish painter1 who resided for many years in ,london1 and afterwards in ,kent1 near ,ratling ,court1 where many gentlemen in the neighbourhood sat to him4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,john ,,cowper4 ,black dress4 ,white shirt4 ,long brown hair4 ,,by ,,cornelius ,,jansen4 ,,he was the eldest son of ,sir ,william ,cowper1 first ,baronet1 by the sister of ,sir ,edward ,masters1 ,knight4 ,he was entered at ,lincoln's ,inn as a law student1 and married ,martha1 daughter of ,john ,hewkley of ,london1 merchant1 by whom he had one son1 ,william1 who succeeded his grandfather1 and a daughter1 who died young4 ,john ,cowper was a staunch ,royalist1 and shared his father's captivity on that account4 ,he died during his imprisonment4 ,the following letter1 addressed to him1 in the year #afcd1 when on the point of starting for his travels1 appears to us worthy of insertion1 from the manliness and rectitude of its counsels1 enhanced by the quaint diction which marked the period3-- ,feb4 #be1 #afcd4--;,a remembrance to my ,son1 ,john ,cowper1 at his going towards ye ,parts beyond ye ,seas4 ,you must remember how1 that from your ,birth to this day1 ,i have taken care for your ,education4 ,and you have hitherto been within my ,eye1 and under ,tutors1 and ,governours1 and that now1 ,you1 alone1 ,launch forth into ye ,world by your ,self1 to be steered and governed4 ,many ,storms1 and ,rubbs1 many fair and pleasing ,baits1 shall you meet withal1 ,company most infectious and dangerous1 so that your ,cheif ,safety must be ye ,protection of ,god ,almighty1 whom you must daily importune to direct your wayes1 as hitherto ,i doubt not but you have done1 ,else your ,carriage and course of ,life had not been so commendable4 ,if this ,golden time of your ,youth be spent unprofitably1 ye whole ,harvest of your ,life will be ,weeds3 if well husbanded1 it will yeild you a profitable return in ye whole ,course of your ,life4 ,the time you remain there ,i would have ,spent as followeth1-- #a4 ,dayly ,praying to ,almighty ,god for his ,blessing on you4 #b4 ,to endeavour to attain ye ,french and ,italian ,tongues4 #c4 ,to mend your ,writing and learn ,arithmetick4 ,as for ,horsemanship1 and other qualities of a ,gentleman1 a smatch would doe well4 ,and having attained to knowledge1 if you doe not alwayes remember1 both in discourse and ,pashion1 not to be transported with hast1 ,but to ,think before ,what you intend to speak1 and then treatably to deliver it1 with a distinct and ,audable ,voice1 all your labor and pains is ,lost4 ,for altho you have indifferently well reformed it1 yet it is ,defective1 and care yet may ,perfect you in your speech4 ,your ,loving ,father1 careful of your ,good1 ,w4 ,,cowper4 ,to my ,son1 ,john ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,sir ,,william ,,cowper1 ,,second ,,baronet4 ,light brown coat4 ,white cravat4 ,,by ,,sir ,,peter ,,lely4 ,,the son of ,john ,cowper1 by ,martha ,hewkley1 succeeded to the baronetcy and estates on the death of his grandfather1 served in the last two ,parliaments of ,charles ,,ii41 as ,member for ,hertford2 and1 in #afhj1 presented reasons 7with many other ,members of both ,houses7 for the indictment of ,james1 ,duke of ,york1 for not coming to church4 ,after the ,revolution1 he again sat for ,hertford in three different ,parliaments4 ,his wife was ,sarah1 daughter of ,sir ,samuel ,holled1 by whom he left two sons1--,william1 first ,earl ,cowper1 ,lord ,chancellor1 and ,spencer4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,spencer ,,cowper4 ,tawny coat4 ,loose cravat4 ,,died #agbh4 ,,he was the second son of ,sir ,william ,cowper1 second ,baronet1 by the daughter of ,sir ,samuel ,holled1 consequently the brother of ,william1 afterwards the first ,lord ,cowper2 and we have alluded1 in the life of the ,chancellor1 to the deep attachment which subsisted between these two brothers4 ,they were educated at the same school1 selected the same profession1 and1 when travelling the same ,circuit1 almost invariably inhabited the same lodgings4 ,sir ,william ,cowper and his eldest son and namesake had both been returned in #afie for ,hertford1 after a sharp contest1 for the ,tory element1 though in the minority1 was strong in that borough4 ,among the most zealous of their supporters was one ,stout1 a ,quaker by creed1 a maltster by trade2 and he had been most instrumental in furthering the election of father and son4 ,at all events1 so thought ,sir ,william1 who did not discontinue his friendly relations with the widow and only daughter of ,samuel ,stout after the good ,quaker's death4 ,the two ladies were frequently invited to ,sir ,william's ,london house in ,hatton ,garden1 and the visit occasionally returned at ,mrs4 ,stout's residence in the town of ,hertford4 ,moreover1 ,mistress ,sarah1 to whom her father had left a good fortune1 employed ,spencer ,cowper as her man of business1 and consulted him in all her financial concerns4 ,unfortunately it soon became painfully evident to all concerned that this beautiful1 imaginative1 and essentially excitable girl had formed a deep attachment for the young lawyer1 already the husband of another woman4 #8,but he1 like an honest man1' says ,lord ,macaulay1 #8took no advantage of her unhappy state of mind4' ,a frightful catastrophe1 however1 was impending4 ,on the #adth ,march #afii1 the day after the opening of the ,spring ,assizes1 the town and neighbourhood of ,hertford were thrown into a state of excitement and consternation by the news that the body of ,sarah ,stout had been found in the waters of the ,priory river1 which flows through that town4 ,suspicion fell on ,spencer ,cowper1 on the poor plea that he was the last reported to have been in her company2 but his defence was so clear and satisfactory on the inquest1 that a verdict of suicide while in a state of temporary insanity was recorded4 ,william ,cowper was not attending the ,assizes1 his ,parliamentary duties detaining him in ,london1 but ,spencer finished the ,circuit1 in company with the judges1 heavy-hearted indeed at the sad fate of his pretty friend1 but with no misgiving on his own account4 ,he little dreamed of the mischief which was hatching by the political adversaries of the ,cowper interest4 ,a rumour was carefully promulgated that ,spencer had presumed on his intimacy with the fair ,quaker1 and that ,sarah had drowned herself to conceal her disgrace4 ,but this charge was proved to be unfounded4 ,the next step taken by those who wished to render the name of ,cowper obnoxious in ,hertford1 was to revive the cry of #8,murder' against ,spencer1 on the plea that the position in which the body had been found precluded the possibility of the girl having thrown herself into the water4 ,two #8accomplices' were carefully ferreted out1 in the persons of two attorneys1 who had come down to ,hertford the day before the sad event2 but these gentlemen were left at large on bail1 while the man1 whose father and brother at that moment represented ,hertford1 was thrown into prison for months1 to await the ,summer ,assizes4 ,the distress of his parents1 and of the brother who dearly loved him1 may be well imagined1 more especially as they were keenly alive to all the adverse influences which were at work4 ,when the eventful day of the trial at length arrived1 the town of ,hertford--it might wellnigh be said the whole of ,england1--was divided in favour of the ,cowpers and the ,stouts2 for so unwilling were the ,quakers to let the imputation of suicide rest on the memory of one of their members1 that they most earnestly desired to shift the blame on the young barrister1 or1 as he afterwards said at his trial1 to risk bringing three innocent men to the gallows4 ,we have good authority for affirming that the most ignorant and densest of judges1 ,baron ,hatsel by name1 sat on the bench that day1 and that the prosecution was remarkable for the malignity with which it was conducted4 ,their winning card1 as they believed1 was the statement that the position in which the corpse had been found floating1 proved that the girl must have been murdered before she had been thrown into the water4 ,medical evidence was brought forward by the prosecution in support of this theory1 as also that of two or three sailors1 who were put into the box4 ,on the side of the defendant appeared names which still live in medical annals1--,william ,cowper 7although no kinsman of his namesake71 the most celebrated anatomist then in ,england1 and ,samuel ,garth1 the great ,london physician and rival of ,hans ,sloane4 ,after what ,macaulay terms #8the superstitious testimony of the forecastle1' ,baron ,hatsel asked ,dr4 ,garth what he could say in reply4 #8,my ,lord1' answered the physician drily1 #8,i say they are mistaken4 ,i could find seamen in abundance who would swear that they have known whistling raise the wind4' ,this charge was disposed of2 the body had drifted down to the mill-dam1 where it was discovered entangled and supported by stakes1 only a portion of the petticoat being visible4 ,but the evidence of a maid-servant of ,mistress ,stout produced great excitement in ,court4 ,she told how the young barrister had arrived at the house of her mistress the night before the poor girl's death2 of how he had dined with the two ladies2 how she had gone upstairs to prepare his bed1 as he was invited to sleep1 leaving the young people together1 her mistress having retired early2 how1 when upstairs1 she heard the house-door slam1 and1 going down to the parlour1 found it empty4 ,at first she was not alarmed1 thinking ,mistress ,sarah had gone out for a stroll with ,mr4 ,cowper1 and would soon be back2 but as time went on1 she became very uneasy1 and went and told her mistress4 ,the two women sat up all night watching and listening1 but had not liked to take any further steps1 out of regard for ,sarah's reputation4 ,they never saw her again till she was brought up from the river drowned4 ,then followed the ridiculous investigation of ,cowper's #8accomplices1' as they were termed--two attorneys and a scrivener1 who had come down from ,london under very suspicious circumstances1 i4e4 to attend the ,assizes2 how they were all in a room together shortly after eleven o'clock1 very wet1 and in a great perspiration1 and had been overheard to say1 #8,mistress ,stout had behaved ill to her lover1 but her courting days would soon be over1' to which communication was added the astounding fact1 that a piece of rope had been found in a cupboard adjoining the sitting-room4 ,it was fortunate for ,spencer ,cowper1 who was not allowed the assistance of counsel1 that his legal education1 joined to a sense of conscious innocence1 made his defence comparatively easy to him2 but the task1 on all accounts1 must have been most distasteful and repugnant to a man of his character and position4 ,he rose with dignity1 and evinced great skill and decision of purpose in the manner in which he cross-examined the witnesses1 and exposed the motives of sectarian and political animosity1 which had been employed to weaken the interest of ,sir ,william ,cowper and his eldest son4 ,so far his arguments were unhesitating1--he was now to be put to a harder test4 ,he assured the ,court that he deeply deplored the course he was compelled to take1 but four lives were at stake1 and he must1 however reluctantly1 violate the confidence of the dead4 ,he brought many witnesses to substantiate the fact of the young ,quaker having cherished a fatal passion for him1 although she knew him to be married4 ,when last in ,london1 she had written to announce her intention of visiting him at his chambers in the ,temple1 to prevent which ,william ,cowper had purposely said in her hearing that ,spencer had gone into the country on business4 ,disappointed of this opportunity1 ,sarah wrote to invite him to stay at her mother's house at ,hertford during the ,spring ,assizes1 which invitation he declined1 having secured lodgings in the town4 ,he also produced letters in which the poor girl said1 #8,i am glad you have not quite forgotten there is such a person as myself1' and1 after hinting at what seemed unkindness1 she begs him #8so to order your affairs as to be here as soon as you can1 which cannot be sooner than you are welcome4' ,in another and later letter she was less ambiguous in her expressions3 #8,come life1 come death1' she says desperately1 #8,i am resolved never to desert you4' ,he further asserted that the continual rebuffs she received threw her into a state of melancholy1 and that she often spoke of her intention to destroy herself4 ,the prisoner continued1 that on the first day of the ,assizes he went first to his lodgings1 but1 unwilling to mortify ,sarah1 afterwards to her mother's house1 and stayed dinner2 went out1 and returned to supper2 but when the maid had gone upstairs1 and he was alone with the girl1 although he declined detailing the conversation which ensued between them1 he gave the judge and jury to understand that it was from consideration for her character that he left the house1 which he did alone1 and returned to his lodgings in the ,market ,place4 ,the next morning the news of the terrible event reached him4 ,his brother ,william and his wife both testified to the state of despondency into which ,sarah had lately fallen1 and her frequent allusions to approaching death4 ,as regarded #8the accomplices1' they gave good reasons for their coming to ,hertford1 and1 for himself1 he had never had any communication with them4 ,the judge summed up in a vacillating and illogical manner1 confessing that he was rather faint1 and was sensible he had omitted many things1 but could repeat no more of the evidence4 ,the half-hour which it took the jury to deliberate must have seemed interminable to those members of ,cowper's family1 already nearly maddened by suspense--above all1 to the brother who sat near him1 and followed the details of the trial with breathless interest4 ,the jury returned1 and1 when the foreman answered the awful question1 the prisoner was the one individual in ,court who manifested the least emotion as the words #8,not guilty' echoed through the building1 and all but the enemies and slanderers acknowledged the justice of the verdict4 ,a feeble attempt was made to bring all the four accused men to a fresh trial1 by what was then called an #8appeal to murder1' and there were various hearings on the subject by men of the highest standing in the law1 ,william ,cowper1 on these occasions1 being counsel for his brother4 ,the proceedings1 however1 were quashed4 ,some scurrilous writings were published1 in hopes of setting the tide of public opinion against ,spencer1 but they were soon forgotten4 ,he pursued his profession1 in which he rose to eminence2 but it may easily be conjectured that1 when presiding at a trial for murder1 ,judge ,cowper must have felt1 even more than the generality of his colleagues1 the responsibility of his position1 from an intimate and personal sympathy with the feelings of an accused prisoner2 and he was remarked for his merciful tendencies4 ,on the accession of ,george ,i41 he was named ,attorney-,general to the ,prince of ,wales1 was one of the managers on the trial of ,dr4 ,sacheverell for high treason1 and successively ,chief-,justice of ,chester1 ,chancellor of the ,duchy of ,lancaster1 ,serjeant-at-,law1 and ,judge of the ,court of ,common ,pleas4 ,he also sat in ,parliament for ,truro1 and his sister-in-law1 ,lady ,cowper1 tells us that in #agad the ,king gave ,m4 ,robethon 7one of his favourite ,german ,ministers7 the grant of ,clerk of the ,parliament after the death of ,mr4 ,johnson1 who then held it1 for any one he liked to name4 #8,m4 ,robethon let my brother ,cowper have it in reversion for his sons for #ahjj4' ,by his wife1 ,pennington1 daughter of ,john ,goodere1 ,esq41 ,spencer had three sons1--,william1 ,john1 and ,ashley4 ,the official appointments above alluded to were held in succession by the family for several years4 ,he had also a daughter1 ,judith1 known as a poetess1 married to ,lieut4-,colonel ,madan4 ,spencer ,cowper died at his chambers in ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1 in #agbh1 and was buried at ,hertingfordbury1 where an elaborate monument is erected to his memory4 ,he was grandfather to ,william ,cowper the poet4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,william1 ,,first ,,earl ,,cowper1 ,,first ,,lord ,,chancellor ,,of ,,great ,,britain4 ,full length4 ,in ,chancellor's robes4 ,flowing wig4 ,chair4 ,,born #affd1 ,,died #agbc4 ,,by ,,richardson4 ,,he was the eldest son of ,sir ,william ,cowper1 the second ,baronet1 by ,sarah1 daughter of ,sir ,samuel ,holled1 merchant1 of ,london1 and was born at ,hertford ,castle4 ,he went to school at ,st4 ,albans1 and seems to have been of a most docile disposition1 to judge by a letter written to his mother when only eight years old4 ,he says3 #8,i thank you for my bow and arrows1 which ,i shall never use but when my master gives us leave to play4 ,i shall hereafter take more care of my spelling and writing1 even without ruled lines4' ,his childish letters were written in a fair hand1 giving promise of the beautiful writing for which the future ,lord ,chancellor was famed1 and were addressed with much punctilio1 #8,these for my ever honoured mother1 the ,lady ,cowper1 at her house in the ,charter-,house ,yard1 ,london4' ,the boy took great pains1 not only with his writing1 but with his style1 so much so as to cause a suspicion in his mother's mind that one of the epistles was dictated by an usher1 an insinuation which the young student repelled with some asperity4 ,it seems doubtful whether he ever went to a public school1 and certainly he never entered a ,university2 but at eighteen he became a ,templar1 giving himself up rather to pleasure than study in these first years of a ,london life4 ,he formed a connection with a ,miss ,culling of ,hertingfordbury1 by whom he had two children4 ,this liaison was much talked of1 and by many it was reported he had married her1 a circumstance which caused him much annoyance at a later period4 ,in #afhf he became attached to one ,mistress ,judith ,booth1 wise and beautiful1 but poor withal1 in consequence of which his family opposed the marriage4 ,his father was in the prime of life1 and had other children to provide for2 but1 in spite of all opposition1 the wedding took place1 and the young husband became studious and steady from the pressure of domestic responsibility4 ,he writes an amusing letter to his wife1 describing his maiden motion in the ,court of ,king's ,bench1 and tells her that he was blamed for not interweaving enough #8,may it please your ,lordships' and the like urbanities in his speech1 adding1 #8but ,i will amend in future1 and you shall find me begin to practise extraordinary civilities on your sweet self4' ,the precepts and example of ,sir ,william ,cowper had instilled principles of political liberality in the young lawyer's mind which made him regard with disapprobation and anger many of ,charles ,,ii4's 7public7 proceedings1 towards the latter part of his reign1 and still more so those of his successor1 added to which considerations the ,cowper family were rigid ,protestants2 and thus it came about that when the ,prince of ,orange landed in ,england1 the brothers ,william and ,spencer hastily raised a small body of volunteers1 and set forth1 with more than a score of young gentlemen of the same political tendencies1 to join ,william4 ,in a diary he sent to his wife1 ,cowper gives an amusing description of how he fell in with the ,prince at ,wallingford1 at a small inn1 where he saw him #8dine with a great variety of meats1 sauces1 and sweetmeats1 which1 it seems1 is part of the fatigue we admire so much in great generals6' ,he travelled with the ,prince to ,windsor1 where they were received with unfeigned pleasure2 and he speaks of the new face of the ,court1 #8where there is nothing of the usual affectation of terror1 but extreme civility to all sorts of people1 and country women admitted to see the ,prince dine4' ,he does not mention a circumstance which befell in this journey2 but his daughter1 ,lady ,sarah1 who had the particulars from her uncle ,spencer1 proudly records an instance of her father's gallantry3--,on the bridge at ,oxford1 the small regiment of ,hertfordshire volunteers found one of the arches broken down1 and an officer1 with three files of musketeers1 who presented arms1 and asked who they were for4 ,there was a silence1 as the volunteers did not know to which side their questioners belonged4 #8,but my father1' says ,lady ,sarah1 #8was quite unconcerned1 and1 spurring his horse forward1 he flung up his hat1 crying1 8,the ,prince of ,orange10 which was answered by a shout1 for they were all of the same mind4' ,when the new ,king no longer required his services1 ,cowper resumed his profession with diligence and zeal4 ,he writes to his wife to express his regret at not being able to stay with her in the country2 but1 had he done so1 he would throw himself out of the little business he had4 ,another time he writes from ,kingston1 giving an account of his having achieved a journey through the ,sussex ways 7which are ruinous beyond imagination7 without hurt4 #8,i vow 'tis a melancholy consideration that mankind should inhabit such a heap of dirt4' ,lord ,campbell tells us1 writing from ,abinger ,hall in #ahde1 #8that it is a still common expression in that part of ,surrey1 that those who live on the south side of ,leith ,hill are in the dirt4' ,cowper contrasts the damp undrained tracts of ,sussex with the fine champaign country of ,surrey1 dry and dusty1 #8as if you had shifted in a few hours from winter to mid-summer4' ,the lawyer was rising gradually to great estimation in his profession1 and his friend ,lord ,chancellor ,sommers suggested to him to go into ,parliament1 believing he would be most serviceable to the ,whig party4 ,when the elections took place in #afie1 the ,whigs were in the ascendant1 and both ,sir ,william ,cowper and his eldest son were returned for ,hertford1 the ,quakers being their chief supporters4 ,young ,cowper's maiden speech gave promise 7afterwards well fulfilled7 of his qualifications as a debater4 ,he was in great favour at ,court1 and1 being raised to the rank of ,king's ,counsel1 distinguished himself by his eloquence in the prosecution of more than one ,state prisoner4 ,during the trial of ,lord ,mohun1 for the murder of ,richard ,coote1 ,cowper received a tribute for the clearness and excellence of his voice1 a quality for which1 in after times1 he became proverbial4 ,several of the ,lords1 whose patience was being sorely tried by the confused1 indistinct tones in which the ,solicitor-,general summed up1 moved that some one with a good voice1 #8particularly ,mr4 ,cowper1' should be heard1--a great compliment to the gentleman1 although the motion was overruled4 ,the ,cowper family1 and ,sir ,william's eldest son in particular1 seemed in the good graces of fortune1 until the untoward event occurred which threw all those who bore the name into distress and perplexity1 being1 namely1 the charge of murder against ,spencer ,cowper1 as already recorded in our notice of his life4 ,he and his brother were much attached1 were members of the same profession1 and travelled the same ,circuit--in fact1 were almost inseparable companions4 ,the justice of ,spencer ,cowper's acquittal was unquestionable1 yet the popular feeling ran so high in the town and neighbourhood1 especially among the community of which the unfortunate girl was a member1 that it was clear to every one that no candidate bearing the name of ,cowper would be successful at the next election4 ,sir ,william indeed retired from ,parliamentary life altogether1 and his eldest son having failed in his canvass for ,totness1 in ,devon 7for which place he had stood by the wish and advice of his friend and patron1 ,lord ,sommers71 he was fain to take refuge in the close borough of ,berealstone1 which he represented until intrusted with the ,great ,seal4 ,william ,,iii4 died1 and ,queen ,anne reigned in his stead1 ascending the throne with feelings most inimical to the ,whig party4 ,affairs did not look promising for ,william ,cowper1 all the more so as ,lord ,sommers had fallen into great disfavour2 but he weathered the storm1 and when the general election in #agje resulted in a majority for the ,whigs1 the ,great ,seal of ,england was transferred from the hands of ,sir ,nathan ,wright to those of ,william ,cowper4 ,he had for some time been looked upon as leader in the ,house of ,commons1 where his agreeable manners and graceful address had made him personally popular4 ,as in the case of his brother1 slander had been busy with his name1 and the report that he had married two wives 7of which circumstance hereafter7 had been widely circulated4 ,but he had powerful friends at ,court in the ,duchess of ,marlborough and ,lord ,treasurer ,godolphin2 and her ,majesty listened to their recommendations and her own bias in his favour1 and ,william ,cowper kissed hands at ,kensington ,palace on his appointment as ,lord ,keeper of the ,great ,seal4 #8,the youngest ,lord ,keeper1' says his daughter1 ,lady ,sarah 7he was in his forty-first year71 #8on record4' #8,he looked very young1 and wearing his own hair made him appear more so1 which the ,queen observing1 obliged him to cut it off1 remarking1 it would be said she had given the ,seals to a boy4' ,it was about this time he contracted his second marriage2 he had sorely mourned for the death of his wife ,judith1 and her child1 but the charms of a fair client had made a deep impression on his heart4 ,mary1 daughter of ,john ,clavering1 ,esq4 of ,chopwell1 county ,durham 7a gentleman of ,tory principles71 was handsome1 as we see from ,kneller's portrait--sensible1 and intelligent1 as we gather from her charming diary4 ,the marriage was at first kept secret1 which seems unaccountable1 as the lady was well born1 well bred1 and of great personal charms4 ,but she herself gives us a clue to the mystery4 ,the ,lord ,keeper was still young1 very handsome1 in a high position1 with every prospect of advancement1 and the eyes of many a ,court beauty were turned on him as a desirable match4 ,we have enlarged on all the intrigues that were carried on to prevent his union with his #8dear rogue' 7as he fondly calls her in one of his letters7 in the notice of ,lady ,cowper2 suffice it to say that the sequel proved how excellent had been his choice4 ,but he did not allow domestic happiness to interfere with official duties4 ,he set himself1 with the advice of ,lord ,sommers1 to bring about reforms on many points in the ,court of ,chancery1 and1 above all1 he took a step which met with the highest approbation among all but the few1 who aspired to the dignity he had already attained2 he abolished the custom of ,new ,year's gifts4 ,for many years it had been expected of every person connected with the ,court of ,chancery to present the ,lord ,keeper or ,lord ,chancellor with gifts of provisions and wine4 ,but latterly money had been substituted for these minor donations1 and hundreds1 and sometimes thousands1 had been presented to the great official on the #ast of ,january4 ,lady ,cowper tells us a laughable story of ,lord ,chancellor ,nottingham 7who spoke with a lisp74 ,he used to stand by his table on ,new ,year's ,day1 for the better reception of the moneys1 and every time he laid a fresh sum on the table he cried aloud1 #8,o tyrant cuthtom6' ,but before the advent of the year #agjf1 the ,lord ,keeper had it intimated to all those whom it might concern that the practice was abolished1 having first1 as 7he considered7 in duty bound1 apprised the ,prime ,minister1 ,lord ,godolphin1 of his intention4 ,in spite of his prohibition1 some gifts appeared on the day in question1 which were refused4 ,he says in his ,diary3 #8,new ,year's gifts turned back4 ,i pray ,god it do me more good than hurt4' ,now ,lord ,campbell1 while praising the ,lord ,keeper's magnanimity1 accuses him of wanting the courage of his opinions2 and1 finding he had raised a storm amongst all the heads of all the departments that had benefited by this #8tyrant custom' of present-giving1 implied he had done it in part unintentionally4 ,if this be so1 we know at least1 and that from his wife's diary1 that on his second assumption of office1 he adhered to his determination2 for1--as to the people who presented these gifts1 #8it looked like insinuating themselves into the favour of the ,court2 and if it was not bribery1 it looked too like it4' ,of the ,lord ,keeper's disinterestedness in money matters1 and his liberality1 especially where men of talent were concerned1 there can be no doubt4 ,colley ,cibber tells us that when ,sir ,richard ,steele's patent as ,governor of the ,theatre ,royal passed the ,great ,seal1 ,lord ,cowper steadily refused all fees4 #8,cowper managed the ,court of ,chancery with impartial justice and great despatch1 and was very useful in the ,house of ,lords in the promotion of business4' ,so far ,burnet's testimony4 ,he was chosen one of the ,lords ,commissioners for ,england on the occasion of the ,union with ,scotland1 and1 being next in rank to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury 7who did not attend71 he occupied a most prominent post at the daily conferences4 ,lord ,campbell tells us that1 by his insight into character1 and his conciliatory manners1 he succeeded wonderfully in soothing ,caledonian pride and in quieting ,presbyterian jealousy4 ,he regained his seat at ,hertford in spite 7as he thought1 at least7 of ,lord ,harley's machinations2 for between him and that ,minister there was no love lost1 although ,harley had an exalted opinion of the ,lord ,keeper's abilities4 ,he was at this time in the ,queen's confidence1 who sent for him one day to her closet1 in order to consult him on the choice of a ,chief ,baron for ,ireland4 #8,i observed it was difficult to find a fit man2 but it was obviously the interest of ,england to send over as many magistrates as it was possible from hence1 being the best means to preserve the dependency of that country on ,england4' ,the ,queen said she understood that they had a mind to be independent if they could1 but that they should not4 ,verily #8l'histoire se rpte de jour en jour4' ,he was now raised to the peerage as ,baron ,cowper of ,wingham1 county ,kent1 and was deputed to offer the thanks of ,parliament to his friend1 the ,duke of ,marlborough1 for his late victory at ,ramilies4 ,the ,act of ,union appointed there should be one ,great ,seal for the ,united ,kingdom1 although a ,seal should still be kept in ,scotland for things appertaining to private right1 and ,lord ,cowper was declared by the ,queen in ,council to be the first ,lord ,chancellor of ,great ,britain4 ,this was in ,may #agjg4 ,in the general election of #agjh the ,whigs gained a decided majority1 and ,cowper's enemy1 ,harley1 retired2 while his friend1 ,lord ,sommers1 was made ,president of the ,council4 ,shortly after the famous trial of ,dr4 ,sacheverell1 at which the ,lord ,chancellor presided1 the ,whig ,ministry resigned1 and the ,tories returned to power4 ,every endeavour was made by ,harley and the ,queen herself to induce ,lord ,cowper to retain office4 ,he was subjected to the greatest importunity1 in spite of his repeated refusals1 and his repugnance #8to survive his colleagues4' ,he was actually followed down to ,cole ,green1 #8my place in ,hertfordshire 7where ,i had gone to visit my wife1 who had lately lain in71' by emissaries of the new ,minister1 and when he waited on her ,majesty to resign the ,seal in person1 the ,queen persisted in her refusal to receive it1 and forced ,lord ,cowper to #8take it away and think the matter over till the morrow4' ,he returned unaltered in his decision1 and ,lord ,campbell1 from whom we quote so largely1 says #8he withdrew from her presence1 carrying with him1 what was far more precious than this badge of office1 the consciousness of having acted honourably4' ,lord ,cowper now sought quiet in his country house1 but even here he was assailed by ,swift's abuse1 and subjected to stormy visits from the ,duchess of ,marlborough1 who came there more especially to vent her spleen by abuse of ,queen ,anne4 ,now ,lord ,cowper had opposed the ,duke of ,marlborough on more than one point when he considered his ambition overweening1 but he was sincerely attached both to him and to his wife1 and when the ,duke and ,duchess were attacked1 their faithful friend raised his voice and pen in behalf of these ex-favourites4 ,lord ,sommers was growing infirm1 and ,lord ,cowper now led the ,opposition in the ,house of ,lords1 where the ,queen said she hoped he would still serve her4 ,he replied he would act in the same manner as he would have done had he continued in the same office1 to which her kindness had appointed him2 and he kept his word4 ,he strove hard to deter his ,royal mistress from what many in that day considered an unconstitutional proceeding1 namely the creation of ,peers for the special purpose of carrying a measure or strengthening a party--at least1 so we gather from the ,queen's remark1 #8,he was pleased to say to me he considered the ,house of ,lords full enough6' in spite of which remark twelve new peers of ,tory tendencies took their seats a few days afterwards1 who were facetiously asked if they would vote by their foreman4 ,lord ,cowper never let an opportunity pass of paying a tribute to his aged friend1 ,lord ,sommers2 and we find a well-timed and two-sided compliment to ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 appointed by that nobleman to the ,mastership of the ,mint4 ,lord ,cowper thanked the great philosopher for one of his scientific works written in ,latin1 and goes on to say1 #8,i find you have taken occasion to do justice to that truly great man1 my ,lord ,sommers1 but give me leave to say the other parts of the book which do not appear to concern him are a lasting instance1 among many others1 to his clear judgment in recommending the fittest man in the whole kingdom to that employment4' ,it was about this time that the feud between ,oxford 7,harley7 and ,bolingbroke 7,st4 ,john7 was at its height1 the former still continuing his overtures to ,cowper to coalesce1 when the ,gordian knot was cut asunder by the shears of ,atropos4 ,the ,queen's dangerous illness was announced1 and the ,treasurer's staff wrested from ,oxford's grasp1 and consigned by the dying sovereign into the hands of the ,duke of ,shrewsbury1 who burst into the ,cabinet while sitting1 accompanied by the ,duke of ,argyll1 with the important news that ,oxford was dismissed1 and ,bolingbroke called upon to form a ,ministry4 ,great confusion prevailed2 all ,privy ,councillors were summoned to attend1 and ,lords ,cowper and ,sommers 7both fast friends to the ,hanoverian succession7 repaired to ,kensington ,palace to make preparations for the reception of the new monarch--for ,queen ,anne had breathed her last4 ,on the accession of ,george ,i4 ,lords ,justices were appointed by the ,regency ,act for the administration of the ,government till the arrival of the ,king4 ,the ,whig ,lords outnumbered the ,tories1 and ,cowper was their guiding spirit4 ,their first measure was to name ,joseph ,addison secretary1 and respecting this appointment a laughable story is told4 ,being directed to draw up an official statement of the death of ,queen ,anne1 the great author was so deeply impressed with the responsibility of his situation1 and so overwhelmed by a choice of words1 that the ,lords ,justices lost all patience1 and directed a common clerk to do the business4 ,no change took place in the ,government offices till the arrival of ,george from ,hanover1 with the exception of ,lord ,bolingbroke1 #8the ,pretender's friend1' who was summarily dismissed4 ,lord ,cowper1 being one of those intrusted with this duty1 and the recently appointed ,treasurer1 found the very doors of his office locked against him4 ,no sooner did ,george ,i4 arrive from ,hanover than the ,whigs returned to power4 ,lord ,cowper was summoned to the ,royal presence1 and the ,great ,seal once more intrusted to that worthy keeping4 #8,the ,king was pleased to say he was satisfied with the character he had heard of me1 and so ,i replied that ,i accepted the post with the utmost gratitude1 and would serve his ,majesty faithfully1 and1 as far as my health would allow1 industriously4' ,the ,prince of ,wales was in the outer room1 and very cordial in his manner to the new ,lord ,chancellor4 ,on the #bjth ,october #agad1 the ,king was crowned1 and ,lord and ,lady ,cowper were both present4 ,the lady had translated for the ,king's benefit 7seeing he knew no ,english7 a memorial written by her lord1 and entitled ,an ,impartial ,history of ,parties1 decidedly in favour of ,whig principles1 which strengthened his ,majesty's predilection for his ,chancellor2 and indeed both husband and wife stood in high favour at ,court1 ,lady ,cowper having just been named ,lady of the ,bedchamber to the ,princess of ,wales4 ,now the ,king1 although he had long looked forward to the possession of the ,english ,crown1 had never given himself the trouble to learn ,english1 while ,cowper had neither ,french nor ,german1--a circumstance which was productive of some difficulties in the new ,parliament4 ,the ,king's ignorance and natural awkwardness were all the more distasteful to those who had been accustomed 7we quote ,lord ,campbell's words7 #8to the late ,queen's graceful delivery1 scarcely excelled by what we ourselves so warmly admire4' ,but could the voice of the last ,queen-,regnant1 though #8it charmed all ears1' rival for one moment those tones--to be heard1 alas6 so seldom now--which used to ring1 clear and distinct as a silver bell1 from one end of the ,house to the other1 where the loud overstrained accents of angry men are so often inaudible8 ,in #agae the ,lord ,chancellor acted as ,high ,steward on the trial of the ,jacobite ,lords1 #8much1' says ,lady ,cowper1 #8to my husband's vexation and mine4' ,lord ,winton1 one of the prisoners1 tried the ,lord ,steward's patience so sorely by frivolous delays and impediments to the despatch of business1 that ,cowper1 forgetting his usual equanimity1 answered with some harshness1 upon which ,winton cried out1 #8,i hope1 my ,lords1 we are not to have what in my country is called ,cowper ,justice2 that is1 hang a man first1 and try him afterwards4' ,the ,lord ,steward was too dignified to vouchsafe an answer1 but the sally caused some unseemly merriment in ,court1 and the saying #8,cowper ,justice' was often quoted in after days by his enemies4 ,he presided on several ,state trials1 that of the ex-,minister ,harley1 ,earl of ,oxford1 and others4 ,about this period of his career a charge was brought against him of unfairness in the appointment and dismissal of magistrates1 but his faithful secretary and expounder1 ,mary ,cowper1 came once more to his aid by translating his vindication for the ,king's perusal4 ,he writes to her on the subject-- #8,my dear1 here is the postscript which ,i hope may soon be turned into ,french4 ,i am glad to hear that you are well1 which upon tryall ,i find myself too4 ,dear ,rogue1 yours ever and always4' ,the proceedings were stopped1 but the days of ,cowper's public life were numbered4 ,many intrigues had been at work among his political opponents1 to induce1 worry1 or persuade the ,lord ,chancellor to vacate the ,woolsack1 but his wife's diary lets us completely behind the scenes4 ,she says1 #8,my ,lord fell ill again1 which occasioned a report that he was about to resign2 some said he had not health to keep in1 others that the ,lords of the ,cabinet ,council were jealous of his great reputation1 which was true1 for they had resolved to put ,chief-,justice ,parkes in his place4' ,the lady goes on to say that her #8disputes and arguments were the chief reason of his staying in1' and how she #8took three weeks to prevail on her ,lord to remain4' ,but the friendship that existed between the ,prince and ,princess of ,wales and ,lord and ,lady ,cowper was very disadvantageous to the latter pair1 as regarded the favour of the ,sovereign1 for at this juncture the ,royal father and son were at daggers drawn1 so that it was difficult for any one to keep friends with both sides4 ,doubtless worry and perplexity of all kinds tended to increase the indisposition of the ,lord ,chancellor1 for his wife now gave up all idea of pressing him to remain in office4 ,she told him #8that if it were any pleasure to him she would retire into the country1 and never repent the greatest sacrifice she could make4' ,and unquestionably it appeared that it would have been a sacrifice1 for ,mary ,cowper was eminently fitted for a ,court life1 although her patience and forbearance were often sorely tried1 as we gather from her diary4 ,it is almost impossible to avoid occasional repetition1 as the notices of husband and wife are naturally interwoven1 though we have endeavoured to disentangle them4 ,the ,chancellor was beset with importunities to exchange his post for that of ,president of the ,council4 ,he replied he would resign if they found a better man to fill his place1 but he would never change the duties of which he could acquit himself with honour for such as he could not perform at all--a resolution we strongly recommend to the consideration of more modern statesmen4 ,lady ,cowper's ,diary4--#8,the ,prince says1 there is no one in whom he has any confidence but my husband1 and the ,king says ,lord ,cowper and the ,duke of ,devonshire are the only two men he has found trustworthy in the kingdom6' ,but for all that1 there seems little doubt that his ,majesty1 to whose ear birds of the air carried every matter1 was not best pleased with the constant allusions made in conversation between the ,prince of ,wales and the ,lord ,chancellor to a future time1 and all that was then to be done1 when another head would wear the crown4 ,lord ,cowper1 writing to his wife from ,hertfordshire1 excuses himself for not attending ,court1 #8as my vacations are so short1 and the children require the presence of one parent at least2 your sister is prudent1 but they do not stand in awe of her1 and there was no living till the birch was planted in my room4'--,september #agaf4 ,the opposition which ,lord ,cowper offered to a proposed ,bill1 the passing of which would have made the ,prince dependent on his father for income1 put the finishing touch to his unpopularity with ,george ,i41 although the ,lord ,chancellor wrote a letter 7in ,latin1 the only language they understood in common7 to his ,majesty1 to explain his views4 ,on the #aeth ,april #agah1 ,lord ,cowper resigned the ,great ,seal at the same time that he kissed hands on his elevation to an earldom4 ,we cannot resist inserting in this place a tribute which was paid the ,minister1 though it was not published till after his death3 #8,his resignation was a great grief to the well affected1 and to dispassionate men of both parties1 who knew that by his wisdom and moderation he had gained abundance of friends for the ,king2 brought the clergy into better temper1 and hindered hot1 over-zealous spirits from running things into dangerous extremes4' ,this1 be it remembered1 was written of one who had gone to his account1 of no living patron who could benefit the writer4 ,he now retired to his house at ,cole ,green1 and busied himself in improving and beautifying his gardens and pleasure-grounds4 ,here he received many congratulations on being 7as a protg of his1 one ,hughes1 a poet1 expresses it7 #8eased of the fatigue and burthen of office4' ,but1 though ,lord ,cowper had felt the strife and contention of parties to be most irksome1 yet he was so accustomed to official life1 that he continued to take a deep interest in all the measures that were brought before the country4 ,he strenuously supported the ,test and ,corporation ,acts1 and as vigorously opposed ,lord ,sunderland's famous ,peerage ,bill1 which proposed that the existing number of ,english ,peers should never be increased1 with exception in favour of ,princes of the blood-royal1 that for every extinction there should be a new creation2 and1 instead of sixteen elective ,scotch ,peers1 the ,king should name twenty-five to be hereditary4 ,a glance at the works of ,sir ,bernard ,burke1 ,ulster ,king-at-,arms1 and his collaborateurs1 will be the best proof that ,sunderland's ,bill was thrown out4 ,amongst those who were the most violent in the denunciation of this measure1 were the wives and daughters of members in the ,house of ,commons1 who were supposed to have been instrumental 7as we may believe from more recent experience7 in influencing the votes of their relatives4 ,we mention this circumstance as bearing in some degree on our subject4 ,in the beginning of #agbb an incident occurred which was differently construed by the admirers and detractors of the ex-,chancellor4 ,on the #c;d ,february1 the ,house of ,lords having assembled1 the absence of the reigning ,lord ,chancellor1 as likewise that of the ,lord ,chief-,justice1 was remarked1 and much difficulty arose as to the proceeding of the ,house4 ,lord ,cowper1 most indignant at the defalcation of his successor1 moved that the ,duke of ,somerset1 the peer of highest rank present1 should occupy the ,woolsack1 and1 on his refusal1 further proposed that course to the ,duke of ,kingston and ,lord ,lechmere2 but the discussion was put an end to by the arrival of the ,chancellor1 in most undignified and hot haste1 full of excuses of having been detained by his ,majesty1 and of apologies to their ,lordships for having kept them waiting4 ,lord ,cowper1 and several of his way of thinking1 were not so easily appeased1 and one of them moved that the ,house1 to show its indignation1 should adjourn till ,monday next without transacting any further business4 ,the motion was negatived1 but ,lord ,cowper and his friends signed a protest1 which went to say1 that the excuses which had been alleged seemed inadequate to justify the indignity offered to the ,house1--#8undoubtedly the greatest council in the kingdom1 to which all other councils should give way1 and therefore no other business ought to have detained the ,chancellor1' etc42 #8also1 we venture to say1 the dignity of this ,house has not of late years been increasing1 so we are unwilling that anything that we consider to be a gross neglect of it should pass without some note on our records4' ,we cannot help alluding to this curious circumstance1 as it bears so strongly on the state of party feeling at the time1 and of ,lord ,cowper's individual feelings in particular4 ,the exiled ,royal family had on several occasions applied to him for his support and assistance1 and1 although he had treated the communications with neglect and refusal1 yet his enemies were industrious in setting rumours abroad prejudicial to the ex-,chancellor's loyalty to the house of ,hanover4 ,layer 7afterwards executed for conspiracy7 had brought in his name when examined before a ,committee of the ,house of ,commons1 which was1 for the most part1 only too ready to listen to any slander against the ex-,minister4 ,lord ,cowper entered a protest in the ,parliamentary ,journal1 that the charges brought against him in this matter were false1 #8upon his honour1' the usual oath of a ,peer4 ,he manfully opposed the ,bill for the banishment of ,bishop ,atterbury1 who was voted guilty of high treason without a hearing4 #8,the alleged culprit1' he says1 #8stands at your bar1 and has never attempted to fly from justice4 ,if there be legal evidence against him1 let him be legally convicted2 without legal evidence he must be wrongly condemned4' ,after much more in the same forcible strain1 he continues1 #8,i can guess at no other advantage that the ,church can derive from this ,bill1 except that it will cause a vacancy in the ,deanery of ,westminster and the ,see of ,rochester4' ,lord ,campbell quotes a saying of ,lord ,bathurst on the same debate1 which is worth recording4 ,he #8could not account for the inveterate malice which some people bore to the learned and ingenious ,bishop1 unless possessed of the infatuation of the wild ,indians1 who believe they will not only inherit the spoils but also the abilities of the enemy they kill4' ,but1 in spite of eloquence and sarcasm1 ,bishop ,atterbury was banished4 ,cowper's last public act was to vote against ,sir ,robert ,walpole's ,bill for the imposition of a heavy tax on the estates of the ,roman ,catholics4 ,this proposed injustice he strenuously opposed1 one of his chief arguments being as follows3 #8,i beg your ,lordships to reflect if you are not yourselves injuring the ,protestant cause1 for ,protestants might have severe hardships inflicted on them abroad1 by reason of our persecution of ,roman ,catholics at home4' ,the remainder of his life was passed between ,cole ,green and ,london4 ,as we have before observed1 he superintended the management of his estate1 presided over the education of his children1 and enjoyed the society of his friends2 but his letters go to prove that the interest he still took in public affairs preponderated over that he felt in the pursuits of a country life4 ,he was too often deprived of the consolation of his wife's presence in his ,hertfordshire home1 in consequence of her close attendance on the ,princess of ,wales4 ,he writes to her most affectionately1 and gives her excellent advice1 such as1 #8,if you discern that any at your ,court are sowing seeds that will raise strife1 ,i hope you will do your best to root #8em out2 and when you have so done your duty1 you will have more reason to be unconcerned at the event1 if it should be unfortunate4 ,though1 when you have done so well1 ,i would not have you so much as hope that there are not some who will represent you as an intolerable mischief-maker4 ,i thank you for your endearing and1 ,i depend1 very sincere expressions2 but1 considering all things1 ,i think it is but reasonable that you should find something more satisfactory in a ,court than you can in the home of a retired ,minister--who1 you know1 is always a peevish creature--and so solitary a place4 ,the ,attorney-,general puts me in mind of the choice by which they generally try idiots3 it is to see if they will choose an apple before a piece of gold4 ,it is cruel to tantalise a poor country man with the life of state and pleasure you describe4 ,i could be content as ,i am if ,i did not hear of such fine doings4' ,he thinks the best way1 #8since we neither beat nor fine our servants1 is to make them so content that they will fear being turned away4 ,john's drunkenness seems a tertian1 having one sober day between two drunken ones4 ,on ,friday it proved quotidian4' ,he finds #8the country pleasant1' but it dulls him1 and he takes an aversion to all but the little ones of the place4 ,the last letter he ever wrote to his wife was dated from ,london1 she being at ,cole ,green1 one week before his death--the fine handwriting1 much impaired4 ,he complains to his dearest ,mary1 #8that man and wife cannot correspond with innocent and proper freedom1 without its being a diversion to a third person1' and he signs himself1 after promising to be with her soon1 #8yours with perfect affection4' ,he returned home on the day appointed1 but he had caught cold on his journey thither1 and was seized with an alarming illness4 ,happily his wife was by his bedside to minister to his necessities1 with all the tenderness of devoted affection2 his children1 too1 whom he so much loved1 were with him4 ,when told that he had not long to live1 ,lord ,cowper listened calmly1 and his death was composed and peaceful4 ,he was buried in the parish church of ,hertingfordbury1 but no tablet marks the last resting-place of ,william1 ,earl ,cowper1 first ,lord ,chancellor of ,great ,britain4 ,lord ,campbell1 in the interesting ,life from which we have so largely quoted1 speaks of those who praised him and those who maligned him4 ,swift1 who had no call to be severe in matters of morality1 and his friend ,mrs4 ,manley1 had been very instrumental in promulgating the slander respecting a clandestine marriage between ,cowper and the young lady of whom he was guardian1--a charge which was so often repeated that it gained credit among some of his political enemies1 at least1 who gave him the nickname of #8,will ,bigamy4' ,the great ,voltaire1 in his ,philosophical ,dictionary1 does not disdain to assure his readers that the ,english ,lord ,chancellor not only practised1 but wrote a pamphlet in favour of1 polygamy6 #8,il est public en ,angleterre1 et on voudroit le nier en vain1 que le ,chancellier ,cowper1 pousa deux femmes1 qui vcurent ensemble dans sa maison1 avec une concorde singulire1 qui fit honneur tous les trois4' ,this was one of the observations made by the great ,french philosopher1 when he was so obliging as to come over for the purpose of studying our manners and customs2 but ,lord ,cowper was rich in panegyrists both in prose and verse--the latter effusions1 to our taste1 too stilted and artificial1 for the most part1 to be worthy of insertion2 but a passage from a paper in the ,spectator is a graceful and characteristic tribute to his many gifts3-- #8,it is ,lord ,cowper's good fortune ever to please and to be pleased2 wherever he comes1 to be admired1 or is absent1 to be lamented4 ,his merit fares like the pictures of ,raphael1 which are seen with admiration1 or at least no one dare own he has no taste for a composition which has received so universal an applause4 ,it is below him to catch the sight by any care of dress2 he is always the principal figure in the room4 ,he first engages your sight1 as if there were stronger light #8upon him than on any other person4 ,nothing can equal the pleasure of hearing him speak but the satisfaction one receives in the civility and attention he pays to the discourse of others4' ,so far the ,spectator3 his character1 drawn in the ,historical ,register1 speaks in the most glowing terms of his eminence as a lawyer1 civilian1 and statesman1 and winds up with these words3 #8a manly and flowing eloquence1 a clear1 sonorous voice1 a gracious aspect1 and an easy address2 in a word1 all that is necessary to form a complete orator4' ,the ,duke ,wharton1 speaking of him in his official capacity1 says1 #8,he had scarcely presided in that high station for one year before the scales became even1 with the universal approbation of both parties4' ,lord ,chesterfield1 although there was a little sting mixed with the praise1 records #8his purity of style1 his charm of elocution1 and gracefulness of action4 ,the ears and eyes gave him up the hearts and understandings of his audience4' ,we would merely add that if to any reader of these pages such praise should appear in any way exaggerated1 we must remind them they were all written after there was no more to be hoped from the gratified vanity of ,lord ,cowper4 ,his trust and humility as a ,christian are testified by an entry in his ,diary1 on his appointment as ,lord ,keeper3 #8,during these great honours done me1 ,i often reflected on the uncertainty of them1 and even of life itself4 ,i searched my heart1 and found no pride and self-conceit in it2 and ,i begged ,god that ,he would preserve my mind from relying on the transient vanity of the world1 and teach me to depend only on ,his providence1 that ,i should not be lifted up by present success1 or dejected when the reverse should happen4 ,and verily1 ,i believe1 ,i was helped by ,his ,holy ,spirit4' ,when the reverse did come1 he added1 #8,glory be to ,god1 who has sustained me in adversity1 and carried me through the malice of my enemies1 so that all designed for my hurt turned to my advantage4' ,it is evident that ,lord ,cowper1 although he loved the exercise of those public offices for which he was so well fitted1 knew how to retire into private life with dignity and composure4 ,one short anecdote1 and we have done4 ,it so happened that ,richard ,cromwell1 in his old age1 had to undergo an examination in ,westminster ,hall1 at a moment when the name of the ex-,protector's family was execrated through the kingdom4 ,the ,lord ,chancellor treated the fallen dignitary with more than common respect1 and courteously ordered a chair to be placed for him1--treatment which contrasted with that experienced by ,richard when driven from the door of the ,house of ,lords with insults as one of the common mob1 exclaiming as he went1 #8,the last time ,i was here ,i sat upon the throne6' ,lord ,cowper had gained the good fortune he deserved2 he built a house at ,cole ,green1 and made a collection of pictures which forms part of the splendid gallery now at ,panshanger4 ,his ,london houses were situated in ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1 and ,great ,george ,street4 ,he had also a lodging at ,kensington1--#8the roads about that distant spot being1' we are assured1 #8so secure1 that there was no danger in travelling thence to ,london at night4' ------------------ ,no4 #ab4 ,,william1 ,,second ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,blue coat4 ,red waistcoat4 ,,born #agji1 ,,died #agfd4 ,,married in #agcb ,lady ,henrietta1 daughter and co-heir of ,henry de ,nassau d',auverquerque 7,overkirche71 ,earl of ,grantham4 ,she was the sole surviving descendant of the legitimised offspring of ,maurice1 ,prince of ,orange1 ,stadtholder4 ,in #agcc ,earl ,cowper was appointed ,lord of the ,bedchamber1 a post he afterwards resigned2 subsequently ,lord ,lieutenant1 and ,custos ,rotulorum of the county of ,hertford4 ,he assumed the prefix of ,clavering to that of ,cowper1 in pursuance of his uncle's will4 ,by his first wife ,lord ,cowper had one son1 and one daughter2 by his second wife1 ,caroline ,georgiana1 daughter of the ,earl ,granville1 widow of the ,honourable ,john ,spencer1 he had no children4 ,he was buried at ,hertingfordbury1 and succeeded by his only son4 ------------------ ,no4 #ac4 ,,george1 ,,third ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,red dress4 ,light-coloured cap4 ,,born #agch1 ,,died #aghi4 ,,by ,,raphael ,,mengs 7874 ,,eldest son of the second ,earl ,cowper by ,lady ,henrietta1 youngest daughter and co-heir of ,henry d',auverquerque1 ,earl of ,grantham4 ,king ,george ,,ii41 the ,duke of ,grafton1 and ,princess ,amelia stood in person as sponsors at his baptism4 ,in #aged he came into a large fortune on the death of the aforesaid ,earl of ,grantham1 and in #agei was elected ,m4,p4 for the town of ,hertford4 ,while his father was yet alive1 ,lord ,fordwich 7as he then was7 went on his travels1 and1 arriving at ,florence1 fell in love with that beautiful city1 and with one of its beautiful citizens1 the ,princess ,corsi4 ,the lady was married1 or the young lord would doubtless have carried her to ,england as his wife1 and thus escaped the blame1 cast upon him by ,horace ,walpole1 of disobeying the summons of his dying father in #agfd4 ,so delighted was ,george1 ,lord ,cowper1 with his sojourn in ,florence1 which he had originally visited with the intention of passing a short time there1 that he remained within its charmed walls for upwards of thirty years4 ,he outlived his infatuation for the fair ,florentine1 and married1 in #agge1 ,anna1 daughter of ,charles ,gore1 a gentleman at that time residing in ,florence with his family1 who was said to have been the original of ,goethe's travelled ,englishman in ,wilhelm ,meister4 ,lord ,cowper was most desirous of obtaining permission to add the royal surname of ,nassau to his own patronymic1 on the plea that he was one of the representatives of the ,earl of ,grantham 7an extinct title72 but there were many difficulties in the way1 and while the matter was pending he received a high mark of distinction from the ,emperor of ,austria1 through the instrumentality of his ,imperial ,majesty's brother1 ,peter ,leopold1 ,grand ,duke of ,tuscany1 at whose ,court ,lord and ,lady ,cowper 7but especially the latter7 stood in high favour4 ,this was the grant of a patent to ,lord ,cowper1 which bestowed on him the rank of a ,prince of the ,holy ,roman ,empire4 ,that arch-gossip1 but most amusing letter-writer1 ,horace ,walpole1 in his correspondence with his friend ,sir ,horace ,mann1 ,british ,envoy at ,florence1 takes a most unaccountable interest in the private concerns and aspirations of ,lord ,cowper1 and thus animadverts on the subject of his foreign names and titles3 #8,there is another hitch in the great ,nassau question4 ,the objection is now started1 that he must not bear that name with the title of ,prince4 ,the ,emperor thought he had hit on a clever compromise for his protg1 by giving up the name of ,nassau1 and substituting that of ,auverquerque4 ,but my ,lord's cousins object to that also1 so now he is reduced to plain ,prince ,cowper1 for which honour he has to pay #ejj4' ,again3 #8,i do not think either the ,emperor or ,lord ,cowper knows what he is about4 ,surely an ,english peer1 with substantial dignity in his own country1 is more dignified than a man residing in another country1 and endowed with a nominal principality in a third6' ,again3 #8,i believe both ,emperor and ,prince begin to regret the step4 ,the ,imperial diploma dubs him ,highness1 but he himself will not allow any one to address him in any other way than ,lord ,cowper4' ,it was not very long after their marriage that ,horace ,walpole glances at the report of a possible separation between ,lord and ,lady ,cowper1 but without assigning any reason4 ,there can be little doubt that the union was not a happy one1 for1 whatever other ground of complaint the husband might have had1 ,lady ,cowper was of a quarrelsome and unconciliatory disposition1 and her sister1 who lived with the family at ,florence1 seems1 by all accounts1 to have been far the more amiable of the two4 ,miss ,berry alludes to a visit she paid her compatriots at ,lord ,cowper's house in ,florence1 #8where you have the best of society1 both native and foreign1 and where all the ,english 7in particular7 are desirous of obtaining an introduction4' ,she goes on to describe the house as #8fitted up in a peculiar manner3 one room as a museum1 another as a laboratory1 a third a workshop2 in fact1 too many to enumerate4' ,he was evidently a man of very versatile tastes1 and one who had many irons in the fire at the same moment4 ,in #agha ,horace ,walpole1 alluding to the fact that the three ,cowper boys had been sent over to ,england for their education1 says1 #8,it is astonishing that neither parent nor child can bring your principal ,earl from that specific spot1--but we are a lunatic nation4' ,another letter speaks of a vacant green ribbon1 and the possibility it might be given to ,lord ,cowper1 if he were on the spot2 #8but he won't come4 ,i do allow him a place in the ,tribune at ,florence4 ,an ,english earl1 who has never seen his earldom1 and takes root and has fruit at ,florence1 and is proud of his pinchbeck principality in a third country1 is as great a curiosity as any in the ,tuscan ,collection4' ,lord ,cowper did go to ,england at last1 and ,walpole owns to his going to a concert at ,mrs4 ,cosway's--#8out of curiosity1 not to hear an ,italian singer sing one song1 at the extravagant sum of #aj--the same whom ,i have heard half a dozen times at the opera-house for as many shillings--but to see an ,english earl1 who had passed thirty years at ,florence1 and thought so much of his silly title1 and his order from ,wrtemberg6 ,you know1 he really imagined he was to take precedence of all the ,english dukes1 and now he has tumbled down into a tinsel titularity4 ,i only meant to amuse my eyes1 but ,mr4 ,durens brought the personage up1 and presented us to each other4 ,he answered very well1 to my idea1 for ,i should have taken his ,highness for a ,doge of ,genoa4 ,he has the awkward dignity of a temporary representative of a nominal power4 ,i wonder his ,highness does not desire the ,pope to make one of his sons a bishop in partibus infidelium1 and that ,miss ,anne ,pitt does not request his ,holiness to create her ,principessa ,fossani4' ,it is inconsistent with the character of ,horace ,walpole1 who did not disdain rank or titles1 and who was by no means insensible to the charm of decorations--whether of walls or button-holes--to inveigh so harshly against a dignity which entitles the owner to the privilege1 dear in heraldic eyes1 of bearing his paternal coat on the breast of the ,imperial ,eagle4 ,england could not long detain ,lord ,cowper from the country of his adoption4 ,he returned to ,florence1 where he died in #aghi4 ,the greater part of the ,italian pictures in this beautiful collection was purchased by the third ,lord ,cowper1 who was a true lover of art1 and who was reduced to great difficulties1 on more than one occasion1 in conveying his pictures out of ,florence1 the inhabitants of that city being averse to parting with such treasures4 ,one of the most valuable is said to have been concealed in the lining of his travelling carriage1 when he went to ,england4 ------------------ ,no4 #ad4 ,,george ,,augustus1 ,,fourth ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,peer's ,parliamentary robes4 ,powder4 ,,born #aggf1 ,,died #agii4 ,,by ,,jackson4 ,,born at ,florence1 ,sir ,horace ,mann stood proxy as godfather for the ,king of ,england at the boy's baptism1 and ,sir ,horace ,walpole writes to the ,minister giving him information on some especial points of etiquette to be observed on the occasion4 ,lord ,cowper died suddenly4 ,he was unmarried1 and was succeeded by his brother1 ,peter ,leopold4 ------------------ ,no4 #ae4 ,,peter ,,leopold ,,francis ,,nassau1 ,,fifth ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,in ,peer's ,parliamentary robes ,,born #aggh1 ,,died #ahcg4 ,,by ,,northcote4 ,,he was the second son of the third ,earl1 born at ,florence1 godson to the ,grand ,duke of ,tuscany1 married1 in #ahje1 ,emily1 only daughter of ,peniston ,lamb1 first ,viscount ,melbourne 7afterwards ,viscountess ,palmerston71 by whom he had three sons1--,george1 his successor1 ,william1 and ,spencer1 and two daughters1 the ,countess of ,shaftesbury and ,viscountess ,jocelyn4 ,he succeeded his brother4 ,lord ,campbell1 in his ,lives of the ,chancellors1 concludes his notice of the first ,earl ,cowper with a sincere tribute of admiration to ,peter ,leopold1 the fifth earl3-- #8,he had too much delicacy of sentiment to take a leading part in public life1 but to the most exquisitely pleasing manners he joined a manly understanding and a playful wit4 ,from him ,i received kind and encouraging notice when ,i was poor and obscure2 and his benevolent and exhilarating smile is one of the most delightful images in my memory of pleasures to return no more4' ------------------ ,no4 #af4 ,,john ,,of ,,nassau1 ,,count ,,of ,,nassau ,,siegen2 ,,his ,,wife ,,and ,,family4 ,the ,count and ,countess are seated side by side in a large vestibule2 he is richly dressed1 and wears the collar of the ,golden ,fleece2 a dog at his feet4 ,on the lap of the ,countess lies a small spaniel1 and at her side leans her son1 in a red dress4 ,three daughters1 in different-coloured frocks1 stand together2 the eldest holds a rose4 ,,born #aehc1 ,,died #afch4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,he was surnamed the ,junior1 son of ,count ,john of ,nassau ,siegen by his wife1 ,margaret de ,waldeck4 ,he began public life in the service of the ,archbishop of ,cologne1 and afterwards entered that of the ,united ,provinces1 in which he fought against ,spain4 ,but the ,count considered that he was slighted1 and his merits not duly appreciated by the ,government1 and in disgust he renounced the ,protestant faith in #afji 7or #afac71 at the ,hague1 where he published an explanation of the motives which led him to embrace the tenets of the ,church of ,rome4 ,he moreover transferred his military services to the ,emperor of ,germany1 ,ferdinand ,,ii41 the sworn enemy of the ,protestants1 the adversary of the unfortunate ,king of ,bohemia1 of ,gustavus ,adolphus1 and all the heroes of the ,reformed religion in the early part of the ,thirty ,years' ,war4 ,in #afbj1 when the ,stadtholder1 ,frederic ,henry1 was besieging ,bois-le-,duc1 the ,count of ,nassau ,siegen 7his kinsman7 invaded ,holland at the head of eight or ten thousand men1 and took the town of ,amersfoort4 ,the following year1 in command of a small army1 he encamped in the neighbourhood of ,rynberg1 and did all in his power to prevent his brother ,william from crossing the ,rhine between ,broek and ,orsoy4 ,in this attempt he was defeated1 wounded1 and carried prisoner to ,wesel1 where1 we are told1 his brother frequently visited him during his captivity4 ,when his wounds were cured1 ,count ,john purchased his freedom with the sum of ten thousand rixdollars2 but he narrowly escaped being taken prisoner a second time1 in a naval engagement with the ,spaniards4 ,this was at ,mosselkreek 7the ,creek of ,mussels71 where his vessels were stranded1 and he lost a considerable number of men4 ,the ,dutch on this occasion gave him the derisive title of ,mussulman4 ,in #afcg he made an unsuccessful attempt to surprise ,rynberg2 and in #afch death put an end to his adventurous1 but by no means blameless1 career4 ,it is impossible to look on ,vandyck's splendid picture without experiencing a feeling of profound regret that a brave and able soldier1 a man of so imposing a presence1 and so noble a bearing1 should have renounced the faith for which numerous members of his family had fought and bled1 and drawn his sword against his native land in the service of an alien sovereign4 ,the proud order of the ,golden ,fleece which hangs round his neck seems but a poor distinction when we remember the circumstances by which it was obtained4 ,in #afah he had married ,ernestine1 daughter of ,lamoral1 ,prince de ,ligne1 by whom he had one son and three daughters3-- ,john ,francis ,desideratus1 ,prince of ,nassau ,siegen1 ,knight of the ,golden ,fleece1 and ,spanish ,governor of ,guelderland in #afhh4 ,he had three wives3 first1 ,johanna ,claudia1 daughter of ,john1 ,count of ,kningseck1 who died in #affd2 second1 ,eleanor ,sophia1 daughter of ,hermann ,fortunatus1 ,margrave of ,baden1 who died in #affh2 third1 ,isabella ,clara ,eugenia de la ,serre1 alias de ,montant1 #8a noble lady4' ,she died in #agad4 ,prince ,john of ,nassau ,siegen had eleven children4 ,he died in #afij4 ,the three daughters represented in this family group were-- #a4 ,ernestine1 married to the ,prince ,maurice ,henry1 ,hadawar4 #b4 ,clara ,mary1 married first ,albert ,henry1 ,prince de ,ligne1 and afterwards ,claudius ,lamoral1 his brother4 #c4 ,lamberta ,alberta1 who died unmarried4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,ante-,,library4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,ante-,,library4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,admiral ,,de ,,ruyter4 ,in armour1 holding a truncheon4 ,the other arm akimbo4 ,curtain4 ,,born #afjg1 ,,died #afgf4 ,,born at ,flushing1 of which town his father was a burgher4 ,as a mere child ,michael de ,ruyter was determined to be a sailor1 and gained the paternal consent that he should go to sea as cabin-boy when only eleven years of age4 ,he rose quickly in his profession1 was made a pilot when still very young for the post1 and passed through the intermediate grades1 till he gained the command of a vessel4 ,in #afce he made several campaigns in the ,east ,indies1 and in #afde was sent as ,vice-,admiral in command of a ,dutch fleet to assist the ,portuguese against the ,spaniards4 ,after two years' retirement from service1 ,de ,ruyter engaged the ,algerine corsairs off ,sarley1 and gained a complete victory4 ,the ,moors1 who were spectators of the conflict1 insisted on his entering the town in triumph1 on a richly caparisoned horse1 followed by a long retinue1 including many of the captive pirates4 ,these #8plagues of the ocean1' as they were justly termed1 continued to give ,de ,ruyter much annoyance1 but he was usually successful in his encounters with them1 and in one fierce combat he seized and hanged one of the most notoriously cruel and rapacious of these #8buccaneer sea-dogs4' ,in #afei he was sent1 by order of the ,states-,general1 to the assistance of ,denmark against ,sweden1 an enterprise in which he distinguished himself greatly1 and gained the gratitude of the ,king of ,denmark1 who complimented him highly1 and granted him a pension4 ,on his return home ,de ,ruyter was received with great honour1 and promoted4 ,he then proceeded to the coast of ,africa1 to look after some ,dutch colonies1 of which ,england had taken possession4 ,england and the ,united ,provinces were now in constant collision1 and the ,dutch ,admiral found a noble and well-matched foe in the gallant commander ,prince ,rupert1 soldier1 sailor1 and artist4 ,de ,ruyter was afterwards joined in command with ,van ,tromp1 a worthy colleague1 but of no friendly spirit4 ,during the time that negotiations were pending for peace with ,england1 at ,breda1 ,de ,ruyter resolved1 so to speak1 to hasten his opportunities2 he therefore bore down on ,sheerness1 burned all the available shipping1 and1 continuing his work of destruction up the river ,thames1 approached too near ,london to be agreeable to the more peaceable portion of the citizens4 ,in #afga he had sole command of his country's fleet1 against the combined forces of ,england 7under the ,duke of ,york7 and ,france 7under the ,comte ,d',estres71 and it is but just to record that he was frequently successful1 but invariably brave4 ,indeed1 the ,french ,admiral wrote to ,colbert1 the ,minister1 at home1 #8,i would lay down my life for the glory that ,de ,ruyter has gained4' ,in #afge the ,spaniards had recourse to their old enemies1 the ,dutch1 to ask assistance for the inhabitants of ,messina1 against the ,french1 and ,de ,ruyter was despatched to ,sicily for that purpose4 ,a terrible sea-fight ensued1 the ,french being commanded by ,duquesne1 a brave and efficient officer2 many vessels were sunk and destroyed on both sides1 and the carnage was terrible4 ,at the commencement of the action the gallant ,de ,ruyter had his left foot carried away1 and a few moments afterwards his right leg was shattered by a shell4 ,writhing with pain1 and covered with blood1 the brave sailor remained on deck1 and issued his orders1 even to the bitter end of the battle4 ,it was only when he became aware that five of his vessels1 including his own1 were about to fall into the hands of the enemy1 that he could be prevailed upon to give the word for retreat4 ,favoured by the approaching darkness1 he made the port of ,syracuse1 and in that town he died of his wounds4 ,his heart was carried to ,amsterdam1 where the ,states-,general caused a noble mausoleum to be erected to the memory of this brave and patriotic commander4 ,his name is still venerated in his native country4 ,the ,king of ,spain sent ,de ,ruyter the title of ,duke1 but the patent did not arrive till after his death1 and his children wisely refrained from pressing any claim to rank1 which would have been incongruous in a ,republic2 and they were more proud of their father's simple name than of any foreign and alien dignity4 ,louis ,,xiv4 expressed his regret for the death of this brave commander in public1 and when reminded that he had lost a dangerous enemy1 he replied generously1 #8,i always mourn the death of a great and brave man4' ,a medal was struck in honour of ,admiral de ,ruyter1 and the following distich was written on his name3-- #8,terruit ,hispanos ,ruyter1 ter terruit ,anglos1 ,ter ruit ,gallos1 territus ipse ruit4' ,it will not be necessary that the reader should be a scholar to enable her to perceive the anagrammatic and punning nature of these lines1 but we subjoin a very ingenious rendering of the same1 done into ,english by a friend in what he terms #8a free-and-easy translation'-- #8,ruyter thrice the ,spaniards routed1 ,daunted thrice the ,british foe1 ,thrice o'ercame the ,gallic squadrons1 ,struck his flag1 and went below4' ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,william1 ,,prince ,,of ,,orange1 ,,afterwards ,,william ,,iii4 ,,of ,,england4 ,in armour4 ,his hand resting on a black and white dog4 ,helmet lying on the table4 ,,died #agjb4 ,,by ,,wissing4 ,,he was the son of ,william of ,nassau1 ,prince of ,orange 7and grandson of ,henry ,frederic1 the ,stadtholder71 by ,princess ,mary1 daughter of ,charles ,i4 of ,england4 ,he married1 in #afgg1 ,mary1 daughter of ,james ,,ii41 and in #afhh came over to ,england1 and ascended the throne as ,king ,consort4 ,he left no children4 ------------------ ,no4#c4 ,,anthony ,,ashley ,,cooper1 ,,first ,,earl ,,of ,,shaftesbury4 ,fawn-coloured ,chancellor's robes4 ,wig4 ,sitting in an arm-chair4 ,,born #afba1 ,,died #afhc4 ,,by ,,greenhill4 ,,son of ,sir ,john ,cooper of ,rockbourne1 county ,hants1 by ,anne1 daughter and sole heir of ,sir ,anthony ,ashley1 ,bart41 of ,wimborne ,st4 ,giles1 county ,dorset1 where the future ,chancellor was born4 ,in his ,autobiography he describes his mother of #8low stature1' as was also the aforesaid ,sir ,anthony1 #8a large mind1 but his person of the lowest1' while his own father was #8lovely and graceful in mind and person1 neither too high nor too low1' therefore the pigmy body of which ,dryden speaks must have been inherited from the maternal side4 ,sir ,anthony was delighted with his grandson2 and although at the time of the infant's birth the septuagenarian was on the point of espousing a young wife1 his affection was in nowise diminished for his daughter1 or her boy4 ,lady ,cooper and her father died within six months of each other4 ,sir ,john married again1 a daughter of ,sir ,charles ,morrison1 of ,cassiobury1 county ,herts1 by whom he had several children4 ,he died in #afca1 leaving the little ,anthony bereft of both parents1 with large but much-encumbered estates1 and lawsuits pending4 ,many of his own relations being most inimical to his interests1 ,anthony went with his brother and sister to reside with ,sir ,daniel ,norton1 one of his trustees1 who--we once more quote the ,autobiography--#8took me to ,london1 thinking my presence might work some compassion on those who ought to have been my friends4' ,he refers to the suit in which they were now engaged4 ,the boy must have had a winning way with him 7as the old saying goes71 for1 when only thirteen1 he went of his own accord to ,noy1 the ,solicitor-,general1 and entreated his assistance as the friend of his grandfather4 ,noy was deeply touched1 took up the case warmly1 and gained one suit in the ,court of ,wards1 stoutly refusing to take any fee whatever4 ,after ,sir ,daniel ,norton's death1 ,anthony went to live with an uncle1 ,mr4 ,tooker1 near ,salisbury1 though it was supposed ,lady ,norton would gladly have kept him under her roof1 with a view to a match with one of her daughters4 ,he says himself3 #8,had it not been for the state of my litigious fortune1 the young lady's sweet disposition had made me look no farther for a wife4' ,in #afcg he went to ,exeter ,college1 ,oxford1 where he #8made such rapid strides in learning as to be accounted the most prodigious youth in the whole ,university4' ,by his own showing1 he was popular with his companions and well satisfied with himself1--indeed1 a general spirit of self-complacency pervades these pages4 ,in little more than a year he went to ,lincoln's ,inn1 where he appears to have found the theatres1 fencing galleries1 and the like1 more to his taste than the study of the law4 ,an astrologer who was in old ,sir ,anthony's house at the time of the grandson's birth cast the horoscope1 and to the fulfilment of these predictions may probably be attributed young ,anthony's own predilection for the study of astrology in later days4 ,the horoscope in question foreboded feuds and trouble at an early age2 and some years afterwards the same magician1 foreseeing through the medium of the planets that a certain ,miss ,roberts 7a neighbour without any apparent prospect of wealth7 would become a great heiress1 he endeavoured to persuade his pupil to marry her4 ,the lady did eventually come into a considerable fortune2 but ,mr4 ,tooker1 who was not over-credulous1 had other views at the time for his nephew2 and accordingly1 at eighteen1 ,ashley ,cooper became the husband of ,margaret1 the daughter of my ,lord ,keeper ,coventry1 #8a woman of excellent beauty and incomparable gifts4' ,the young couple resided with the bride's father in ,london1 ,sir ,anthony1 as he now was1 paying flying visits to ,dorsetshire4 ,he was subject to fits1 but even this infirmity redounded to his advantage1 according to his own version2 how that being in ,gloucestershire on one occasion1 and taken suddenly ill1 #8the women admired his courage and patience under suffering1' and he contrived to ingratiate himself with the electors of ,tewkesbury to some purpose4 ,he gives us an amusing and characteristic description of how he won the favour of the electors and bailiffs of this town by his conduct at a public dinner1 where he and a certain ,sir ,henry ,spiller were guests1 and sat opposite each other4 ,the knight1 a crafty1 perverse1 rich man1 a ,privy ,councillor1 had rendered himself very obnoxious in the hunting-field1 and1 at the banquet aforementioned1 began the dinner with all the affronts and dislikes he could possibly put on the bailiffs and their entertainment1 which enraged and disgusted them1 and this rough raillery he continued4 #8,at length ,i thought it my duty to defend the cause of those whose bread ,i was eating1 which ,i did with so good success1 sparing not the bitterest retorts1 that ,i had a complete victory4 ,this gained the townsmen's hearts1 and their wives' to boot4 ,i was made free of the town1 and at the next ,parliament 7though absent at the time71 was chosen burgess by an unanimous vote1 and that without a penny charge4' ,sir ,anthony had strange humours3 he loved a frolic dearly4 ,he had a confidential servant who resembled him so much that1 when dressed in his master's left-offs1 the lackey was often mistaken for his better4 ,this worthy was a clever man-milliner1 and had many small accomplishments which made him popular in country houses1 and his master confesses that he often listened to the valet's gossip1 and made use of it1 in the exercise of palmistry and fortune-telling1 which produced great jollity1 and #8of which ,i did not make so bad a use as many would have done4' ,with this account he finishes the record of his youth4 ,a time of business followed1 #8and the rest of my life is not without great mixture of public concerns1 and intermingled with the history of the times4' ,sir ,anthony sat for ,tewkesbury in #afci1 but that ,parliament was hastily dissolved4 ,he raised a regiment of horse for the ,king's service1 and occupied places of trust in his own county2 but1 believing himself unjustly treated and slighted by the ,court1 he listened to the overtures of the ,parliament1 and returned to ,dorsetshire as colonel of a regiment in their army4 ,in #afdi he lost the wife he dearly loved1 to whose memory he pays a most touching tribute in his ,diary4 ,but she left no living child1 and before the expiration of the year the widower had espoused ,lady ,frances ,cecil1 daughter of the ,earl of ,exeter1 a ,royalist4 ,the friendship of the ,protector and ,sir ,anthony was of a most fitful and spasmodic nature1--now fast allies1 now at daggers drawn4 ,some writers affirm that1 on the death of his second wife1 he asked the hand of one of ,cromwell's daughters2 others1 that he advised the ,protector to assume the ,crown1 who offered it to him in turn6 ,he held many appointments under the reigning ,government1 and continued to sit in ,parliament2 but having1 with many other ,members1 withstood the encroachments of the great man1 ,oliver endeavoured to prevent his return1 and1 not being able to do so1 forbade him to enter the ,house of ,commons4 7,see the history of the times47 ,the ,members1 with ,ashley ,cooper at their head1 insisted on re-admittance4 ,again ousted1 again admitted2 nothing but quarrels and reconciliations4 ,the fact was1 that ,sir ,anthony was too great a card to lose hold of entirely4 ,he had still a commission in the ,parliamentary army1 and a seat at the ,privy ,council1 circumstances that in nowise prevented him carrying on a correspondence with the ,king #8over the water4' ,indeed1 he was accused of levying men for the ,royal service2 arrested1 acquitted2 sat again in ,parliament under ,richard ,cromwell1 joined the ,presbyterian party to bring back ,charles1 and when the ,parliament declared for the ,king1 ,sir ,anthony was one of the twelve ,members sent over to ,breda to invite his return4 ,while in ,holland1 ,ashley ,cooper had a fall from his carriage1 and a narrow escape of being killed4 ,clarendon 7there was no love lost between them7 says it was hoped that by his alliance 7as his third wife7 with a daughter of ,lord ,spencer of ,wormleighton1 a niece of the ,earl of ,southampton1 #8his slippery humour would be restrained by his uncle4' ,he now took a leading part in politics1 was appointed one of the ,judges of the ,regicides1 created ,baron ,ashley at the ,coronation1 and afterwards became ,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 ,under-,treasurer1 and further high offices1 and in #afgb ,lord ,cooper of ,pawlett1 county ,somerset1 and ,earl of ,shaftesbury2 and so quickly did honours rain on him1 that the same year saw him ,lord ,high ,chancellor of ,england4 ,he appears to have given great umbrage to many of the law officers by his haughty bearing4 ,we are told #8he was the gloriousest man alive2 he said he would teach the bar that a man of sense was above all their forms2 and that he was impatient to show them he was a superior judge to all who had ever sat before on the marble chair4' ,he maddened the gentlemen of the long robe by his vagaries and innovations1 and defiance of precedents4 ,he wore an ash-coloured gown instead of the regulation black1 assigning as his reason that black was distinctive of the barrister-at-law1 and he had never been called to the bar4 ,he went to keep ,hilary term #8on a horse richly caparisoned1 his grooms walking beside him1' all his officers ordered to ride on horseback1 #8as in the olden time4' ,no doubt the good ,dorsetshire country gentleman1 the lover of sport and of horse-flesh1 who had been accused of regaling his four-footed favourites on wine and cheese-cakes1 had a mischievous pleasure in seeing the uneasy and scared looks of his worshipful brethren1 some of whom perhaps had never sat on a saddle till that day4 ,at all events1 poor ,judge ,twisden was laid in the dust1 and he swore roundly no ,lord ,chancellor should ever reduce him to such a plight again4 ,shaftesbury lived at this time in great pomp at ,exeter ,house1 in the ,strand1 and was in high favour with his ,royal master1 who visited him at ,wimborne ,st4 ,giles during the ,plague1 when the ,court was at ,salisbury4 ,at ,oxford1 when ,parliament sat1 he made acquaintance with the celebrated ,john ,locke1 who afterwards became an inmate of his patron's house1 his tried friend1 and medical adviser4 ,the situations of public employment which ,shaftesbury obtained for this eminent man were1 unfortunately1 in the end1 the source of difficulty and distress rather than advantage4 ,the history of the ,cabal1 of which he was the mainspring1 and of which he formed the fourth letter 7,clifford1 ,arlington1 ,buckingham1 ,ashley1 ,lauderdale71 would suffice for his biography during the five years of its life4 ,but it must never be forgotten that to ,shaftesbury ,england owes the passing of the ,habeas ,corpus ,bill1 as likewise one for making judges independent of the ,crown4 ,the reader must seek elsewhere1 and elect for himself1 whether ,shaftesbury was or was not guilty of all the plots and conspiracies against ,king and country of which he has been accused4 ,to the ,duke of ,york he made himself most obnoxious4 ,he was instrumental in establishing the ,test ,act1 which made ,roman ,catholics ineligible for public offices2 he was1 moreover1 the champion of the ,exclusion ,bill1 and opposed ,james's marriage with ,mary of ,modena2 and there is little doubt that the ,duke did all to undermine ,shaftesbury's favour with the ,king4 ,there was always an element of humour mixed up with his doings1 even when fortune frowned on him4 ,finding that the ,king meant to unseat him from the ,woolsack1 and that his successor was already named1 he sought the ,royal presence4 ,the ,king was about to proceed to chapel4 ,the fallen favourite told ,charles he knew what his ,majesty's intentions were1 but he trusted he was not to be dismissed with contempt4 #8,cod's fish1 my lord1' replied the easy-going monarch1 #8,i will not do it with any circumstances that may look like a slight1' upon which the ex-,minister asked permission to carry the ,great ,seals of ,office for the last time before the ,king into chapel1 and then to his own house till the evening4 ,granted permission1 ,shaftesbury1 with a smiling countenance1 entered the sacred building1 and spoiled the devotions of all his enemies1 during that service at least4 ,lord ,keeper ,finch1 who was to succeed him1 was at his wit's end1 believing ,shaftesbury reinstated1 and all 7and there were many7 who wished his downfall were in despair4 ,the whole account is most amusing and characteristic1 including the manner in which the ,seals were actually resigned1 but we have not space to say more4 ,shaftesbury was indeed now #8out of suits with fortune4' ,in #afgg he1 with other noblemen1 was committed to the ,tower for contempt of the authority of ,parliament1 and although other prisoners were soon liberated1 he was kept in confinement thirteen months4 ,on regaining his freedom he was made ,lord ,president of the ,council1 but1 opposing the ,duke of ,york's succession1 was dismissed from that post in a few months4 ,in #afha he was again apprehended1 on false testimony1 and once more sent to the ,tower on charge of treason1 and that without a trial4 ,his papers were searched1 but nothing could be found against him except one document1 #8neither writ nor signed by his hand4' ,the jurors brought in the bill #8,ignoramus1' which pleased the ,protestant portion of the community1 who believed the ,earl suffered in the cause of religion4 ,bonfires were kindled in his honour2 one of the witnesses against him narrowly escaped from the fury of the mob2 a medal was struck to commemorate his enlargement4 ,hence the poem of that name from the pen of ,dryden1 suggested by the ,king4 ,on regaining his liberty1 ,shaftesbury went to reside at his house in ,aldersgate ,street1 when1 finding his enemies were still working against him1 he took the friendly advice of ,lord ,mordaunt1 and after lying perdu in another part of ,london for a night or two1 he set off for ,harwich1 en route for ,holland1 with a young relative1 both disguised as ,presbyterian ministers1 with long black perukes4 ,adverse winds detained them at a small inn1 when one day the landlady entered the elder gentleman's room1 and1 carefully shutting the door1 told him that the chambermaid had just been into his companion's apartment1 and instead of a swarthy1 sour-faced dominie1 had found a beautiful fair-haired youth4 #8,be assured1 sir1' said the good woman1 #8that ,i will neither ask questions1 nor tell tales1 but ,i cannot answer for a young girl's discretion4' ,the man who had been so hunted of late was touched1 thanked the good soul1 and bade his handsome young friend make love to the maid1 till the wind changed4 ,the fugitives1 however1 had an extra run for it1 as it was1 for the hounds were on their track4 ,fortunately the capture of one of ,shaftesbury's servants1 dressed like his master1 gave them time to embark4 ,they arrived at ,amsterdam after a stormy passage1 where ,shaftesbury hired a large house1 with the intention of remaining some time1 and all the more that he found himself treated with great respect by all the principal inhabitants4 ,but misfortune pursued him4 ,he was seized with gout in the stomach1 and expired on the #ast of ,january #afhc4 ,his body was conveyed to ,england1 and landed at ,poole1 whither the gentlemen of his native county flocked1 uninvited1 to pay a tribute to his memory1 by attending the remains to ,wimborne ,st4 ,giles4 ,we leave the sentence to be pronounced on the first ,earl of ,shaftesbury to wiser heads than ours1 but one remark we feel authorised to make1--that we are not called on to believe him as black as ,dryden has painted him1 since we cannot but question the justice of the pen that described ,charles ,,ii4 as the ,god-like ,david1 in the far-famed poem of #8,absalom 7the ,duke of ,monmouth7 and ,achitophel' 7,shaftesbury71 which loads the latter with invective3-- #8,a name to all succeeding ages curst1 ,for close designs and crooked counsels fit1 ,sagacious1 bold1 and turbulent of wit1 ,restless1 unfixed in principles and place1 ,in power unpleased1 impatient of disgrace2 ,a fiery soul1 which working out its way1 ,fretted the pigmy body to decay4444 ,great wits are sure to madness close allied2444 ,oh6 had he been content to serve the ,crown ,with virtues only proper to the gown1' etc4 etc4 ,there spoke the ,laureate1 and woe indeed to the man who had such a poet as ,dryden for his censor6 ,yet for all this abuse1 which he had written to order1 ,dryden could not help bearing testimony as follows3-- #8,yet fame deserved no enemy can grudge1 ,the ,statesman we abhor1 but praise the ,judge2 ,in ,israel's courts ne'er sate an ,abbethdin ,with more discerning eyes or hands more clean1 ,unbribed1 unsought1 the wretched to redress1 ,swift of despatch1 and easy of access4' ,lord ,shaftesbury was kind and charitable to the poor in his neighbourhood1 and was very hospitable4 ,in #affi ,cosimo de' ,medici1 being in ,england1 went to ,st4 ,giles's1 and was so much pleased with his reception1 that he kept up a correspondence with his ,english friend1 and sent him annually a present of ,tuscan wine4 ,it has been adduced by some1 in evidence of his immorality1 that on one occasion1 while still in favour with ,charles1 the ,king said to him1 #8,i believe1 ,shaftesbury1 you are the greatest profligate in ,england4' ,the ,earl bowed low1 and replied1 #8,for a subject1 sire1 ,i believe ,i am4' ,it would be hard to condemn a man on the testimony of a repartee4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,william1 ,,first ,,earl ,,cowper1 ,,first ,,lord ,,chancellor ,,of ,,great ,,britain4 ,in ,chancellor's robes4 ,,born #affd1 ,,died #agbc4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,john1 ,,first ,,lord ,,sommers1 ,,lord ,,chancellor4 ,violet velvet coat4 ,lace cravat4 ,fall wig4 ,,born #afeb1 ,,died #agaf4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ,,the fine old cathedral city of ,worcester is so justly proud of its noble citizen1 the first ,lord ,sommers1 that different districts have contested the honour of his birthplace2 but the best evidence goes to prove that he was born at his father's estate of ,whiteladies1 which at that period was not included in the precincts of the city4 ,the house was a dissolved ,carthusian nunnery1 and had been granted to the ,sommers family at the time of the ,reformation4 ,for two generations before the birth of ,lord ,sommers1 the name was spelled without the final s1 which probably gave rise to the supposition that it had a common origin with that of ,van ,somer1 the famous ,flemish painter4 ,on the other hand1 some writers contend that the name was derived from a ,st4 ,omer1 as in the case of ,st4 ,maur1 ,st4 ,leger1 and the like4 ,be this as it may1 they undoubtedly claimed kinship with the gallant admiral1 ,sir ,george ,somers1 who rediscovered the island 7or rather the cluster of islands7 of ,bermuda1 so called after one ,juan ,bermudez1 #8who was driven thereon by force of tempest4' ,the place did not enjoy a good reputation2 it was termed #8the island of divelles1' or the #8enchanted isle1' and was supposed to harbour sea-monsters1 mermen1 and #8such cattle1' from which legend doubtless sprang ,setebos and ,caliban4 ,admiral ,somers was also wrecked here1 and thus rediscovered the whereabouts which had been lost2 and he was most desirous it should bear his name1 and so it is still called ,bermuda or ,somers' 7erroneously ,summer's7 island4 ,purchas1 in his ,pilgrimage1 gives a long description of the abundance of sea-fowl1 on which the shipwrecked mariners feasted1 and of the wonderful tameness of the birds1--for ,somers might have said with ,alexander ,selkirk3-- #8,they are so unaccustomed to man1 ,their tameness is shocking to me4' ,purchas goes on to say1 #8,notwithstanding the wonted danger1 you may now touch at ,bermuda1 for danger hath made it not so dangerous3' after the fashion of many another peril that calls for precautionary measures4 ,waller1 in his didactic poem on the beauties of this region1 forgets to do honour to the gallant old #8salt1' who was as well known for his daring rejoinder to ,king ,james ,i4 as for his nautical adventures2 it was when subjected to one of the tyrant's manifold acts of injustice4 #8,i hope ,i may be the last of sacrifices in your time4 ,when from private appetite it is resolved that a creature shall be sacrificed1 it is easy to pick up sticks enough from any thicket1 whither it has strayed1 to make a fire to offer it with4' ,the immediate ancestors of the ,lord ,chancellor had been settled for some time on a small estate in ,gloucestershire1 called ,stoke ,severne1 and they also owned the #8,whiteladies1' then a suburb of ,worcester4 ,here1 in #aehe1 the family entertained ,queen ,elizabeth1 in her progress through ,worcestershire1 and although the ,sommerses afterwards imbibed republican principles1 the bed in which good ,queen ,bess lay1 and the cup out of which she drank1 were long preserved as precious relics in the family4 ,queen ,elizabeth was much pleased with her reception at the ,whiteladies1 and indeed at ,worcester altogether4 ,more especially was her ,grace's fancy taken by a conceit of ,master ,sommers1 who caused a splendid pear-tree1 loaded with fruit1 to be transplanted from his own garden to the market-place in the town1 as a decoration1 at the time of the ,queen's public reception1--in remembrance of which ,elizabeth granted an augmentation to the arms of the city1 in the shape of three pears1 as may be seen to this day4 ,master ,sommers1 the father of the future ,peer1 had been bred up to the law1 and practised as an attorney1 but1 when the civil war broke out1 in opposition to the majority of his fellow-citizens1 he took part with the ,roundheads1 and raised a troop of horse to serve under ,cromwell4 ,he was for some time quartered at ,upton1 near his own estate of ,stoke ,severne1 the parish church of which he frequented4 ,now the ,rector was a ,royalist1 and a firm upholder of ,divine right1 and he was very apt to mix political with theological arguments in his sermons4 ,captain ,sommers had constantly warned him against so doing1 but in vain2 and one ,sunday the good parson indulged in so much abuse of the ,cromwell men as to raise the ire of the ,parliamentarian officer1 who1 drawing forth a loaded pistol1 lodged a shot in the sounding-board above his reverence's head4 ,in spite of all this1 ,king ,charles passed the night previous to the battle of ,worcester1 and that following1 at the ,whiteladies1 where1 after #8shifting himself' into a disguise1 he left his trunk hose1 his garters1 and two pairs of fringed gloves1 to be added to the ,royal ,elizabethan relics4 ,lord ,campbell remarks that a species of sanctity had been attached to the ,whiteladies by both parties1 since the building was spared1 when almost every other edifice was destroyed2 but ,nash1 the county historian1 accounts for the circumstance by saying that the soldiers spared the house on account of its being a strong building1 capable of holding #ejj men with safety4 ,not many days after the ,king's flight1 ,captain ,sommers brought his wife1 ,mistress ,catherine 7whose maiden name was ,ceaverne1 a native of ,shropshire71 to this stronghold1 she being at the time in an interesting condition for the second time1 having already presented her husband with a daughter2 and there1 to the best of our belief1 was born1 a few months afterwards1 the future ,lord ,chancellor of ,england1 and the first ,peer of the name4 ,few good stories are told of his boyhood1 excepting one which was probably very much prized in the home archives1 and is remembered till this day1 as an omen of his future greatness4 ,he was on a visit to his aunt1 ,mistress ,bluron1 the wife of a ,presbyterian minister1 with whom he was walking hand-in-hand amid the glories of her poultry-yard1 when a beautiful roost-cock lighted on the little fellow's curly head1 and crowed three distinct times while perched thereon4 ,no less honour than the ,woolsack could surely be prognosticated by so splendid an augury6 ,when1 in modern times1 could there have been such literal avium garritus8 ,the boy went to the ,college ,school at ,worcester1 where he became the favourite model pupil of the master1 ,dr4 ,bright1 a distinguished classical scholar4 ,he is described as weakly in health1 wearing a little black cap1 but the #8brightest boy in the whole school1 so studious and contemplative that he did not care for the sports of his companions1 and was usually seen musing alone with a book in his hand during the hours of recreation4' ,he appears to have gone to more than one other school1 and at intervals to have learned the business of an attorney in his father's office1 the elder ,sommers having by this time resumed the profession to which he was bred before he joined ,cromwell's army4 ,at the time of the ,restoration he had solicited1 and obtained1 a pardon1 under the ,great ,seal1 for his former disaffection to the ,crown1 but1 #8being a lawyer1' says ,lord ,campbell1 #8he perhaps remembered ,sir ,edward ,coke's wise observation1 that 8good men will never refuse pardon from ,god or the ,king1 because every man doth often offend both40' ,in #affg young ,sommers matriculated1 and was entered at ,trinity ,college1 ,oxford1 but apparently only remained there a short time1 and did not take his degree4 ,while at the ,university he showed more predilection for the study of the belles lettres than for that of law1 in spite of which his father insisted on his becoming his clerk at ,whiteladies4 ,the picturesque old place was now not only inhabited by ,sommers1 the well-to-do solicitor1 and his wife and children1 but it had been converted into a species of colony1 and was peopled by several families connected1 for the most part1 with the owner1 either by blood or marriage4 ,some of the occupants were engaged in the cultivation of the large farm adjoining1 others in producing all kinds and colours for dyeing materials1 or manufacturing cloth1 which trade was at that time in a flourishing condition in ,worcester2 and1 above all1 in making bricks and tiles for rebuilding the ruined city and suburbs4 ,the latter calling gave rise to the epithet by which the scurrilous libellers of later days thought 7vainly7 to lower the pride of the great ,lord ,sommers1 by calling him the brickmaker's son6 ,when the multifarious labours of the day were at an end1 the various inhabitants1 occasionally augmented by outside guests1 met1 to the number of twenty or thirty1 round the table1 in the old refectory of the nunnery1 where the produce of the farm and gardens afforded them a plentiful and inexpensive banquet4 ,john ,sommers1 senior1 had great influence in electioneering matters1 and also received and entertained at his house many persons of weight and influence1--among others1 ,sir ,francis ,winnington1 a rising lawyer1 and ,member for the city1 afterwards ,solicitor-,general4 ,the good knight was much impressed by young ,john's talents1 and recommended that he should pursue the study of the law1 in which profession1 he remarked1 many ,worcestershire men had risen to eminence4 ,it took some time to persuade the father to send his son away from the establishment1 which was growing more lucrative every day1 but at length he yielded to the wish of ,sir ,francis1 and entered his son as student of the ,middle ,temple1 #affi4 ,the youth returned1 however1 and read law at ,whiteladies for a year before settling in the ,temple1 and1 both at ,worcester and in ,london1 he benefited by the friendship and tuition of his good friend ,sir ,francis4 ,his circle of acquaintance in ,london was1 at first1 limited almost exclusively to lawyers1 and amongst his intimates was ,sir ,joseph ,jekyll1 afterwards his brother-in-law4 ,but the young ,templar returned for his vacations to ,worcester 7although the society did not much suit his taste7 until the year #afgb1 when he met a genial spirit at ,whiteladies4 ,his father was agent for the estates of several noblemen1 and1 among others1 of the young ,earl of ,shrewsbury1 son to the unfortunate ,peer who had been killed in a duel with the ,duke of ,buckingham1--his shameless wife1 at least so goes the tradition1 holding her lover's horse while he murdered her husband4 ,grafton1 the estate of the ,shrewsburys1 was at that time out of repair1 and the young ,earl gladly accepted an invitation to ,whiteladies1 and no sooner did our ,templar come down from ,london for his usual visit1 than the two youths formed a friendship which proved lifelong4 ,they became inseparable companions1 both in their studies and their recreations1 and the intimacy continued when they returned to ,london4 ,lord ,shrewsbury took a delight in introducing ,sommers to the most distinguished men of his acquaintance1 whether remarkable for birth or learning4 ,john ,sommers1 becoming aware of his own deficiency in education1 resolved to return to the ,university1 where he made the ,classics his more especial study1 without neglecting his legal pursuits1 or giving up his visits to home4 ,it speaks well for the liberality both of father and son1 that ,john was able and willing to contribute five pounds 7a large sum for a student in those days7 towards the reparation of the chapel2 and in after years and better circumstances he gave a larger donation for the same purpose1 as a proof of his attachment to his old ,college4 ,we are told rather a laughable story1 which shows in what high repute he was held by his father1 who1 in his frequent visits to ,london1 used to leave his horse at the ,george ,inn at ,acton1 and in conversing with the landlord seldom omitted a panegyric on #8young ,john1'--so much so1 that mine host's curiosity was inflamed1 and he requested to be allowed some day to see this prodigy4 ,mr4 ,sommers1 in consequence1 asked his son one time to escort him on his way as far as ,acton1 and on entering the inn1 he took the landlord aside1 and whispered1 #8,i have brought him1 ,cobbett1 but you must not talk to him as you do to me1 for he will not suffer such fellows as you in his company4' ,john ,sommers1 junior1 was called to the bar in #afff1 but did not practise much till five years afterwards2 and it was on the occasion of the famous trial of the seven ,bishops that he first made his mark4 ,macaulay1 in his eloquent account of the transaction1 does honour to the rising barrister4 ,he gives an animated description of the progress of these stout-hearted ,prelates on their committal to the ,tower1 to await their trial1 of which we give a short extract3 #8,the river was alive with wherries when they came forth under a guard to embark1 and the emotion of the people broke through all restraint4 ,thousands fell on their knees and prayed for the men who had emulated the ,christian courage of ,ridley and ,latimer2 many dashed into the water up to their waists1 and cried on the holy fathers to bless them4 ,all down the stream1 from ,whitehall to ,london ,bridge1 the royal barge passed between lines of boats1 whence arose a shout of 8,god bless your ,lordships60' ,john ,sommers had been chosen as junior counsel for the ,bishops on the trial4 ,he had not yet had much opportunity of distinguishing himself in public1 #8but his genius1 industry1 his great and various accomplishments1 were well known to a small circle of friends1 and in spite of his ,whig opinions1 his pertinent and lucid mode of arguing1 and the constant propriety of his demeanour1 had already secured to him the ear of the ,court of ,king's ,bench1 and it was said of him beforehand that no man in ,westminster ,hall was so well qualified to treat an historical and constitutional question4' ,even while endeavouring to keep within our prescribed limits1 we feel it is but simple justice to the future ,chancellor to quote the great historian's own words3 #8,sommers rose last4 ,he spoke little more than five minutes1 but every word was full of weighty matter1 and when he sat down his reputation as an orator and a constitutional lawyer was established4 ,the jury were long in coming to a decision1 but when they did return1 and the foreman pronounced the verdict--8,not guilty0--amid deathless silence1 a tempest of rejoicing arose4 ,lord ,halifax threw up his hat1 and ten thousand people who crowded the ,hall made the oaken roof crack with shouts1 which1 echoed by the throng outside1 resounded as far as ,temple ,bar1 and were caught up and sent back by all the boatmen on the river4 ,the acquittal was mainly attributed to ,sommers's speech1 the effect of which upon the jury was greatly heightened by the modesty and grace with which it was delivered4 ,he now1 and ever1 merited the praise that his pleading at the bar was masculine and persuasive1 free from everything that was trivial and affected4' ,amid the solemn details of this most important trial1 the comic element cropped up in a speech of one of the jurymen1 a ,nonconformist1 who was brewer to the ,court4 ,the story goes that he complained bitterly of the dilemma in which he was placed4 #8,what am ,i to do8' he asked piteously2 #8if ,i say ,not guilty1 ,i shall brew no more for the ,court2 if ,i say ,guilty1 ,i shall brew no more for anybody else4' ,on the same day that the ,bishops were acquitted1 a paper was drawn up1 entitled #8,the ,association1' censuring the ,government of ,king ,james ,,ii41 and calling on ,william1 ,prince of ,orange1 to come over to ,england1 and deliver the country from ,popery and despotism4 ,the name of ,sommers did not appear1 but by many it was believed that the wording of the document emanated from him4 ,it was signed by all his political friends1 and ,lord ,shrewsbury immediately afterwards went to the ,hague1 laden with large supplies of money1 to urge on the ,prince the advisability of his coming over without delay4 ,william answered by a #8,declaration1' announcing his readiness 7as the husband of the ,princess ,mary7 to accede to the wishes of the nation1 and promised to proceed to ,england1 #8in order to have a free and lawful ,parliament assembled for the maintenance of liberty and the ,protestant religion1 and by the decision of that ,parliament he would abide4' ,this document also was ascribed to ,sommers1 or at all events it was said to have been supervised by him1 for he had by this time1 to quote the words of ,lord ,sunderland1 become the #8very soul and spirit of his party4' ,no sooner had ,king ,james left the country than ,sommers was returned for his native city1 having refused to sit in the former ,parliaments under the two last ,kings4 ,this was in the so-called #8,convention ,parliament2' and we give ,macaulay's notice of the new ,member's first appearance in the ,house of ,commons4 ,after enumerating the names of many political veterans1 he says3 #8,but they were speedily thrown into shade by two young ,whigs1 who1 on this great day1 took their seats for the first time1 and soon rose to the highest honours of the ,state1 who weathered the fiercest storms of faction together1 and1 having been long and widely renowned as statesmen1 as orators1 and as munificent patrons of genius and learning1 died within a few months of each other4 ,these were ,charles ,montagu and ,john ,sommers4' ,the latter led the debate in the ,lower ,house1 and in his maiden speech1 which was considered a model of eloquence1 he maintained that ,james1 by his flight and abdication1 had forfeited all claim to allegiance1 and he drew up a manifesto to that effect1 declaring the throne of ,england to be vacant4 ,he was thus most instrumental in the passing of the ,exclusion ,bill1 which precluded the succession of a ,popish ,prince to the ,crown of ,england4 ,in all the differences of opinion which now ensued between the two ,houses1 ,john ,sommers zealously supported the claims of ,william and ,mary4 ,he also gained lasting renown by the declaration that he drew up for classing under general heads #8such things as were necessary for the better security of our religion1 laws1 and liberties4' ,hence sprang the world-famed ,bill of ,rights1 with which the name of ,john ,sommers is indissolubly connected4 ,william and ,mary were proclaimed ,king and ,queen2 ,lord ,shrewsbury made his friend1 and that friend's merits1 known to the new ,sovereigns2 and ,sir ,john ,sommers1 ,knight1 was appointed ,solicitor-,general4 ,he now took a prominent part in every public question of importance1 evincing the utmost consistency in his opinions and principles2 and his biographer and earnest admirer1 ,lord ,campbell1 appears never to have found fault with his administration of justice1 excepting in one instance1 namely1 the course he pursued with regard to a ,bill for regulating high treason--a question we leave to judicial minds4 ,but the same pen awards him great praise for the manner in which he conducted prosecutions before ,courts of ,justice1 which he designates as #8mild1 candid1 and merciful4' ,speaking of the trial of ,lord ,preston and others for high treason 7the first ,state trial of the reign71 in which his moderation and humanity were universally extolled1 ,sommers himself said3 #8,i did never think that it was the part of any1 who were counsel for the ,king in cases of this nature1 to aggravate the crime of the prisoners1 or to put false colours on the evidence4' ,indeed1 the manner in which these trials were conducted formed an epoch in legal annals1 contrasting brilliantly with the injustice and cruelty which had characterised former tribunals4 ,lord ,preston1 though found guilty1 and sentenced to death1 owed his respite and subsequent pardon to the recommendation of ,sir ,john ,sommers4 ,when war was declared with ,france1 it was the ,solicitor-,general who drew up the declaration2 and in #afib he was promoted to the office of ,attorney-,general1 and shortly afterwards chosen counsel for the plaintiff in the first trial for criminal conversation1 i4e4 the ,duke of ,norfolk versus ,sir ,john ,germaine4 ,but the divorce was not granted till after ,sommers became ,chancellor4 ,in #afic he was again returned for ,worcester1 and a few days afterwards the ,great ,seal of ,england was intrusted to his keeping1 and he took his seat at the ,council ,board4 ,evelyn thus records the event3 #8,the ,attorney-,general ,sommers made ,lord ,keeper1 a young lawyer of extraordinary merit4' ,the appointment 7with the exception1 naturally1 of adverse politicians7 was generally popular4 ,burnet says3 #8,sommers is very learned in his own profession1 with a great deal more learning in other professions1--divinity1 philosophy1 and history4' ,he had great capacity for business1 a fair and gentle temper1 having all the patience and softness1 as well as the justice and equity1 becoming a great magistrate4 ,he had always agreed in his notions with the ,whigs1 and had striven to bring them to better thoughts of the ,king1 and greater confidence in him4 ,during the seven years he presided in the ,court of ,chancery he won golden opinions1 having most important judicial duties to perform1 and acting on several occasions as ,lord ,steward in ,state trials4 ,a close friendship now existed between the ,king and ,sommers1 but the latter knew how to uphold both his personal and official dignity1 which he proved in a most remarkable manner at the beginning of this reign1 in a passage of arms that occurred between his ,royal master and himself4 ,during the time that the ,seal was in commission1 his ,majesty had exercised unlimited judicial patronage1 and conceived the idea of continuing to do so1 unquestioned4 ,he was on the eve of embarking for ,flanders at the time of ,sommers's appointment1 and he sent ,lord ,nottingham to the new ,minister1 with orders to make out patents for the ,chief ,baron of the ,exchequer1 the ,chief-,justice of ,chester1 and for the ,attorney-,general4 ,this cavalier manner of proceeding did not suit ,sir ,john ,sommers1 and as the ,king was still detained at ,harwich1 waiting for favourable winds1 he wrote a respectful but resolute letter to his ,majesty on the subject1 pointing out1 in clear1 distinct terms1 that1 under the conditions imposed on him1 he must tender his resignation--,anglic1 he would not accept a post shorn of all judicial patronage4 ,the ,king responded nobly to this straightforward appeal1 declined the resignation1 paid the ,lord ,keeper the highest tribute as to ability and fitness for the great office1 announced his intention of non-interference for the future1 but ended by the hope that ,sommers would take the names of the candidates already mentioned into consideration4 ,in fact1 this short misunderstanding increased and cemented the cordiality between ,king and ,minister4 ,the three men ,william had named were continued1 but the office of ,attorney-,general soon after falling vacant1 was filled up by a nominee of ,sommers's own selection4 ,although he declined the offer of a ,peerage1 he sat in the ,house of ,lords as ,speaker1 and exercised a weighty influence over ,william's opinions4 ,on the subject of #8unlicensed printing1' the liberal ,king and the liberal ,minister were agreed1 and the ,bill was passed by which1 says ,macaulay1 #8,english literature was emancipated for ever4' ,it was strange how little excitement was caused by so great an event4 ,neither ,evelyn nor ,luttrell allude to it in their ,diaries1 and the ,dutch ,minister forgot to mention it in his despatches4 ,however1 from this time forth1 the liberty of the ,press was assured2 and #8now we have only to be watchful1' ,lord ,campbell sapiently remarks1 #8lest the ,press itself be not turned into an engine of tyranny4' ,in #afij ,queen ,mary was attacked with small-pox1 and to the inexpressible grief of her husband1 shared by the greater part of the nation1 she died after a very short illness4 ,friendly messages had been exchanged between her and her sister1 but ,mary's state was too critical to allow of her being exposed to the excitement of an interview4 ,when the last scene was over1 and the last duties paid to the beloved ,queen and consort1 the attempt at reconciling the ,princess of ,denmark and her brother-in-law was renewed1 and ,lord ,sunderland1 the ,duke of ,marlborough1 and ,sir ,john ,sommers1 joined to promote the wished-for result4 ,anne had been persuaded to write to the ,king1 who1 stunned by grief1 showed little inclination to respond to her advances4 ,sommers therefore1 bent on carrying out his object1 made his way into the ,royal presence at ,kensington1 where he found ,william absorbed in speechless grief4 ,he waited for some time in respectful sympathy1 hoping that the ,king would break the painful silence1 but was at length compelled to take the initiative4 ,with the gentle delicacy that characterised him1 the ,lord ,keeper broached the subject1 pointing out how essential it was1 on public as well as private grounds1 that the enmity between his ,majesty and his wife's sister should cease4 #8,do as you will1' replied the unhappy widower1 #8,i can think of no business4' ,an interview was accordingly arranged4 ,anne was graciously received1 apartments assigned her in ,st4 ,james's ,palace1 and due honour paid her as heir-presumptive to the ,crown4 ,william once more pressed a ,peerage on ,sir ,john 7through his friend1 now ,duke of ,shrewsbury71 but it was again declined4 ,he was placed virtually at the head of the ,regency 7the ,archbishop of ,canterbury presiding only in name71 when the ,king again left ,england for a foreign campaign4 ,he took a prominent part in the great measure for the reformation of the coinage1 and drew up and strongly advocated a plan by which clipping money could be prevented2 but this was not carried into effect4 ,lord ,macaulay praises him highly for the appointments he made of such eminent men as ,sir ,isaac ,newton and ,john ,locke1 for the respective posts of ,warden of the ,mint and a ,lordship of ,trade4 ,in #afig ,sir ,john resigned the ,seals1 only to have them returned to him1 with the title of ,lord ,chancellor and ,baron ,sommers of ,evesham1 county ,worcester1 as also grants of the manors of ,reigate and ,howleigh in ,surrey1 with a yearly income to enable him to keep up the same4 ,on the retirement of ,lord ,godolphin1 the ,ministry became wholly ,whig1--,montagu1 ,russell1 ,sommers1 and ,wharton forming #8the ,junto4' ,in the same year the ,peace of ,ryswick was signed1 by which ,france made great concessions1 and acknowledged ,william as ,king of ,england1 and ,anne as his successor1 a circumstance which gave rise to much rejoicing4 ,but serious differences took place between the ,king and his ,parliament1 which required the disbanding of the troops that had done such good service in foreign campaigns4 ,the most stormy discussions ensued1 and the press1 in all the wild ardour of recent emancipation1 thundered with controversy4 ,to ,lord ,sommers was attributed 7indeed ,macaulay speaks of the authorship as a certainty7 a treatise1 called #8,the ,balancing ,letter1' which made a great noise at the time1 weighing1 as it did1 the arguments for and against the momentous question1 but undoubtedly leaning towards the advisability of maintaining a small standing army4 ,in spite of ,william's vehement opposition1 he found himself compelled to ship off his beloved ,dutch ,guards1 and to diminish the ,english forces4 ,until this time the life of ,john ,sommers had been uninterrupted in its prosperity and advancement2 but a change in his fortunes was now impending4 ,henceforward he had both public and private trials to encounter1 added to which1 his health had become much impaired4 ,in ,july #afih1 ,parliament being dissolved1 and the ,king gone to ,holland1 ,lord ,sommers gladly availed himself of the opportunity to recruit his bodily powers1 by drinking the waters in the pleasant retirement of ,tunbridge ,wells4 ,the question of the ,spanish succession 7,charles ,,ii41 king of that country1 being at the time in a dying state7 belongs rather to the political history of ,europe than to the biography of an individual1 yet ,lord ,sommers was so intimately connected with the so-called #8,tradition ,treaties1' that we cannot altogether keep silence on the matter4 ,before the ,king's departure for ,holland1 ,william had already consulted ,sommers on the subject1 and1 on arriving at the ,loo1 he wrote1 authorising him to consult with any of his colleagues1 on whose discretion and secrecy he could rely1 and asking for opinions on the arrangement proposed1 which his ,majesty detailed at full length4 ,now such a treaty could not be concluded without the appendage of the ,great ,seal and the signature of one ,secretary of ,state4 ,the ,lord ,chancellor was therefore directed to send full powers to the ,loo1 sealed1 but with blanks left for the names of the ,plenipotentiaries2 and it was strongly urged that the clerks whose duty it was to draw up the documents should be kept in profound ignorance of the subject1 and the importance of the work they were performing4 ,the ,royal missive found #8,sommers at a distance from his political friends1 his delicate frame enfeebled by the labours and vigils of many months1 and his aching head giddy with the first draughts of the chalybeate spring4' ,but he lost no time1 and communicated promptly with all the leading statesmen1 who agreed with the ,king in wishing to see the question of the ,spanish succession settled without delay4 ,sommers1 however1 delicately hinted to his master that he and his colleagues had misgivings on many points of the treaty1 although the ,royal wishes had been complied with4 ,the powers were sent off1 the enjoined secrecy observed1 the blanks left for the names of two ,commissioners1 who1 the ,lord ,chancellor suggested1 should be ,english1 either by birth or naturalisation1 and consequently responsible to ,parliament4 ,a second ,partition ,treaty was shortly afterwards drawn up and signed1 with fresh clauses and allotments to the different ,european powers1 with the same secrecy2 and when the terms of these treaties became known in ,england1 a great outcry was raised against the ,whigs1 and strenuous efforts made to overthrow the ,administration4 ,the ,lord ,chancellor1 in particular1 became the mark for attacks of different kinds1 such as his misconduct in the appointment and dismissal of magistrates1 while a novel charge for the dignitary of the ,woolsack was adduced against ,john ,lord ,sommers1 namely that of piracy on the high seas1--not in person1 indeed1 but by proxy4 ,thus it came about3 he1 in common with other ,ministers1 had subscribed a sum of several hundreds towards the fitting out of a ship called ,the ,adventure ,galley1 for the purpose of ridding the ,indian seas of pirates4 ,the command was given to ,captain ,william ,kid1 a naval officer1 who had hitherto borne a high character for honour as well as courage4 ,as may easily be believed1 ,lord ,sommers knew nothing of the matter further than that he thought it became the post he occupied to assist in such a public service2 and a grant was made to all the undertakers of the scheme that they should become possessed of any booty taken from the pirates by their ship4 ,captain ,kid was armed with full powers to sink1 burn1 and destroy the pirates1 but on breathing the air of the buccaneering seas1 he turned pirate himself1 and became a dangerous foe to honest traders of all nations1 till1 after a sharp encounter with an ,english frigate1 he was taken1 and brought home in irons4 ,a motion was now brought forward by his 7,sommers's7 political adversaries1 that the ,lord ,chancellor should be made responsible for all the outrages committed by ,kid1 with whom1 they affirmed1 he had intended to go shares for the purpose of swelling his own coffers1--#8,such black constructions1' says ,burnet1 #8are men apt to put on the actions of those whom they intend to disgrace4' ,the charge1 being preposterous1 was rejected by a large majority4 ,a ,bill was now brought in to resume the ,irish forfeited estates1 which the ,king had bestowed on his ,dutch favourites1 and ,lord ,sommers incurred both the ,royal displeasure and that of the ,opposition in ,parliament for his absence during the debates1 although he pleaded the excuse of bad health4 ,william expected assistance from the ,chancellor in opposing this measure1 but the public opinion was so strong that ,sommers did not consider it advisable to support his ,majesty4 ,his enemies had now become persistent in their attacks2 and a motion was made in the ,house of ,commons to the effect that #8the ,king should be advised to remove the present ,lord ,chancellor from his councils for ever1' in common with other leading ,ministers4 ,he had been absent from his duties for some time1 in consequence of failing health1 in spite of which the ,opposition did all in their power to induce him to coalesce in the formation of a new ,government2 and in answering the overtures made him by ,lord ,sunderland1 ,sommers replied that he considered such a step would be inconsistent with honour4 ,the refusal naturally increased the bitterness of his adversaries1 and ,harley especially1 who rose in arms against him4 ,william1 with all his predilection for the ,chancellor1 was at length persuaded of the expediency of removing him1 and ,lord ,sommers received a hint to that effect1 #8which determined him to wait on his ,majesty at ,kensington1 in order to know his real mind4' ,the ,king told him plainly that the time had come when it was necessary for the ,seals to pass into other hands1 at the same time expressing a wish that ,sommers himself would resign4 ,the ,chancellor begged his ,majesty's pardon for following the advice of numerous friends1 who had warned him against such a step1 which would be ascribed to guilt or fear2 adding that he well knew the designs of his enemies2 that the ,great ,seal was his greatest crime1 and if permitted to keep it1 in spite of their malice1 he would do so1 being well aware what a bad use they would make of it4 ,he had no fear of them1 but he would be firm to his friends1 with more in that style2 but the ,king only shook his head1 and said1 #8,it must be so4' ,and thus was ,lord ,sommers discharged from the great office which he had held for so many years1 #8with the highest reputation for capacity1 integrity1 and diligence4' ,strangely enough1 this ever-coveted post was offered to and refused by several men #8high in the law1' possibly from the fear of comparison with such an illustrious predecessor4 ,the ,seals were at length delivered to ,sir ,nathan ,wright1 #8in whom1' says ,burnet1 #8there was nothing equal to the post1 much less to the man who had lately filled it4' ,wright represented a dark shadow between two such shining lights as ,sommers and ,cowper4 ,after a short residence at ,tunbridge ,wells for the benefit of the waters1 the ex-,chancellor retired to his villa1 and1 resuming his literary pursuits1 strove to forget all the mortification and humiliation to which he had lately been exposed4 ,louis ,,xiv41 breaking through the conditions imposed by the ,tradition ,treaty1 took advantage of a will made by the ,spanish king on his deathbed1 in which the imbecile ,charles had been made to bequeath his dominions to the ,french king's grandson1 ,philip of ,anjou2 and the young prince was despatched to ,madrid with a splendid and exulting ,court4 ,a violent outcry ensued in ,england against the ,whigs1 and ,lord ,sommers in particular1 to whom this public catastrophe was in a great measure attributed4 ,parliament was dissolved1 and on the reassembling of the new ,house1 the ,commons proposed to impeach the ex-,chancellor for the part he had taken in concluding these treaties1 and for other high crimes and misdemeanours4 ,prior thus alludes to the circumstance in writing to the ,duke of ,manchester3 #8,i congratulate you on being out of this noise and tumult1 where we are tearing and destroying every man his neighbour4 ,to-morrow is the great day1 when we expect my ,lord ,chancellor to be fallen upon1 though ,god knows of what crime he is guilty1 but that of being a great man and an upright judge4' ,sommers begged to be heard in his own defence1 and his demeanour was so dignified1 and his explanation so clear1 as to enlist many members on his side1 notably ,robert ,walpole1 a young senator1 afterwards ,prime ,minister1 who took the warmest interest in ,lord ,sommers's cause1 and voted in his behalf4 ,notwithstanding1 the motion for the impeachment 7with that of four other noblemen7 was carried in the ,house of ,commons--a measure which caused tremendous indignation in the ,upper ,house1 #8at the infringement of their privileges2' while the ,king's reply to the ,lower ,house conveyed a rebuke 7though couched in mild terms7 for the irregularity of their proceedings4 ,in spite of ,king and ,peers the impeachment commenced1 and fourteen articles were exhibited against ,lord ,sommers4 ,the six first concerned his share in carrying out the ,partition ,treaties2 the next five accused him of passing illegal grants of ,crown property in his own favour2 the thirteenth1 of giving a commission to ,william ,kid1 pirate2 #8while the last1' says ,lord ,campbell1 #8was a frivolous charge of judicial delinquency4' ,a violent altercation now took place between the two ,houses of ,parliament regarding the time and manner of the trial1 the ,whig element at that time being paramount among the ,lords1 while the ,tories preponderated in the ,commons4 ,so it came to pass1 when the ,peers were seated in great state in ,westminster ,hall1 and ,lord ,sommers placed within the bar1 the ,commons were summoned to make good their indictment1 but in vain4 ,a long pause ensued1 but not one member appeared1 and after another solemn procession to and from their own ,house1 their ,lordships decided the question by themselves4 ,john ,lord ,sommers was acquitted by a majority of his peers1 and the impeachment dismissed4 #8,the following comparison between his demeanour and that of a former ,chancellor1 ,lord ,verulam1 on a similar occasion1 is thus drawn by ,joseph ,addison3 #8,the conduct of these extraordinary persons under the same circumstances was vastly different4 ,one1 as he had given just occasion for his impeachment1 sank under it1 and was reduced to such abject submission as diminished the lustre of so exalted a character4 ,but ,lord ,sommers was too well fortified in his integrity to fear the impotence of an attack on his reputation1 and though his accusers would gladly have dropped their impeachment1 he was instant for the prosecution1 and would not let the matter rest till it was brought to an issue4' ,the two ,houses fell to fighting once more1 and fierce and bitter hatred was fostered by the late proceedings4 ,the ,duke of ,shrewsbury1 ,sommers's early and faithful friend1 alluding to these squabbles1 thus writes to him from ,rome3 #8,i cannot help referring to my old opinion1 and wonder that a man can be found in ,england1 who has bread1 that will be concerned in public business4 ,had ,i a son ,i would sooner breed him a cobbler than a courtier1 and a hangman than a statesman4' ,in #agja ,james ,,ii4 died1 and ,louis ,,xiv4 astonished ,europe in general1 and ,england in particular1 by recognising the ,pretender as ,king of ,england1--a step which even incensed the ,jacobites1 jealous of foreign interference1 and set the ,whig party in a flame4 ,a reaction now took place in favour of the latter faction3 the ,king dismissed his ,tory ,ministers1 and it was confidently believed that in the formation of a new ,cabinet ,lord ,sommers would resume office4 ,but ,william's days were numbered4 ,his health had long been a source of anxiety to his friends and the nation at large1 when a fatal accident hurried the crisis4 ,he had not yet relinquished his favourite exercise of riding1 and even occasionally hunted1 but neither his seat nor his hand was what it had been4 ,riding one day through his favourite haunt of the ,home ,park at ,hampton ,court1 mounted on #8,grey ,sorrel1' the horse1 having just broken into a gentle canter1 stumbled at a molehill1 and fell on his knees1 throwing his rider1 who broke his collar-bone1 and otherwise injured himself4 ,the bone was set2 ,william proceeded in his coach to ,kensington1 but he never rallied4 #8,his last days1' says his enthusiastic admirer ,macaulay1 #8were worthy of his life4' ,he transacted business calmly1 took an affectionate leave of his friends1 joined in prayer with the two ,bishops who attended him1 and breathed his last4 ,round his neck was found1 suspended to a black riband1 the locket which contained the hair of his beloved wife4 ,in ,william ,,iii4 ,lord ,sommers lost a sincere and admiring friend1 and far different was the treatment he met with from the new ,sovereign4 ,in a combined ,ministry of ,whigs and ,tories1 not only had he no post assigned him1 but he was not allowed to renew the oaths of a ,privy ,councillor4 ,his name was struck out of the ,commission of the ,peace in every county in ,england1 and it was intimated to him that her ,majesty would not admit him to the ,royal presence4 ,anne condescended to the mean spite of suspending the pension granted to ,addison1 whose only crime was that ,lord ,sommers esteemed and protected him4 ,such petty conduct on the part of the ,queen called forth no reprisals from the man who had his country's welfare at heart4 ,finding that ,godolphin and ,marlborough considered it expedient to adopt the home and foreign policy which he advocated1 ,sommers gave his support to the ,government1 and was a diligent attendant in the ,house of ,lords4 ,indeed1 he now divided his time between his ,parliamentary duties and the enjoyment of literary and scientific pursuits4 ,president of the ,royal ,society1 he continued his friendship with ,addison1 and exerted himself unwearyingly in his behalf4 ,although an ex-,minister1 and slighted by the ,court1 he still carried great weight in public measures1 especially in the famous case of the ,aylesbury election trial4 ,this was an action brought against the returning officer by a man who accused him of not recording his vote1 and the case coming by appeal before the ,lords1 the ,commons declared it a breach of privilege4 ,the warfare between the two ,houses was now resumed1 and waged for some time as fiercely as that between ,france and ,england4 ,in #agjf ,lord ,sommers was most instrumental in negotiating the ,union with ,scotland1 as1 in the fluctuating state of parties1 the constant coalitions and mosaic ,governments which were formed1 his great talents were generally recognised in an emergency4 ,the death of ,prince ,george of ,denmark in #agjh brought about further changes1 and the presidency of the ,council becoming vacant1 ,lord ,sommers succeeded to the post4 ,the appointment gave general satisfaction1 for1 says ,burnet1 #8it was expected that propositions for a general peace would shortly be made1 and so they reckoned that the management of that upon which not only the safety of the nation1 but all ,europe1 depended1 would be in sure hands4 ,sommers was a man of inflexible integrity1 on whom neither ill practices nor false colours were like to make any impression4' ,he remained ,president of the ,council until the famous trial of ,dr4 ,sacheverell4 ,impeached by the ,whigs for preaching against them and the ,government1 ,sacheverell escaped with a light sentence1 but the proceedings were followed by the downfall of the ,administration1 which was replaced by one composed entirely of ,tories1--,harley1 ,st4 ,john1 etc4 ,when the news of the ,queen's dangerous illness became known1 ,sommers put himself into communication with the ,elector of ,hanover1 but the curious scene which took place at the last ,privy ,council held in this reign is given in our notice of ,lord ,chancellor ,cowper1 between whom and ,lord ,sommers a warm friendship had long existed4 ,on the morning of ,sunday1 the #ast of ,august #agad1 ,queen ,anne expired1 and a meeting of the ,lords ,justices was immediately held4 ,lord ,sommers was not present1 on account of his infirm health1 but he attended the ,privy ,council1 and took the oaths of allegiance to ,george ,i4 ,on the arrival of that monarch in ,england1 and the reinstatement of the ,whigs in office1 ,sommers would inevitably have joined the ,ministry in his former capacity of ,chancellor1 but his increasing indisposition determined him to decline any public post1 even the comparatively light duties of ,president of the ,council having become irksome to him2 but he promised to attend the meetings of the ,privy ,council as often as it was possible for him to do so1 and he received an additional pension as a mark of public gratitude4 ,he made a point of being present at the first council1 which was held in ,george ,i4's reign1 but his infirmities gained upon him1 and a paralytic affection incapacitated him from the exertion consequent on public business4 ,he became torpid and inactive in mind and body2 when a sudden fit of the gout roused him for a time from his lethargy4 ,this happened at the moment that the ,septennial ,bill1 a measure in which he had always taken the deepest interest1 was pending4 ,his mind brightened up1 his intellect was re-sharpened1 and he took to conversing with his well-named physician1 ,dr4 ,friend1 on passing affairs1 with all the clearness and vigour of former times4 ,the good doctor hurried off with the good news to ,lord ,townshend1 one of the chief promoters of the ,bill1 who instantly flew to his ancient colleague to consult him on the subject4 ,on entering the room1 the dying statesman embraced his old friend1 cordially congratulated him on the work in which he was employed 7having1 he said1 never approved of the ,triennial ,bill71 and ended by assuring him of #8my hearty approbation in the business1 for ,i believe it will be the greatest support possible to the liberty of the country4' ,when the gout subsided1 ,lord ,sommers fell back into a state of torpor and helplessness1 from which he was released by death on the #bfth of ,april #agaf1 the very day the ,bill in question was passed4 ,he died of apoplexy at his villa in ,hertfordshire1 and was buried in the parish church of ,north ,mymms1 where a plain monument bears this modest inscription3-- ,,the ,,right ,,honourable ,,john ,,lord ,,sommers1 ,,baron ,,of ,,evesham1 ,,lord ,,chancellor ,,of ,,england ,,in ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,william ,,the ,,third1 ,,to ,,whose ,,memory ,,this ,,monument ,,was ,,erected ,,by ,,dame ,,elizabeth ,,jekyll4 ,the sister who loved and admired him so ardently felt doubtless that eulogium would be misplaced1 and that all who read the name would recall the virtues1 talents1 and patriotism of her noble-hearted brother4 ,lord ,john ,russell does him ample justice when he says1 #8,sommers is a bright example of a statesman who could live in times of revolution without rancour1 who could hold the highest posts in a ,court without meanness1 who could unite mildness and charity to his opponents with the firmest attachment to the great principles of liberty1 civil and religious1 which he had early espoused1 long promoted1 and never abandoned2' while ,mackintosh says1 #8,sommers seems to have nearly realised the perfect model of a wise statesman in a free community4' ,notwithstanding the accumulation of professional and public business which fell to his share1 from the day he arrived in ,london1 he not only found time 7as we have observed before7 for literary studies and compositions1 but for indulging in the society and correspondence of distinguished men of letters--foreigners as well as ,english4 ,he held the poet ,vincenzo ,filicaja in high estimation1 which was indeed reciprocal1 as a ,latin ode written in honour of #8,my ,lord ,giovanni ,sommers1 ,cancelliere di ,gran ,brettagna1' testifies4 ,steele1 ,prior1 and ,congreve were among his associates4 ,newton1 ,locke1 ,addison1 and ,swift were marked out by him for preferment4 ,he was a noble patron1 and rewarded merit wherever he found it1 and had it in his power4 ,lord ,sommers was an exemplary son1 and his mother 7who survived her husband many years7 had the satisfaction of seeing #8little ,johnnie' rise to the highest honours of the ,state4 ,addison vouches for the religious faith of his benefactor1 and tells us how unremitting he was in the performance of his devotional services1 both in public and in his own family4 ,sommers never married1 although in early life he wooed and won the affections of one ,mistress ,rawdon1 the daughter of a rich ,alderman1 who broke off the match on the plea of the insufficiency of marriage settlements4 ,we feel an inward conviction that in later days ,sir ,john ,rawdon must have repented his arbitrary decision4 ,the title became extinct at ,lord ,sommers's death1 his property being shared by his two sisters1 of whom the elder married ,charles ,cocks1 ,esquire of ,castleditch1 and the younger ,sir ,john ,jekyll1 ,master of the ,rolls1 an early friend and fellow-lawyer of her brother4 ,from ,mrs4 ,cocks descended the late ,earl ,sommers1 to whom the present imperfect sketch of his ancestor was submitted in manuscript1 but who has not1 alas6 lived to read it in the completed form4 ,he was indeed a worthy descendant of a great man1 and by his death society at large1 and a band of admiring and loving friends1 have sustained an irreparable loss2 while on the domestic hearth that light has been quenched which shed so radiant a glow on all those who clustered fondly round it4 ,a scholar1 an artist1 a traveller1 a linguist1 the versatility of his information could only be equalled by the graceful refinement of his wit and the tenderness of his sympathy4 ,he was one of those rarely gifted men1 on whom the mantle of moral and intellectual qualities sit so easily1 that in his genial company no feeling of inferiority was imposed on others4 ,on the contrary--as the writer of these lines can testify1 from grateful experience1--those who had the privilege of conversing with him partook for the moment1 in some slight degree1 of the brightness and intelligence of his rich nature4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,field-,,marshal ,,henry ,,de ,,nassau1 ,,lord ,,of ,,auverquerque4 ,in armour1 holding a truncheon4 ,wig4 ,table in the background4 ,,died ,,of ,,his ,,wounds #agjh4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ,,he was the third son of ,lewis de ,nassau1 ,lord of ,leek1 ,odyke1 ,auverquerque1 and ,beverwaart1 by ,elizabeth1 daughter of the ,count de ,horn4 ,he formed part of ,william of ,orange's suite when that ,prince came over to ,england in #afgj1 and on the occasion of a visit to ,oxford1 ,de ,nassau had the degree of ,d4,c4,l4 conferred upon him4 ,in the campaigns which ensued in ,flanders1 he was brother-in-arms to his cousin and ,royal master1 and gained general approbation for his courage and patriotism4 ,when ,william ,,iii4 ascended the throne of ,england1 ,auverquerque was appointed ,master of the ,horse1 and allowed to retain his post of ,captain of the ,dutch ,guards who had come over to this country4 ,he was also naturalised by ,act of ,parliament4 ,macaulay speaks of this #8gallant soldier as uniting the blood of ,nassau with that of ,horn4 ,he wore with just pride a costly sword1 presented to him by the ,states-,general1 for having1 on the bloody day of ,st4 ,denis1 saved the life of ,william of ,orange by interposing himself between his ,highness and a ,french soldier1 whom he killed on the spot4' ,auverquerque likewise received a brace of pistols1 richly mounted in gold1 and a pair of horse-buckles of the same precious metal4 ,in #afij he was with the army that embarked for ,ireland1 headed by the ,king in person2 fought with his ,royal master at the battle of the ,boyne1 and was afterwards sent to ,dublin 7hastily evacuated by ,james ,,ii4 and his adherents7 to take possession of the city and keep the peace4 ,he was also with ,william at the unsuccessful siege of ,limerick1 and subsequently served with great distinction in the campaigns in ,flanders against the ,french4 ,but it was at the battle of ,steinkirk1 in #afib1 that ,auverquerque immortalised himself by his gallantry4 ,the ,french army1 commanded by the brave and eccentric ,duke of ,luxembourg1 was encamped at ,steinkirk1 six miles from the ,king of ,england's headquarters4 ,luxembourg was one of the most extraordinary compounds of physical and moral incongruities4 ,macaulay describes him as a valetudinarian and a voluptuary1 whose camp was of the most luxurious1 who usually selected his quarters with a view to his culinary department1 and whose thoughts were almost as much taken up with his batterie de cuisine as with his batteries in the field1--a little ugly hump-backed gnome1 who was accredited with powers of witchcraft1 and had the spirit of a lion4 ,on his camp ,william made a night surprise1 but ,luxembourg was one of those spirits who1 in the literal meaning of the word1 cannot be surprised4 ,he was the king of emergencies2 #8his mind'--we again borrow the language of ,macaulay--#8nay1 even his sickly and distorted body1 seemed to derive health and vigour from disaster and dismay4' ,in his army were the flower of the ,french chivalry4 ,the noble historian1 whom we are never tired of quoting1 describes the appearance of the young ,princes of the blood-royal of ,france1--#8brave not only in valour1 but in the splendour of their brilliant uniforms1 hastily donned and half fastened4' ,they had orders to charge the ,english3 #8,no firing was the word2 sword in hand1 do it with cold steel4' ,in the order of battle1 the division which was to lead the van was that of ,general ,mackay 7the brave soldier who had done such good service in ,scotland1 ,ireland1 and elsewhere74 ,they first encountered the ,swiss1 and drove them back with fearful slaughter1 after so close a fight that the muzzles of the muskets crossed4 ,but the ,english were borne down1 after a noble resistance1 by the ,french troopers4 ,they never ceased to repeat that1 if ,count ,solmes1 who commanded them1 had done his duty1 they would have been successful2 but he forbade his infantry to stir2 he would not send them1 he said1 to be slaughtered4 ,the ,duke of ,ormonde wished to advance to the assistance of his countrymen1 but was not permitted to do so4 ,mackay sent to say if he were not reinforced1 his men were doomed to destruction4 ,it was of no avail2 #8,god's will be done1' said the brave veteran with his latest breath1 and #8he died as he had lived1 a good ,christian4' ,five regiments were entirely cut to pieces4 ,it was at this juncture that ,auverquerque came to the rescue with two fresh battalions1 and the splendid manner in which he brought off the remains of ,mackay's division was long remembered and gratefully acknowledged by the ,english4 ,in the debates which ensued in the ,house of ,commons1 when the events of the war by land and sea were discussed1 there was much difference of opinion1 and the question of the disadvantages of ,english troops being commanded by aliens was mooted4 ,the conduct of ,solmes was almost universally reprehended4 ,four or five of the colonels1 who had been present at ,steinkirk1 took part in the debate1 and1 amid many warring opinions1 full justice was done to the valour and conduct of ,auverquerque4 ,on the other hand1 the exultation of the ,french over this dashing victory was unspeakable2 and it was commemorated by the votaries of fashion in all sorts of #8modes la ,steinkirk1' the most captivating of which1 we are told1 was the loosely arranged and scarcely knotted cravats of white lace1 worn round the fair necks of ,parisian beauties1 in imitation of the hasty toilettes of the young princes and nobles of the ,king's household troops4 ,in ,macaulay's pathetic account of the last days of ,william ,,iii41 he tells us #8there were in the crowd surrounding the ,monarch's dying bed those who felt as no ,englishman could feel1 friends of his youth1 who had been true to him1 and to whom he had been true1 through all vicissitudes of fortune1 who had served him with unalterable fidelity 7when his ,secretaries of ,state1 of his ,treasury1 and his ,admiralty had betrayed him71 who had never on any field of battle1 or in an atmosphere tainted with loathsome and deadly disease1 shrunk from placing their own lives in jeopardy to save his1 and whose truth he had1 at the cost of his own popularity1 rewarded with bounteous munificence4' ,amid the group of his countrymen1 the nearest to him was ,auverquerque1 to whom he stretched out a feeble hand1 thanking him for the affectionate and loyal service of thirty years4 ,after the ,king's death ,auverquerque felt no inclination to remain in ,england1 but returned to his native land1 and once more engaged in the war which was still waging against ,france2 and the ,states-,general1 in acknowledgment of his services1 bestowed on him the highest military honours1 by making him ,field-,marshal of the whole army4 ,he closed his noble career by dying 7as he had always desired7 on the field4 ,the gallant ,marshal had for some time suffered from bad health1 which he never allowed to interfere with his duties4 ,he died in the camp at ,rouselaer1 on the #agth day of ,october #agjh1 after the battle of ,lille4 ,collins gives a detailed account of the funeral1 with more than common military honours1 even for an officer of such exalted rank4 ,the funeral car was escorted by squadrons of life guards1 horse guards1 and dragoons1 the colours of the regiments1 as well as the men1 being in mourning1 two battalions of foot guards1 with arms reversed1 etc4 ,the body was followed for a quarter of a league by a band of mourners1 consisting of the ,marshal's sons and most of the generals1 headed by the ,duke of ,marlborough4 ,the troops were then drawn up1 and saluted1 after which there was a triple discharge of cannon2 the generals returned to the camp1 and the melancholy cortge passed on towards the place of interment at ,auverquerque4 ,the ,marshal married ,isabella van ,arsens1 daughter of ,cornelius1 ,lord of ,sommerdyke and ,placata 7who survived him71 by whom he had five sons and two daughters4 ,the eldest surviving son1 ,henry1 was made an ,english peer in #afih1 by the title of ,earl of ,grantham1 ,viscount ,boston1 and ,baron ,alford4 ,he had to wife his cousin1 ,lady ,henrietta ,butler1 daughter of the celebrated ,earl of ,ossory 7son to the first ,duke of ,ormonde71 by whom he had two sons and three daughters4 ,the youngest1 ,lady ,henrietta ,auverquerque1 married ,william1 third ,earl ,cowper1 and through this union the present noble owner of ,panshanger boasts a lineal descent from the hero1 ,william the ,silent1 and ,maurice1 ,princes of ,orange1 whose portraits ,lady ,henrietta brought into the ,cowper family1 together with the splendid ,vandyck of ,john of ,nassau--purchased by ,lord ,grantham at the ,hague1 in #agda1 for the sum of #ejjj florins1 from the ,van ,swieten collection1--also several other ,dutch pictures1 which may be found in this ,gallery4 ,from the aforesaid lady the present ,lord ,cowper derives his title of ,dingwall1 though only called out of abeyance so recently as #ahhj4 ,lord ,albemarle1 in his delightful volume entitled ,fifty ,years of ,my ,life1 speaks in the highest terms of the valour and generalship of ,field-,marshal d',auverquerque1 and says the history of the ,war of ,succession best attests his merits as ,general1 and the ,marlborough despatches best show the estimation in which he was held by that consummate commander4 ,the titles of ,earl ,grantham and ,baron ,alford were bestowed upon him for his services1 but he never assumed these honours4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,admiral ,,cornelius ,,van ,,tromp4 ,in a leather jerkin4 ,holding a truncheon4 ,the other arm akimbo4 ,ship blowing up in the background4 ,,born #afbi1 ,,died #afia4 ,,by ,,sir ,,peter ,,lely4 ,a ,,native of ,rotterdam1 the son of ,martin ,van ,tromp1 who1 at the age of eleven years1 stood by his father when he was shot down in action1 the boy crying wildly to his messmates1 #8,comrades1 will you not revenge my father's death8' ,martin's father before him had also been killed on the deck of his own vessel1 in an engagement with the ,english1 and ,cornelius proved himself worthy of his brave progenitors4 ,at the age of twenty-one he had attained the rank of post-captain1 and was employed against the ,emperor of ,morocco1 whom he compelled to make advantageous terms with the ,dutch4 ,in #afeb he fought the ,english at ,porto ,longone1 and captured one of their finest vessels1 the ,sampson1 which he boarded1 his own ship being disabled2 but1 to the great mortification of ,van ,tromp1 the ,sampson was recaptured by the enemy4 ,the following year1 in a fresh encounter with the ,english1 he made a violent effort to regain possession of his former prize1 but the ,sampson was blown up4 ,the ,dutch were victorious on this occasion1 but they lost their ,admiral1 and ,van ,tromp was promoted to the vacant post4 ,in #afef1 in connection with ,oldham and ,de ,ruyter1 he distinguished himself on the high seas1 and then retired for a while from public life1 and did not go afloat till #affb1 when he fought the ,algerine pirates in the ,mediterranean4 ,he also performed an arduous task in convoying several richly freighted ,dutch merchantmen from the ,east ,indies safely into port1 in spite of numerous enemies who were on the look-out for such valuable prizes4 ,van ,tromp was constantly opposed to the ,english1 and in one engagement he gained universal praise for the manner in which he defended his disabled and shattered ship1 when the ,dutch were defeated1 and sad havoc made in their fleet4 ,new ships had to be constructed in all haste1 and the ,states-,general were placed in a dilemma as to the appointment of the command of the naval forces4 ,popular ,de ,ruyter was absent1 battling with other foes1 and although ,van ,tromp's knowledge and skill were almost universally acknowledged1 there was a very powerful faction against him1 led by the brothers ,de ,witt1 then in the plenitude of their power4 ,the head and front of the gallant seaman's offending seemed to consist in his unswerving loyalty to the ,house of ,orange4 ,there was1 however1 no alternative1 and the command of the fleet was grudgingly bestowed on ,cornelius ,van ,tromp1 who had many hard conditions1 to which his patriotism alone induced him to submit4 ,he had not the sole command1 but was joined therein by ,de ,witt and others1 who received instructions to watch over and supervise all his movements4 ,worse treatment was in store for him2 no sooner had he hoisted his flag1 than the sudden return of ,de ,ruyter changed the whole aspect of affairs2 ,van ,tromp's appointments were cancelled1 and ,de ,ruyter ordered to supersede him4 ,we can imagine with what feelings of wrathful indignation ,van ,tromp went on shore1 proudly refusing to serve under the man who had supplanted him4 ,in the ensuing year1 spite of much bitterness of feeling1 he who had been so unjustly treated was induced 7partly by the bribe1 perhaps1 of a splendid ship7 to join ,de ,ruyter in an attack on the ,english1 when1 after a fierce struggle1 of several days' duration1 the ,dutch were victorious4 ,hostilities continuing between the two nations1 in another engagement ,van ,tromp defeated the ,british ,admiral ,smith1 but ,de ,ruyter was worsted2 and on their return violent recriminations passed between them4 ,de ,ruyter complained that his colleague had acted quite independently1 had afforded him no support whatsoever1 and1 in fact1 had left him and his portion of the fleet completely in the lurch1 while ,van ,tromp retaliated with counter-charges4 ,the ,states-,general1 as usual1 espoused the cause of ,de ,ruyter1 deprived ,van ,tromp of his commission1 forbade him to hold any communication with the fleet1 and placed him under provisory arrest at the ,hague4 ,it was at this moment1 while smarting beneath the ingratitude and injustice of the country which he had so nobly served1 that tempting offers were made to the gallant seaman to enter the service of ,france1 but these overtures were answered with becoming indignation4 ,he now gained permission to leave the ,hague1 and repair to a country house which he possessed near ,gravensand1 called ,trompenburg1 and built in the fanciful form of a man-of-war4 ,but being in the ,hague at the time of the murder of the ,de ,witt brothers1 there were slanderous rumours set abroad that he encouraged the assassins4 ,this arose doubtless from the fact that some voices in the crowd on the day of the murder called out1 #8,down with the ,de ,witts6 ,long live ,van ,tromp6' ,the ,admiral remained for some time in retreat1 but in #afgc he was reinstated in all his dignities by the ,prince of ,orange 7afterwards ,william ,,iii474 ,a formal reconciliation took place between him and ,de ,ruyter1 and they once more agreed to make common cause against the enemies of their country4 ,in an engagement with the combined forces of ,france and ,england1 ,van ,tromp was sorely pressed1 compelled to change his ship three times1 and three times he was rescued by the gallantry of ,de ,ruyter4 ,the war continued1 and they were both in constant service1 and1 whether successful or not1 both famed alike for their patriotism and courage4 ,in #afge1 the ,dutch being then at peace with ,england1 ,charles ,,ii4 invited ,van ,tromp to visit ,london1 where he welcomed him with great honour1 and gave him the title of ,baron4 ,the citizens also crowded to see the man whose name1 as well as that of his father1 had long been used with them as a bugbear to frighten naughty children 7as was the case with #8,boney' in later days71 and whose advent on the shores of ,england had at one time been so much dreaded that prayers had actually been printed against such a calamity4 ,next year the ,admiral was despatched to the assistance of ,denmark against ,sweden1 and the ,king of that country also did him great honour1 creating him a ,count1 and decorating him with the ,order of the ,elephant4 ,on his return1 the death of ,de ,ruyter had made a vacancy in the highest naval command which it was in the power of the ,states-,general to bestow1 and it was conferred on ,van ,tromp4 ,his last expedition was to accompany the ,prince of ,orange in his attack of ,st4 ,omer1 and in #afia1 ,william 7then ,king of ,england7 proposed to him to hoist his flag on the new fleet equipping against ,france1 but ,van ,tromp died before he could undertake the trust4 ,he expired at ,amsterdam1 and was buried with great solemnity in the paternal mausoleum at ,delft4 ,cornelius ,van ,tromp1 with many great qualities1 had something of a braggadocio in his nature4 ,witness his vain boast1 when1 after some successful encounter with the ,english1 he attached a broom to his main mast1 at a time when our superiority as a naval power was almost universally admitted4 ,van ,tromp had one brother1 and an only sister1 who had been christened by her father 7in commemoration of one of his victories1 at the time of her birth7 by the following names1 #8,anna ,maria ,victoria ,hardensis ,trompensis-,dunensis4' ,we sincerely hope1 for the sake of her playmates1 that the young lady had at least one nickname4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,drawing-,,room4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,drawing-,,room4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,lady ,,caroline ,,cowper4 ,red gown4 ,black and white cloak4 ,,born #agcc1 ,,died #aggc4 ,,by ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds4 ,,the only daughter of ,william1 second ,earl ,cowper1 by ,lady ,henrietta ,auverquerque1 daughter of the ,earl of ,grantham4 ,married in #agec to ,henry ,seymour1 ,esq4 of ,sherborne1 ,redland ,court1 and ,northbrook1 nephew to the ,duke of ,somerset4 ,they had two daughters1--,caroline1 wife to ,mr4 ,danby of ,swinton ,park1 county ,york 7who bequeathed this picture to ,lord ,cowper71 and ,georgiana1 married to the ,comte de ,durfort1 ,ambassador at ,venice4 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,mrs4 ,,samuel ,,reynolds4 ,green gown1 with short sleeves4 ,holding a basket4 ,a ,,study ,,by ,,opie4 ,,miss ,,jane ,,cowing married in #agic ,samuel ,reynolds1 who became identified with his great namesake1 ,sir ,joshua1 by his beautiful and delicate engraving of the works of that master1 and of many other celebrated painters4 ,his son and daughter were also artists in oil and miniature1 and his grandchildren still keep up the character of the family for the love and practice of art4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,reynolds were intimate friends and constant guests of ,lord and ,lady ,john ,townshend at ,balls ,park1 ,hertford1 where the agreeable and versatile talents of the former1 and the gentle and kindly disposition of the latter1 ensured them a cordial welcome4 ,they were also occasional visitors to ,panshanger1 and it is easy to imagine how fully the treasures of this noble gallery must have been appreciated by the practised eye and refined taste of ,samuel ,reynolds4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds1 ,p4,r4,a4 ,red coat4 ,fur collar4 ,no spectacles4 ,,born #agbc1 ,,died #agib4 ,,by ,,himself4 ,,born at ,plymouth1 where his father1 ,samuel1 was master of the ,grammar-,school4 ,his mother was ,theophila ,potter1 of ,bishops ,plympton1 ,south ,molton1 who had many children4 ,samuel ,reynolds was a good man1 and sensible withal2 yet we are told1 on the authority of a maid who lived in the family1 that he was given to astrology1 and would go out on the house-top to consult the stars2 moreover1 that he once cast the horoscope of a little daughter1 for whom he predicted a violent death1--a prophecy which was1 unfortunately1 fulfilled1 as the child fell out of a window1 and was killed4 ,when only eight years old1 ,joshua had benefited so much by studying ,richardson's treatise on ,perspective1 that he was enabled to draw the schoolhouse according to rule1 a feat which much delighted his father4 ,the boy also busied himself in copying all the engravings he could lay hands on1 more especially a volume of ,catt's ,emblems1 which his grandmother had brought with her from ,holland4 ,his sisters had all a turn for drawing1 and the little band of artists used to decorate the whitewashed walls of the passages with designs in charcoal1 whereof the least admired were the brother's handiworks4 ,indeed1 in those days ,joshua was not considered a prophet by his sisters1 who had nicknamed him #8,the clown1'--a sobriquet certainly not applicable to him in after life4 ,mrs4 ,parker1 a friend and neighbour of the ,reynolds family1 sent the children a present of pencils1--a gift which the great painter lived to pay back with interest1 for the walls of ,saltram are rich in his paintings4 ,when about twelve years of age1 ,joshua is said to have made his first essay in oils under considerable difficulties1--the portrait of ,richard 7afterwards ,lord7 ,edgecumbe1--in the boat-house on ,cremel ,beach1 below ,mount ,edgecumbe4 ,this work was executed on the rough canvas of a boat-sail1 with the common paints used by shipwrights6 ,after much consultation with friends and relations1 and many pecuniary obstacles1 ,joshua proceeded to ,london as an apprentice to ,hudson1 the fashionable portrait-painter of the day1 son-in-law to ,richardson1 whose writings on ,art had been so useful to the young beginner4 ,shortly after his departure1 his father writes to a friend that no one could be more delighted than the dear fellow with his new life1 his master1 his employment1--indeed1 he was in the seventh heaven4 ,joshua was an enthusiast in all things1 and a characteristic anecdote is told of him when he first went to ,london4 ,hudson sent him to a picture sale1 on a commission to make a purchase1 when a whisper ran through the crowded room--#8,mr4 ,pope6 ,mr4 ,pope6' ,a passage was instantly made for the great man1 and ,joshua1 in a fever of excitement1 stretched out his hand under the arm of the person who stood before him1 desirous even to touch the hem of the poet's garment4 ,to his delight1 his hand was warmly shaken by the man whose homely but expressive features1 and poetical creations1 he was destined to portray in later days4 ,reynolds left ,hudson's studio before his apprenticeship had expired1 for which step many reasons were assigned at the time by those who1 perhaps1 were not in possession of the truth4 ,some said his master was unkind to him1 from a feeling of jealousy2 but as both father and son 7,reynolds7 remained on friendly terms with the painter1 this does not appear probable4 ,joshua went down to ,plymouth1 and painted all the remarkable people in the neighbourhood1 including the greatest dignitary of all1--the ,commissioner of the dockyard6 ,in #agdf his father died1 and when the household broke up1 he went to live with his two unmarried sisters at ,plymouth4 ,it was here he made the acquaintance of ,commodore ,keppel1 whose portrait is so well known and so justly admired4 ,this gallant sailor had been appointed to the command of the ,mediterranean ,fleet1 and intrusted with a diplomatic mission1 before he had completed his twenty-fourth year4 ,he met ,joshua at ,mount ,edgecumbe1 and proposed to take him for a cruise1 an offer that was gladly accepted4 ,after visiting ,portugal1 the ,balearic ,isles1 and different portions of the ,italian coast1 the young painter took leave of the ,commodore1 and proceeded on a prolonged tour through all the principal towns of ,italy1 carefully admiring1 studying1 copying1 and writing essays on all the treasures of art in his progress4 ,his long and patient worship of ,raphael1 in the chambers of the ,vatican1 cost him one of his senses1 for the extreme cold of those vast apartments brought on a chill1 which deprived him of hearing1 even at that early age4 ,returning to ,london1 he established himself in ,st4 ,martin's ,lane1 in a house formerly occupied by ,sir ,james ,thornhill1 immediately behind which stood the school for drawing and design4 ,he now wrote to his sister ,frances to come up from ,devonshire1 and keep house for him1--a proceeding which1 judging from the character given of that lady by ,madame ,d',arblay 7whose testimony we are always inclined to take cum grano71 appeared to be of questionable advantage1 for ,miss ,fanny1 though a person of worth and understanding1 lived in a perpetual state of irresolution of mind and perplexity of conduct1--what in these days we should call a chronic fuss2 added to which1 she insisted on being an artist1 and her admiration for her brother's works induced her to make what she called #8copies1' and ,joshua #8caricatures4' #8,indeed1' said he wofully1 #8,fanny's copies make me cry1 and other people laugh4' ,she had also a knack of taking offence on the slightest provocation1 and one day1 being displeased with her brother for some imaginary slight put upon her1 she deputed ,samuel ,johnson to compose an expostulatory letter for her to write to ,joshua4 ,dr4 ,johnson was a warm admirer of ,miss ,fanny and her talent for tea-making1--to which he did full justice1--and could deny her nothing2 but when the copy of the letter was read and discussed1 the style was so unmistakably masculine and ,johnsonian1 that it was deemed advisable not to send it4 ,our painter's hands were now full4 ,men and women of all classes1 denominations1 and reputations1 thronged his studio2 his pocket-book was a perfect record of all the illustrious and celebrated names of the period4 ,he determined to change his quarters1 first to ,newport ,street1 and finally to far more commodious apartments in ,leicester ,square4 ,he raised his prices1 charging twelve guineas for a head1 and forty-eight for a full-length4 ,he set up a magnificent coach1 which caused a great sensation4 ,northcote flippantly describes it as an advertisement2 but it would appear more likely that ,reynolds wished to do ,catton a good turn4 ,catton had begun life as a decorator1 and ended as an ,r4,a4 ,the vehicle was splendid in colour and gorgeous in gilding1 and ,catton soon received orders to paint royal and municipal carriages4 ,joshua was far too busy to take the air in his new equipage1 and it was in vain he entreated ,miss ,fanny to do so4 ,she was much too shy1 she said1 to attract the eyes of the whole town4 ,we do not require to be told that ,sir ,joshua was a friend and playfellow of children4 ,none but a lover could have painted in all their winning varieties1 not merely the comeliness1 but the roguish grace1 the dimpled smiles1 the #8beautifully shy' glances1 of childhood4 ,it is easy to picture him paying court to these juvenile charmers1 and entering into delightful small flirtations4 ,but the history of one of these tender passages will suffice to give an idea of the course he usually pursued4 ,the parents of the beautiful little ,miss ,bowles1 with whose sweet face we are all familiar1 had settled that their darling should sit to ,romney4 ,but ,sir ,george ,beaumont recommended ,reynolds for the privilege4 ,the little lady was shy and coy4 #8,invite him to dinner1' said ,sir ,george4 ,the ,president came1 and sat at table by the daughter of the house4 ,he paid her the most assiduous court2 no end of stories2 no end of tricks2 her plate was juggled away and brought back from unexpected quarters4 ,her senses were dazzled2 the conquest was complete2 she thought him the most captivating of men1 and was only too ready to be taken to his house next day4 ,there1 seated on the floor in an ecstasy of expectation and delight1 she gave herself up to ,sir ,joshua's fascinations4 ,he seized his opportunity1 caught the radiant expression1 fastened it on the canvas1 and made his little friend immortal6 ,no one gloried more in the success of the young painter than ,samuel ,johnson1 for between these two great men1 so essentially different in pursuits1 in character1 intellect1 and appearance1 a tender friendship had sprung up4 ,reynolds's heart1 home1 and purse were always at the service of the ,doctor1 who was often in pecuniary difficulties1 and who wrote ,rasselas under the pressure of great sorrow1 paying the expenses of his mother's funeral out of the proceeds of the book4 ,he puts these touching words into the mouth of ,imlac3 #8,i have neither mother to delight in the reputation of her son1 or wife to share in the honours of her husband4' ,many a delightful summer excursion did ,johnson and ,reynolds make together1 where the eccentricities and caustic humour of the former made him as welcome a guest at the country houses they visited as the refined qualities and polished manners of the latter4 ,if the peculiarities1 the sayings1 and doings of the great #8leviathan of literature' have been made familiar to us by the pen of ,boswell1 surely the pencil of ,reynolds has stamped his image on our minds1 as if the living ,samuel had ever stood before us4 ,boswell recognised the ,doctor when he saw him first through a glass door in ,tom ,davies's coffee-house from his exact resemblance to the portrait which the painter afterwards gave the biographer1 who had it engraved for one of the first editions of ,johnson's ,life4 ,what can be more charming than #8,the ,infant ,johnson1' one of the chief glories of the ,bowood collection8 ,was ever a joke so wonderfully delineated8 ,the question being raised one evening at a convivial meeting1 ,could the ,doctor ever have been a baby8 #8,no doubt about it1' said ,reynolds2 #8,i know exactly what he looked like1 and ,i will show you some day4' ,the painter was a great admirer of ,johnson's powers of conversation1 and it was chiefly at his instigation that the ,literary ,club was formed1 with a view #8of giving the ,doctor the opportunity of talking1 and us1 his friends1 of listening4' ,the meetings were held in ,gerrard ,street1 ,soho1 and were at first confined to twelve members1 but ere long included all the wit and literature of the town4 ,sir ,joshua liked cards1 masquerades1 and theatres4 ,neither did he disdain the illegitimate drama1 for we find him accompanying the sapient ,samuel and the rollicking ,oliver 7,goldsmith7 to a performance of the ,italian ,fantoccini2 and1 still more surprising1 we have the account of the supper which crowned this convivial evening1 when ,goldsmith and the ,doctor jumped over sticks1 in imitation of the frolics of the wooden puppets1 and the latter nearly broke his leg in these elephantine gambols6 ,in #agfi the ,royal ,academy was founded4 ,joshua did not join the deputation that waited on the ,king2 in fact1 he kept aloof from the whole undertaking1 interested as he was at heart in the cause2 but the slights put upon him at ,court formed a sufficient reason for his non-appearance4 ,from the moment that he found himself elected ,president by the unanimous voice of his brother artists1 his zeal never slackened1 and knew no bounds4 ,he drew up ,regulations1 wrote and revised the ,catalogue1 and began a regular course of lectures1 which gained him as much literary1 as his paintings had secured for him pictorial1 fame4 ,as long as ,reynolds could hold a brush he contributed his most splendid portraits to the ,exhibitions4 ,as in duty bound1 he went to the levee1 where the ,king knighted him4 #8,his very name1' says his friend ,edmund ,burke1 an undoubted master of euphony1 #8seemed made for knightly honours4' ,george ,,iii4 sat to him for the presentation picture to the ,royal ,academy4 ,sir ,joshua had not as much time now as formerly for his summer excursions1 whether in ,england or abroad4 ,he spent most of the day in his painting-room1 or in attending to his numerous duties as ,p4,r4,a4 ,in the evening he gave himself up more or less to social enjoyment1 dining out constantly at clubs or private houses1 or presiding at his own table at those convivial banquets1 where oftentimes half a dozen guests were expected and a dozen appeared1 and where verily the feast of reason and the flow of soul made up for the scarcity of the servants1 knives1 forks1 plates1 and such minor details4 ,in that dining-room were gathered all the intellect and wit of the town2 and its noble master presided calmly1 taking an interest in all that came within the range of his ear-trumpet4 ,leicester ,square was in the centre of the disturbed district at the time of the ,gordon ,riots1 and the noise and hubbub were painfully audible to the painter's impaired hearing1 and for a time interfered with the visits of his fair sitters4 ,on ,st4 ,george's ,day #aggj1 ,sir ,joshua presided at the first ,royal ,academy banquet1 a festivity which was spoiled for many of the guests by the announcement that the boy-poet ,chatterton had committed suicide4 ,in the ensuing year ,reynolds was summoned to ,windsor ,castle to witness the installation of nine ,knights of the ,garter1 all of whom 7with the exception of two foreign ,princes7 had been immortalised by his pencil4 ,northcote tells us that on this occasion ,sir ,joshua lost his laced hat and gold watch in the crowd close to the ,royal precincts1--a circumstance which excited little astonishment in days when a boat containing ladies and gentlemen from ,vauxhall was boarded by masked highwaymen6 ,a delightful addition was made in #agga to the ,leicester ,square household1 in the person of his pretty niece1 ,theophila ,palmer2 and two years later she was joined by her sister1 ,mary1 adding that element of youth1 beauty1 and good spirits which were most acceptable to ,sir ,joshua himself and to all his guests4 ,a sad blow was in store for him in the death of his valued friend ,david ,garrick1 who was taken ill when on a visit to ,lord ,spencer at ,althorp1 and only returned to ,london to die4 ,the whole ,faculty put forth their skill to save this darling of the public1 this cherished member of private society2 but in vain4 ,garrick's humour never forsook him2 when almost at the point of death1 he drew a friend near him1 and1 pointing to the crowd of doctors in the room1 whispered these words from the #8,fair ,penitent'-- #8,another and another still succeeds1 ,and the last fool is welcome as the former4' ,david ,garrick's funeral was a pageant4 ,the procession included every name remarkable for talent1 rank1 celebrity of all kinds and classes4 ,but amidst that crowd of mourners few could have grieved more deeply than the actor's fast friend1 ,joshua ,reynolds4 ,he was indeed a good friend1 and was much interested in the unhappy ,angelica ,kauffmann1 whom he assisted in the dissolution of her marriage with her first husband1 a swindler and an impostor4 ,we find by his pocket-book that she sat twice to him1 and in exchange she afterwards painted the ,p4,r4,a4 for ,mr4 ,parker of ,saltram4 ,there was a rumour that the painter's heart was touched by the charms of the paintress4 ,but ,joshua was evidently not very susceptible2 he was an inveterate club man1 and was immensely popular1 from the geniality and cordiality of his manners1 as also 7it was whispered7 from the badness of his whist-playing4 ,he was elected for the ,dilettanti ,club in #agff1 and his picture of the assembled members was greatly admired1 and added considerably to his fame4 ,in #aghb the great painter had a paralytic seizure1 though of a mild nature1 and he soon recovered sufficient energy to continue his labours1 with1 if possible1 increased diligence1 finishing and exhibiting some of his noblest works after this premonitory warning4 ,in #aghd ,samuel ,johnson was stricken down by the same terrible disease1 but in a much more aggravated form1 leaving little hope of his recovery4 ,he had lost the power of speech for a time1 and his first efforts at returning articulation were to repeat the ,lord's ,prayer1 and an earnest supplication that his intellect might be spared to the last1 together with a summons to his dear ,joshua1--the loved companion of so many pleasant excursions1 of so many jovial and intellectual gatherings1--of whom he took a tender farewell4 ,the dying man made three requests in that solemn moment3 that ,reynolds would paint no more on ,sundays2 that he would invariably read his ,bible on that day1 and other days besides2 and that he would cancel the debt of #cj which he 7,johnson7 owed him4 ,the relations between ,gainsborough and ,reynolds had never been very friendly2 but when the first-mentioned painter was on his deathbed1 he also sent for ,sir ,joshua1 who says3 #8,in those solemn moments all little jealousies were forgotten1 and he recognised in me one whose tastes and pursuits were in common with his own1 and of whose works he approved4' ,it should be remembered that when ,gainsborough heard some one disparaging ,sir ,joshua's talent1 he spoke up gallantly1 and said1 #8,for myself1 ,i consider his worst pictures superior to the best of any other painter2' and words nearly to the same effect1 on the same subject1 are recorded of ,romney4 ,reynolds himself1 being attacked on the score of his portraits fading1 laughed1 and said good-humouredly1 #8,well1 you must confess at all events that ,i have come off with flying colours4' ,on the death of ,ramsay1 the ,court painter1 the post was offered to ,sir ,joshua1 but it required the united persuasions of his friends to induce him to accept the office4 ,reynolds had a great deal to contend with in these latter days4 ,he had entirely lost the sight of one eye1 and was under grave apprehensions for the safety of the other2 while the conduct of many of the ,royal ,academicians towards their noble ,president was such as to determine him to resign his post4 ,the ,king 7who had just recovered from an attack of insanity7 exerted himself to persuade ,reynolds to take back his resignation4 ,but it was not until he had received a deputation from the ,council1 accompanied by apologies from some of the offenders1 that ,sir ,joshua consented to resume the ,chair4 ,in ,december #agij he delivered his last discourse at the ,royal ,academy1 which he commenced by alluding slightly and delicately to the causes which had nearly prevented his ever occupying that place again1 and assuring his hearers that he should always remember with pride1 affection1 and gratitude the support with which he had almost uniformly been honoured since the commencement of their intercourse4 ,he enjoined1 for the last time1 the enforcement of those rules which he considered conducive to the wellbeing of the institution4 ,every eye was fixed on the speaker1 every ear open to his charming1 when suddenly a loud crash plunged the whole assembly 7with the exception of the ,president7 into alarm and confusion4 ,there was a general rush to the door1 but when order was restored1 and assurance of safety believed1 it was ascertained that a beam1 which helped to support the flooring1 had given way4 ,alas for the omen6 ,the greatest prop to the grandeur of the ,royal ,academy was soon to fall away in truth4 ,sir ,joshua remained calm and unmoved during the perturbation1 and concluded by these words3 #8,i reflect1 not without vanity1 that these discourses bear testimony to my admiration of a truly divine man1 and ,i desire that the last words ,i pronounce in this ,academy should be the name of ,michael ,angelo4' ,as ,reynolds descended from the ,chair1 ,edmund ,burke stepped forward1 and1 taking his hand1 addressed him in the words of ,milton3-- #8,the angel ended1 and in ,adam's ear ,so charming left his voice1 that he a while ,thought him still speaking1 and stood fixed to hear4' #8,such a tribute1 from such a man1' says ,leslie1 #8was a fitting close to the life-work of ,joshua ,reynolds4' ,neither his impaired sight1 his deficient hearing1 or his increasing weakness1 could entirely damp the warmth of his social affections4 ,the last time he wielded his brush was at the request of some schoolboys1 who entreated him to paint them a flag for #8breaking up4' ,reynolds had that love for children and domestic pets which seems inseparable from great and good natures4 ,he would pay the most assiduous court1 and make the most gallant advances1 to some of the exquisite little models who sat to him1 till they became spellbound4 ,and one day1 his canary having escaped from its cage1 nothing would content the ,p4,r4,a4 but he must go out into the glaring sunshine1 with his weak eyes1 and the green shade over them1 to spend hours in seeking and whistling for his lost favourite4 ,the end was approaching4 ,his spirits became depressed1 his appetite failed1 and on the evening of ,february #bc1 #agib1 he concluded a blameless life by a calm and peaceful end4 ,the manuscript of ,burke's obituary notice still exists1 blotted with the writer's tears4 ,it was written in the very house where the friends had spent so many happy hours together4 ,beautiful in its touching eloquence1 we regret we have only space for a short extract3-- #8,from the beginning ,sir ,joshua contemplated his dissolution with a composure which nothing but the innocence1 integrity1 and usefulness of his life1 and his entire submission to the will of ,providence1 could bestow4 ,in the full affluence of foreign and domestic fame1 admired by the expert in art1 by the learned in science1 caressed by sovereign powers1 and celebrated by distinguished poets1 his native humility1 modesty1 and candour never forsook him4 ,he had too much merit ever to excite jealousy1 too much innocence ever to provoke enmity4 ,the loss of no man of his time can be felt with so much sincere1 general1 and unmixed sorrow4' ,and these words were confirmed by the crowds of every calling1 position1 and class which followed him to the grave4 ,the body lay in state at ,somerset ,house4 ,there were ninety-one carriages followed1 so that1 before the first in the line had reached ,st4 ,paul's1 the last was still at the entrance of ,somerset ,house4 ,the ,annual ,register for that year gives a detailed account of the funeral4 ,the pall-bearers were ten ,peers1 ,reynolds's personal friends1 the greater part of whom had been his sitters4 ,and the procession included three ,knights of the ,garter1 two of ,st4 ,patrick1 and one of the ,thistle2 three ,dukes and four ,lords-,lieutenant of ,ireland2 the whole body of ,academicians1 painters1 authors1 actors1--every name distinguished for literature1 art1 and science4 ,sir ,joshua left numerous legacies2 many of his finest pictures were bequeathed to private friends4 ,he left the bulk of his fortune1 for her life1 to his sister1 ,frances ,reynolds1 with reversion to his niece1 ,mary ,palmer1 afterwards ,lady ,thomond1 together with a large collection of his paintings1 which were sold and dispersed at her death4 ,the number of his paintings seems miraculous when the list is read4 ,he was a large contributor to the ,exhibitions of the ,royal ,academy4 ,at the first of these he sent four2 at the last 7as far as he was concerned1 in #agij7 he sent but six1 only two years before his death4 ,but in the interim his pictures often numbered fourteen1 sixteen1 and1 on one occasion1 seventeen1 for his talent was only equalled by his industry1 and he was a workman as well as an artist1 to which fact all his contemporaries bear witness4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,the ,,niece ,,of ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds1 ,,mary1 ,,or ,,theophila ,,palmer4 ,sitting4 ,white gown4 ,blue sash4 ,hair falling on her shoulders4 ,,by ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds1 ,p4,r4,a4 ,,we give a sketch of both sisters1 not being quite certain as to the identity of the portrait4 ,they were the daughters of ,mrs4 ,palmer1 who was sister of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 and wife of ,john ,palmer of ,torrington1 county ,devon4 ,theophila1 their youngest daughter1 had been residing some time with her uncle in ,leicester ,square1 but came home for change of air2 and when she returned to ,london in #aggi1 her elder sister1 ,mary1 accompanied her4 ,miss ,burney tells us that the two sisters #8added to the charm of the ,president's table and his evening parties by their pleasing manners and the beauty of their persons4' ,they both served as occasional models4 ,mary appears to have been the more staid and demure of the two4 ,she had the keenest admiration and appreciation of her uncle's talent1 and never tired of describing his works to her frequent correspondent and cousin1 ,william ,johnson1 at ,calcutta4 ,in #aghf she says3 #8,uncle seems more than ever bewitched by his palette and pencil4 ,he paints from morning till night1 and1 truth to say1 each picture appears better than the last4 ,the ,empress of ,russia has ordered an historical painting2 his choice is still undecided4' ,this was the #8,infant ,hercules1' which made such a noise at the time1 and the merits of which were the subject of so much controversy4 ,romney's verdict was #8that1 whatever fault might be found with it1 no other painter in ,europe could have produced that picture4' ,sir ,joshua was one of those who did not disdain criticism1 even from young lips4 ,he had painted a captivating portrait of ,mary's little niece1 ,polly ,gwatkin1 and when ,miss ,palmer saw it she told the ,president boldly that the little fingers1 which were clasped on the child's lap1 with their very red tips1 suggested the idea of a dish of prawns6 ,sir ,joshua1 no ways offended1 laughed1 and set to work immediately1 turning the prawns into roseate buds1 which he placed in the little chubby hand4 ,mary was at ,torrington when she heard of her uncle's sudden failure of sight and loss of one eye4 ,she hastened back to his side1 to read1 to write1 to minister to him in every possible way1 for he was not allowed to read1 or write1 or paint for some time4 #8,you may believe1' ,mary writes1 #8what the loss of an eye is to him4 ,but his serenity never forsook him4 ,one of his early axioms was not to fuss about trifles1--if the loss of an eye could be considered as such4 #8,the ruling passion continues4 ,he amuses himself by mending or cleaning a picture4 ,in the meantime he enjoys company as much as ever1 and loves a game at cards4' ,mary ,palmer lived with her uncle till his death4 ,he left her a considerable fortune and a large collection of his pictures1 which were sold by auction at her death1 in #ahba4 ,the same year that ,sir ,joshua died she married ,murrough1 first ,marquis of ,thomond1 as his second wife4 ,she made a present of one of his historical paintings to ,george ,,iv4 ,theophila1 or ,offy1 as her uncle usually called her1 was his favourite1 although much attached to both sisters4 ,she was only thirteen when she first went to live in ,leicester ,square4 ,she was very pretty1 and full of fun and playful spirits4 ,she frequently sat to the ,president1 especially for his arch and sprightly models1--his #8,strawberry ,girl1' his #8,mouse ,girl1' and #8,reflections on reading ,clarissa ,harlowe4' ,but ,miss ,offy's dignity was much hurt on the exhibition of the last-named picture1 because it was entered into the ,catalogue as #8,a ,girl reading3' #8,you might have put 8a young lady10 uncle'6 ,another time the ,president was scolded because he made the portrait look too young1 when the original was nearly fourteen6 ,but for all these differences1 the great man and the little lady were the dearest friends1 and we find in one of his long letters that he will not tell her how much he loves her lest she should grow saucy over it2 and again he says he has two presents for her and ,mary1--a ring1 and a bracelet of his hair4 ,she is to have her choice1 but she is not to let her sister know of this mark of preference4 ,offy was married in her twentieth year1 from her mother's house at ,torrington1 to ,richard ,lovell ,gwatkin1 a man of fortune1 and of a good ,cornish family4 ,her uncle writes her a most affectionate letter of congratulation1 with a postscript by ,edmund ,burke1 who came in at the moment1 wishing her every possible happiness4 ,the wish was fulfilled4 ,there never was a happier wife or mother than little ,offy4 ,she came to ,london and sat for a conjugal picture to ,sir ,joshua1 who also painted her little daughter1 as we have said before4 ,mrs4 ,gwatkin lived to be ninety years of age1 surrounded by her children's children4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,a ,,young ,,woman4 ,dark green gown1 open at the throat4 ,shady hat4 ,landscape in background4 ,,by ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,katrine1 ,,countess ,,cowper4 ,red gown4 ,diamond necklace4 ,,by ,,poynter4 ,,katrine ,,cecilia ,,compton1 eldest daughter of the fourth ,marquis of ,northampton1 by ,eliza1 second daughter of ,admiral the ,honourable ,sir ,george ,elliot1 ,k4,c4,b4 ,she married in #ahgj the present and seventh ,earl ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,william ,,cowper1 ,,the ,,poet4 ,loose gown1 trimmed with fur4 ,white cap4 ,table with books and papers4 ,,born #agca1 ,,died #ahjj4 ,,by ,,jackson1 ,,after ,a ,,chalk ,,drawing ,,from ,,life4 ,,the grandson of ,spencer ,cowper1 ,attorney-,general1 and great-nephew of ,lord ,chancellor ,cowper1 the first peer of the name4 ,his father was ,dr4 ,john ,cowper1 chaplain to ,king ,george ,,ii41 who married the daughter of ,roger ,donne1 of ,lidham ,hall1 county ,norfolk4 ,william1 the eldest of two sons1 was born at his father's rectory of ,great ,berkhamstead4 ,mrs4 ,cowper died in giving birth to a second son4 ,she was an amiable and pretty woman1 and much more deserving of the flattering epitaph 7by her niece1 ,lady ,walsingham7 than most objects of elegiac praise1 in the days when it might well be asked #8where all the naughty people were buried4' ,even in these times when #8,the ,task' and the ,homer lie unopened on the table1 few readers of poetry are surely unacquainted with the #8,address to my ,mother's ,picture1' written half a century after her death4 ,the portrait was a present to ,william ,cowper1 from his cousin1 ,mrs4 ,bodham1 and he writes her an enthusiastic letter of thanks #8for the most acceptable gift the world could offer2' sending her at the same time the lines to which we have alluded4 #8,i have placed the painting so as to meet my eye the first thing in the morning1 and the last at night1 and ,i often get up from my bed to kiss it4' ,but we must not anticipate by so many years4 ,when only six1 ,william went to a large school at ,markgate ,street1 where he had to undergo a fierce ordeal4 ,many a stout-hearted boy1 possessing the germs of future heroism1 might have quailed before the bully who marked the little sensitive1 tender-hearted ,willie 7ready to burst into tears at the first harsh word7 as his victim4 ,he tells us himself that he scarcely ever dared to lift his eyes above the level of his tyrant's shoe-buckle2 and1 alluding to those days in later life1 he said he could not dwell on the cruelty practised on him1 but he hoped ,god would forgive his tormentor1 and that they might meet in heaven4 #8,wretch even then1 life's journey just begun4' ,it is easy to see how the memory of those days suggested his #8,tyrocinium4' ,mr4 ,cowper1 finding that the boy was suffering from inflammation of the eyes1 sent him to board with an oculist in ,london1 and afterwards to ,westminster ,school1 where ,william improved in health1 and took bodily exercise1 cricket and football1 which proved beneficial to him in more ways than one1 making him popular in the school4 ,he was diligent in his study of the ,classics1 and wrote good ,latin verses4 ,warren ,hastings was his contemporary and friend1 and ,cowper would never listen in after days to a word against his old school-fellow4 ,on leaving ,westminster1 he became articled clerk to an attorney1 in obedience to his father's wishes1 he himself disliking the profession of the law4 ,he confesses that at this period he spent most of his time #8in giggling and making giggle' his two favourite cousins1 ,theodora and ,harriet1 daughters of ,ashley ,cowper4 ,he #8feared some day that worthy gentleman would be picked up for a mushroom1 being a diminutive man1 nearly hidden under the shadow of a white broad-brimmed hat1 lined with yellow4' ,his fellow-clerk and ally in these giggling matches was the afterwards famous ,lord ,thurlow1 of whom it was said1 #8,no man could possibly be as wise as ,lord ,thurlow looked4' ,at all events he was wise enough at this period to combine legal study with flirtation4 ,cowper prophesied he would one day sit on the ,woolsack1 and ,thurlow promised to do something handsome for his friend whenever that time should come4 ,he redeemed his pledge by the gift of a few strictures and criticisms on the poet's translation of ,homer4 ,cowper removed from the attorney's office to chambers in the ,temple1 where he studied literature rather than law1 and became a member of the ,nonsense ,club1 which was the resort of authors1 journalists1 editors1 and the like4 ,here he formed many friendships which lasted through life1 became a contributor to several periodicals1 kept up his classical reading1 translated many amatory and sentimental poems1 and wrote odes to ,delia of a very tender character1--,delia otherwise ,theodora ,cowper4 ,the cousins had fallen in love1 but the lady's father would not hear of the marriage1 which was a bitter disappointment4 ,the lady remained faithful to her first love1 and ,cowper1 as we know1 never married4 ,a cousin of ,william's1 ,major ,cowper1 had the patronage of the ,clerkship of ,journals in the ,house of ,lords2 and the future poet1 whose finances were very low at the time1 one day expressed a hope that the holder of the office might die1 in order to make way for him4 ,this uttered wish was afterwards the subject of due remorse to this sensitive spirit3 #8,god gave me my heart's desire1 and sent leanness withal into my soul4' ,the man died1 the office was offered to1 and accepted by1 ,cowper4 #8,i was so dazzled1' he said1 #8by the idea1 that ,i did not reflect on my incapacity for the appointment2' but as he answered in the affirmative1 he felt #8a dagger strike at his heart4' ,he fell a prey to nervous fears and terrors of all kinds1 and1 even while preparing himself for the duties of his office1 began to contemplate with horror the prospect of being examined as to his proficiency at the bar of the ,house of ,lords4 ,by degrees he became quite mad1 and in that state meditated self-destruction4 ,he bought laudanum1 he drove to the river-side to drown himself1 he pointed a knife at his throat2 but his courage always failed him1 or1 as he thought1 some particular interposition saved his life4 ,twice he suspended himself by the neck long enough to occasion insensibility1 but so insecurely as to fall each time1 the shock bringing back consciousness4 ,after this last incident he sent for a relative1 to whom he confessed everything1 and who1 comprehending the state of the case1 returned the nomination to ,major ,cowper4 ,several of his friends1 unacquainted with these sad circumstances1 called upon him on the day appointed for his appearance at the ,house of ,lords1 but one and all acquiesced in the sad decision that he must be placed under restraint4 ,the asylum chosen was that of ,dr4 ,cotton1 a religious and well-educated man1 who was of much service to the sufferer by his judicious treatment4 ,william laboured under terrible despondency1 fear of eternal punishment1 and the deepest feelings of remorse4 ,by the gentle1 friendly care of ,dr4 ,cotton1 the patient gradually regained his health1 both mental and bodily1 and took much comfort in reading the ,bible1--the very book which1 in his fits of madness1 he would dash to the ground4 ,one morning1 studying the third chapter of ,romans1 he experienced #8comfort and strength to believe1 feeling the full beams of the ,sun of ,righteousness shining on me1 and relying on the full justification by faith in the blood of ,jesus4 ,in a moment ,i believed1 and received the ,gospel4' ,the seeds of religion1 which bore fruit in ,cowper's after life1 had been in some measure sown by the hand of the good physician ,dr4 ,cotton1 and1 after eleven months' sojourn at ,st4 ,albans1 ,william ,cowper went forth in his right mind4 ,after much consultation between the brothers1 an abode was fixed upon for ,william ,cowper at what one of his biographers designates as #8dull1 fenny ,huntingdon1' which appeared an ,elysium to one who had just recovered his senses and his liberty4 ,he had not been there long before an incident occurred which changed the whole tenor of his after life4 ,leaving church one morning1 he began pacing up and down under the shade of the trees1 before returning to his solitary lodging1 when he was accosted by a young man of prepossessing appearance1 who craved pardon for addressing #8a perfect stranger1' and asked leave to accompany him in his walk4 ,such an unconventional proceeding was doubtless calculated to please a man of so imaginative a turn of mind1 and ,cowper warmly responded4 ,the young man announced himself as ,william ,unwin1 a student of ,cambridge1 the son of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,unwin1 who lived in the town1 and boarded pupils for the ,huntingdon school4 ,young ,unwin went on to confess that1 for some time past1 he had been attracted by ,cowper's appearance1 and longed to speak to him1 but to-day he could no longer resist doing so4 ,he ended by requesting his new friend to accompany him home1 that he might make acquaintance with his parents4 ,no time was lost1 the visit was paid2 the liking proved reciprocal1 and it was not long before ,william ,cowper left his lonely apartments to occupy a room1 lately vacated1 under the roof of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,unwin4 ,thus began that lifelong friendship1 the annals of which are indissolubly connected with the poet's history4 #8,verily there is ,one who setteth the solitary in families4' ,writing to his dear cousin and constant correspondent1 ,lady ,hesketh 7the sister of ,theodora71 he described #8the most comfortable and sociable folk he had ever met1--the son1 destined for the ,church1 most frank and unreserved2 the girl pretty1 bashful1 taciturn2 the father a kind of ,parson ,adams1 and the mother4' ,mrs4 ,unwin was some years younger than her husband1 comely in appearance1 strongly imbued with evangelical views in religion1 well read1 particularly in the ,english poets1 with a vein of cheerfulness and humour tempering the strictness of her religious tenets1 and an invaluable critic4 ,cowper describes a two hours' walk and conversation with her1 which did him #8more good than an audience with a prince could have done4 ,her society is a real blessing to me4' ,the manner of life in the ,unwin establishment proved most congenial to ,cowper's tastes1 for he both contemned and condemned #8the frivolous gaieties1 the balls1 routs1 and card-parties of the ,huntingdon beau monde4' #8,after early breakfast1' he says1 #8we occupy ourselves in reading passages from ,scripture1 or the works of some favourite preacher2 at eleven1 ,divine service1 which is performed twice a day2 a solitary ride1 walk1 or reading2 and after dinner a sociable walk in the garden with mother or son1 the conversation usually of a religious character4' ,mrs4 ,unwin was a good walker1 and the friends often rambled beyond the home precincts1 and did not return till tea-time2 at night1 reading or singing hymns till supper2 family prayers concluded the order of the day4 ,this was the description by ,william ,cowper of a day of perfect cheerfulness4 ,with all our admiration for the man who was thus spiritually minded1 it is almost a relief to find him confessing to some slight shade of human weakness in a letter to his cousin1 ,mrs4 ,cowper4 ,he had given young ,unwin an introduction to #8the ,park1' and--after a lengthened rhapsody of self-accusation1 not without a spice of humour1 as of one who is laughing at himself1--he allows that #8it was not alone friendship for the youth which prompted the introduction1 but a desire that ,unwin should receive some convincing proof of 8my sponsibility10 by visiting one of my most splendid connections1 so that1 when next he hears me called 8that fellow ,cowper0 7which has happened before now71 he may be able to bear witness to my gentlemanhood4' ,about this time he seems to have revolved in his mind the idea of taking orders1 which he wisely abandoned4 ,he had spent but two peaceful years under his friends' roof1 when the home was broken up by the death of ,mr4 ,unwin1 who fell from his horse and fractured his skull1 riding home after church4 #8,this event necessitates a change of residence1' ,cowper remarks4 ,but the possibility of a separation from ,mrs4 ,unwin never appears to have struck either of them2 they merely commenced making inquiries and taking advice as to whither they should flit4 ,the poet's biographers are at variance respecting this epoch in his life1 some asserting1 others denying1 that the friends ever contemplated marriage4 ,there must have been some rumour to this effect1 as1 in a postscript to one of his letters he says laconically1 #8,i am not married4' ,he frequently remarked that the affection ,mrs4 ,unwin bore him was that of a mother for a son2 nevertheless1 the lady was only his senior by seven years4 ,to the eye of watchful affection1 it was evident that ,cowper's mental recovery would not prove permanent1 and such a consideration doubtless weighed in the devoted woman's resolution to remain at her friend's side4 ,her son1 a religious and high-principled man1 offered no objection2 her daughter was married2 and so ,william ,cowper and ,mary ,unwin took up their abode together in the melancholy little town of ,olney1 in ,buckinghamshire4 ,they were attracted to this unpromising locality by one of those hasty friendships to which they were both prone4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,newton1 at that time esteemed a shining light in ,methodist circles--well known by his ,cardiphonia and many evangelical works1 and still better1 perhaps1 by his collection of #8,olney ,hymns'--had visited the ,unwins at ,huntingdon1 and had held discussions with them on religious matters1 in a strain much appreciated by the whole household4 ,he was now curate at ,olney1 and invited his new friends to settle near him4 ,this remarkable man had passed a stormy and eventful youth4 ,he had been a sailor in all parts of the world2 had endured shipwreck1 slavery1 imprisonment1 and perils of all kinds1 by land and by sea4 ,he had become a minister of the ,gospel1 and was one of those enthusiasts who1 after a sudden conversion 7generally brought about by a lightning flash of conviction71 take delight in reviling their former selves1 painting their own portraits in colours so black as to bring out in stronger relief the subsequent brightness4 ,he was a zealot1 and had the reputation of #8preaching people mad4' ,alas6 such a man1 however conscientious and well-intentioned1 was one of the worst influences that could have crossed ,cowper's path4 ,but so it was4 ,mr4 ,newton hired a house for the new-comers next door to the ,vicarage where he lived1--damp1 dark1 and dreary2 even the easily-contented and far from luxurious poet described it as a #8well' and an #8abyss4' ,then the life prescribed by this spiritual pastor and master1--prayer-meetings at all hours of the day and evening2 rigid self-examinations and upbraidings2 scarcely any leisure allowed for wholesome exercise or cheerful correspondence4 ,mrs4 ,unwin1 usually watchful and judicious1 was herself so completely under ,newton's influence1 that she did not interfere to arrest the progress of a system which was helping to hurry her poor friend back into his former miserable state4 ,before the malady returned in its most aggravated form1 ,cowper used to take violent fancies1 and one day suddenly insisted on leaving his own house and removing to the ,vicarage1--a most inconvenient resolution1 as far as the curate was concerned4 ,john ,cowper's death1 about this time1 helped to agitate his brother's mind1 and ere long he was again insane4 ,when the dark hour came1 the devoted woman and the benevolent though mistaken friend were unremitting in their care2 and it was in allusion to the tenderness with which his gentle-hearted nurse ministered to him on this and subsequent occasions that ,cowper wrote3-- #8,there is a book ,by seraphs writ in beams of heavenly light1 ,on which the eyes of ,god not rarely look2 ,a chronicle of actions just and bright4 ,here all thy deeds1 my faithful ,mary1 shine1 ,and since thou own'st that praise1 ,i spare thee mine4' ,mr4 ,newton was soon to leave ,olney1 which he did under circumstances that appear1 at this time of writing1 rather comic4 ,he had a great dread of fire1 and strictly prohibited every species of bonfire1 illumination1 or firework in the locality on ,gunpowder ,plot ,day4 ,such an inroad on a time-honoured institution could not be tolerated4 ,the parish rose en masse1 and his reverence narrowly escaped with his life4 ,disgusted by the ingratitude and rebellion of his flock1 the curate removed to ,london4 ,cowper had before this returned to his own house1 and gradually his bodily health improved and his mind regained its equilibrium2 he now began to resume out-of-doors pursuits1 walking and gardening1 and the like4 ,he was much addicted to reading out of doors1 and said that external objects fixed the subject of his lecture on his memory4 ,he wrote to ,william ,unwin about this time1 requesting him to procure a diamond for cutting glass1 and expatiating at length on the joys of a glazier's trade4 ,he hardly knows a business in which a gentleman might more successfully employ himself4 #8,possibly the happy time may come1' he goes on to say1 #8when ,i may be seen trudging off to the neighbouring towns1 with a shelf of glass hanging at my back4 ,a ,chinese of ten times my fortune would avail himself of such an opportunity1--and why not ,i1 who want money as much as any mandarin in ,china8' ,he recommends the notion to his clerical friend1 who1 by mending the church windows1 might increase his income1 and his popularity in the parish into the bargain4 ,how acceptable must these jocose passages in his letters have been to those who loved him1 after the terrible period of gloomy hallucinations2 but a bright vein of humour was generally interwoven with the darkest threads of ,cowper's life4 ,he had always evinced a passion for animals1 and had a fancy for pets2 and besides the hares 7whose lives and deaths1 if we may be permitted a ,hibernianism1 he has rendered immortal71 ,cowper was the proprietor of a flock of pigeons1 which perched every morning on the garden wall1 awaiting the moment when their gentle master should appear to give them breakfast4 ,still writing to ,unwin1 he says3 #8,if your wish should ever be fulfilled1 and you obtain the wings of a dove1 ,i shall assuredly find you some fine morning among my flock2 but1 in that case1 pray announce yourself1 as ,i am convinced your crop will require something better than tares to feed upon4' ,there is something very refreshing in his outburst of indignation at the manner in which ,dr4 ,johnson handles ,milton1 #8plucking the brightest feathers' 7or at least so ,cowper thought7 #8from the ,muse's wing1 and trampling them under his great foot4 ,i should like to thrash his old jacket till his pension jingled in his pockets4' ,he gives a most amusing description of an unwelcome visitor at ,olney1 in which he carefully draws the line between a #8travelled man' and a #8travelled gentleman4' ,he speaks of the intruder's long and voluble talk1 which set their favourite robins twittering through rivalry1 neither the birds nor the talker inclining to give in2 but1 #8,i am thankful to say the robins survived it1 and so did we4' ,a delightful ray of human sunshine crossed the monotonous path of ,cowper's life about this time1 and for a period cheered and relieved its grey and sombre colouring4 ,looking out of the window one afternoon1 he saw ,mrs4 ,jones 7the wife of a neighbouring clergyman7 entering the opposite shop1 in company with a being 7no other word could be applicable71 whose appearance riveted him to the spot4 ,he summoned ,mrs4 ,unwin to his side1 and requested she would ask both ladies to tea4 ,the stranger proved to be ,mrs4 ,jones's sister1 a widow1 ,lady ,austen by name1 lately returned from a lengthened sojourn in ,france1 where she appeared1 by all accounts1 to have become imbued with a large portion of ,french vivacity1 without losing any of those sterling qualities or earnestness of purpose1 for which we 7at least7 give our fair countrywomen credit4 ,the sisters accepted the invitation1 and1 as they entered the room1 ,cowper1 with his characteristic timidity1 made his escape at the other door4 ,but the attraction was too great2 he soon stole back to the tea-table1 plunged headlong into conversation1 and1 when the ladies rose to take leave1 craved permission to accompany them part of the way home4 ,in fact1 he had fallen in 7,platonic7 love at first sight4 ,lady ,austen was soon in the receipt of poems and letters1 addressed to #8,sister ,anna4' ,mrs4 ,jones having gone to join her husband in ,london1 ,lady ,austen1 finding herself lonely1 and surrounded1 she said1 by burglars1 was easily persuaded to settle at ,olney1 and at first under the same roof as ,cowper and ,mrs4 ,unwin4 ,it was a large rambling house4 #8,she has taken that part of the building formerly occupied by ,dick ,coleman1 his wife1 child1 and a thousand rats4' ,we confess to sharing the opinion of the author of a charming sketch of ,cowper's life1 lately published1 when he says1 #8,that a woman of fashion1 accustomed to ,french salons1 should choose such an abode1 with a couple of ,puritans for her only society1 surely proves that one of the ,puritans1 at least1 possessed some great attraction for her4' ,the ,vicarage was too large for the requirements of ,mr4 ,scott 7,newton's successor71 whose sermons ,lady ,austen admired1 though it was said he scolded rather than preached the ,gospel2 and so it was settled she should take rooms in his house1 and the door of communication between the ,scott and ,cowper gardens was opened4 ,cowper writes to ,unwin on the subject of the charming widow1 and expatiates on the delightful change wrought in their daily life by her advent4 #8,our society1' he says1 #8is not much increased1 but the presence of one individual has made the whole difference4 ,lady ,austen and we pass the day alternately at each other's chteau4 ,in the morning ,i walk with one or other of the ladies2 in the evening ,i wind thread2--so did ,hercules1 and so1 ,i opine1 did ,samson6 ,were either of these heroes living1 ,i should not fear challenging them to a trial of skill4' ,lady ,austen became as watchful as his older associate in marking the different phases of ,cowper's moods1 and as assiduous in her endeavours to cheer and amuse him4 ,she would sit by his side for hours1 and tax her memory for anecdotes of foreign life1 and the chequered scenes through which she had passed2 and while ,mrs4 ,unwin set him to work on moral satires1 on #8,the ,progress of ,error1' #8,table-,talk1' and1 if we may so express it1 sermons in verse1 his younger companion suggested more lively themes for his ,muse4 ,one eventful evening1 bent on cheering the drooping spirits of the invalid1 ,lady ,austen related to him the wonderful adventures of ,john ,gilpin4 ,the poet laughed1 laughed immoderately1 went to bed1 woke in the night and laughed again and again2 and the next morning at breakfast he produced the immortal poem4 ,how many generations1 how many children of all ages have laughed since6 how many artists have striven to portray their conception of that famous ride1 till it was reserved for the pencil of ,caldecott to embody 7who can doubt it87 the very ideal of the poet's fancy6 ,gilpin became widely known1 even while the author continued unknown4 ,henderson1 the popular actor1 recited the ballad on the stage1 and far and near it was read and re-read with delight4 ,cowper now frequently turned to ,lady ,austen for subjects1 and followed her injunctions to the letter when she playfully bade him #8sing the sofa1' on which she sat4 ,this poem swelled into #8,the ,task' and #8,the ,task' it was that made ,cowper famous4 ,there is no doubt that the first stone of his future fame was laid by the fair hand of that friend from whom he was so soon to be separated4 #8,the ,task1' while inculcating piety and morality 7the absence of which ingredients would have been impossible in any of ,cowper's lengthened writings71 abounded in exquisite descriptions of life at home and abroad1 paintings of ,nature1 of the quiet1 homely1 lovely1 loveable nature of his own native land1 some passages of which can scarcely be surpassed for calm beauty and musical rhythm4 ,let those readers unacquainted with #8,the ,task' turn to the lines where the poet stands1 with the friend #8whose arm has been close locked in his for twenty years1' on the eminence1 when their #8pace had slackened to a pause1' and judge for themselves of ,cowper's talents as a landscape painter4 ,his interiors are as perfect in their way4 ,how irresistible is the invitation to #8,stir the fire1 and close the shutters fast1 ,let fall the curtains1 draw the sofa round'6 ,we feel1 as we read1 a glow of comfort and snugness1 and would gladly make a fourth beside the table1 on which stand the cups that cheer without inebriating4 ,the success of #8,the ,task' was immediate and complete2 the author suddenly found himself famous and popular4 ,the postmaster at the little office at ,olney had double work3 acquaintances who had neglected him for years now boasted of their intimacy with the lion of the day2 visitors arrived at ,olney to stare at him2 anonymous letters and presents poured in on all sides4 ,an amusing incident occurred one day1 when the clerk of ,all ,saints' ,church1 ,northampton1 was ushered into ,cowper's presence4 ,he had come1 he said1 with a petition to the new poet3 ,would he consent to contribute the mortuary verses1 annually appended to the bills of mortality1 in the capital of ,england's most midland county8 ,cowper advised the messenger to apply to ,mr4 ,cox1 a statuary in the town1 who wrote verses4 #8,alas6' replied the clerk1 #8,i have already got help from him2 but he is a gentleman of so much reading that our townspeople cannot understand him4' ,the very doubtful compliment thus implied amused our poet into compliance1 and he became a contributor to the lugubrious periodical4 ,it was characteristic of ,william ,cowper that1 a few years later1 he forbade ,lady ,hesketh to apply in his behalf for the office of ,poet-,laureate to the ,court1 yet he willingly accepted the office thus proposed to him by the clerk of ,northampton6 ,we are now approaching one of the many sad episodes in ,cowper's sad life2 we allude to his estrangement from ,lady ,austen1--she who had been for some time a vision of delight to his eye1 and heart4 ,not long before he had written some most unprophetic lines to his #8dear ,anna4' ,we do not quote them from any admiration for the verses1 but because they bear painfully on the subject3-- #8,mysterious are ,his ways1 whose power ,brings forth that unexpected hour1 ,when minds that never met before ,shall meet1 unite1 and part no more4' ,further on1 after describing the suddenness of their friendship1 he says3-- #8,and placed it in our power to prove1 ,by long fidelity and love1 ,that ,solomon has wisely spoken1 ,a threefold cord cannot be broken6' ,it appears that even the wisdom of ,solomon is sometimes at fault1 for it was but a few weeks after that the threefold cord was rudely snapped asunder4 #8,i enclose1' writes ,cowper to ,mr4 ,unwin1 #8a letter from ,lady ,austen1 which pray return4 ,we are reconciled4 ,she seized the first opportunity to embrace your mother1 with tears of the tenderest affection1 and ,i1 of course1 am satisfied4' ,lady ,austen went away for a time2 and later on1 ,cowper again writes to ,unwin1 under the seal of profound secrecy3 #8,when persons for whom ,i have felt a friendship disappoint and mortify me1 by their conduct1 or act unjustly by me1 although ,i no longer esteem them1 ,i feel that tenderness for their character that ,i would conceal the blemish if ,i could4' ,then1 naming the lady to whom he alluded1 he goes on3 #8,nothing could be more promising1 however sudden in its commencement1 than our friendship4 ,she treated us with as much unreserve as if we had been brought up together4 ,at her departure she proposed a correspondence with me1 as writing does not agree with your mother4' ,he then proceeds to tell how1 after a short time1 he perceived1 by the tenor of ,lady ,austen's letters that he had unintentionally offended her1 and1 having apologised1 the wound seemed healed2 but finding1 on repeated occasions1 that she expressed #8a romantic idea of our merits1 and built such expectations of felicity on our friendship1 as we were sure that nothing human could possibly answer1 ,i wrote to remind her that we were mortal1 and to recommend her not to think too highly of us1 intimating that1 when we embellish a creature with colours taken from our own fancy1 and extol it above its merits1 we make it an idol1' etc4 ,the reader1 even if he be no poet1 can supply the rest of this homily2 and if he be of our way of thinking1 he will smile at the frequent use of the plural pronoun4 ,neither will he be surprised to hear that the letter in question #8gave mortal offence1' even though the writer had read it aloud1 before posting it1 #8to ,mrs4 ,unwin1 who had honoured it with her warmest approbation4' ,we still quote the correspondence with ,william ,unwin4 #8,if you go to ,bristol1 you may possibly fall in with a lady who was here very lately4 ,if you should meet1 remember that we found the connection on some accounts an inconvenient one1 and we do not wish to renew it2 so pray conduct yourself accordingly4 ,a character with which we spend all our time should be made on purpose for us1 and in this case the dissimilitude was felt continually1 and consequently made our intercourse unpleasant4' ,now the strain of this letter helps us to understand that the one written not long before to ,lady ,austen was no sooner read than she flung it indignantly into the fire4 ,but so it was1 and1 for our part1 we are loath to see the bright vision1 which had cast a halo over dull little ,olney1 vanish from the horizon4 ,cowper's biographers are all at issue as to the cause of this estrangement1 #8it is so difficult to solve the mystery4' ,to us the only difficulty appears in the choice of solutions4 ,hayley1 who handles the matter with delicacy and discretion1 says1 #8,those acquainted with the poet's innocence and sportive piety would agree that the verses inscribed to ,anna might assuredly have been inspired by a real sister4' ,to him they appeared #8the effusions of a gay and tender gallantry1 quite distinct from any amorous attachment4' ,at the same time1 he sees the possibility of a lady1 only called by that endearing name1 mistaking all the attentions lavished upon her1 as #8a mere prelude to a closer alliance4' ,the good-hearted1 high-flown ,hayley concludes by expressing his sympathy with ,cowper1 as being #8perplexed by an abundance of affection in a female associate#8--surely he should have said a couple6 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,scott1 for some time ,lady ,austen's landlord at ,olney1 is reported to have said3 #8,who can wonder that two women1 who were continually in the society of one man1 should quarrel1 sooner or later8' ,southey 7an evident partisan of ,mrs4 ,unwin's71 while acquitting ,lady ,austen of any #8matrimonial designs1' urges that it would be impossible for a woman of threescore to feel any jealousy in the matter of ,cowper's affections4 ,now it strikes us that the woman of threescore could herself have had no #8matrimonial intentions1' or she would have carried them out long before4 ,but is it likely that ,cowper's #8,mary' would have tolerated a wife under the same roof1 or tamely given the pas to an #8,anna'8 ,cowper indeed called ,mrs4 ,unwin his mother1 and ,lady ,austen his sister2 but the former lady may have distrusted the ambiguity of the latter elective relationship1 knowing how frequently the appellation of brother and sister has been used as a refuge from the impending danger1 of a nearer tie4 ,southey goes on to observe1 in contradistinction1 we suppose1 to ,mr4 ,scott's remark1 that two women were shortly afterwards living constantly in the society of the identical man1 without one shade of jealousy4 ,now ,lady ,austen and ,lady ,hesketh differed in all respects--in age1 in character1 in discipline of mind4 ,the former had been ,cowper's early friend1 and the confidante of his love for her sister ,theodora2 they had corresponded with each other for years2 and in one of his letters he says3 #8,it seems wonderful1 that1 loving you as much as ,i do1 ,i should never have fallen in love with you4 ,i am so glad ,i never did1 for it would have been most inconvenient1' etc4 ,lady ,hesketh now returned from a lengthened residence on the ,continent1 her husband was dead1 and the intercourse of old days was renewed1 in all its happy freedom1 between the cousins4 ,a few more words respecting poor ,lady ,austen1 and then her name shall be heard no more4 ,cowper writes to ,lady ,hesketh a long letter on the subject1 in which he describes the rise1 decline1 and fall of the friendship1 and goes on in this strain3 #8,at first ,i used to pay my devoirs to her ladyship every morning at eleven4 ,custom soon became law4 ,when ,i began 8,the ,task10 ,i felt the inconvenience of this daily attendance2 long usage had made that which was at first optional1 a point of good manners4 ,i was compelled to neglect 8,the ,task10 for the ,muse that had inspired it4' ,hayley speaks in most flattering terms of ,lady ,austen1 in his ,life of ,cowper1 and wrote one of the long-winded epitaphs of the day on her death1 which took place before he had completed the poet's biography1 in the compilation of which she had given him much assistance4 ,after her estrangement from the ,olney household1 ,lady ,austen married a ,frenchman1 one ,monsieur de ,tardif1 who wrote verses to her in his own language2 she accompanied her husband to ,paris in #ahjb1 where she died4 ,as regards ,cowper1 one thing is certain3 he did not subscribe to the common error1 that #8two is company1 and three none1' but rather to the ,german proverb1 #8,alle gute ding1 sind drey2' for he now summons ,lady ,hesketh to his side4 ,he entreats her to come and reside under his roof1 painting1 in the most glowing colours1 the happiness that her society will afford them4 ,he addresses her in the most tender1 the most affectionate terms--#8,dearly beloved cousin1' #8,dearest1 dearest1'--and often in the middle of his epistles he breaks forth again into similar endearing epithets4 ,southey assures us that ,mrs4 ,unwin never felt a shade of jealousy for ,lady ,hesketh2 but no one tells us if such letters as these were read aloud to ,mary1 or #8honoured by her warmest approbation4 ,among the anonymous presents which ,cowper was now in the habit of receiving1 was one more acceptable than all others1 and that not only because it enclosed a cheque for fifty pounds1 with a promise that the donation should be annual1 as he writes to ,lady ,hesketh 7whom he appoints his #8,thanks ,receiver-,general1' #8seeing it is so painful to have no one to thank'71 but because the letter was accompanied by #8the most elegant gift1 and the most elegant compliment1 that ever poet was honoured with1'--a beautiful tortoise-shell snuff-box1 with a miniature on the lid1 representing a landscape1 with the three hares frolicking in the foreground2 above and below two inscriptions1 #8,bess1 ,puss1 ,tiny1' and #8,the ,peasant's ,nest4' ,southey had no doubt 7neither would it appear had ,cowper himself1 though he thinks it dishonourable to pry into the incognito7 that #8,anonymous' and ,theodora were synonymous4 ,he was now hard at work translating ,homer1 and he longed to read what he had done to ,lady ,hesketh1 as well as to ,mrs4 ,unwin4 #8,the latter1' he says1 #8has hitherto been my touchstone1 and ,i have never printed a line without reference to her4 ,with one of you at each elbow1 ,i shall be the happiest of poets4' ,to the same3 #8,i am impatient to tell you how impatient ,i am to see you4 ,but you must not come till the fine weather1 when the greenhouse1 the only pleasant room in the house1 will be ready to receive us1 for when the plants go out1 we go in4 ,there you shall sit1 my dear1 with a bed of mignionette by your side1 and a hedge of roses1 honeysuckle1 and jasmine1 and ,i will make you a bouquet of myrtle every day4 ,come1 come then1 my beloved cousin1 for ,i am resolved1 whatever king may reign1 you shall be vicar of ,olney4' ,he hopes their friendship will be perpetuated for ever2 #8,for ,i should not love you half so well if ,i did not believe you would be my friend to all eternity4 ,there is not room for friendship to unfold itself in full bloom1 in such a nook of life as this2 therefore ,i am1 and must1 and always will be yours for ever4--,w4 ,,cowper4' ,in another letter he prepares her for the aspect of his peculiar abode3 #8,the entrance hall3 opposite you1 stands a cupboard1 once a dove-cot1 and a paralytic table1 both the work of the same author4 ,then you come to the parlour door1 which we will open1 and ,i will present you to ,mrs4 ,unwin2 and we shall be as happy as the day is long4' ,lady ,hesketh preferred separate lodgings1 and1 following in the footsteps of ,lady ,austen1 became a tenant of the ,vicarage1 and inhabited the rooms so lately vacated by her predecessor4 #8,all is settled1 dear cousin1 and now ,i only wish for ,june2 and ,june1 believe me1 was never so much wished for1 since it was first made4 ,to meet again1 after so long a separation1 will be like a resurrection2 but there is no one in the other world whose reappearance would cause me so much pleasure4' ,he prepares her for the possible recurrence of his fits of dejection1 but is sure he will be cheerful when she comes4 ,in a letter to ,unwin1 speaking of the long-looked-for arrival1 he says3 #8,i have always loved the sound of church bells2 but none ever seemed to me so musical1 as those which rang my sweet cousin into her new habitation4' ,lady ,hesketh1 writing a description of ,mrs4 ,unwin1 says she #8is a very remarkable woman4 ,she is far from being always grave2 on the contrary1 she laughs de bon cur on the smallest provocation4 ,when she speaks on grave subjects1 it is in a ,puritanical tone1 and she makes use of ,puritanical expressions2 but otherwise she has a fund of gaiety2 indeed1 but for that1 she could not have gone through all she has done4 ,i do not like to say she idolises ,william1 for she would disapprove of the word2 but she certainly has no will but his4 ,it is wonderful to think how she has supported the constant attendance and responsibility for so many years4' ,she goes on to describe the calm1 quiet1 dignified old lady1 sitting knitting stockings for her poet1 beside his chair1 with #8the finest needles imaginable4' ,cowper used to work in a little summer-house 7which is still standing1 or was a few years since7 of his own construction1 where there were two chairs indeed1 but ,lady ,hesketh did not often intrude4 ,he says of himself about this time1 that he was happier than he had been for years4 ,but there are some excellent people in the world1 who consider peace unwholesome1 and like to throw stones into their neighbours' lakes1 as schoolboys do1 for the pleasure of ruffling the surface4 ,cowper writes to ,william ,unwin3 #8,your mother has received a letter from ,mr4 ,newton1 which she has not answered1 and is not likely to answer4 ,it gave us both much concern2 but it vexed her more than me1 because ,i am so much occupied with my work that ,i have less leisure to browse on the wormwood4 ,it contains an implied accusation1 that she and ,i have deviated into forbidden paths1 and lead a life unbecoming the ,gospel2 that many of our friends in ,london are grieved2 that many of our poor neighbours are shocked2 in short1 ,i converse with people of the world1 and take pleasure therein4 ,mr4 ,newton reminds us that there is still intercourse between ,olney and ,london1 implying that he hears of our doings4 ,we do not doubt it2 there never was a lie hatched in ,olney that waited long for a bearer4 ,we do not wonder at the lies2 we only wonder he believes them4 ,that your mother should be suspected 7and by ,mr4 ,newton1 of all people7 of irregularities is indeed wonderful4' ,the extent of their crimes1 the head and front of their offending1 were drives with ,lady ,hesketh in her carriage1 and visits to the ,throckmortons4 ,we suspect that was an unpardonable offence 7on account of their being ,roman ,catholics7 in ,mr4 ,newton's eyes4 #8,sometimes1 not often1 we go as far as ,gayhurst1 or to the turnpike and back2 we have been known to reach as far as the cabinetmaker's at ,newport6' ,and1 ,o crowning horror6 ,cowper confesses to having once or twice taken a ,sunday walk in the fields with his cousin1 for ,mrs4 ,unwin had never been led so far into temptation4 ,speaking of ,lady ,hesketh1 who came in for her share of censure1 he says3 #8,her only crime in ,olney has been to feed the hungry1 clothe the naked1 and nurse the sick4' ,the letters to ,mr4 ,newton were in the same strain1 but modified in their expressions2 for it was evident ,cowper feared his spiritual adviser1 and1 like some of our ,roman ,catholic friends1 subscribed to the infallibility of his ,pope1 even while harbouring some secret misgivings on the subject4 ,he ventures to observe3 #8,as to the opinion of our poorer neighbours1 uneducated people are seldom well employed when judging one another1 but when they undertake to scan the motives1 and estimate the behaviour1 of those whom ,providence has placed a little above them1 they are utterly out of their depth4' ,gentle-hearted1 generous-hearted ,cowper2 he not only forgave1 but continued his friendship and intercourse with his severe censor4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,newton were his guests after he had left ,olney1 and was settled in his new house2 and though the correspondence between the two men slackened in some measure1 and lost some of its unreserved character1 it was not discontinued4 ,neither did the poet refer to the difference which had arisen1 unless we accept such a passage as this1 as an allusion to ,mr4 ,newton's censoriousness4 ,speaking of the narrow escape which ,mrs4 ,unwin had run of being burned to death1 he says3 #8,had ,i been bereft of her1 ,i should have had nothing left to lean on1 for all my other spiritual props have long since broken down under me4' ,it did indeed seem strange and cruel1 that the only hand found to throw a stone at the marble shrine of ,cowper1 and his ,mary1 should be that of his own familiar friend4 ,when ,lady ,hesketh came to investigate the resources of ,olney1 she decided in her own mind that it was a most unfit place for her cousin to inhabit1--cold1 damp1 and dreary2 and she was not long in arranging that her two friends should change their abode for a pretty little house called ,weston1 belonging to ,sir ,john ,throckmorton1 and standing in a picturesque neighbourhood on the skirts of his park4 ,lady ,hesketh took all the trouble and expense of the removal on herself2 furnished and embellished the little house2 and on the day she left ,olney for ,london1 ,cowper and ,mrs4 ,unwin drove over to settle at ,weston4 ,but they had not been there above a fortnight1 before a sad blow fell upon them both4 ,news came that ,william ,unwin was no more1--#8the only son of his mother1 and she was a widow2' the dearly loved friend and constant correspondent of ,cowper4 ,william ,unwin was travelling with a friend1 whom he nursed to recovery through a dangerous attack of typhus2 but1 catching the disease himself1 he died in the hotel at ,winchester4 ,the mother bore her irreparable loss1 #8with her accustomed submission to the ,divine will4' ,cowper dared not give way to emotion1 but the shock was none the less severe4 ,his letters began to show signs of returning illness and dejection2 he marks down for his intimate friends all the variations of the mental barometer4 ,alas6 the storm signal was already hoisted1 and the tempest was at hand4 ,he complained of sleeplessness3 #8,it is impossible1 dear cousin1' he writes1 after explaining how heavily the task of translation 7he was busy on ,homer7 weighed on his mind1 #8for a man who cannot sleep1 to fight ,homer's battles4' ,religious despondency once more took possession of his distracted mind4 ,speaking of a visit to his old home at ,olney1 he says3 #8,dreary1 dark1 cold1 empty--it seemed a fit emblem of a ,god-forgotten1 ,god-forsaken creature4' ,insanity returned in all its distressing symptoms2 he again attempted self-destruction4 ,poor ,mrs4 ,unwin came into the room one day1 just in time to cut him down4 ,he would scarcely let her out of his sight for a moment1 and would allow no other person to enter his presence4 ,it is not our intention to dwell longer than necessary on these dark passages in the sufferer's life2 suffice it to say1 that1 as on a former occasion1 the cure was instantaneous2 and1 after an interval of several months1 he once more took up the thread of his work and correspondence4 ,he tells ,lady ,hesketh he is mending in health and spirits1 speaks enthusiastically of the ,throckmortons' kindness1 and says that he has promised them she will soon be at ,weston4 #8,come then2 thou art always welcome2 all that is here is thine1 together with the hearts of those who dwell here4' ,alluding to her father's declining health1 he #8is happy not to have grown old before his time4 ,trouble and anguish do that for some1 which longevity alone does for others4 ,a few months ago ,i was older than he is now2 and though ,i have lately recovered1 as ,falstaff says1 8some snatch of my youth10 ,i have but little confidence1 and expect1 when ,i least expect it1 to wither again4' ,in the midst of some melancholy reflections he breaks out with3 #8,oh how ,i wish you could see the gambols of my kitten6 ,they are indescribable2 but time1 that spoils all1 will1 ,i fear1 sooner or later1 make a cat of her4' ,then he relates1 for his cousin's amusement1 how a lady in ,hampshire had invited him to her house1 bribing him with the promise of erecting a temple in her grounds #8to the best man in the world4' ,not only that1 but1 would she believe it1 a ,welsh attorney has sent him his verses to revise and criticise6 a lady had stolen his poem of #8,a rose had been washed1 just washed by a shower1 ,which ,mary 7,mrs4 ,unwin7 to ,anna 7,lady ,austen7 conveyed4' #8,you must excuse it1 if you find me a little vain1 for the poet whose works are stolen1 and who can charm an attorney1 and a ,welsh one into the bargain1 must be an ,orpheus1 if not something greater4' ,he was at work again on ,homer1 and1 when urged not to overtax his mind in so doing1 says he considers employment essential to his wellbeing4 ,but writing was irksome to him1 and he found innumerable volunteers for the office of secretary1--,lady ,hesketh1 ,mrs4 ,throckmorton1 young ,mr4 ,rose--a new but true friend1--and his favourite kinsman ,john1 or ,johnny1 ,johnson1 of ,norfolk4 ,cowper and ,mrs4 ,unwin had a succession of guests at ,the ,hermitage1 as he sometimes called ,weston2 among others1 ,mr4 ,rose1 an agreeable young man1 a great admirer of the poet's1 who writes his sister an account of their life1 and speaks of ,lady ,hesketh1 #8,a pleasant and agreeable woman1 polite without ceremony2' of ,mrs4 ,unwin1 #8,a kind angel2' of their amusing breakfasts1 #8which take an hour or more1 to satisfy the sentiment1 not the appetite1 for we talk1 ,o heavens6 how we talk6' ,cowper was much attached to ,rose4 ,speaking of his departure3 #8,when a friend leaves me1 ,i always feel at my heart a possibility that perhaps we have met for the last time1 and that before the return of summer1 robins may be whistling over the grave of one of us4' ,our poet was very fond of mere rhyming1 and did not despise doggerel1 for we can call the ,lines to his #8dearest ,coz1' after the manner of ,shenstone1 by no other name1--being an inventory of all his goods and chattels1 including the cap1 so thoroughly identified with his image in our minds4 ,it was the fashion of the day1 more especially for literary men1 to lay aside the heavy periwig1 and don this most unbecoming but1 we imagine1 more comfortable head-gear4 #8,the cap which so stately appears1 ,with ribbon-bound tassel1 on high1' was the gift of his ,harriet1 and so were the bookshelves1 the chairs1 tables1--all enumerated in verse--#8endearing his abode1' by recalling the memory of her1 from whom he daily expects a visit1 only she is in attendance on #8,the oldest and dearest of friends1 ,whose dial-plate points to eleven1444 ,and who waits but a passage to heaven4' ,and the hour struck very shortly after1 for ,lady ,hesketh's father1 ,ashley ,cowper4 ,in the sylvan glades of ,yardley ,chase1 rich in fine old timber1 stood an ancient oak1 the frequent goal of the poet's rambles1 to which he wrote an address4 ,the tree still bears his name1 and #8,cowper's ,oak' is the meeting-place of two packs of hounds4 ,many a bright morning since our poet's time have the woods of old ,yardley echoed to the sound of the huntsman's horn and the baying of the deep-mouthed #8beauties4' ,one of his letters contains a most graphic description of how he and ,mrs4 ,unwin1 returning from a ramble1 fell in with the hounds1 and1 climbing the broad stump of an elm in order to have a better view of the proceedings1 were actually in #8at the death4' ,it is delightful to think of the poet and his ,mary in such unexpected circumstances1 for they seem both to have been much excited4 #8,and thus1 dear cousin1' as ,virgil says1 #8what none of the gods would have ventured to promise me1 time1 of its own accord1 has presented me with4' ,a letter to his friend ,mr4 ,hill proves how much pleasure a visit from the ,dowager ,lady ,spencer had afforded him4 ,this remarkable woman1 the daughter of ,stephen ,poyntz1 a distinguished diplomate1 was the widow of the first ,earl ,spencer1 and mother of the beautiful ,duchess of ,devonshire4 ,she had made a long dtour to call on the poet1 whose works she much admired4 ,and he says3 #8,she is one of the first women in the world2 ,i mean in point of character and accomplishments4 ,if my translation prove successful1 ,i may perhaps receive some honours hereafter1 but none ,i shall esteem more highly than her approbation4 ,she is indeed worthy to whom ,i should dedicate1 and may my ,odyssey prove as worthy of her4' ,at length the happy hour arrived3 ,homer was translated and ready for the press4 ,the ,iliad was dedicated to his young relative1 ,earl ,cowper1 and the ,odyssey to the ,dowager ,countess ,spencer4 ,he expressed himself well satisfied with his publisher1 ,johnson4 #8,i verily believe that1 though a bookseller1 he has the soul of a gentleman6 ,such strange combinations sometimes happen4' ,we give an extract from a letter which he wrote on the conclusion of his ,homeric labours to his amanuensis1 ,johnny ,johnson3 #8,dearest ,johnny3 now ,i can give you rest and joy1--joy of your resting from all your labours1 in my service4 ,but ,i can foretell that1 if you go on serving your friends at this rate1 your life will indeed be one of labour4 ,yet persevere2 your rest will be all the sweeter hereafter2 in the meantime ,i wish you 7whenever you need him7 just such a friend as you have been to me4' ,he was very much attached to ,johnny1 and it was in allusion to his young kinsman that he said3 #8,i agree with ,lavater1 8,looks are as legible as books1 take less time to peruse1 and are less likely to deceive40' ,johnny did the poet a good turn1 for it was he who suggested to his aunt1 ,mrs4 ,bodham1 what a welcome present it would be if she sent ,cowper his mother's picture1--a subject to which we have already alluded4 ,when ,homer was concluded1 ,mrs4 ,unwin was most anxious that he should undertake some new work1 which would occupy his thoughts for some considerable time4 ,she dreaded the effect of idleness1 or of the mere desultory composition of occasional poems4 ,and therefore she rejoices that he has been prevailed upon to edit a magnificent edition of ,milton1 to translate all his ,latin and ,italian poems1 to select the best notes of former commentators1 and to add annotations of his own4 ,it was a wholesome task1 though occasionally1 under the pressure of nervous dejection1 ,cowper cavilled at what he called the #8,miltonic trap4' ,mrs4 ,unwin1 who had lately become enfeebled1 had had a bad fall1 but fortunately escaped with some bruises1 when one day she was seized with giddiness1 and would have again fallen to the ground1 had not ,cowper saved her4 ,there could be little doubt the attack was of a paralytic nature1 though her companion would not allow himself to utter the fearful word4 ,in this hour of utmost need an invaluable friend was raised up in the person of ,william ,hayley1 whom ,southey designates as one of the most generous of men4 ,we will let him speak for himself1 by giving an extract of his first letter to ,cowper1 enclosing some complimentary lines4 #8,although ,i resisted the idea of professing my friendship and admiration1 from a fear of intrusion1 ,i cannot resist that of disclaiming an idea which ,i have heard has been imputed to me1 of considering myself your antagonist4 ,allow me to say1 ,i was solicited to write a ,life of ,milton before ,i had the least idea that you and ,mr4 ,fuseli were engaged on a similar project4' ,he concludes a most amiable letter to the man #8whose poems have so often delighted him1' by saying1 #8,if1 in the course of your work1 ,i have any opportunity of serving and obliging you1 ,i shall seize it with that friendly spirit which has impelled me1 both in prose and rhyme1 to assure you that ,i am your most cordial admirer4' ,and thus1 out of what might have proved a misunderstanding1 began that intercourse which lasted ,cowper's life1 and soothed his latter days4 ,speaking of ,hayley's visit to ,weston1 he says3 #8,everybody here has fallen in love with him--and everybody must4 ,we have formed a friendship which will1 ,i hope1 last for life1 and prove an edifying example to all future poets4' ,hayley1 on his part1 writing to his friend ,romney1 the painter1 describes at length the welcome he had received at ,weston1 his delight in ,cowper's society2 and then as to the grand article of females1--#8for what is a scene without a woman in it8 ,here is a ,muse of seventy1 whom ,i perfectly adore2 the woman who1 for so many years1 has devoted her time and fortune to the service of this tender and sublime genius4 ,not many days after this letter was written1 the two authors were returning from a morning ramble1 when the news met them that ,mrs4 ,unwin had had a second paralytic stroke4 ,cowper rushed forward into the house1 and returned in such a state of agitation as made ,hayley tremble for his reason2 #8but1 by the blessing of ,god1 ,i was able to quiet him in a great measure1 and from that moment he rested on my friendship1 and regards me as providentially sent to support him in a season of deepest affliction4' ,cowper will not accept his cousin's proposal to come to ,weston2 for he wishes his dear ,harriet's visits thither to be made for pleasure4 ,mrs4 ,unwin's health improved4 #8,it is a blessing to us both1 that1 poor feeble thing as she is1 she has an invincible courage4 ,she always tells me she is better1 and probably will die saying so2 and then it will be true1 for then she will be best of all4' ,hayley1 before1 and since leaving ,weston1 had urged ,cowper to pay him a visit at what his friends called his #8little paradise' at ,eartham1 on the south coast1 as soon as ,mrs4 ,unwin's state would allow her to travel4 ,it must have seemed a tremendous undertaking for those who had not strayed further than a thirteen miles' drive for upwards of thirteen years6 ,but ,cowper believed the change of air might benefit his invalid2 and that determined him4 ,in the interim he writes to his friend1 ,mr4 ,bull3 #8,how do you think ,i have been occupied the last few days8 ,in sitting1 not on cockatrice's eggs1 but for my picture4 ,cousin ,johnny has an aunt who is seized with a desire to have my portrait1 and so the said ,johnny has brought down an artist4' ,to ,hayley he writes3-- #8,abbot is painting me so true1 ,that1 trust me1 you would stare1 ,and hardly know1 at the first view1 ,if ,i were here1 or there6' ,it was much to be regretted that1 with no lack of kind and judicious friends--and ,hayley in particular1 with his good sense and true affection1--,cowper should have fallen about this time under the baneful influence of a fanatic1 one ,teedon1 a schoolmaster1 who had long been a pensioner on his and ,mrs4 ,unwin's bounty1 at ,olney4 ,cowper constantly spoke of him in his letters to ,william ,unwin and others as foolish ,mr4 ,teedon's ridiculous vanity and strange delusions1 who prided himself on the immediate answers to any prayer he might consider it advisable to put up1 as also on wonderful spiritual and audible communications4 ,this empty-headed man became an object of reverence rather than contempt in the eyes of ,cowper1 and of poor ,mrs4 ,unwin herself1 in her debilitated state of health4 ,cowper began to believe in ,teedon1 and to bend beneath his influence4 ,had ,mr4 ,newton not strained the spiritual curb too tightly1 he would1 in all probability1 have retained his hold over the minds of his two friends1 and not exposed them to the subjugation of one uneducated as ,samuel ,teedon4 ,but enough of this contemptible man4 ,the friends now began to prepare for the great enterprise1 and we are not surprised to hear ,cowper say1 #8,a thousand lions1 monsters1 and giants1 are in the way2 but ,i suppose they will vanish if ,i have the courage to face them4 ,mrs4 ,unwin1 whose weakness might justify such fears1 has none4' ,a coach1 with four steeds1 is ordered from ,london to convey them on their desperate way2 the journey is to be a species of royal progress4 #8,general ,cowper1 who lives at ,ham--is ,ham near ,kingston8--is to meet me on the road1 ditto my friend ,carwardine and others4 ,when other men leave home1 they make no disturbance2 when ,i travel1 houses are turned upside down1 people turned out of their beds at unearthly hours1 and every imaginable trouble given4 ,all the counties through which ,i pass appear to be in an uproar4 ,what a change for a man who has seen no bustle1 and made none for twenty years together6' ,he is scrupulous respecting the numbers that will accompany him1--#8for ,johnny of ,norfolk1 who is with us1 would be broken-hearted if left behind4' ,it would be the same with his dog ,beau1 who paid a wonderful tribute to ,abbot's portrait of his master1 by going up to it1 and wagging his tail furiously2 while ,sam1 the gardener's boy1 made a low bow to the same effigy4 ,the travellers reached ,eartham at last1 ,hayley's home1 about six miles from ,chichester1 and five from ,arundel4 #8,here1' writes ,cowper on his arrival1 #8we are as happy as it is possible for terrestrial good to make us4' ,he looked from the library window on a fine landscape1 bounded by the sea1 a deep-wooded valley1 and hills which we should call mountains in ,buckinghamshire4 ,hayley and ,cowper were both very busy with their several works in the morning1 and ,johnny1 as usual1 was his cousin's transcriber4 ,the kind host1 thinking to do honour to his guest1 invited the ex-,chancellor ,thurlow to meet his old acquaintance1 but his ,lordship would not come4 ,there were1 however1 pleasant visitors at ,eartham1 with whom ,cowper fraternised1--,charlotte ,smith the novelist1 and ,romney the admirable painter4 #8,hayley has given me a picture of himself by this charming artist1 who is making an excellent portrait of me in pastel4' #8,mrs4 ,unwin1' he says1 #8has benefited much by the change1 and has many young friends1 who all volunteer to drag her chair round the pretty grounds4' ,in spite of all these pleasant surroundings1 the two friends became home-sick1 and returned to ,weston1 where they found 7after the manner of less gifted mortals7 that chaos had reigned in their absence4 ,cowper resumed his ,miltonic labours1 and began preparing ,homer for a new edition4 #8,i play at push-pin with ,homer every morning before breakfast1 furbishing and polishing1 as ,paris did his armour4' ,speaking of his assurance in having undertaken works of such importance1 he quotes ,ranger's observation in the ,suspicious ,husband3 #8,there is a degree of assurance in your modest men1 which we impudent fellows never arrive at4' ,poor ,cowper6 ,he was again gradually sinking back into despondency1 though he combated the advances of the enemy as far as in him lay4 #8,i am cheerful on paper sometimes when ,i am actually the most dejected of creatures4 ,i keep melancholy out of my letters as much as ,i can1 that ,i may1 if possible1 by assuming a less gloomy air1 deceive myself1 and improve fiction into reality4' ,he is to sit for his portrait once more to ,lawrence1 and he only wishes his face were moveable1 to take off and on at pleasure1 so that he might pack it in a box1 and send it to the artist4 ,on ,hayley's second visit to ,weston1 he found ,cowper tolerably well in appearance4 ,young ,mr4 ,rose was there1 the bearer of an invitation from ,lord ,spencer1 who wished ,cowper to meet ,gibbon4 #8,we did all we could to make him accept1 urging the benefit he would derive from such genial society1 and the delight he would experience from revelling in the treasures of the magnificent library4 ,but our arguments were all in vain2 ,cowper was unequal to the exertion4' ,so ,rose and ,hayley were his ambassadors to ,althorp1 laden with his excuses4 ,it is our intention to dwell as briefly as is consistent with the narrative on the sad scenes now enacting at ,weston4 ,a fearful relapse had befallen ,cowper2 ,mrs4 ,unwin's state bordered on imbecility2 and ,lady ,hesketh1 who had lately taken up her abode with her two afflicted friends1 seemed powerless to cheer them1 and ,hayley1 whom she summoned to their aid1 was shocked to find that ,cowper scarcely recognised him1 and manifested no pleasure in his society4 ,it was with the greatest difficulty that he could now be induced to taste food1 and this system of course increased his malady1 by reducing his strength4 ,one morning a letter arrived from ,lord ,spencer1 announcing that the long-looked-for pension had at length been granted1--a circumstance which was a great relief to his friends1 but1 alas6 brought no satisfaction to the sufferer's bewildered mind4 ,change of air and scene were recommended4 ,lady ,hesketh1 whose own health was greatly impaired1 went to ,london1 and ,cowper and ,mrs4 ,unwin were conveyed into ,norfolk under the kind charge of #8,johnny' ,johnson4 ,they went first to a village called ,tuddenham1 and afterwards to ,mundsley1 on the coast4 ,johnson accompanied ,cowper in all his rambles1 and one day1 calling on ,mrs4 ,bodham1 their cousin1 to whom we have already alluded1 ,cowper saw the portrait of himself painted by ,abbot2 he looked at it for some time1 and then1 wringing his hands1 uttered a vehement wish that he were now as happy as when he sat for that picture4 ,he had always been very fond of coast scenery2 and in one of his early letters to ,william ,unwin he speaks of his astonishment at the number of people who can look on the sea without emotion1 or1 indeed1 reflection of any kind4 #8,in all its various forms1 it is an object of all others most calculated to affect us with lasting impressions of that awful ,power which created and controls it4 ,before ,i gave my mind to religion1 the waves used to preach to me1 and ,i always listened4 ,one of ,shakespeare's characters1 ,lorenzo1 says3 8,i am never merry when ,i hear sweet music40 ,the sight and the sound of the ocean1 produces the same effect on me that harmony did on ,jessica4' ,he began to write again to ,lady ,hesketh1 but his letters were most gloomy1 and must have been painful in the extreme for the recipient4 ,in the first he thus expresses himself3 #8,the most forlorn of beings1 ,i tread the shore1 under the burthen of infinite despair1 which ,i once trod all cheerfulness and joy4' ,he fancies the vessels he sees in the offing were coming to seize him2 he shrinks from the precipice of the cliff on which he walks1 though1 perhaps1 it would be better for him to be dashed to pieces4 ,a solitary pillar of rock seems an emblem of himself3 #8,torn from my natural connections1 ,i stand alone1 in expectation of the storm that shall displace me2' and so on in the same terrible strain4 ,he begins to suspect his faithful friend ,johnson 7whom he no longer calls #8,johnny'7 of wishing to control him1 and writes to ,lady ,hesketh1 as if compelled to do so by stealth3 #8,dear ,weston6 ,i shall never see ,weston again1 or you either4 ,i have been tossed like a ball to a far country1 from which there is no rebound for me4' ,johnson now moved his patients to a new residence1 ,dunham ,lodge1 in the neighbourhood of ,swaffham1 and never slackened in his attendance on his kinsman1--reading aloud to him for hours a series of works of fiction1 on which ,cowper never made any comment1 though they appeared to rivet his attention4 ,he tells ,lady ,hesketh1 notwithstanding1 that he loses every other sentence1 from the inevitable wanderings of his mind4 #8,my thoughts are like loose and dry sand1 which slips the sooner away the closer it is grasped4' ,cowper could not bear now to be left alone1 and if he were so for a short time1 he would watch on the hall door steps for the barking of dogs at a distance1 to announce his kinsman's return4 ,mrs4 ,powley1 ,mrs4 ,unwin's daughter1 came with her husband to visit her mother1 and was much touched by the affection which ,cowper still manifested for his ,mary1 even in moments of the deepest dejection4 ,by degrees he was induced to listen composedly1 both to the reading of the ,bible1 and also to family prayers1 which at first his companions feared might excite instead of soothing him4 ,johnson laid a kind trap in order to coax the invalid into a renewal of his literary occupations4 ,one day he designedly mentioned in ,cowper's hearing1 that1 in the new edition of ,pope's ,homer1 by ,wakefield1 there were some passages in which the two translations were compared4 ,the next morning he placed all the volumes of the work in a large unfrequented room1 through which ,cowper always passed on his way from his morning visit to ,mrs4 ,unwin2 and the next day ,johnson found1 to his great satisfaction1 that his kinsman had examined the books1 and made some corrections and revisions1 an occupation which ,cowper continued for some little time with apparent interest4 ,but this improvement did not last long3 the melancholy household moved again to ,mundsley1 and then to ,johnson's own home1 at ,dereham1 which was considered less dreary than the house of ,dunham ,lodge4 ,it was there that1 on the #agth of ,december1 ,mrs4 ,unwin1 ,cowper's faithful and devoted ,mary1 passed away from earth calmly and peacefully4 ,in the morning of that day1 when the maid opened the shutters1 ,cowper asked1 #8,is there still life upstairs8' ,she died in the afternoon1 and he went up with ,mr4 ,johnson to take a farewell look2 and1 after silently gazing on the lifeless form for some time1 he burst into a paroxysm of tears1 left the room1 #8and never1' says ,hayley1 #8spoke of her more4' ,mrs4 ,unwin was buried by torchlight in the north aisle of ,dereham ,church1 where a marble tablet was placed to her memory4 ,after this event there was little improvement1 though some fluctuations1 in ,cowper's state4 ,his friends1 ,lady ,spencer1 ,sir ,john ,throckmorton1 and others1 came to visit him1 but he showed no pleasure in seeing them4 ,he occasionally wrote short verses1 especially ,latin1 suggested to him by ,johnson1 made revisions and corrections1 and a longer poem1 embodying the most gloomy thoughts1 #8,the ,castaway1' from an incident in one of ,anson's voyages1 the last and saddest of his works4 #8,for misery still delights to trace ,its semblance in another's case4' ,the end was drawing near4 ,lady ,hesketh was too unwell to go to him2 ,hayley was in attendance on his dying son2 ,mr4 ,rose went to bid him farewell1 and ,cowper1 who had evinced no pleasure at his arrival1 mourned his departure4 ,johnson thought it now incumbent on him to prepare his friend's mind for the impending danger1 to which ,cowper listened patiently4 ,but when his kinsman thought to soothe him by speaking of the blessed change from earthly sorrow to the joys of heaven1 the unhappy listener broke forth into wild entreaties that he would desist from such topics4 ,on the #beth of ,april #ahjj1 ,william ,cowper expired1 so quietly that not one of the five persons who stood at his bedside was aware of the exact moment4 #8,from that time till he was hidden from our sight1' says his faithful and untiring watcher1 ,johnson1 #8his countenance was that of calmness and composure1 mingled1 as it were1 with a holy surprise1'--words of deepest pathos1 indissolubly connected with the poet's memory4 ,they inspired ,charles ,tennyson ,turner1 our ,laureate's worthy brother1 with one of his most beautiful sonnets1--#8,on ,cowper's ,death-smile'-- #8,that orphan smile1 born since our mourner died1 ,a lovely prelude of immortal peace4' ,cowper lies buried in the church at ,dereham1 where his cousin ,harriet placed a monument to his memory4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,a ,,girl4 ,in a tawny gown and white cap4 ,,by ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds4 ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,emily1 ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,fifth ,,earl ,,cowper1 ,,afterwards ,,viscountess ,,palmerston4 ,yellowish-green gown4 ,pearl necklace4 ,floating scarf4 ,arms crossed4 ,she is holding a white hat and feathers4 ,background1 a stormy sky4 ,,born #aghg1 ,,died #ahfi4 ,,by ,,hoppner ,,and ,,jackson4 ,,the only daughter and youngest child of the first ,viscount ,melbourne1 by ,elizabeth1 daughter of ,sir ,ralph ,milbanke4 ,when only eighteen she became the wife of ,peter ,leopold1 fifth ,lord ,cowper1 in the same year that her brother ,william married ,lady ,caroline ,ponsonby4 ,we are confident we cannot do better than quote some passages from an article1 published on ,lady ,palmerston's death1 by an eminent writer1 who was her personal friend3 #8,on her marriage1 ,lady ,cowper immediately took her place amid that brilliant galaxy of beautiful and accomplished women who continued to form the chief ornament of the ,british ,court1 through successive reigns1 till they were gradually replaced 7not outshone7 by a younger race4' ,he goes on to describe how ,lady ,cowper was admired and distinguished in the brilliant seasons of #ahad and #ahae1 on the occasion of the ,royal and ,imperial visits to ,england4 ,while speaking of later years1 after her second marriage1 he says at that time coteries1 cliques1 and1 above all1 party exclusiveness in politics1 prevailed4 ,but at ,cambridge ,house there were no such limitations4 ,all classes--political1 diplomatic1 literary1 scientific1 artistic--found a welcome1 even the proverbially dull #8country cousin1' who had any claim on ,lady ,palmerston's notice2 they were all received with a gracious smile and a kind word by the amiable hostess4 ,her country houses bore the same character for hospitality and variety of attraction as the ,london dwelling1 and foreigners1 in particular1 were never tired of recording the delights of ,panshanger1 ,brocket 7to which she succeeded on her brother's death71 and ,broadlands4 ,the same biographer says of ,lady ,palmerston that she never forgot a friend1 or remembered an injury2 and1 speaking of her devotion to her husband3 #8,she was most jealous of his reputation1 and proud of his distinction as a ,minister4 ,every night she sat up for him until his return from the ,house of ,commons1 and her many anxieties on his account were often hurtful to her health4' ,after his death1 her circle was almost entirely restricted to her own family and connections4 ,lady ,palmerston was esteemed a most excellent #8man of business1' managing her vast property and large households with consummate skill4 ,she died in her eighty-second year4 ,london in her time was especially rich in courtly beauties1 the fame of whose charms still survives3 the ,duchess of ,rutland1 ,ladies ,jersey and ,tankerville1 ,charlotte ,campbell1 and many other names1 well known to those who read the memoirs of the period4 ,among such formidable competitors ,lady ,cowper held her own for grace and beauty1 while she far surpassed most of her contemporaries in intellectual gifts4 ,she was much attached to her brother1 whose upward career was a source of pride and satisfaction to her4 ,but in early life she evinced no personal interest in politics4 ,lord ,cowper died in #ahcg2 his widow married1 in #ahci1 ,lord ,palmerston1 and from that moment she became immersed in political life1 watching with the keenest interest the public events which were passing around her4 ,her brother1 ,lord ,melbourne1 was at this period at the head of the ,government1 and ere long her husband was destined to occupy the same position4 ,lady ,palmerston now formed a salon1 which continued for the lapse of many years to constitute one of the greatest attractions of ,london society4 ,we use the word salon advisedly1 for these assemblies bore a nearer resemblance1 in character and quality1 to the salons of ,paris1 than most congregations of guests to be met with in a ,london drawing-room4 ,this picture was begun by ,hoppner1 and finished after his death by ,jackson4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,boy4 ,in a dark grey coat4 ,buff waistcoat4 ,white cravat4 ,,by ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,girl4 ,brown gown4 ,white muslin handkerchief4 ,large straw hat4 ,basket on her arm4 ,she is seated4 ,,by ,,hoppner4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,billiard ,,room4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,billiard ,,room4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,frederic ,,henry ,,nassau1 ,,prince ,,of ,,orange1 ,,stadtholder4 ,black and gold dress4 ,ruff4 ,gold chain4 ,sword4 ,,born #aehd1 ,,died #afdg4 ,,by ,,mytens4 ,,the youngest child of ,william the ,silent1 ,prince of ,orange4 ,born at ,delft1 christened with great rejoicings1 and named after his two godfathers1 the kings of ,denmark and ,navarre4 ,his mother1 ,louisa de ,coligny1 had been early marked out for misfortune2 her father1 the brave ,gaspard de ,chatillon1 ,high ,admiral of ,france1 and her first husband1 the ,sieur de ,teligny1 were both victims of the ,massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew4 ,so sad a fate has surely befallen few women1 to see a beloved parent and two husbands fall by the hands of cruel assassins4 ,when she was first left a widow1 ,louisa de ,coligny escaped into ,switzerland1 and after a time became the fourth wife of ,william the ,silent1 ,prince of ,orange4 ,during their short union1 she endeared herself to her husband and the whole country by the tender care she bestowed on her step-children4 ,at the time of ,william's murder1 ,frederic ,henry was but an infant4 #8,i am left1' says the unhappy widow1 #8with a six-months' child1 sole pledge of my dead lord1 my only pleasure and consolation4' ,a letter to ,england gives a most pathetic account of a visit paid to her a short time after the ,prince's murder4 #8,i found the ,princess1' says the writer1 #8in a most dark1 melancholy little chamber2 and it was a twice sorrowful sight to behold her heaviness and apparel1 augmented by the wofulness of the place2 and truly the perplexity ,i found her in was not only for the consideration for things past1 but for that which might follow hereafter4 ,the ,princess de ,chimay was with her1 herself a dolorous lady4' ,the widow's grief had been insulted by the discourse of an unfeeling preacher at ,leyden1 who1 alluding to the murder of the ,prince1 attributed it to the vengeance of ,god on the #8,french marriage1' and the wicked pomp with which the child's christening had been solemnised4 ,motley's portrait of ,louisa deserves to be transcribed3 #8,a small1 well-formed woman1 with delicate features1 exquisite complexion1 and very beautiful dark eyes1 that seemed in after years1 as they looked from beneath her coif1 to be dim with unshed tears2 remarkable powers of mind1 sweetness of disposition1 a winning manner1 and a gentle voice4' ,such a woman soon became dear to the honest ,hollanders1 and was indeed a good monitress1 not only to her own child1 but to ,prince ,maurice1 who loved and honoured her1 and was inclined on most occasions to listen to her counsels4 ,she devoted herself in the first years of her widowhood to superintending the education of ,frederic ,henry or ,henry ,frederic1 as he is called by different historians4 ,the ,stadtholder1 ,maurice1 seems to have been much attached to his half-brother1 who1 while still a child1 proved his apt and willing scholar in the art of warfare4 ,the boy stood under fire for the first time when only thirteen1 and was with the army when the siege of ,nieuport was projected4 ,now1 this enterprise was considered so hazardous1 that ,maurice determined his brother should remain in a place of safety1 on whom1 in the event of his own death1 the hopes of the nation would be centred4 ,but this decision was most repugnant to the brave boy's inclinations1 and he besought the ,general1 with clasped hands and urgent prayers1 to allow him to share in the glory and danger of the day4 ,there was too much sympathy between those two noble spirits that ,maurice should find it in his heart to withstand the young soldier's persistent supplication4 ,he sent for a new suit of armour1 in which ,frederic1 bravely equipped1 side by side with his young kinsman1 ,de ,coligny1 participated in the honours of that memorable victory4 ,in the early days of his government1 ,maurice had pledged himself to his stepmother to remain unmarried1 by which means her son would succeed as ,stadtholder2 but it was supposed that he went further1 and whispered to her that ,frederic should inherit a kingly crown if the ,princess would assist him in obtaining the sovereignty1 which he 7,maurice7 so ardently desired4 ,in #afje the young ,prince was in command of a body of veterans in an attack on the ,spaniards1 at ,mhlheim1 by the ,rhine1 when ,maurice1 riding up on the opposite shore1 perceived with dismay that a panic had seized the usually steady and valiant troops4 ,he saw his brother fighting manfully in the thickest of the fray1 his gilded armour and waving orange plumes making him the aim of every marksman4 ,on that occasion1 at all events1 ,maurice did not #8keep silence4' ,he tore up and down the bank1 taunting and cursing the soldiers who were deserting their brave young commander1 and his loud and angry expostulations rallied the fugitives1 and saved his brother's life4 ,when the exiled ,king and ,queen of ,bohemia arrived at the ,hague1 to ask shelter and protection from the ,house of ,orange1 ,elizabeth brought in her train the faithful and favourite ,amelia de ,solms1 a young lady whose intelligence and beauty made a deep impression on the heart of ,prince ,frederic4 ,there is some little difficulty in reconciling the different accounts1 as the ,queen speaks of the lovers' entire devotion2 yet we are told that ,maurice threatened ,frederic that1 if he did not make up his mind to marry the ,german lady1 he would himself espouse a ,mademoiselle de ,merck1 by whom he had already had more than one child1 who would in that case be accepted by the law of that land as legitimate4 ,the ,queen of ,bohemia1 in writing to an ,english correspondent1 says3 #8,i am sure you heere already of the ,prince of ,orange's marriage with one of my women1 the daughter of ,count de ,solms1 who served the ,king in ,heidelberg4 ,she is verie handsome and goode4 ,she has no money1 but he has enough for both4' ,to return to more public matters4 ,a short time after ,maurice's death the stronghold of ,breda was taken by ,spinola4 ,this general had besieged the place for so long1 and had been so much disheartened by plausible reports of the enemy's resources1 that he asked permission of the ,spanish ,king to raise the siege4 ,the answer was laconic and peremptory1 #8,marquez1 sumais ,breda4 ,yo el ,rei4#8 ,there was no questioning such a command1 and ,spinola prosecuted the attack with redoubled energy4 ,in the meantime1 the garrison was suffering from hunger and privations of all kinds2 and a mutinous spirit was spreading so fast as to induce the brave governor1 ,justin of ,nassau 7an illegitimate son of ,william the ,silent71 to ask the ,prince to allow him to capitulate4 ,frederic replied that he considered it advisable to do so1 remarking at the same time that if ,spinola did but know the real state of the case1 he would not be likely to grant very honourable terms4 ,this letter fell into the hands of the enemy1 but the writer misjudged his generous-hearted foe4 ,with the true #8garbatezza italiana1' ,spinola 7undeterred by the indignant opposition of most of his officers7 gave orders that the ,dutch troops should march out with colours flying1 drums beating1 and all the honours of war4 ,he also granted them leave to carry away many valuables1 more especially all the personal property of the late ,prince ,maurice4 ,still further to prove his respect for the courage displayed by the garrison1 he watched them as they sallied forth1 lifting his hat with graceful courtesy1 and exchanging salutations with his noble adversaries4 ,when the ,king of ,bohemia died1 he recommended his widow and children in the most urgent terms to the protection of the ,states-,general and the ,stadtholder1 to whom ,elizabeth also drew up a memorial1 in which1 after speaking of her profound grief1 she goes on to say3 #8,my first great resource is in ,heaven2 next to that ,divine trust1 ,i confide in you2 nor will ,i doubt that to me and my children will be continued that friendship so long manifested to my lamented consort4 ,it is for you to shelter those who suffer for truth and righteousness' sake4' ,the ,royal petitioner was liberally dealt with1 and the generous allowance which ,maurice 7whom she called her second father7 had allotted her1 was continued4 ,frederic1 on succeeding to the government1 had found the country in a ferment of religious and political discord2 and he endeavoured to exercise a tranquillising influence both at home and abroad4 ,he would gladly have made peace with ,spain if he could have done so with honour1 but this was impossible2 and he took the field fired with all the military ardour which had ever distinguished the ,house of ,orange4 ,in his successive campaigns against the ,spaniards1 he achieved1 for the most part1 brilliant victories1 possessing himself1 one after another1 of places of the greatest importance4 ,but although distasteful to himself and the country at large1 yet1 from motives of policy1 he was induced to enter into an alliance with ,france1 and maintained a frequent correspondence with the ,minister1 ,cardinal ,richelieu4 ,on the surface of things they were friends1 but ,richelieu hated the ,stadtholder1 and was said to have employed ,frederic's own valet as a spy on his master's actions4 ,in #afcg the all-powerful ,cardinal1 anxious to propitiate ,holland1 sent the ,count de ,charnac as ambassador to the ,hague1 who1 in the presence of the assembled ,states1 addressed ,frederic as #8,prince' and #8,highness1' instead of ,excellency1 the title he had hitherto borne4 ,the ,stadtholder was not insensible to the distinction1 more particularly as the example set by ,france was followed by all the ,royal houses in ,europe4 ,he further added to the dignity and importance of his family by uniting his son with the ,princess ,mary1 daughter to ,charles ,i4 of ,england1 a marriage which afforded general satisfaction4 ,there were great festivities at the ,hague on the occasion1 and we are told that #8the ,queen of ,bohemia and her fair daughters contributed not a little to enhance the grace and beauty of the ,court pageants4' ,the ,dutch continued their victories both by sea and land1 their naval engagements in particular being most brilliant4 ,henry ,frederic's last feat of arms was to complete the frontier line1 which his skill and valour had helped to ensure to his country2 and the ,spaniards were at length compelled to acknowledge the independence of those ,provinces already united4 ,the ,stadtholder was not permitted long to enjoy the improved aspect of affairs4 ,he died in ,march #afdg1 during the session of the ,congress of ,mnster1 and was buried with great splendour at the ,hague4 ,he left one son1 ,william1 and four daughters1 by ,amelia de ,solms1 who survived him several years1 residing at the ,hague1 where she had built a fine palace1 and amassed a large fortune4 ,henry ,frederic was of a noble presence1 well formed1 and robust2 his disposition was modest and temperate1 and his manners gracious and conciliating4 ,he was a scholar1 as well as a soldier1 and dictated to one of his officers memoirs of his principal campaigns1 which were much esteemed4 ,he had none of ,maurice's personal ambition1 and never aspired to the sovereignty4 ,but #8if it were a sin to covet honour1 he was the most offending soul alive4' ,his son succeeded him as ,stadtholder1 but died at the early age of twenty-four1 leaving his young widow with child1 of a ,prince1 afterwards ,william ,,iii41 ,king of ,england4 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,senator ,,of ,,antwerp4 ,black dress4 ,black skull-cap4 ,white ruff and cuffs4 ,sitting in an arm-chair4 ,,by ,,willebort4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,maurice ,,of ,,nassau1 ,,prince ,,of ,,orange1 ,,stadtholder4 ,in armour#a1 ,holding a truncheon4 ,the other hand rests on a table beside his helmet4 ,orange plume and sash4 ,,born #aefg1 ,,died #afbe4 ,,by ,,miereveldt4 ,footnote #a3 ,,erratum3 for 8,in armour0 read 8,in fuller dress than usual40 ,,the second son of ,william1 ,prince of ,orange1 surnamed #8the ,silent' by ,anne of ,saxony1 who was repudiated on account of her misconduct4 ,maurice was born at the ,castle of ,dillenbourg2 his elder brother1 ,philip1 had been kidnapped from school1 and carried to ,spain1 where he became 7says ,motley7 so completely ,hispaniolised1 both in appearance and inclinations1 as to lose all feeling of patriotism4 ,but his filial love was never eradicated1 and on one occasion1 when a ,spanish officer presumed to speak slightly of his illustrious father1 ,philip flung the offender headlong from the window of the palace1 and killed him on the spot4 ,it was on the #ajth of ,july #aehd that the hand of a hired assassin cut short the career of one of the greatest and best men that had ever illuminated the page of history2 ,maurice was at that time pursuing his education at ,leyden2 and the boy's tutors had received strict orders not to allow him to stray by the sea-shore1 lest his brother's fate should befall him1 as it was from that place ,philip had been stolen4 ,william had died deeply in debt2 he had spent his revenues in the service of his beloved country1 and at his death there was no ready money for his widow 7,louisa de ,coligny71 the step-children to whom she was fondly attached1 or her own infant son4 ,the ,prince's effects were sold for the good of his creditors1--plate1 furniture1 tapestries1 his very clothes2 but this done1 the ,states-,general came forward liberally1 and settled a good allowance on the ,princess and her charges4 ,for ,maurice 7whom they selected as his father's successor7 they provided most generously1 and1 impressed by his promising qualities1 and the earnestness and decision of purpose which he early evinced1 they offered to place him at the head of the ,states ,council1 a provisional executive board1 for the government of those ,provinces comprised in the union4 ,he was doubtless a remarkable youth4 ,a letter to ,queen ,elizabeth extols #8this flaxen-haired1 gentle boy of seventeen years1 his towardness1 good presence1 courage1 singular wit1 and learning1' while another account describes #8his chiselled features1 full red lips1 dark blue eyes 7elsewhere they are called hazel7 with a concentration above his years4' ,he was universally pronounced to resemble his maternal grandfather1 the celebrated ,maurice of ,saxony1 both in appearance and character1 and in nowise to favour his mother1 who had been pale and deformed4 ,when offered the important post ,maurice took two days to consider2 but he was not one to shrink from responsibility1 and his acceptance was dignified and modest4 ,he had already selected a device and motto1 and nobly did he redeem the pledge in its wider sense3 a fallen oak1 with a young sapling springing from it1 #8,tandem fit surculus arbor4' ,and verily the twig soon became a tree1 and a noble one4 ,the country so lately1 and now only partially1 emancipated from the detested yoke of ,spain1 looked anxiously round for alliance with some foreign power1 to assist in opposing ,king ,philip and his formidable generals4 ,negotiations were commenced1 and carried on at great length1 with ,france1 to whose king the sovereignty of the ,provinces was offered4 ,against this measure ,maurice made a most spirited and eloquent appeal to the ,council3 he dwelt on all the evils which would accrue from such a step1 reminding his hearers of the services which his family had rendered1 and the misfortunes they had undergone in the cause of patriotism2 furthermore1 how nearly they had bestowed the sovereignty on his late father1--beseeching them not to forget the interests of the house of ,nassau2 and he concluded by assuring them1 that1 young and inexperienced as he was1 he trusted that his zeal and devotion might be of some avail to his country4 ,his speech was much applauded for its eloquence2 but the negotiations with ,france were not discontinued1 although after a time they were transferred to ,england4 ,it seems certain that the youthful ruler indulged in early hopes of securing the title of ,king for himself1 but1 in default of this1 he appears to have leaned to the notion of the government of ,elizabeth1 in preference to that of any other alien4 ,she had always been a staunch upholder of ,protestantism1 had been generous to his family in financial matters1 and had always expressed herself in friendly terms towards the house of ,orange2 besides1 ,england was a powerful and desirable ally4 ,notwithstanding all these considerations1 ,maurice did not1 as he pithily expressed himself1 #8wish to be strangled in the great ,queen's embrace4' ,bess was a coquette in politics as well as love1 and for a time seemed inclined to listen to the overtures made her by the ,states-,general1 but she finally refused4 ,desirous1 however1 of exercising some influence in the country1 she sent over her prime favourite1 the ,earl of ,leicester 7with his gallant nephew1 ,sir ,philip ,sidney71 at the head of a large contingent of ,british troops4 ,he had stringent rules laid down for his conduct1 most of which he infringed4 ,not long after his arrival he was inaugurated in the post of ,governor-,general of the ,united ,provinces1 with supreme military command by land and sea1 and authority in matters civil and political4 ,in these capacities the ,states proffered him an oath of fidelity1 a step in which ,maurice himself was reluctantly compelled to join4 ,leicester's whole conduct in the ,netherlands was actuated by overweening ambition and the basest covetousness2 while in accepting such high-sounding titles he incurred the ,queen's anger1--#8acting in direct opposition1' says ,motley1 #8to the commands of the most imperious woman in the world4' ,a courtier at home1 no way friendly to the arrogant favourite1 told ,elizabeth how ,leicester's head was turned by the honours heaped on him1 and how he had sent over to ,england to bid his ,countess join him1 with a suite1 and all appliances1 in order to form a ,court equal in splendour to her own4 #8,indeed6' was the angry reply2 #8we will teach the upstarts that there is but one ,queen1 and her name is ,elizabeth2 and they shall have no other ,court but hers6' ,to return to ,maurice3 ,john ,barneveldt 7who had constituted himself the youth's political guardian71 although opposed to the idea of his elevation to a throne1 stoutly advocated his nomination to the post of ,stadtholder1 a measure that was carried after a severe struggle4 ,it was by the side of this trusty friend that the young ,prince first went into action2 but his first military achievement was planned and carried into execution jointly with ,sir ,philip ,sidney1 namely1 the taking of ,axel1 an important stronghold1 which they carried without the loss of a single man in the combined forces of the ,english and ,dutch troops4 ,a close friendship existed between ,maurice of ,nassau and our gallant countryman1 in spite of the latter's near relationship to the obnoxious ,leicester1 who had warned his nephew to be prudent in his dealings with ,maurice4 #8,i find no treachery in the young man1' was the reply1 #8only a bold and intelligent love of adventure4' ,the two brave soldiers maintained their brotherhood in arms1 until the fatal day when ,sir ,philip received his death-wound at the battle of ,zutphen4 ,his undaunted courage and proverbial humanity gained him the love and admiration of his allies and countrymen1 and the respect of his enemies4 ,in #aehg ,leicester was recalled by the ,queen1 and compelled to return to ,england4 ,he was detested by the majority of the ,dutch nation1 who had by this time discovered his plots and treacherous schemes1 and his departure cleared the way for the further display of ,maurice's political and military talents4 ,he was nominated ,governor ,commander-in-chief of five out of the seven ,united ,provinces which formed the ,confederacy3 and no one could surely have been better fitted for such responsible posts4 ,in the early days of his government he was inclined to leave the reins in the hands of ,barneveldt1 while he devoted himself theoretically1 as well as practically1 to the study of war4 ,his leisure hours were passed in forming combinations and executing manuvres with pewter soldiers2 in building up and battering down1 in storming and carrying wooden blocks of mimic citadels2 in fact1 in arranging systems of attack1 pursuit1 retreat1 and defence on his table1 all of which he afterwards most effectually carried out on the field of actual warfare2 while for hours together he would pore over the works of classical authors in the art of strategy4 ,maurice introduced the strictest discipline into the army1 but he was the friend and comrade of his soldiers1 sharing their privations1 and exacting for them1 from the hands of the ,government1 the pay which had of late been but too irregularly disbursed4 ,his clemency to his prisoners formed a brilliant contrast to the cruelties practised by most of the ,generals of his time1 barring one or two occasions1 when driven to take reprisals4 ,this he did1 indeed1 as a warning to the ,spaniards not to deal hardly with the ,dutch who had fallen into their hands4 ,he was most severe on his own soldiers for disobedience of orders2 and with his own hand he shot one of his men1 who had been convicted of plundering a peasant4 ,the campaigns of #aeij-ib against the ,spanish troops were for the most part as successful as they were brilliant1 and in #aeif an alliance1 offensive and defensive1 was concluded with ,france and ,england4 ,maurice's victories on the ,rhine were so important as to induce the ,spanish king to offer him most flattering terms1 which were refused1 and the war continued4 ,we have neither space nor inclination to enter on the history of ,maurice's campaigns4 ,how could we do so in our limited space1 or attempt the military memoirs of a general who was said to have won three pitched battles1 to have taken thirty-eight strong towns and forty-five castles1 and to cause the enemy to raise twelve sieges--the great general of the age1 #8the chief captain of ,christendom1' as ,queen ,elizabeth called him--the rival in arms of the formidable ,spinola8 ,yet we cannot resist the temptation of alluding to one or two passages in his military life which have a picturesque or characteristic side to the occurrence4 ,the taking of ,zutphen was one of those ingenious ruses de guerre in which ,maurice delighted4 ,one bright morning five or six peasants1 with their wives1 made their appearance under the walls of the town1 laden with baskets of provisions1--no uncommon1 yet a tempting sight4 ,they sat down on the grass1 and had not long to wait before several soldiers of the garrison came out1 and began bartering for the contents of the said baskets4 ,suddenly a woman drew a pistol from under her petticoat1 and shot the man dead who was haggling over the price of her eggs4 ,in a moment1 the peasants1 transformed into soldiers1 sprang on the guard1 overpowered1 bound them1 and took possession of the gate2 while a large body of men1 who had been lying in ambush1 rushed to their assistance1 and1 following up the advantage1 carried the place without the loss of a single man on their side4 ,maurice of ,orange1 unlike the first ,napoleon1 was a great economiser of life1 although so unchary of his own1 that he was reprimanded in his youth by the ,states for rashly exposing himself to danger4 ,the ,spaniards thought to depreciate his strategical talents by saying1 #8,qu'il ne savoit1 que le mstier des taupes1 de se tapir en terre2' but he was as successful in open warfare as he was ingenious in stratagem4 ,the taking of ,nieuport1 which for some time seemed a forlorn hope1 was one of his most memorable victories4 ,it resulted in the precipitate flight of the ,archduke ,albert 7the governor of that portion of the ,netherlands still under ,spanish rule71 and the entire rout of his army2 and this at the very moment that the ,infanta ,isabella 7,albert's wife71 reckoning without her host1 was expecting to see the ,prince of ,orange brought into her presence--a prisoner4 ,more than once during the battle the fortunes of the patriots seemed to tremble in the balance2 but ,maurice's calmness never forsook him1 and his devoted soldiery emulated their ,general in courage and determination4 ,when assured that the day was gained1 the hero1 who had been unmoved in danger1 was overcome by emotion4 ,he leaped from his saddle1 and1 kneeling in the sand1 raised his streaming eyes to heaven1 exclaiming1 #8,o ,god1 what are we human creatures1 to whom ,thou hast brought such honour1 and vouchsafed such a victory8' ,so total was the discomfiture of the ,spaniards1 so hasty their retreat1 that they left a precious booty for the ,dutch1 in the shape of ammunition1 treasure1 and baggage4 ,amongst other personal property of the ,archduke1 his favourite charger fell to the share of an officer in the ,stadtholder's army1 who had often heard the ,prince express great admiration for the horse in question4 ,he therefore lost no time in presenting his prize to the ,general4 ,now1 in the possession of ,lord ,powerscourt1 there is an exquisitely finished cabinet portrait of the great captain1 in gorgeous armour1 mounted on a milk-white barb1 with a wondrous luxuriance of mane and tail1 which nearly sweep the ground4 ,we often hear of a horse who seems to take pride in carrying his master2 but here the case is obviously reversed4 ,the rider is proud of his horse4 ,the ,prince evinces an undoubted pride in the milk-white steed he mounts1 and he called upon his favourite painter1 ,miereveldt1 to immortalise his treasure4 ,with such strong circumstantial evidence1 we may surely take it for granted that ,lord ,powerscourt's gem illustrates our anecdote of the victory of ,nieuport4 ,one more example of our hero's strategical powers1 and we have done4 ,the taking of ,breda was so ingeniously conceived1 so bravely executed1 that we cannot pass it over in silence4 ,the grand and strongly fortified castle which dominated the town of ,breda had once been the residence of the ,nassau family1 and was indeed1 by law1 the property of ,prince ,maurice4 ,it was in the hands of the enemy1 garrisoned by a large band of ,italian soldiers1 under the command of the ,duke of ,parma1 who was however absent at the time of which we are speaking1 the ,duke having left a young compatriot in command1 ,lanza ,vecchia by name4 ,one night1 when quartered at the ,castle of ,voorn1 in ,zeeland1 ,maurice received a mysterious nocturnal visit from a certain boatman called ,adrian1 who had once been a servant in the ,nassau family1 and was now employed in carrying turf for fuel into the ,castle of ,breda4 ,adrian offered his boat and his services to the ,prince1 assuring him that the little vessel could enter the water-gate without suspicion4 ,the notion was after ,maurice's own heart4 ,he took counsel with ,barneveldt1 and it was arranged that the boatman should be at a certain ferry the next night at twelve o'clock4 ,the carrying out of this daring scheme was1 by ,barneveldt's advice1 intrusted to one ,heraugire1 a man of undoubted valour1 who having fallen into temporary disgrace1 would be most willing 7urged his advocate7 to redeem his character with the ,general4 ,sixty-eight men were selected from different regiments1 with three officers as his comrades in the hazardous enterprise1 who all proceeded to the rendezvous at the appointed hour4 ,adrian himself did not appear4 ,his heart failed him1 and he sent two nephews in his stead1 whom he designated as #8dare-devils4' ,it was certainly no undertaking for faint hearts to embark in4 ,the devoted little band went on board the boat1 and stowed themselves away as best they might under the piles of turf with which the bark was ostensibly laden4 ,everything seemed leagued against them3 fog1 sleet1 large blocks of ice1 impeded their progress1 while the weather proved most tempestuous1 and the wind contrary4 ,from ,monday night till ,thursday morning seventy men lay huddled together almost suffocated1 enduring hunger1 thirst1 and intense cold without a murmur1 without regret at having undertaken so perilous a duty4 ,at one time they were compelled to creep out and steal to a neighbouring castle1 in order to procure some refreshment1 and it was not till ,saturday morning that they entered the last sluice1 and all possibility of retreat was at an end1--that handful of men1 half frozen with cold1 half crippled by confinement to so small a space1 to cope with a whole garrison of vigorous and well-fed soldiers6 ,an officer came on board to inspect the fuel1 of which he said they stood sorely in need1 and went into the little cabin1 where the hidden men could see him plainly1 and hear every word he uttered4 ,no sooner had he gone on shore than the keel struck against some obstruction4 ,the vessel sprang a leak1 and began to fill4 ,all was surely now lost1 and the men who came to unload the boat made her safe1 close under the guard-house1 and proceeded with their work4 ,to add to the soldiers' danger1 the damp and cold had brought on fits of sneezing and coughing1 which it was most difficult to resist4 ,one of these gallant men1 who well deserved his name of #8,held1'#b feeling his cough impossible to control1 drew his dagger and besought the soldier next him to stab him to the heart1 lest he should cause the failure of the enterprise and the destruction of his comrades4 ,but thanks to the ingenuity of the skipper1 this noble fellow lived to glory in the success of the undertaking1 and his name still lives in the hearts and memory of his countrymen4 ,the dare-devil came to the rescue2 he set the pumps going1 which deadened every other sound1 and there he stood1 worthy of the sobriquet his uncle had given him1 exchanging jokes with the labourers and the purchasers1 and at length dismissing them all with a few stivers for #8drink-geld1' saying it was much too late to unload any more turf that night4 ,footnote #b3 ,hero4 ,so they all departed1 excepting the servant of the captain of the guard1 who was most difficult to get rid of1 chattering and gossiping1 and complaining of delay4 #8,be content1' said the skipper1 one of those men who must have his joke1 even in moments when life and death are at stake2 #8the best part of the cargo is at the bottom1 and it is reserved for your master4 ,he is sure to get enough of it to-morrow4' ,the dare-devil's words were verified to the letter2 a little before midnight the ,dutch entered the town1 killed every man in the guard-room1 and took possession of the arsenal4 ,the garrison fled in all directions1 and the burghers followed their example1 young ,lanza ,vecchia1 although himself wounded1 striving in vain to rally his men4 ,count ,hohenloe1 brother-in-law to ,maurice1 was the first to enter the town at the head of large reinforcements1 shortly followed by the ,prince himself4 ,the despatch sent to ,barneveldt was as follows3 #8,the castle and town of ,breda are ours4 ,we have not lost a single man4 ,the garrison made no resistance1 but fled distracted out of the town4' ,how reluctantly we turn the page whereon ,maurice's golden deeds are inscribed1 and come to a new episode in his life1 on which a dark shadow rests6 ,little by little the differences of opinion which had long existed between the ,stadtholder and the ,advocate ,barneveldt ripened into open enmity4 ,the latter was at the head of the peace party1 while ,maurice declared for continuous warfare1 in spite of which a general truce of several years was concluded1 beneath which the ,prince's restless spirit chafed and fretted4 ,there could also be little doubt that ,maurice aimed at a crown1 while ,barneveldt was a staunch republican4 ,a more deadly cause of enmity was now springing up1 for the torch of religious discord was aflame in ,holland1 between two opposing sects1 the ,gomarites and the ,arminians4 ,the former accused the latter of being more lax than the ,papists1 while the ,arminians loudly declared the ,gomarites to be cruel and intolerant1 and the ,god they worshipped unjust and merciless4 ,for the most part1 the clergy1 with many of the upper classes1 headed by ,maurice and his family1 favoured the ,gomarites2 while ,barneveldt1 with the municipal body1 upheld the ,arminian doctrines4 ,political and religious differences waxed fiercer each day that passed1 and ,maurice forgot all he owed to the guardian of his youth4 ,barneveldt's star was setting2 slander and calumny of all kinds were busy with the name of this single-minded1 large-hearted old man1 whom the ,stadtholder did not disdain in his anger to accuse of secret negotiations with ,spain4 ,in a letter to the ,prince1 ,barneveldt bewails their estrangement1 for which he had #8given no cause1 having always been your faithful servant1 and with ,god's blessing1 so will ,i remain4' ,he went on to say he had done good service to the ,state for upwards of forty years1 and as far as religious opinions went1 he had never changed4 ,but neither his public nor private appeals stood him in good stead3 he was denounced as a traitor and a sceptic2 libellous pamphlets1 shameful and absurd accusations1 were disseminated against him4 ,one great bone of contention between the two sects was the convening of a ,synod1 on which the ,stadtholder and the ,states had determined4 ,to dissuade the ,prince from this step1 the ,advocate asked an interview1 which was granted4 ,here is the picture1 drawn by a master hand3 ,the ,advocate1 an imposing magisterial figure1 wrapped in a long black velvet cloak1 leaning on his staff1 tall1 but bent with age and anxiety1 haggard and pale1 with long grey beard1 and stern blue eyes4 ,what a contrast to the florid1 plethoric ,prince6--in big russet boots1 shabby felt hat encircled by a string of diamonds1 his hand clutching his sword-hilt1 and his eyes full of angry menace1--the very type of the high-born1 imperious soldier4 ,thus they stood and surveyed each other for a time1 those two men1 once fast friends1 between whom a gulf was now fixed4 ,expostulations1 recriminations1 passed1 ,barneveldt strongly deprecating the idea of the ,synod1 which he was well assured would only lead to more ill feeling rather than to any adjustment of differences2 in answer to which ,maurice curtly announced that the measure was decided on1 and then opposed a stubborn silence 7as was his wont when thwarted7 to all the arguments and eloquence of the ,advocate4 ,that meeting was their last on earth4 ,not long after this interview1 as ,barneveldt was one day sitting in his garden1 he was visited by two friends1 of authority in the ,state1 who had come to warn him of the plan that had been formed for his arrest4 ,he received the intelligence calmly1 remarking he knew well #8there were wicked men about2' then1 lifting his hat courteously1 he added1 #8,i thank you1 gentlemen1 for your warning4' ,he continued his steady course as heretofore1 and was accordingly shortly afterwards arrested on his way to the ,session1 and lodged in prison2 his intimate friend1 the learned ,grotius1 and several other leading members of the ,arminian community1 were imprisoned at the same time4 ,the treatment which ,barneveldt was subjected to in his captivity was most inconsiderate and severe2 indeed1 the only mercy vouchsafed to him was the attendance of his faithful body-servant2 he was not allowed communication with the outer world1 although1 on more than one occasion1 he contrived to elude the vigilance of his keepers by means of a few words concealed in a quill or the centre of a fruit4 ,his books and papers were taken from him2 he was denied the assistance of a lawyer or a secretary to prepare his defence1 or even pen and ink for his own use2 and when he asked for a list of the charges which were to be brought against him1 he was refused4 ,in spite of all these hindrances1 when summoned before a #8packed' tribunal1 his defence was noble1 eloquent1 and manly1 although his enemies insultingly called it a confession4 ,he was accused of troubling the ,church of ,god1 sowing dissension in the ,provinces1 and calumniating his ,excellency1 and--crowning injustice--was declared a traitor to his native country4 ,john ,olden de ,barneveldt6--was there any one in that ,assembly whose love was so profound for his ,god1 his country1 and his ,prince8 ,he was not present when the final sentence was passed1 namely1 that he should suffer death by the sword1 and that all his goods should be confiscate2 but when the news was brought1 the prisoner received it with the calm dignity which always characterised him4 ,from #8my chamber of sorrow' he wrote a touching farewell 7pen and ink being grudgingly accorded him7 to his family1 which he signed #8from your loving husband1 father1 grandfather1 and father-in-law4' ,in all these relations of life ,barneveldt had been dearly loved1 and his home had been the scene of #8domestic bliss2' the only paradise that has survived the fall4 ,he intrusted the clergyman who ministered to him with a message to the ,prince of ,orange1 assuring him that he had always loved and served him as far as it was consistent with his duty to the ,state1 and his principles4 ,he craved forgiveness if he had ever failed towards him in any point1 and concluded by earnestly recommending his children to the care of his ,excellency4 ,maurice received the messenger with tears in his eyes1 on his part declaring that he had always had a sincere affection for ,barneveldt1 though there were one or two things he found it hard to forgive1 such as the accusation1 which the ,advocate brought against him1 of aspiring to the sovereignty2 but he did forgive all1 and as regarded the children1 he would befriend them as long as they continued to deserve it4 ,with these poor crumbs of comfort the clergyman went back to the prison4 ,it must not be supposed that no efforts were made to save ,de ,barneveldt3 the ,french ,ambassador used all his persuasions and all his eloquence1 the widowed ,princess of ,orange wrote to her stepson to entreat him to save his father's friend1 and the friend of his boyhood and early life2 but for the first time ,maurice was deaf to the appeal of ,louisa de ,coligny1 and excused himself from seeing her on frivolous pretences4 ,some surprise was expressed that the wife and family of ,de ,barneveldt did not petition the ,stadtholder1 and it was even whispered that if either the wife or daughter-in-law 7both women distinguished by noble birth and noble hearts7 had sought an interview with ,prince ,maurice1 it might have been granted2 but they relied on a promise1 perhaps1 that no harm should come to the prisoner1 even as our ,strafford did1 a few years later4 ,the venerable captive prepared for death1 declining an interview with his relations1 lest the sight of those dear ones should unnerve him1 and destroy the composure which it was so essential to maintain1 while it was carefully withheld from him how earnestly his family had desired to see him once more4 ,the night previous to the execution his good servant took up his post at the head of his master's bed to receive his last instructions1 but was warned off by one of the sentinels4 ,however1 no sooner did the surly fellow fall asleep than this faithful friend1 by dint of bribes and persuasions1 prevailed on his comrade to let him return to the bedside4 ,barneveldt evinced great anxiety respecting his beloved friend ,grotius1#c fearing he might share the same fate4 ,he sent tender messages to his family1 recommending the bearer to their protection1 and expressed his regret1 if1 stung by indignation at the loathsome slanders published against him1 he had at any time spoken too fiercely and vehemently4 ,footnote #c3 ,grotius was imprisoned for two years1 and finally escaped in a case of books1 through the medium of his wife4 ,the next morning he rose quietly4 #8,come and help me1 good ,john1' said he2 #8it is the last time that ,i shall require your services4' ,when the clergyman entered and asked if he had slept1 he said he had not1 but was much soothed and strengthened by the beautiful passages he had been reading in a ,french version of the ,psalms4 ,why linger over these sad details8 ,in the great hall where the judges were assembled1 the prisoner listened wearily to the long rambling sentence1 and demurred several times at its flagrant injustice4 ,when the clerk had concluded1 he said1 #8,i thought1 my ,lords1 the ,states-,general would have had enough of my life1 and blood1 without depriving my wife and children of their property4 ,is this my recompense for forty-three years of service to the ,provinces8' ,the ,president rose with this cruel reply on his lips3 #8,you have heard the sentence--away1 away6 that is enough4' ,the old man obeyed1 leaning on his staff1 and1 followed by his faithful ,john and the guard1 he passed on to death on the scaffold1 and1 looking down1 addressed the mob3 #8,men1' he said1 #8do not believe that ,i am a traitor2 ,i have lived as a patriot1 and as a patriot ,i will die4' ,he himself drew the cap over his eyes1 ejaculating1 #8,christ shall be my guide2 ,o ,lord1 my ,heavenly ,father1 receive my spirit4' ,then kneeling down1 as he desired1 with his face directed towards his home1 he begged the executioner to use all despatch2 the heavy sword was swung1 the noble head was struck off at a blow1 and the soul of ,john ,olden de ,barneveldt took flight for a land where ingratitude and injustice are alike unknown4 ,we are told that the ,stadtholder sat in his cabinet with closed doors1 and forbade any one wearing his livery to go abroad1 or be seen in the streets during the execution of the ,advocate2 nay1 it is further recorded that he evinced some emotion on hearing that all was over4 ,but sadly did he neglect an opportunity that presented itself1 not very long afterwards1 of showing some spark of that generosity which once characterised him4 ,barneveldt had left two sons1 both high in position1 and in affluent circumstances1 until their father's sentence reduced them to poverty and obscurity4 ,the younger son1 ,governor of ,bergen-op-,zoom1 was a wild1 turbulent spirit1 and had given his family much uneasiness4 ,stung to the quick by his father's wrongs1 he laid a plot for the assassination of the ,stadtholder2 with some difficulty he prevailed on his more timid brother to enlist in the same cause1 and as ,maurice's popularity was already on the wane1 he found several conspirators not unwilling to join4 ,the scheme was discovered or betrayed1 and all implicated therein1 who had the means of escape1 fled2 the younger ,de ,barneveldt was conveyed in a case to the house of a friend at ,rotterdam1 whence he started for ,brussels1 and reached the ,court of the ,archduchess ,isabella1 who took him under her protection4 ,he afterwards entered his native country with alien troops as a traitor and a renegade4 ,his less fortunate1 less blameable brother1 wandered about from place to place a miserable fugitive1 and was at last taken in the island of ,flieland4 ,on hearing of his capture1 his mother's anguish knew no bounds2 she remained for days tearless1 speechless1 immoveable2 but at length she roused herself1 and1 accompanied by her daughter-in-law and infant grandchild1 she went her way to the ,stadtholder's palace4 ,bowing the lofty spirit which had hitherto upheld her in all her misfortunes1 she cast herself on her knees1 and with all the wild eloquence of maternal sorrow1 she implored mercy for her son4 ,maurice received her with cold courtesy1 and asked why she had never raised her voice in behalf of the prisoner's father4 ,the answer was worthy the widow of the great patriot3-- #8,my husband1' she said1 #8was innocent2 my son is guilty4' ,the ,prince was unmoved1 and coldly replied that it was out of his power to interfere with the course of justice4 ,the two unhappy women and the little one1 who was so soon to be an orphan1 passed out of the room1 and all hope of mercy was at an end4 ,the only clemency shown the son of ,olden de ,barneveldt was exemption from the ignominy and anguish of torture which was inflicted on his fellow-conspirators4 ,the deportment of this weak-minded man at his trial formed a sad contrast to that of his illustrious father4 ,when sentence of death had been passed1 he had a last interview with his mother and wife4 ,the latter1 amid all the agony of her grief1 exhorted her husband to die as became his father's memory and the noble name he bore4 ,these loving commands were strictly obeyed4 ,the prisoner was calm and composed on the scaffold1 and in a few words he addressed to the people1 told them that evil counsel and the desire for vengeance had brought him to so sad an end4 ,his last audible word was #8,patience4' ,the days of ,maurice of ,nassau were also numbered4 ,for a short time the flame of popularity flickered2 but his reputation had suffered1 not only by his injustice1 but by his severity to the widow and family of a man to whose memory his very opponents in religion and politics were now beginning to render tardy justice4 ,on one occasion the ,stadtholder was deeply mortified1 when1 crossing the public square of a large town1 amid a concourse of citizens1 he was allowed to do so without the slightest sign of recognition1 without the lifting of a single hat1 or the raising of one shout in his honour4 ,no man said1 #8,god bless him2'--he who was wont to ride down the streets amid deafening cries of #8,long live ,prince ,maurice6' ,he was thwarted and opposed in many of his favourite measures by the very party he had so strenuously upheld4 ,he was more especially mortified when they refused the subsidies he asked for the prolongation of the war with ,spain1 and1 though successful in his attempt on ,bergen-op-,zoom1 he failed before ,antwerp1 while the reverses of the ,protestant army in ,germany weighed heavily on his mind4 ,he received the exiled ,king and ,queen of ,bohemia at the ,hague with generous hospitality1 and sympathised truly in their misfortunes2 but the successes of his great rival1 the ,marquis ,spinola1 which he was now powerless to withstand1 seemed the culminating point to his distress4 ,his last days were embittered by the knowledge that his beloved stronghold of ,breda1 on the recovery of which he had expended so much ingenuity1 and run such enormous risks1 thirty-four years before1 was now hotly besieged by the great ,italian general1 and he himself unable to lift a finger in its defence4 ,maurice of ,nassau became thin and haggard1 and fits of sleeplessness reduced his strength1--he who his life long had slept so heavily that two gentlemen were stationed in his bedchamber to awake him in any case of emergency4 ,he died in the spring of the year #afbe4 ,maurice1 ,prince of ,orange1 had announced his intention early in life never to marry1 a resolution to which he adhered2 but he was a man of pleasure1 and not very refined in his tastes4 ,he left several natural children1 of whom one1 ,m4 de ,beverweert by name1 was distinguished1 and held a high office under ,government4 ,maurice's chief pastime was chess1 at which 7singular as it may appear7 he was not very skilful4 ,his customary antagonist was a captain of the guard1 one ,de la ,caze1 greatly his superior in the game2 but as the ,prince hated defeat1 and would burst forth into fits of fury when worsted1 his prudent adversary was frequently induced to allow his ,excellency to be victorious in their trials of skill4 ,on these propitious occasions the ,prince's good-humour knew no bounds1 conducting the officer to the outer door1 and bidding the attendants light1 and even accompany him home4 ,the captain1 whose income depended chiefly on his skill at games of chance1 was sorely put to it in the choice of winning and losing1 of times and of seasons4 ,maurice merited the name of #8the ,silent' more than his father2 and when he did speak1 says ,la ,houssaye 7whose ,memoirs throw great light on the history of the time71 #8,il se servoit toujours1 de petites fraizes gauderonnes4' ,he was of a dry and caustic humour1 and showed especial contempt for what he considered coxcombry in dress4 ,he used to rally the ,french gentlemen in particular on the lightness of their apparel1 observing they would rather catch cold than conceal their figures4 ,he depreciated the use of tight riding-boots1 which prevented the horseman from vaulting into his saddle1 and set an example of simplicity1 sometimes amounting to shabbiness1 in his own attire4 ,we have given elsewhere the description of his usual dress4 ,la ,houssaye says1 #8,je l'ai toujours vu habill de la mme sorte1 de la mme couleur1 ce qui toit brune1 couleur de musc4' ,he blamed the ,italian mode of horsemanship1 with all their curvetings and caracolings1 which1 he said1 were dangerous1 and lost no end of time4 ,maurice left behind him a glorious reputation1 but a heavy blot rests on his escutcheon4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,sir ,,antonio ,,moro4 ,black suit and ruff4 ,black cap4 ,,born #aeab1 ,,died #aehh4 ,,by ,,himself4 ,,he was a native of ,utrecht1 and a disciple of ,john ,schoorel1 who was distinguished not only as a painter1 being a pupil of ,mabuse1 but as a poet and orator4 ,moro travelled in ,italy1 and studied the great masters4 ,he painted historical and sacred subjects1 but excelled in portraits1 and followed the style of ,holbein4 ,cardinal ,granvelle recommended him to ,charles ,v41 for whom he painted ,prince ,philip1 afterwards ,philip ,,ii4 of ,spain4 ,the ,emperor gave ,moro a commission to the ,court of ,portugal1 to execute the portraits of ,king ,john ,,iii41 his wife1 ,catherine of ,austria1 and the ,infanta ,mary1 afterwards ,queen of ,spain4 ,sir ,william ,stirling1 in his delightful work on ,spanish painters1 says1 #8,moro's pencil made that marrying monarch1 ,philip ,,ii41 acquainted with the forms and features of his two first wives1 the ,maries of ,portugal and ,england4' ,for the three ,portuguese pictures the painter received six hundred ducats1 besides a costly gold chain1 presented to him by the nobles of the country1 and other gifts4 ,but when he went to ,england to take sittings of ,queen ,mary 7the betrothed of ,philip of ,spain71 ,antonio was remunerated still more magnificently4 ,he received one hundred pounds 7then esteemed a large sum7 for the ,queen's likeness1 and a splendid chain of gold1 with a pension of one hundred pounds a quarter on his appointment as painter to the ,court4 ,he remained in ,england during the whole of ,mary's reign1 and both the ,queen and her husband sat to him several times4 ,he also painted numbers of the courtiers and nobility1 but1 from omitting to annex the names1 the identity of many of his characteristic portraits is lost4 ,horace ,walpole regrets this neglect in his notice of ,moro1 and says truly1 #8,the poorest performer may add merit to his works by identifying the subjects1 and this would be a reparation to the curious world1 though it would rob many families of imaginary ancestors4' ,when ,queen ,mary died1 ,moro1 or ,more1 as he was called in ,england1 followed ,king ,philip to ,spain1 where he remained for some time in high favour4 ,he left the country suddenly1 and the cause of his departure has been differently accounted for by different writers4 ,the version of the story most currently believed is as follows3--,king ,philip frequented the artist's studio1 and one day1 as he was standing beside the easel1 his ,majesty familiarly placed his hand on ,moro's shoulder4 ,the painter turned round abruptly1 and smeared the ,royal hand with carmine4 ,the attendants stood aghast at this breach of etiquette2 but the ,king appeared to treat the matter as a jest4 ,it was not long1 however1 before ,moro received a warning from his patron that the officers of the ,inquisition were on his track1 and that he was in imminent danger of arrest on the plea of having #8bewitched the ,king4' ,one thing was certain1 that the fact of an alien standing so high in ,philip's favour had aroused a feeling of ill-will and jealousy among the courtiers1 who would probably lay hold of any pretext to effect the favourite's ruin4 ,moro fled to ,brussels1 where he was warmly welcomed by the ,duke of ,alva1 then ,governor of the ,low ,countries2 here he painted the portrait of the brave but cruel commander1 and of one or two of his mistresses4 ,it was rumoured that ,philip invited him to return to ,spain1 and that ,alva intercepted the letters1 being unwilling to part with the great artist4 ,be this as it may1 ,moro never again put himself in the power of the ,inquisition1 but passed the remainder of his days in ease1 and even opulence4 ,he had amassed a good fortune by his works in all parts of ,europe1 and the ,duke of ,alva made him receiver of the revenues of ,west ,flanders1 an appointment which is said to have so elated ,moro that he burned his easel and destroyed his painting tools2 but we are not bound to believe a story so unlikely4 ,he died at ,antwerp1 while engaged in painting the ,circumcision for the ,cathedral of that city4 ,sir ,antonio was remarkable for the refinement of his manners and the dignity of his bearing4 ,he painted several portraits of himself1 one of which represents him as a tall stately man1 with a frank open countenance1 red hair and beard1 dressed in a dark doublet1 with slashed sleeves1 a massive chain round his throat1 and a brindled wolf-hound by his side4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,small ,,dining-,,room4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,small ,,dining-,,room4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,william ,,lamb1 ,,second ,,son ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne1 ,,to ,,whom ,,he ,,succeeded4 ,nude child playing with a wolf4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,cosway4 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,george ,,augustus ,,frederick1 ,,sixth ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,black coat4 ,white waistcoat4 ,loose cloak4 ,,born #ahjf1 ,,died #ahef4 ,,by ,,lucas4 ,,the eldest son of the fifth ,earl1 by ,emily1 only daughter of the first ,viscount ,melbourne4 ,he went from a preparatory school at ,mitcham to ,eton1 and thence to ,trinity ,college1 ,cambridge4 ,on leaving the ,university1 he entered the ,royal ,horse ,guards1 ,blue1 and became ,m4,p4 for ,canterbury4 ,in ,lord ,palmerston's first ,administration ,lord ,fordwich was appointed ,under-,secretary of ,state for ,foreign ,affairs1--an office the arduous duties and grave responsibility of which proved too much for his health1 which was never very strong1 and he accordingly sent in his resignation at the end of a few months4 ,in #ahcc he married ,lady ,anne ,florence1 ,baroness ,lucas1 eldest daughter of ,earl de ,grey1 and two years after he retired from public life altogether4 ,he succeeded his father in #ahcg4 ,lord ,cowper was a staunch ,whig1 and always supported his party in the ,house1 otherwise he took no leading part in politics2 he was extremely popular1 in spite of a certain diffidence which never wore off in his contact with public and official life1 or general society4 ,perhaps it might be said 7in the case of a man of his great wealth and exalted position7 to have enhanced the charm of his refined and engaging manners and proverbially musical voice4 ,he enjoyed society1 of which he was a cheerful and agreeable member1 and few houses were more celebrated for their delightful reunions than ,panshanger1 near ,hertford4 ,the circumstances attending ,lord ,cowper's death were most unexpected and painful4 ,he was ,lord-,lieutenant of the county of ,kent1 a post that was in some measure irksome to him1 as it entailed frequent residence in a neighbourhood where he had few acquaintances1--with the exception of ,lord ,sydney1 one of his most valued and intimate friends4 ,these two noblemen had arranged to go down together to ,maidstone at the time of the ,sessions1 on the occasion of the reorganisation of the militia4 ,but at the eleventh hour ,lord ,sydney was prevented accompanying his friend1 as his presence was required in ,london in his capacity of ,lord ,chamberlain4 ,the ,lord-,lieutenant therefore went down alone1 and while transacting business in court he was taken suddenly ill1 removed to the governor's residence in the gaol1 and died the same evening1 apparently unaware of his danger4 ,lady ,cowper had some friends dining with her in ,st4 ,james's ,square1 when she was summoned in all haste to ,maidstone4 ,she started immediately1 accompanied by her brother-in-law1 ,william ,cowper 7the present ,lord ,mount ,temple71 and the family physician1 ,dr4 ,ferguson4 ,but1 alas6 they arrived too late1 for all was over4 ,the death of a man so much esteemed in public1 so tenderly beloved in private life1 caused a profound sensation2 and1 says the friend to whom we are indebted for these particulars1 #8few men have ever been more widely and deeply lamented4' ,lord ,cowper left two sons and three daughters3-- ,the present ,earl2 the ,honourable ,henry ,cowper1 ,m4,p4 for ,hertford2 ,lady ,florence1 married to the ,honourable ,auberon ,herbert1 brother of the ,earl of ,carnarvon2 ,adine1 married to the ,honourable ,julian ,fane1 fifth son of the eleventh ,earl of ,westmoreland1 both deceased2 and ,amabel1 married to ,lord ,walter ,kerr1 second son of the seventh ,marquis of ,lothian4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,george ,,lamb1 ,,fourth ,,son ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,as the infant ,bacchus4 ,a nude child4 ,,born #aghd4 ,,died #ahcd4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,cosway4 ,,he was the fourth and youngest son of the first ,viscount ,melbourne1 by ,elizabeth ,milbanke4 ,educated at ,eton and ,cambridge4 ,called to the bar1 and went the ,northern ,circuit for a short time2 but the law was not to his taste3 he preferred the pursuit of literature1 and took great interest in the drama4 ,he became an active member of the ,committee of ,management of ,drury ,lane ,theatre1 with ,lords ,essex and ,byron1 and the ,honourable ,douglas ,kinnaird1 for colleagues4 ,he was the author of some operatic pieces and fugitive poems1 and he also published a translation of ,catullus4 ,in the year #ahai ,george ,lamb stood for ,westminster1 on the ,whig interest1 against the ,radicals2 the contest lasted fifteen days1 and ,lady ,melbourne1 a keen politician1 exerted herself in the canvass1 and was much pleased at her son's return by a large majority4 ,at the general election in #ahbj he had to relinquish his seat1 but in #ahbf he was returned for ,dungarvan 7through the interest of the ,duke of ,devonshire71 which borough he represented in four ,parliaments4 ,in ,lord ,grey's ,administration ,mr4 ,lamb was appointed ,under-,secretary of ,state for the ,home ,department4 ,in #ahji he married ,mademoiselle ,caroline ,rosalie ,adelaide de ,st4 ,jules1 who was reputed to be a natural daughter of the ,duke of ,devonshire4 ,george ,lamb died at ,whitehall in #ahcd2 his two elder brothers1 ,lords ,melbourne and ,beauvale1 survived him4 ,he left no children4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,anne ,,florence ,,de ,,grey1 ,,baroness ,,lucas ,,in ,,her ,,own ,,right1 ,,wife ,,of ,,george1 ,,sixth ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,in widow's weeds4 ,,born #ahjf1 ,,died #ahhj4 ,,by ,,frederick ,,leighton1 ,r4,a41 afterwards ,p4,r4,a4 ,,she was the eldest daughter and co-heir of ,thomas ,philip1 ,earl de ,grey1 ,k4,g41 by ,lady ,henriette ,cole1 daughter of the first ,earl of ,enniskillen4 ,she married in #ahcc ,george ,augustus1 sixth ,earl ,cowper1 and was left a widow1 in #ahef1 by the sudden and unexpected death of her husband4 ,we cannot do better than transcribe the moral portraiture of the late ,lady ,cowper1 sketched by the hand of one who knew her well1 appreciated her highly1 and who1 moreover1 bore a strong resemblance to her in many moral and intellectual gifts3-- #8,i think ,i can sum up ,lady ,cowper's leading attributes in three words--wit1 wisdom1 and goodness4 ,in the relationship of daughter1 wife1 and mother she left nothing to be desired2 as a hostess she was pre-eminently agreeable1 being a most delightful companion2 she had lived with all that was politically and socially distinguished in her day1 and had read all that was worth reading in modern literature4 ,she derived keen enjoyment from 8the give and take0 of discussion2 her opinions were decided1 and their expression fresh and spontaneous3 into whatever well it was lowered1 the bucket invariably came up full6' #8,in her latter days1 even under the pressure of failing health1 her conversational powers never flagged2 she was most brilliant in the freshness of morning1 and shone conspicuously at the breakfast-table1 thereby rendering that repast far more animated than is usually the case4 ,her sallies1 though never ill-natured1 were often unexpected and startling1 which added a zest to her discourse1 and gained for her the title of #8,the ,queen of ,paradox4' ,her loss was deeply felt and mourned1 not only in her own family1 but in the wider range of what is termed social life4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,family ,,group4 ,,george1 third ,earl ,cowper2 in a green coat1 pink waistcoat1 and breeches4 ,,mr4 ,,gore1 playing on the violoncello2 dark blue coat1 yellow breeches4 ,,countess ,,cowper1 pale pink gown4 ,,mrs4 ,,gore1 grey gown2 one daughter in blue1 the other in white brocade4 ,,miss ,,emily ,,gore at the harpsichord4 ,,by ,,zoffany4 ,,countess ,,cowper was the daughter of ,charles ,gore1 ,esquire1 of ,southampton4 ,her parents took her to ,italy for her health1 where the family resided for a long time4 ,mr4 ,gore is supposed to have been the original of ,goethe's #8travelled ,englishman' in ,wilhelm ,meister4 ,mrs4 ,delany1 in one of her amusing letters1 mentions the meeting of ,lord ,cowper and ,miss ,gore at ,florence1 #8when little ,cupid straightway bent his bow4' ,they were married at ,florence1 and on that occasion ,horace ,walpole condoles with ,sir ,horace ,mann on the prospect1 as he would lose so much of the society of his great friend1 ,lord ,cowper4 ,both ,lady ,cowper and her husband were in high favour at the ,grand-,ducal ,court of ,tuscany1 and the former was a great ornament of the brilliant 7but by no means straight-laced7 society of the day4 ,miss ,berry speaks in very high terms of ,miss ,gore1 who resided with her married sister4 ,three sons were born to the ,cowpers in ,florence4 ,in her later days the ,countess took up her abode at a villa a little way out of the city4 ,she survived her husband many years1 and was said to have been plundered by her servants4 ,indeed1 this most interesting picture is supposed to have been stolen at the time of her death4 ,it was purchased in #ahde by the ,honourable ,spencer ,cowper 7for the trifling sum of #bj71 who made it a present to his brother1 the sixth ,earl4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,katrine ,,cecilia ,,compton1 ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,present ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,dark red velvet gown4 ,,by ,,edward ,,clofford4 ,the eldest daughter of ,william1 present and fourth ,marquis of ,northampton4 ,married in #ahgj to the present and seventh ,earl ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,william ,,lamb1 ,,afterwards ,,second ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,as a youth4 ,black coat trimmed with fur4 ,,born #aggi1 ,,died #ahdh4 ,,by ,,sir ,,thomas ,,lawrence4 ,,william1 second ,lord ,melbourne1 was born ,march #ae1 #aggi4 ,his father and mother were friends of the ,prince of ,wales1 and lived in that brilliant ,whig circle of which ,fox and ,sheridan were the political ornaments1 and the ,duchess of ,devonshire the ,queen of ,beauty4 ,it is difficult now to realise the spirit of that society1 in which dissipation and intellectual refinement were so singularly combined4 ,drunkenness among the men was too frequent to be considered disgraceful1 and even those who passed for being sober took their two or three bottles a day4 ,conversation was habitually interlarded with oaths2 gambling1 to such an extent as to cripple the largest fortunes1 was the common amusement of both sexes2 and morality in other respects was in a low state4 ,but joined with this there was that high sense of personal honour1 which in ,england1 and still oftener in ,france1 has1 at other times1 been united with similar manners4 ,there was more than this4 ,there was a spirit of justice and generosity--even of tenderness--and in some cases a delicacy of feeling which we are accustomed now to associate only with temperance and purity4 ,there was also a very cultivated taste1 derived from a far more extensive knowledge of the ,classics than is to be found in these days2 a love of poetry and history2 and1 above all1 an enthusiastic worship of liberty4 ,how came this strange worship of liberty among this exclusive and luxurious aristocracy8 ,originally1 perhaps1 as the result of faction4 ,excluded from power and deprived of popularity by misfortunes and mistakes1 which it would take too long to mention1 the ,whigs had been driven in their adversity to fall back upon their original principles4 ,the debating instinct of their great ,parliamentary leader seized upon the cry of liberty as a weapon of warfare in the ,house of ,commons1 and the cause which he advocated was so congenial to his frank and generous nature that he embraced it enthusiastically and imparted his enthusiasm to his friends4 ,i must not pursue these thoughts further1 but the circumstances of a man's early life have such influence in moulding his character that1 even in such a slight sketch as this1 it may not have been out of place to call attention to the state of that society1 with its vices and its redeeming qualities1 in the midst of which ,william ,lamb grew up4 ,he went to ,eton in #agij1 and to ,cambridge in #agif4 ,in #agig he was entered at ,lincoln's ,inn1 but without leaving ,cambridge4 ,in #agih he won a prize by the oration on #8,the ,progressive ,improvement of ,mankind1' which was alluded to by ,fox in the ,house of ,commons4 ,in #agii he went to ,glasgow to ,professor ,millar's1 from whose house he wrote during this and the following year several letters to his mother1 which still exist4 ,they show the keenest interest in politics1 and an enthusiastic admiration for the ,french2 and they are not entirely free from a slight taint of that apparent want of patriotism which infected the ,liberal party at that time1 and which did it such irreparable damage4 ,it is only fair to say that there is an entry written in a notebook a few years later showing how keenly he appreciated and lamented this political error1 and throughout the whole course of the ,peninsular ,war he expresses the warmest wishes for the success of the ,british arms1 and for those of our allies in ,germany4 ,his career at the bar was brief and uneventful1 and by the death of his elder brother he shortly became heir-apparent to his father's title and property4 ,we now come to a most important event--important to all men--in his case particularly so1 and attended with almost unmitigated evil4 ,on ,june #c1 #ahje1 was solemnised the marriage of ,william ,lamb and ,lady ,caroline ,ponsonby4 ,it is heartless1 unnecessary1 and altogether wrong to expose the dreariness1 the pain1 and the ridicule of an ill-assorted marriage4 ,too many particulars of this unhappy union have already found their way into print4 ,lady ,caroline was a woman of ability1 and1 ,i suppose1 a certain amount of charm2 but nobody who reads her works1 or her letters1 or the accounts of her conduct1 can doubt that she was partially insane4 ,of her husband it is enough to say that whatever his faults may have been of over-indulgence at certain times--and perhaps an occasional outbreak of passionate temper at others--he was1 on the whole1 singularly tender1 kind1 and considerate4 ,he was always honourable and gentlemanlike1 and he bore his burden with a brave and manly spirit4 ,but for twenty years his life was embittered1 his ability depressed1 and even his credit with the world temporarily impaired4 ,i have said that the evil which attended his marriage was almost unmitigated2 but there was one compensation4 ,he was driven into seclusion4 ,whole days were passed in his library1 and it was during these years that he acquired habits of reading which were never afterwards abandoned1 and that he accumulated much of that vast store of learning--that large knowledge of all subjects1 ancient and modern1 sacred and profane--which formed a continual subject of astonishment to those who knew him in later life4 ,after endless quarrels and reconciliations1 they were regularly separated in #ahbe2 but he occasionally visited her1 and was with her at her deathbed two years later1 when they were finally reconciled1 to quarrel no more4 ,though he was member of the ,house of ,commons for many years1 and occasionally spoke1 he cannot be said to have acquired any distinction in that assembly2 but his abilities had always been recognised by leading men1 as is shown by the fact that he twice refused office during that period4 ,his public career began in #ahbg1 when he accepted1 in ,canning's ,administration1 the post of ,chief ,secretary in ,ireland4 ,it is difficult to form a just opinion of him as he appeared to his contemporaries at this time4 ,mr4 ,m',culloch ,torrens has done justice to his high character1 his clear intellect1 and his broad1 sound1 and sensible views of men and things4 ,lord ,melbourne's relations must always feel grateful to ,mr4 ,torrens for so clearly bringing forward this side of his nature1 and perhaps also for not attempting to delineate those characteristics which require to be touched with a more delicate hand4 ,the uncontrolled flow of humour1 of originality and mischief1 might easily have been perverted in the description into buffoonery or jauntiness1 from which no man was ever more free4 ,the paradoxes might have appeared as an ambitious effort to astonish and to draw attention1 when considered separately from the simple and spontaneous manner in which they were uttered4 ,they were saved from this1 as all good paradoxes are1 not only by the manner1 but by each one of them containing some portion of the truth1 which is generally overlooked1 and which was then1 for the first time1 presented to the mind in a striking and unexpected way4 ,but though any attempt to describe the charm of ,lord ,melbourne's society would probably lead to disastrous failure1 and must not1 therefore1 be attempted1 it is important to bear in mind that this extraordinary charm was the one great feature that remained impressed upon the minds of all who had communication with him4 ,sparkling originality1 keen insight into character1 a rich store of information on every subject always at hand to strengthen and illustrate conversation1 exuberant vitality1 and1 above all1 the most transparent simplicity of nature1 these1 from what ,i have heard1 must have been his principal characteristics4 ,i am bound to add that he often shocked fastidious people4 ,he seldom spoke without swearing1 and he was often very coarse in his remarks4 ,there was1 indeed1 in his language and in his whole character1 not only a wayward recklessness which was natural to him1 but a touch of cynical bitterness that contrasted strangely with the nobleness and generosity of the original man4 ,the nobleness and generosity were1 ,i say1 original4 ,the scenes which surrounded him in his early years1 and still more1 that unhappy married life to which ,i have already alluded1 may account for the remainder4 ,i must add that this charm of manner and conversation was set forth to the utmost advantage by a beautiful voice and a prepossessing personal appearance4 ,he was tall1 strong1 and of vigorous constitution1 brilliantly handsome1 even in old age1 with a play of countenance to which no picture1 and certainly not this very indifferent one by ,hayter1 does the smallest justice4 ,it may easily be believed that with such a people as the ,irish a man like this immediately became extremely popular2 and the solid abilities of a genuine statesman were speedily recognised by his colleagues4 ,even at this period1 with ,lord ,wellesley as ,viceroy1 the principal business in ,ireland was transacted by the ,chief ,secretary1 though this ,minister was not then1 as he has frequently been since1 in the ,cabinet4 ,lord ,wellesley1 accustomed to a far different position in ,india1 was occasionally somewhat sore at the false relation in which he stood to his nominal subordinate1 though this was made as endurable as possible by the tact and fine feeling of ,william ,lamb1 who was constantly reminding the ,ministers in ,england of the consideration due to a veteran statesman1 whom fate had placed in so disagreeable an office1 and offering to send back despatches to be rewritten4 ,the short ,administrations of ,canning and ,goderich were uneventful in ,ireland1 and early in that of the ,duke of ,wellington1 ,lamb resigned4 ,he came away with an increased reputation4 ,his extreme facility of access1 and his delight in talking openly with people of all parties1 had made him much liked--and even his very indiscretions seem to have told in his favour4 ,on ,july #bb1 #ahbh1 he became ,lord ,melbourne by the death of his father4 ,in ,lord ,grey's ,administration of #ahcj he was made ,home ,secretary4 ,his appointment to so important an office without any public reputation as a man of business1 and without any ,parliamentary distinction1 show conclusively what a high opinion had been formed of his abilities by those in authority4 ,but by the world at large he seems to have been still looked upon as an indolent man1 and to have caused some surprise by the vigour and ability which he displayed in dealing with the very serious disturbances which at this time broke out in many parts of the country4 ,this unexpected vigour1 joined with the calmness and good sense which he was already known to possess1 made his reign at the ,home ,office very successful2 and he had an opportunity of particularly distinguishing himself by his firmness and discretion in dealing with a monster deputation from the ,trade ,unions shortly before he was called to fill a still higher position4 ,in #ahcd1 on the resignation of ,lord ,grey1 he was sent for by the ,king4 ,he formed a ,government from his existing colleagues1 and from that period1 with the exception of a short interval1 he remained ,prime ,minister of ,england for seven years4 ,the political history of these seven years has been written over and over again4 ,it was a history to which the ,liberal party cannot look back with much satisfaction1 and the memory of the ,prime ,minister suffers unjustly in consequence4 ,it was one of those strange periods of reaction which are so familiar to the student of ,english political life1 when the country was becoming daily more ,conservative in its views and feelings4 ,then1 as at other similar periods1 the ,liberals were obstinately unwilling to believe the fact4 ,while the bulk of the electors were ever more and more anxious for repose1 ardent politicians were racking their brains for new stimulants1 and seeking what reforms they could propose1 and what institutions they could attack1 in order to rouse the flagging energies of their supporters4 ,they mistook a real wish to be left quiet for a disgust at not being led forward1 and as the activity of ,lord ,melbourne in his ,cabinet was chiefly displayed in restraining the restlessness of the more impetuous of his colleagues1 he became responsible1 in the eyes of some1 for the want of progress2 while the nation at large accused him1 in common with the rest of his ,government1 of continually taking up1 without serious consideration or depth of conviction1 any policy which might be likely to bring a momentary popularity to the ,ministry4 ,in regard to this last accusation1 we must remember that ,lord ,melbourne was only one of the governing committee of the country--primus inter pares4 ,it is a very strong and very popular ,prime ,minister alone who can be more than this4 ,his influence1 as ,i have said1 is believed to have been a restraining one4 ,we know the mistakes to which he was a party1 but we shall never know how many he may have prevented4 ,after all said against it1 this period of seven years was neither unfruitful in wise legislation nor inglorious to the country4 ,without endangering peace1 we maintained the high position of ,england in ,europe2 and though many measures were prematurely introduced1 and hastily abandoned1 a long list may be made of very useful ones which were passed4 ,what were ,lord ,melbourne's real political convictions8 ,some have said that he was in his heart a ,conservative4 ,he was undoubtedly less advanced in his opinions than many of his colleagues1 and he sometimes exhibited a half-laughing1 half-sorrowful disbelief in the result expected by others from constitutional changes4 ,this1 coupled with a love of mischief and a delight in startling people1 made him appear less advanced than he was--as when he said about ,catholic ,emancipation1 that all the wise men in the country had been on one side of the question1 and all the fools on the other1 and that the fools had turned out to be right after all2 when he told some ardent reformers that the men who originated the ,reform ,bill ought to be hung on a gallows forty feet high2 and when he remarked to ,lord ,john ,russell that he did not see that there was much use in education4 ,these remarks1 however1 did not express his real convictions4 ,his was essentially that kind of mind which sees clearly both sides of a question4 ,his position would naturally have been very near the border-line which divides the two parties1 and on which it is impossible for any public man in ,england permanently to stand1 but it would have been1 under any circumstances1 on the ,liberal side of that line4 ,as leader of the ,house of ,lords he was1 on the whole1 successful--certainly not the reverse4 ,but he had the misfortune to be opposed and most bitterly attacked1 during a great part of his ,administration1 by the two greatest orators of the day1 and he received little support from his own side4 ,of his speaking it has been said that if it had been a little better1 it would have been quite first-rate4 ,he never prepared a speech1 and he hesitated a good deal1 except when under the influence of excitement4 ,but at his worst he was always plain1 unpretending1 and sensible2 and his voice and appearance were of themselves sufficient to command attention4 ,when roused he could be forcible1 and even eloquent for a few minutes1 and he always gave the impression that he only wanted rousing to become so4 ,the most powerful of his opponents never could feel sure that he might not at any moment receive a sudden knock-down blow1 and both ,brougham and ,lyndhurst more than once experienced this4 ,on the accession of the ,queen in #ahcg1 ,lord ,melbourne found himself suddenly placed in a most trying and most responsible position4 ,this is the part of his career which is best known1 and in which his conduct has been most appreciated2 and ,i do not think there is any other instance on record of the confidential and affectionate relations subsisting between a ,sovereign and a ,minister so interesting to dwell upon4 ,it is difficult to say to which of the two these relations were productive of the greatest benefit4 ,her ,majesty was indeed fortunate in finding such a counsellor2 his large-minded fairness1 his impartial appreciation of the motives and feelings of all parties in the ,state--that philosophical power of seeing both sides of a question1 to which ,i have alluded1 and which perhaps stood in his way as a party leader1--were1 under present circumstances1 of unmixed advantage4 ,his vast political and historical knowledge supplied him with ready information on every subject1 which ,i need hardly say he imparted in the most agreeable manner2 and his judgment1 stimulated by the gravity of the situation1 enabled him to give sound advice1 at least on all the deeper and more important matters which properly belonged to his position4 ,to the ,minister himself this new stimulant was invaluable4 ,his life had never quite recovered from the blight cast upon it in his early manhood4 ,he had long suffered from want of an object for which he really cared2 his thoughtful temperament too much inclined him in his serious moments to realise the vanity of all things2 but he now found a new interest which animated his remaining years of activity1 and which afterwards solaced him in illness1 in depression1 and intellectual decay4 ,nobly did the ,queen repay this chivalrous devotion and this unselfish solicitude for her welfare4 ,her clear intellect readily assimilated his wisdom1 and her truthful and just nature responded sympathetically to his enlightened and generous views4 ,and there was no ingratitude or subsequent neglect to mar the harmony of the picture1 for to the last hour of his existence her kindness and attention were without a break4 ,her ,majesty has been fortunate in many of her advisers--fortunate more particularly in her illustrious husband1--but such is the force of early impression1 that1 perhaps1 no small part of the sagacity and the virtue which have signalised her reign may be traced to the influence of ,lord ,melbourne4 ,this little biographical notice must now be concluded4 ,in #ahda his ,administration came to an end4 ,in the autumn of #ahdb he had a paralytic stroke4 ,he recovered1 and lived till #ahdh1 and was able to take his place in the ,house of ,lords1 and to appear in society4 ,but his sweet temper was soured1 and his spirits became unequal2 his bright intellect was dimmed1 and his peculiarities assumed an exaggerated form4 ,he had been so famous in earlier days for the brilliancy of his conversation1 that even after his illness people remembered and repeated what he said4 ,this has done his reputation some injury1 and the stories told about him do not always convey a correct impression of his ability or his charm4 ,the life which ,i have attempted to sketch was an eventful one1 and ,lord ,melbourne took no small share in the movements of his time4 ,but it seems to have been the impression of all who met him1 that he might have done much more than he ever did1 and that he was a far abler and greater man than many who have filled a larger space in history4 ,c4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,elizabeth ,,milbanke1 ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,pale violet gown4 ,,by ,,romney4 ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,peniston ,,lamb1 ,,eldest ,,son ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,tawny coat4 ,white cravat4 ,powder4 ,,born #aggj1 ,,died #ahje4 ,,by ,,romney4 ,,he was the eldest child of the first ,lord ,melbourne1 and his birth was a source of great joy to both his parents4 ,but from his earliest years ,peniston was the idol of his father1 whom he resembled in many points1 both moral and physical2 indeed1 it was said no flattery was sweeter to ,lord ,melbourne's ear than to be assured of this resemblance4 ,the mother was very fond of her first-born2 but as he grew on in years1 and his tastes developed1 ,lady ,melbourne was mortified to find that ,peniston evinced no predilection for politics or public life2 and1 finding in her second son ,william's tastes more congenial with her own1 it was plain to see that ,william was the mother's darling4 ,peniston showed no jealousy2 he was gentle-hearted and engaging2 every tenant on the estate1 every servant in the house1 every dog and horse in the stable1 loved him4 ,he was a capital shot1 and rode well to hounds1 while quite a little fellow2 and ,lord ,melbourne was never tired of telling how #8,pen' had led the field1 or put his pony at the stiffest bullfinch4 ,his brothers were among his most devoted worshippers2 and in their happy romping days at ,brocket1 ,peniston was never tired of joining in their frolics1 though with a certain dignity becoming a senior4 ,how exquisitely is this characteristic demeanour portrayed in the beautiful picture of the three boys by ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 which he named #8,the ,affectionate ,brothers1' described in a late page4 ,in #agic ,lord ,melbourne vacated his seat in ,parliament1 and ,peniston represented ,newport1 and afterwards ,hertfordshire county1 in the ,house4 ,he had never been very strong1 and being suddenly attacked by an illness1 for which the physicians could in no way account1 he expired1 to the despair of his father1 the grief of his whole family1 and the deep regret of the county4 ,reynolds1 ,romney1 ,mrs4 ,cosway1 and ,stubbs1 were all called on to perpetuate the handsome form and features of this darling of the household4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,harriet ,,and ,,emily ,,lamb1 ,,children ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,white frocks4 ,pink sashes4 ,harriet has a cap on her head4 ,,by ,,sir ,,thomas ,,lawrence4 ,,harriet died young4 ,emily was successively the wife of ,lord ,cowper and ,lord ,palmerston4 ,in later days she remembered perfectly romping on the floor with her little sister1 who had just snatched her cap off her head1 when the door opened1 and their mother came in accompanied by a gentleman in black1 who was very kind1 and said1 #8,nothing can be better than that2' and he painted the little girls just as he had found them4 ,lawrence1 then a very young man1 was on a visit at ,brocket4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,elizabeth1 ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,in a small carriage1 drawn by grey ponies4 ,she wears a white cloak and hat4 ,her father1 ,,sir ,,ralph ,,milbanke1 in the centre2 grey coat1 blue and yellow waistcoat4 ,her brother1 ,,john ,,milbanke2 grey horse2 pale blue coat1 buff waistcoat1 breeches1 and top-boots4 ,,lord ,,melbourne on a brown horse2 dark blue coat1 yellow breeches4 ,all the gentlemen wear tri-corne hats4 ,,by ,,stubbs4 ------------------ ,no4 #ab4 ,,elizabeth1 ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,white muslin dress4 ,blue bow4 ,,by ,,hoppner4 ------------------ ,no4 #ac4 ,,peter ,,leopold ,,francis1 ,,fifth ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,peer's ,parliamentary robes4 ,,by ,,sir ,,thomas ,,lawrence4 ------------------ ,no4 #ad4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,emily ,,lamb1 ,,afterwards ,,countess ,,cowper1 ,,and ,,viscountess ,,palmerston4 ,white dress4 ,coral necklace4 ,,aged ,,sixteen4 ,,by ,,sir ,,thomas ,,lawrence4 ------------------ ,no4 #ae4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,peniston ,,lamb1 ,,eldest ,,son ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,with his horse ,assassin1 and his dog ,tanner4 ,dismounted4 ,dark coat1 leathers1 and top-boots4 ,brown horse1 stretching towards a small black-and-tan dog4 ,,by ,,stubbs4 ------------------ ,no4 #af4 ,,george ,,augustus ,,nassau1 ,,third ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,dark blue coat4 ,scarlet waistcoat and breeches4 ,shoes with buckles4 ,,by ,,raphael ,,mengs4 ------------------ ,no4 #ag4 ,,henry ,,cowper1 ,,esquire1 ,,of ,,tewin ,,water4 ,black coat4 ,white cravat4 ,,died #ahbe 7874 ,,by ,,jackson4 ,,grandson to ,spencer ,cowper 7the celebrated ,judge71 and ,deputy-,clerk of the ,parliaments for many years4 ,there is an entry in ,mary ,countess ,cowper's diary 7wife of the ,chancellor7 in ,december #agad3 #8,monsieur ,robethon received the grant of the ,king of ,clerk of the ,parliament after ,mr4 ,johnson's death for anybody he would name4 ,he let our brother ,spencer ,cowper have it in reversion after ,mr4 ,johnson's death for his two sons for #ahjj4' ,it was held in succession by the family for several years4 ,the reader of the poet ,cowper's life will remember the tragical incident connected with this particular appointment4 ------------------ ,no4 #ah4 ,,thomas ,,philip1 ,,baron ,,grantham1 ,,baron ,,lucas1 ,,earl ,,de ,,grey1 ,k4,g4 ,brown coat trimmed with fur4 ,white waistcoat4 ,black cloak4 ,,born #aghf1 ,,died #ahei4 ,,after ,,robinson4 ,,he was the eldest son of ,thomas ,robinson1 second ,lord ,grantham 7of that name71 by ,lady ,mary ,yorke1 second daughter of the second ,earl of ,hardwicke4 ,succeeded to the barony of ,grantham on the death of his father1 and to the earldom of ,de ,grey on the death of his maternal aunt 7who was ,countess ,de ,grey in her own right71 and at the same time he assumed the surname of ,de ,grey1 in lieu of that of ,robinson4 ,in #ahje he married the beautiful ,lady ,henrietta ,cole1 fifth daughter of the first ,earl of ,enniskillen4 ,he was appointed ,first ,lord of the ,admiralty1 and ,privy ,councillor during ,sir ,robert ,peel's ,administration of #ahcd and #ahce1 and on the return of ,peel to power in #ahda ,lord ,de ,grey went to ,ireland as ,viceroy4 ,here he made himself remarkable by his extreme hospitality and the splendour of his establishment1 while he discharged the more essential and difficult duties of his office with zeal and ability4 ,his departure in #ahdd 7when he resigned on account of his health7 was much regretted1 while ,lady ,de ,grey left a name which was long remembered in ,dublin1 not only for the charm of her manners and the beauty of her person1 but for the encouragement which she afforded to native talent and manufactures4 ,on leaving ,ireland ,lord ,de ,grey retired from official life1 and contented himself with voting in ,parliament as a ,liberal ,conservative4 ,he became ,lord-,lieutenant of ,bedfordshire1 ,knight of the ,garter1 and aide-de-camp to the ,queen4 ,he was a member of many scientific and industrial institutions1 ,fellow of the ,royal ,society1 and of the ,society of ,antiquarians1 etc4 ,he had several children1 of whom only two daughters survived1--,anne ,florence1 who married the sixth ,earl ,cowper1 and ,mary1 married to ,captain ,henry ,vyner4 ,lord ,de ,grey died in #ahei1 when the barony of ,lucas devolved on his eldest daughter1 and his other titles on his nephew1 now ,marquis of ,ripon4 ,he was a man of undoubted talent1 and occupied himself in carrying out designs as an architect1 decorator1 and landscape gardener4 ,when he inherited the houses of ,wrest1 in ,bedfordshire1 and the fine mansion in ,st4 ,james's ,square1 on the death of his aunt1 the ,countess ,de ,grey1 he pulled down the former1 and rebuilt it1 according to his own designs1 in the style of a ,french chteau4 ,the pictures which adorn the walls were painted expressly for him2 the tapestry1 which lends so rich a colouring to the interior of ,wrest1 was woven under ,lord ,de ,grey's immediate direction in the ateliers of the ,gobelins2 while the rich gilding1 cornices1 and ceilings were all executed under his supervision1 and do the greatest credit to his taste and ingenuity4 ,he also supplemented the plans1 and enlarged the ornamentation of the already beautiful gardens and pleasure-grounds which surround the house4 ------------------ ,no4 #ai4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,peniston ,,lamb1 ,,eldest ,,son ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,red coat4 ,grey hat and feathers lying on the table4 ,caressing a dog4 ------------------ ,no4 #bj4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,frederick ,,lamb1 ,,afterwards ,,first ,,lord ,,beauvale ,,and ,,third ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,blue coat4 ,white jabot4 ,,born #aghb1 ,,died #ahec4 ,,by ,,chandler4 ,,he was the third son of the first ,viscount ,melbourne1 by ,elizabeth1 daughter of ,sir ,ralph ,milbanke4 ,he entered the diplomatic service at an early age1 was successively attached to the ,british ,legation at ,palermo1 and the ,embassy at ,vienna1 where in the year #ahac he became ,minister ,plenipotentiary1 ad interim1 until the arrival of ,lord ,stewart1 afterwards ,marquis of ,londonderry4 ,from ,september #ahae he was ,envoy to ,munich until #ahbj1 and two years later he was appointed ,privy ,councillor1 and subsequently ,g4,c4,b4 7civil71 in consideration of his diplomatic services4 ,he was successively ,minister to ,madrid and ,ambassador at ,vienna1 and retired on a pension in #ahda1 having previously been elevated to the ,peerage by the title of ,baron ,beauvale4 ,on the death of his brother ,william in #ahdh 7some time ,first ,lord of the ,treasury71 the ,viscountcy of ,melbourne devolved on him4 ,lord ,beauvale married at ,vienna in #ahda the daughter of ,count ,maltzahn1 the ,prussian ,minister at the ,austrian ,court4 ,he had no children1 and his large property was inherited by his only sister1 ,viscountess ,palmerston4 ,he died at his country house1 ,brocket ,hall1 in ,hertfordshire1 in #ahec4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,lady ,,cowper',s ,,sitting-,,room ,,and ,,lord ,,cowper',s ,,study4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,lady ,,cowper',s ,,sitting-,,room4 ------- ,francis ,thomas de ,grey ,cowper1 ,earl ,cowper1 ,viscount ,fordwich1 ,county ,kent1 ,baron ,cowper of ,wingham1 ,kent1 in the ,peerage of ,great ,britain2 ,baron ,butler of ,moore ,park1 ,herts1 and ,baron ,lucas of ,crudwell1 ,wilts1 in the ,peerage of ,england2 ,baron of ,dingwall1 ,county ,ross1 ,peerage of ,scotland2 ,privy ,councillor1 ,knight of the ,garter1 and ,prince and ,count of the ,holy ,roman ,expire2 ,lord-,lieutenant and ,custos ,rotulorum of ,bedfordshire2 ,colonel of the ,first ,herts ,rifle ,volunteers1 etc4 ,,born #ahcd1 ,,succeeded ,,to ,,the ,,earldom ,,in #ahef1 ,,and ,,to ,,the ,,barony ,,of ,,lucas ,,in #ahhj4 ,,by ,,george ,f4 ,,watts1 ,r4,a4 ,,the eldest son of the sixth ,earl ,cowper by the eldest daughter and coheiress of ,earl ,de ,grey4 ,he was educated at ,harrow and ,christ ,church1 where he was first class in ,law and ,modern ,history4 ,from #ahga till #ahgc1 ,captain of the ,gentlemen-at-,arms2 from #ahhj till #ahhb he was ,lord-,lieutenant of ,ireland4 ,having married in #ahgj ,mary ,katrine ,compton1 eldest daughter to the fourth ,marquis of ,northampton4 ,in #ahga ,lord ,cowper established his claim to the baronies of ,butler and ,dingwall1 obtaining an ,act of ,parliament for the reversal of the attainder of those titles4 ,few ,englishmen can boast among their ancestry names more celebrated on the pages of history1--the names of men who1 differing in class1 country1 and characteristics1 have each swayed the destiny of nations1--the ,patriot ,stadtholder of ,holland1 the ,royalist ,viceroy of ,ireland1 and the ,protector of ,england1 the late ,lady ,cowper being a lineal descendant of one of ,cromwell's daughters4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,lord ,,cowper',s ,,study4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,spencer ,,cowper1 ,,dean ,,of ,,durham4 ,canonicals4 ,white bands4 ,,born #agab1 ,,died #aggd4 ,,he was the second son of the ,lord ,chancellor ,cowper by his second wife1 who mentions #8our little ,spencer1' with great affection1 in her ,diary1 when sick of some infantine complaint4 ,he married1 in #agdc1 ,dorothy1 daughter of ,charles1 second ,viscount ,townshend1 by whom he had no children4 ,he was buried in the ,cathedral at ,durham4 ------------------------- ,no4 #b4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,edward ,,spencer ,,cowper1 ,m4,p4 ,black coat4 ,white cravat4 ,,born #aggi1 ,,died #ahbc4 ,,the third son of ,george1 third ,earl ,cowper2 born at ,florence2 came over to ,england for his education with his two elder brothers4 ,resided at ,digswell1 county ,herts2 represented ,hertford in ,parliament4 ,married1 in #ahjh1 ,catherine1 youngest daughter of ,thomas ,march ,philipps of ,garendon ,park1 county ,leicester4 ,his widow married again the ,rev4 ,d4 ,c4 ,a4 ,hamilton4 ------------------------- ,no #c4 ,,john ,,clavering1 ,,esquire ,,of ,,chopwell1 ,,county ,,durham4 ,crimson velvet coat1 lined with blue silk4 ,white cravat4 ,,he was brother to ,mary1 ,countess ,cowper1 wife of the ,chancellor1 who makes frequent mention of him in her ,diary4 ,at his death his nephew ,earl ,cowper annexed the name of ,clavering to his own patronymic1 and inherited the fortune and estates of his maternal uncle4 ------------------------- ,no4 #d4 ,,william ,,cowper1 ,,afterwards ,,first ,,earl1 ,,and ,,lord ,,chancellor1 ,,as ,a ,,youth4 ,slashed sleeves4 ,brown mantle4 ------------------------- ,no4 #e4 ,,mary ,,clavering1 ,,wife ,,to ,,the ,,first ,,earl1 ,,lord ,,chancellor ,,cowper4 ,yellow satin gown4 ,holding a book4 ,fountain in the background4 ,,born #afce1 ,,died #agbd4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ,,the daughter of ,john ,clavering1 ,esquire of ,chopwell1 county ,durham1 a younger branch of an ancient ,northumbrian family1 all ,jacobite in their tendencies4 ,mary ,clavering and ,william ,cowper became acquainted in consequence of some law transactions1 on which she had occasion to consult him at his chambers4 ,their marriage took place shortly after he was appointed ,lord ,keeper of the ,great ,seal4 #8,the wooing was not long a-doing2' but it was far from being calm or uninterrupted in its progress2 and though ,lady ,cowper's ,diary1 from which most of our materials are taken1 does not commence till #agad1 when she began her ,court life1 yet she goes back several years to tell us how many adverse influences were at work to prevent the union1 which proved so well assorted4 ,how my ,lord1 being a widower when the ,queen gave him the ,seals1 it was no wonder 7particularly as he was still young and very handsome7 that the young women laid out all their snares to catch him4 ,lady ,harriet de ,vere especially marked him as her prey4 ,this lady1 daughter of the last ,earl of ,oxford of that family1 was very poor1 and of a damaged reputation4 ,she had made several advances to my ,lord through her kinswoman1 ,mrs4 ,morley1 but finding nothing come of it1 set a spy on his actions1 and dogged his steps to find out the cause of this coldness1 which turned out to be no other than pretty ,mistress ,mary ,clavering2 upon which a clandestine correspondence was begun1--letters purporting to be from some great personage1 and threatening him with the ruin of his official prospects if he married the lady in question4 ,the first letter came the day before the marriage2 but as the union was kept a secret1 the plotters still continued to prosecute their schemes4 #8,and so for months my ,lord had a letter of whole sheets every day to tell him ,i was a mean wretch and a coquette1 and the like1 and how that one night the ,lord ,wharton 7a noted profligate7 had said to my ,lord ,dorchester at the theatre1 8,now let us go and hear ,molly ,clavering sing the opera all over again40 ,which was a lie1 for ,i never did play in any public company1 but only at home when visitors asked me4' ,some time afterwards the ,lord ,keeper agreed to accompany one ,mrs4 ,weedon 7who said she had a fine lady to recommend to him71 in order to discover who his clandestine correspondents were1 and found his suspicions confirmed1 for ,lady ,harriet de ,vere and ,mistress ,kirke were the very ladies who waylaid and ogled him whenever he came out of chapel4 ,lady ,harriet was full of #8airs and graces1' which were of no avail4 ,she told ,lord ,cowper that the ,queen was very anxious she should be married1 and had promised to give her a dowry of #ajj1jjj1 upon which the gentleman replied1 on that score he durst not presume to marry her1 as he had not an estate to make a settlement answerable to so large a fortune4 ,at length they pressed him so hard1 he was forced to confess he was already married1 and that1 in spite of all their abuse1 he could only find one fault in his wife1 and that was that she played the harpsichord better than any other woman in ,england4 ,now ,lady ,cowper says she never would have told this story had she not thought it incumbent upon her to do so1 when the ,duchess of ,st4 ,albans 7,lady ,harriet de ,vere's sister7 recommended ,mrs4 ,kirke as a fit person to be bedchamber woman to the ,princess of ,wales4 ,for some reason1 public or private1 perhaps a combination1 the ,lord ,keeper kept his marriage a secret at first4 ,in one of his letters to his wife 7with whom he kept up a brisk and affectionate correspondence7 he says3 #8,december1 #agjf4 ,i am going to visit my mother1 and shall begin to prepare her for what ,i hope she must know in a little time4' ,in another letter he gives an account of a cold1 dark journey1 and how his only consolation was to think her journey was shorter1 and by day-light1 so that he was not in fear for what he was most concerned for4 ,in answer to her declaring she disliked grand speeches1 he agrees1 and thinks the truest love and highest esteem are able to give undeniable proofs of themselves2 therefore he shall depend for ever on making love to her that way4 ,a little later he writes playfully about the lady he has carried into the country 7presumed to be a fat old housekeeper72 and hopes that the picture of his #8dear life' may soon be finished1 so as to console him in some measure in his next banishment4 ,he begs her not to imagine from anything that may look a little trifling or cheerful in his letters1 that his mind is constantly in that tune3 #8',tis only when ,i enjoy this half conversation with you1 who1 ,i assure you1 are the only satisfaction that ,i propose to my hopes in this life4' ,again1 he cannot go to rest without expressing his concern and amazement at her collecting #8so much disquiet from so harmless a passage1--'tis my want of skill1 if it was not the language of a lover4' ,he writes at great length to dispel his dear love's #8melancholy fancy1' and values no prospect in life as the continuance of her favour1 and the unspeakable satisfaction he shall ever derive from doing her all the good in his power2 and so on4 ,the ,diary of ,mary1 ,lady ,cowper1 was published from private documents at ,panshanger in #ahfd1 and1 though fragmentary1 is very interesting4 ,it commences with the accession of ,george ,i42 and the writer tells us she had been for some years past 7apparently through the medium of ,sarah1 ,duchess of ,marlborough7 in correspondence with ,caroline of ,anspach1 ,princess of ,wales1 who had written to her most kindly4 ,lord and ,lady ,cowper were both strongly in favour of the ,hanoverian succession1 the wife having embraced her husband's political opinions in contradistinction to those of her father4 ,on the arrival of the ,royal ,family1 ,lady ,cowper was kindly received1 but the offer of her services was evasively answered by the ,princess1 so much so that she took it for granted #8,her ,royal ,highness had had so many applications on the subject that she could not take me into her service4 ,i therefore resolved not to add to the number of her tormentors1 and never mentioned the thing any more4' ,she was confirmed in her opinion when she heard that two ladies had been already appointed1 and she well knew #8that the necessity of affairs often forces ,princes to act contrary to their inclinations4' ,the coronation took place in ,october #agad1 and thither ,lady ,cowper went with ,lady ,bristol 7herself a candidate for a post in the ,princess's household71 who told her companion she well knew that she 7,lady ,cowper7 was to get an appointment4 ,the two ladies found the peeresses' places so full that they had to seek accommodation elsewhere1 and ,lady ,cowper settled herself next the pulpit stairs1 when ,lady ,northampton and ,lady ,nottingham came hand in hand2 and the latter #8took my place from me1 and ,i was forced to mount the pulpit stairs4 ,i thought this rude2 but her ill-breeding got me the best place in the ,abbey1 for ,i saw all the ceremony1 which few besides did1 and never was so affected with joy in my life4' ,here follows an amusing account of how ,lady ,nottingham broke from her place1 and kneeled down in front1 which nobody else did1 facing the ,king1 and repeating the ,litany4 #8,everybody stared1 and thought she had overdone the ,high ,church part4 ,the ,lords over against me1 seeing me thus mounted1 said to my ,lord 8that they hoped ,i would preach10 upon which he answered 8that he believed ,i had zeal enough for it10 whereupon ,lord ,nottingham made some malicious remark1 said with such an air1 that1 joined with what ,lady ,nottingham had done that day1 and some other little passages that had happened1 opened my eyes1 and showed me how that family maligned me4' ,she takes occasion to mention that the ladies not walking in procession had no gold medals4 ,lady ,dorchester stood next to her--,catherine ,sedley1 whom ,james ,,ii4 made a peeress1 and who was reported to have said1 #8,i wonder for what quality the ,king chooses his mistresses2 we are none of us handsome1 and if we have wit1 he has not enough to find it out4'#d ,and when the ,archbishop went round asking the consent of the people1 she turned and said3 #8,does the old fool think that anybody here will say no to his question1 where there are so many drawn swords8' ,footnote #d3 ,charles ,,ii4 said his brother's mistresses were imposed upon him by his confessor as a penance4 ,the ,princess asked ,lady ,cowper if ,lady ,essex ,robartes had delivered a message1 and1 being answered in the negative1 #8,her ,royal ,highness went on to tell me ,i had made a conquest1 and seeing me blush1 continued1 8,it is ,m4 ,bernstorff1 who never was in love in his life before1 and it is so considerable a conquest that you ought to be proud of it2 and ,i1 to please him1 have ordered him to make you a compliment from me40' ,baron ,bernstorff was indeed a good friend to have at ,court1 being at that time ,german ,minister and prime favourite of ,george ,i41 who consulted him on every appointment of every kind4 ,he waited on ,lady ,cowper the same evening1 and told her she was appointed #8,dame du ,palais1' and was to kiss hands next day4 ,a friendship was formed1 which withstood many a change and chance1 and more than one misunderstanding4 ,on the ,baron taking leave1 the lady intrusted him with her lord's treatise1 ,an ,impartial ,view of the ,state of ,parties1 which she herself had translated into ,french1 and transcribed for his ,majesty's perusal1 who was no ,english scholar4 #8,great discussion whether the ,princess1 on going into the city1 was to kiss the ,lady ,mayoress 7and quoting of precedents72 but as her late ,majesty had not done so1 it was arranged neither should the ,princess4' ,the new ,lady-in-,waiting was in attendance when ,her ,royal ,highness went to the ,lord ,mayor's ,show4 #8,poor ,lady ,humphrys made a sad figure in her black velvet1 bawling to her page to hold up her train1 being loath to lose the privilege of her ,mayoralty4 ,but the greatest jest of all was that the ,king and ,prince had been told that the ,lord ,mayor had borrowed her for that day only4 ,i had much ado to convince them of the contrary1 though he by marriage is a sort of relation of my ,lord's first wife4' ,query1 was that a sequiter8 #8,they agreed' 7,lady ,cowper is quite right to record any occasion on which the ,king and his son were of the same mind7 #8that if he had borrowed a wife1 it would have been a different one from what she was4' ,october #cjth 7,diary74--#8,the ,prince's birthday3 the ,court splendid2 the ball opened by him and the ,princess4 ,she danced in slippers 7heelless shoes7 very well2 but he better than any one4' ,lord and ,lady ,cowper1 from their relative positions1 had often to keep company that cannot have been very palatable to so well-conducted a pair4 #8,supped at the ,lord ,chamberlain's 7the ,duke of ,shrewsbury72 ,lord and ,lady ,wharton and ,madame ,kielmansegge to wait on the ,king4 ,another evening2 ,i was mightily amused2 but ,i could not but feel uneasy at some words ,i overheard the ,duchess of ,bolton say in ,french1 which led me to believe the two foreign ladies were no better than they should be4' ,this remark alludes to ,madame ,kielmansegge1 the daughter of the ,countess ,platen 7who had been mistress to the ,elector1 ,george ,i4's father71 and wife of ,general ,kielmansegge1 after whose death she was created ,countess of ,darlington by the ,king4 ,horace ,walpole paints a frightful picture of #8the ,ogress1' whose appearance terrified him when a boy4 ,the ,duchess of ,shrewsbury was an ,italian lady1 of wit and talent1 whom ,lady ,cowper found it impossible to dislike as much as her lord1 for she was very entertaining1 though she would sometimes exceed the bounds of decency4 ,many members of the ,princess's own household were themselves of very doubtful reputation1 and we find the name of ,mademoiselle de ,schulenberg of frequent recurrence in the ,diary1 a lady who had been maid of honour to the ,electress ,sophia1 the ,king's mother1 and was afterwards created ,duchess of ,munster and ,duchess of ,kendal4 ,november #hth 7,diary74--#8,my birthday she was twenty-nine4 ,god grant that the rest of my life may be passed according to his will1 and in his service4' ,high play was the order of the day at both ,courts1 and the ,princess and her ladies sat down every night to stake more than they possessed1 while the ,king was often very angry with those who would not gamble4 #8,i played at basset as low as ,i could1 for which ,i was rallied2 but ,i told my mistress ,i only played out of duty1 and nobody could think ill of me if1 for the sake of my four children1 ,i desired to save4' ,from numerous entries in the ,diary1 it would appear that ,lady ,cowper was averse to spreading slanderous reports1 which were daily poured into her ear1 from party feeling1 respecting many ladies of whom she had no reason to think ill2 but the quarrels and cabals at ,court were endless1 and daily increasing2 and she was sometimes drawn into a dispute from feelings of just indignation1 such as when my ,lady ,nottingham accused ,dr4 ,clarke 7the famous controversialist1 whom ,voltaire called un moulin raisonnement7 of being a heretic4 ,but on being pressed to quote the passage on which she founded so heavy a charge1 her ladyship threw up her head and replied1 she never had1 nor did she ever intend1 to look into his writings4 ,then said ,lady ,cowper1 #8,what1 madam6 do you undertake to condemn anybody as a heretic1 or to decide upon a controversy1 without knowing what it is they maintain or believe8 ,i would not venture to do so for all the world4 ,all this happened before the ,princess1 and was not likely to advance ,lady ,nottingham's wish to be governess to the young ,princesses4' ,taking leave of her ,royal mistress at the end of her week of waiting1 she says3 #8,i am so charmed with her good qualities1 that ,i feel ,i never can do enough for her4 ,i am come to ,court with the fixed determination never to tell a lie1 and she places more confidence in what ,i say than in any one else on that account4' ,this was in the first year of ,lady ,cowper's service4 ,unfortunately her enthusiasm in this quarter was destined to be modified4 ,it was evidently always a pleasure to her to bring the name of any one in whom she was interested before the ,royal notice4 ,she told the ,prince of ,wales that she never failed to drink his health at dinner1 #8which made him smile and say1 ,he did not wonder at the rude health he had enjoyed since he came to ,england2 but ,i told him ,i and my children had constantly pledged him before his arrival1 by the name of 8,young ,hanover1 ,brave60 which was the title ,mr4 ,congreve 7the poet7 had given him in a ballad4 ,the ,prince1 however1 was not learned in ,english literature1 and asked who ,mr4 ,congreve was1 which gave me an opportunity of saying all the good of him that he deserved4' ,she also bestirred herself to get places under ,government for her relations1 who were for the most part very ungrateful2 so much so1 that she could not help answering rather pettishly1 #8that the next time they might get places for themselves1 for ,i would meddle no more4' ,and her lord was so angry with them1 he was for depriving the offender of a commissionership he had himself bestowed at ,lady ,cowper's instigation2 #8but ,i soothed him1 and told him after all ,i did them good for conscience' sake4' ,the ,lady-in-,waiting and her ,royal mistress had many a laugh together in these early days over some of the eccentricities of ,court life4 ,such1 for instance1 as when ,madame ,kielmansegge came to complain to the ,princess that the ,prince had said she had a very bad reputation at ,hanover4 ,the ,princess did not think it likely--the ,prince seldom said such things2 but ,madame cried1 and declared people despised her in consequence1 and she drew from her pocket a certificate1 written and signed by her husband1 ,general ,kielmansegge1 to say she was a faithful wife1 and he had never had any reason to suspect her4 ,the ,princess smiled1 and said she did not doubt it1 but that it was a very bad reputation that wanted such a supporter4 ,another specimen was ,madame ,tron1 the ,venetian ambassadress1 #8who says1 now she is come into a free country1 she will live and go about like other people4 ,but the ,italian husband is more jealous than the ,german1 and often beats his wife1 which she is grown used to1 and does not care about1 unless he spoils her beauty4 ,so she goes by the name of 8,la ,beaut1 sans ,souci40 ,but she has been heard to exclaim1 when he is chastising her1 with a very ,italian accent1 8,oh prenez garde mon visage60' #8,lady ,essex ,robartes 7daughter of ,lord ,nottingham7 is just beginning her long journey to ,cornwall1 which she does with great fear4' ,we cannot refrain from quoting ,lady ,cowper on the drama1 when the ,princess consulted her respecting the propriety of being present at the representation of #8,the ,wanton ,wife1' or1 as it was afterwards called1 #8,the ,amorous ,widow1' written by ,betterton1--the ,duchess of ,roxburghe having given her opinion that nobody could see it with a good reputation4 #8,i had seen it once1 and few ,i believe had seen it so seldom2 but it used to be a favourite play1 and often bespoke by the ladies4 ,i went with my mistress1 who said she liked it as well as any play she had ever seen2 and it certainly is not more obscene than all comedies are4 ,it were to be wished our stage were chaster1 and ,i hope1 now it is under ,mr4 ,steele's direction1 that it will mend2' from which observation we may conclude that1 at least in the particular of morals1 our ,english stage has not deteriorated4 ,it was evident the ,lady-in-,waiting's influence was high at this moment1 since the ,duchess of ,roxburghe begged her to try and prevent ,sir ,henry ,st4 ,john from being made a peer4 ,it was he of whom the anecdote is told1 that when his son was created ,lord ,bolingbroke1 he said to him3 #8,ah1 ,harry1 ,i always thought you would be hanged1 and now ,i find you will be beheaded4' ,lady ,cowper was apparently overpowered not only with solicitations to procure places for friends and acquaintances1 but sometimes intrusted by her husband with messages of public importance to the ,prince and ,princess1 or that still greater personage1 ,baron ,bernstorff2 and she seems to have carried out her mission with much discretion on more than one occasion1 as we before remarked4 ,the fair lady and her friend1 the ,german baron1 came to high words4 ,he told her sharply one day1 #88,my ,lord est beaucoup trop vif1 et vous tes beaucoup trop vive de votre ct4 ,les ministres se plaignent beaucoup de my ,lord ,cowper4 ,ils disent qu'il leur reproche trop souvent1 les fautes qu'ils ont pu commettre40 ,the wife replied1 8,notre seul but est de bien servir de roi40 ,he repeated his words1 and then said with great violence1 8,croyez moi1 vous tes trop vifs1 tous les deux1 cela ne vaut rien1 cela tourne en ruine40 ,i believe it was the first time that an ,english lady1 who had bread to put into her mouth1 had been so treated4 ,i knew whence all this storm came2 and plainly saw our enemies had got the better4' ,this was the time to which we have alluded in the notice of the ,lord ,chancellor4 ,now1 although more especially at this time ,lady ,cowper was very desirous that her husband should retain office1 for she #8would rather live with him in a garret up three pair of stairs1 than see him suffer1' yet she always answered with spirit when the subject of his resignation was discussed4 #8,mrs4 ,clayton came in and told me it was reported that ,lord ,cowper was going to lay down4 ,i answered1 ,they say he is to be turned out1 and they need not have given themselves the trouble2 if they had but hinted to my ,lord they were weary of him1 he would have laid down4 ,they know he has done it already1 which is more than ever will be said of them4' ,though a courtier in the literal sense of the word1 ,lady ,cowper disdained to trim and truckle1 as most of her colleagues did4 ,she had carried herself towards the mighty baron with distant dignity1 since the passage of arms to which we have alluded4 ,he made his niece1 ,mademoiselle ,schtz1 his ambassador1 to complain of having been treated distantly and coldly1 never being allowed to see ,lady ,cowper alone of late1 and so forth4 ,when permitted to renew his visit1 he expostulated with her on her believing that he was willing to oust her husband2 and upon her saying she understood it was so destined by the ,ministry1 the baron made a world of asseverations of how he was incapable of injuring the ,lord ,chancellor1 that the ,king had the greatest possible kindness for him1 and that none could take his place from him but ,god alone1 and so forth4 ,upon which ,lady ,cowper tossed her head and observed1 #8,one must be fond of a place before you fear to lose it1 and it was too painful a place to be fond of4' ,then the baron retorted that ,lord ,cowper was peevish and difficult1 and so thought the ,king1 and he begged her ladyship would use her best arguments to soften and make him more compliable2--which she certainly did1 though she did not let ,bernstorff into the secret1 for1 at least at this time of day1 she was most unwilling to see her husband vacate the ,woolsack4 ,the ,mademoiselle ,schtz to whom an allusion has been made1 is thus described3 #8,she was a pretty woman1 and had good qualities1 but was withal so assuming that she was mightily hated at ,court4 ,the ,prince disliked her most especially1 but ,i saw her very often4' ,too often1 as it proved in the sequel1 for the ,fralein made herself most obnoxious after a bit1 coming at all hours1 when not wanted1 to the ,cowpers' house in ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1 and #8writing at every turn1 which is very troublesome4 ,i wish she had as many occupations as ,i have4 ,i had a letter from her to offer to come and stay with me2 ,i thank her for nothing4 ,i had enough of her impertinence last night4' ,another time she insists on the loan of a costly pearl necklace1 which the ,lady-in-,waiting wanted to wear herself 7not being overstocked with jewels71 at the birthday2 now it is a #8lace head' to go to ,court in2 now she wishes for a set of gold ribbons as a gift4 #8,commend me to a modest assurance4 ,it lifts one out of many a pinch1 ,i find4 ,lady ,william ,powlett complained of her too1 8she is very importunate1 and always on the spunge40 ,i fell a-laughing1 and said1 8,i was very glad it had come to anybody's share besides mine40 ,on the #eth of ,december in this year 7#agae71 the ,diary records the entrance into ,london of the ,jacobite prisoners who had been taken at the battle of ,preston1--their arms tied1 and their horses led by soldiers4 ,the mob insulted them1 carrying a warming-pan before them in ridicule of the ,pretender1 and saying many spiteful things1 which some of the prisoners returned with spirit4 #8,the chief of my father's family was among them1 ,clavering of ,callalee1 who is above seventy years old4 ,i did not see them come into town1 nor let any of my children do so4 ,i thought it would be insulting to several relations ,i had there1 though almost everybody else went to see them4 ,i forgot to say ,m4 ,bernstorff made me a strange offer1 through his niece1 to let my cousin ,tom ,forster escape on the road1 if ,i had a mind to it4' ,this gentleman was knight of the shire for ,northumberland1 and was a general in the ,jacobites' army2 he had proclaimed the ,pretender at ,warkworth4 ,he was imprisoned in ,newgate1 but eventually escaped4 ,lord ,widdrington1 who was impeached at the same time as ,lord ,derwentwater1 was also a connection of hers2 and she gives this as a reason she could not go to the ,state trials1 although her ,lord presided as ,lord ,high ,steward1 an appointment which vexed her much4 ,she gives the order of procession1 with many servants1 and coaches1 one with six horses1 ,garter ,king at ,arms1 ,usher of the ,black ,rod1 etc4 etc4 ,lady ,cowper did not seem to take the same delight in the melancholy pageant as most of the fine world did1 for she says1 #8,i was told it was customary to have fine liveries on such an occasion1 but had them all plain4 ,i think it very wrong to make a parade on such an occasion as putting to death one's fellow-creatures4 ,the ,princess came home much touched with compassion4 ,what a pity that such cruelties should be necessary6 ,my ,lord's speech on pronouncing sentence was commended by every one1 but ,i esteem no one's commendation like ,dr4 ,clarke's1 who says1 8'tis superlatively good1 and that it is not possible to add or diminish one letter without hurting it40' ,many entries in the ,diary now speak of ,lord ,cowper's continued illness1 and how he had again a mind to quit office4 ,his wife1 who in spite of all the squabbles and #8unpleasantness' she describes1 was still in high favour with the ,prince and ,princess1 and was not insensible to the splendour and amusements of a ,court life1 loved her ,lord above all such considerations1 and told him she #8would never oppose anything he had a mind to do1' and1 #8after arguing calmly on the matter1 ,i offered1 if it would be any pleasure done him1 to retire with him into the country1 and what was more1 never to repine at doing so1 though it was the greatest sacrifice that could be made him4 ,i believe he will accept4' ,but a little while after she says1 #8,my ,lord is better1 and not so much talk of retiring1 though ,i laid it fairly in his way4' ,the troublesome ,fralein ,schtz seemed to have chosen this time of anxiety to be more importunate than ever about loans of jewels and finery3 #8,when she asked me for my diamonds1 saying she had less scruple in doing so because ,i look best in a state of nature1 and jewels do not become me6 ,commend me to the assurance of these foreigners6' ,on a similar occasion ,lady ,cowper makes some very moral reflections1 slightly tempered by a dash of pardonable vanity4 ,after an excuse for wearing an emerald necklace1 which had been lent her lest she should disoblige her friend1 she meant also to wear her own pearls in her hair1 though she don't care one brass farthing for making herself fine1 and hopes always to make it her study rather to adorn her mind than to set off a vile body of dust and ashes6 ,the advice given to ,mrs4 ,collingwood1 the wife of one of the ,jacobite prisoners1 must have shocked the feelings of so loving a wife as ,mary ,cowper4 ,mr4 ,collingwood1 a ,northumberland gentleman1 was under sentence of death1 when his wife wrote to an influential friend to intercede in his behalf4 ,here is the answer3 #8,i think you are mad when you talk of saving your husband's life4 ,don't you know you will have #ejj a year jointure if he's hanged1 and not a groat if he's saved8 ,consider1 and let me know4 ,i shall do nothing till then4' ,there was no answer to the letter1 and ,collingwood was executed4 ,about this time great exertions were made to induce the ,king to reprieve some 7at least7 of the prisoners1 and ,lady ,cowper was evidently instrumental in gaining that of ,lord ,carnwath1 who would otherwise have suffered with ,lords ,kenmure and ,derwentwater4 ,she gave a letter from the imprisoned nobleman to the ,princess1 who wept on reading it1 and sent word in answer that if ,lord ,carnwath would confess1 she would give him her honour he should be saved1 but that was the only way4 ,now1 though the ,king was not over partial to #8cette ,diablesse de ,princesse1' as he often called her1 yet the violent language and opinions she sometimes held were not altogether without their influence on the ,royal mind4 ,lord ,nithisdale escaped by the connivance of his devoted wife1 and ,lord ,carnwath was reprieved4 #8,god grant us peace to heal all our divisions1 and to take away the rancour that is among us4' #8,lord ,nithisdale's escape confirmed2 ,i hope he'll get clear off2 ,i never was better pleased at anything in my life1 and ,i believe everybody is the same4' ,march #a4--,the ,princess of ,wales's birthday4 #8,i am ill1 but must go to wish her many years of health and happiness1 which ,i unfeignedly do1 for she's a most charming delightful friend as well as mistress4' ,her ,royal ,highness said ,m4 ,bernstorff had been urging the ,prince to agree to ,lord ,cowper being made ,president of the ,council1 which the ,prince refused to do1 unless assured that ,lord ,cowper wished it4 #8,i said ,lord ,cowper was ready to quit1 if they found anybody better to put in his room1 but would never change that of which he could acquit himself with honour1 for that he could not perform at all4' ,party ran so high in this year 7#agaf71 that even a meteorological phenomenon--#8a light so great that from my windows ,i could see people walk across ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields though there was no moon'--was pressed by ,whigs and ,tories into their interests1--the former saying it was ,god's judgment on the horrid rebellion1 the latter that it was a mark of vengeance on the ,whigs for the late executions4 ,mr4 ,gibson1 the antiquary1 says it has ever since been spoken of as #8,lord ,derwentwater's lights4' ,lady ,cowper was coming home in her chair on the night in question1 and her bearers were so frightened that she was forced to let her glass down and preach to them all the way to comfort them4 ,she observes that if anybody had overheard the dialogue they could not have helped laughing4 ,lady ,cowper's chairmen were apparently not very efficient altogether2 she twice complains of the shifts she was put to in consequence of their drunkenness1 and her having to come home in the first hackney she could find4 ,another time she lost her servants altogether1 and had to borrow the ,duchess of ,shrewsbury's chair4 ,the bickerings and altercations between the ,court ladies were interminable1 more especially between the ,german and ,english2 and no wonder1 when the ,germans talked as one of their great ladies did1 saying that #8,english ladies did not look like women of quality1 but pitiful and sneaking1 holding their heads down1 and always seeming in a fright1 whereas foreigners hold up their heads and hold out their bosoms1 and look grand and stately2' upon which ,lady ,deloraine replies1 #8,we show our quality1 madam1 by our birth and titles1 not by sticking out our bosoms4' ,the ,diary tells us that on ,may the #bith1 those who disliked the reigning family wore green boughs1 and on ,june the #ajth 7the ,pretender's birthday7 white roses4 ,nothing now but cabal and intrigue1 petty ,court jealousies1 bitter hatred and enmity among the political parties1 the ins and the outs1 and unseemly quarrels between the two highest in rank in the country4 ,it was settled that the ,king was to go to ,hanover for at least six months1 the question of the ,regency during his absence being the worst bone of contention of all4 ,but we have treated this subject more at large in the notice of ,lord ,cowper1 who was constantly peacemaking and pouring good counsel into the ears of the ,prince of ,wales4 ,diary4--#8,for my part1 ,i thought it so absolute a necessity to the public good to keep all things quiet1 that ,i did heartily and successfully endeavour to conceal everything that tended to disunion1 little thinking at the time it could ever be called a crime to keep things quiet4' ,it was finally settled that the ,king was to go to ,hanover1 to which ,his ,majesty looked forward with pleasure1 greatly alloyed by the necessity of making his son ,regent4 ,always jealous of him1 he could not bear the idea of the ,prince of ,wales playing at ,king4 ,when it was arranged that the ,prince should be appointed to the ,regency during ,his ,majesty's absence1 there were as many restrictions put upon him as possible4 ,in this summer 7#agaf7 the ,court went to reside1 with much splendour1 at ,hampton ,court ,palace1 and the ,diary leads us to believe there was some little enjoyment to be derived from that comparative retirement4 ,but even here the spirit of unrest followed them3 ,lord ,townshend1 who came down frequently on public business1 treated the ,princess with so little respect1 and paid such court to ,mrs4 ,howard 7to curry favour with the ,prince7 that both ,lord and ,lady ,cowper expostulated with him1 so effectually indeed as to prevail on the ,minister to change his demeanour1 #8which brought the ,princess into perfect tranquillity4' ,not for long1 however1 for when ,lord ,sunderland arrived to take leave1 before joining the ,king at ,hanover1 he fell out with the ,princess walking in the long gallery which looks on the gardens2 and he talked so loud that ,her ,royal ,highness desired him to speak lower1 for the people in the garden would overhear him4 #8,let them hear1' cries my ,lord4 ,the ,princess answered1 #8,well1 if you have a mind1 let #8em1 only you shall walk next to the window1 for in the humour we are both in1 one of us must jump out1 and ,i am resolved it sha'n't be me4' ,but for such stormy interludes1 and the constant disquietude which the presence of ,mrs4 ,howard 7nor of her alone71 must have occasioned the ,princess1 the time passed pleasantly enough1 in ,wolsey's picturesque old palace1 so lately increased in magnitude by the additions of ,sir ,christopher ,wren4 ,the gardens and pleasances too had been much improved and enlarged1 for ,queen ,mary's delectation1 and the ,princess1 who was a great walker1 spent many hours under the leafy shades of the lime grove1 and wandering among the dark yews and evergreens4 ,diary4--#8,the ,prince and ,princess dined every day in public in ,her ,royal ,highness's apartments4 ,the ,lady-in-,waiting served at table1 but my ill-health prevented me doing that service4 ,in the afternoon my ,royal mistress saw company1 and read or writ till evening1 when she walked in the garden for two or three hours together1 and would go to the pavilion at the end of the bowling-green 7which runs parallel with the river7 to play there1 but after the ,countess of ,buckenburgh fell and put her foot out1 the ,princess went there no more1 but played in the green gallery4 ,the ,duchess of ,monmouth was often with us1 and the ,princess loved her mightily1 and1 certainly1 no woman of her years ever deserved it so well4 ,she had all the fire and life of youth1 and it was marvellous to see that the many afflictions she had suffered had not touched her wit and good-nature1 but at upwards of threescore she had both in their full perfection4' ,we cannot resist inserting this generous testimony to one who was distinguished by ,royal favour at a time when petty jealousies and intense rivalry were at their height4 ,their ,royal ,highnesses left ,hampton ,court with part of their retinue by water1 and as they glided along in a ,royal barge1 ,lady ,cowper thought #8nothing in the world could be pleasanter than the passage1 or give one a better idea of the richness and happiness of the kingdom4' ,a break now occurs in the ,diary1 which began #agad1 and which we have followed up to ,october #agaf4 ,that portion which concerned the next four years is not forthcoming1 and the editor gives us a clue to the reason4 ,in a memorandum by the ,chancellor's daughter1 ,lady ,sarah1 she copies a letter written to the postmaster at ,hertford3 #8,it is reported that at the time of the trial of the ,bishop of ,rochester ,lord ,cowper offered to be bail for him1 which was so resented by a certain person of distinction that he moved for a warrant to search his ,lordship's house4 ,news of this was sent to ,lady ,cowper1 and though the report was to be despised1 yet my mother had so many hints and intimations sent her by different people of a design to attack my father and try to involve his character in the examination then on foot1 relating to ,layer's plot1 that she took fright for some papers she had drawn up by way of diary1 also some letters belonging to the ,prince and ,princess1 which she had in her hands1 relating to the quarrel in the ,royal ,family1 that1 not being able to place them in safety1 in a hurry she burned such as she thought likely to do most harm4' ,this is a reasonable explanation of the disappearance of the records of #agag1 #agah1;and #agai4 ,in #agah ,lord ,cowper resigned office1 to the great regret of all well-thinking persons of whatever party1 the details of which will be found in the ,chancellor's life4 ,the feuds in the ,royal ,family had augmented in frequency and violence during these four years1 and ,lady ,cowper resumes her narrative at a time when the scandal of these quarrels was so great as to render a reconciliation imperative on public grounds4 ,lord ,cowper himself had lost much of the ,king's favour by his adherence to the ,prince1 and the fair ,lady-in-,waiting herself had to undergo many cold looks1 and1 what must have been more trying to such a steadfast nature as hers1 the caprice and wayward moods of the mistress she still loved and served most loyally4 ,new influences were at work1 and new favourites on the scene4 ,as to the reconciliation1 though made a subject of public rejoicing1 it was hollow enough4 ,the ,king lost few opportunities of slighting his son and daughter-in-law1 and he plagued her much1 particularly on the vexed question of the custody of her children1 who had been removed from her care4 ,but we are anticipating4 ,the ,diary re-opens with a visit from ,mr4 ,secretary ,walpole 7afterwards ,sir ,robert7 to the ,princess of ,wales1 with offers of reconciliation from the ,king1 ,april #i1 #agbj4 ,the ,princess referred him to ,lord ,cowper1 who lost no time in hastening to the ,royal presence to discuss the matter4 ,the conditions were most unpalatable to the ,prince and ,princess1 who were #8in great anguish4' ,they both asked the advice of ,lord and ,lady ,cowper1 and took that of ,mr4 ,secretary ,walpole4 ,among many leading men of the day1 whom the ,lady-in-,waiting had no reason to love1 were that ,minister and ,lord ,townshend in particular1 and she did not approve of ,walpole's confession to my ,lord1 that he did almost everything through the medium of the ,duchess of ,kendal1 who was #8virtually ,queen of ,england4' ,lady ,cowper also complains that her mistress has been taught to suspect her all the winter1 and that the ,prince scarcely looks at her1 and she marvels how ,walpole has got such a hold of them that they only see through his eyes1 and no longer recognise their real friends4 ,would not the leafy shades of ,cole ,green form a pleasant contrast to this vortex of antagonism8--so at least thought ,lord ,cowper1 #8who is sick of the whole affair1 and goes out of town to hear no more of it1 and it is more than odds1 if he is not pleased with his treatment1 that he will carry me with him4' ,grand rejoicings in honour of this reconciliation4 ,lady ,cowper goes to congratulate the ,prince and ,princess3 #8,the square full of coaches1 the guards before the door1 everything gay and laughing1 everybody kissing1 and wishing of joy4 ,when ,i wished the ,prince joy he embraced me1 with all his old heartiness1 five or six times1 and the ,princess burst into a loud laugh1 and said3 8,sir1 ,i do think you two always kiss on great occasions40 ,all the town feignedly or unfeignedly happy4 ,i kissed ,lord ,cowper on coming home1 and said3 8,well1 ,i thank ,god your head is your own1 and that is more than could be said six months ago40' ,and then she alludes to all the intrigues that were being carried on1 and says3 #8,there was not a rogue in the town but was engaged in some scheme and project to undo his country4' ,the ,king still very distant to his son and daughter-in-law 7with occasional variations of humour71 and speaking of the pending change of ,ministry1 asked angrily if the ,whigs could not come back1 without the ,prince of ,wales4 ,we have mentioned in ,lord ,cowper's life how many overtures were made to him to return and resume office on the return of the ,whigs to power4 ,he came to his wife's bedside one ,sunday morning to let his #8dear girl' into his secrets1--how that he had thought with her to take service again1 and that he had always considered a reconciliation so necessary1 that it would help to make everything in its own condition again4 ,and #8,i did think to accept of that offer made me1 of my friend ,kingston's place1 who has behaved himself so shamefully to me1 that it would be a piece of justice upon him4' ,but that1 on further consideration1 all his reasons for quitting office subsisted still4 #8,i am old and infirm1 and rich enough1 and am resolved not to enslave myself to any power upon earth4 ,at five-and-fifty it is time to think of making life easy4 ,my infirmities will not let me struggle with knaves and fools4 ,my tranquillity will content me more than all they can give me1 under their power and influence4' ,his wife said all she could to dissuade him from this decision1 and he agreed with some of her arguments1 but declared he thought any reproach better than the loss of his tranquillity1 and that his resolution was taken4 ,but to show he was not out of humour1 he would ask for the key which had been promised ,lady ,cowper1 and that he would accept a place in the ,cabinet1 but neither place nor pension1 for he was resolved to live a freeman and an ,englishman4 ,we have inserted this characteristic speech of ,lord ,cowper's here1 rather than in the notice appropriated to him1 because it was made in private to his wife1 and is recorded in her ,diary4 ,no wonder that after such a conversation1 ,lady ,cowper was often tempted to answer the ,princess and others with some degree of asperity when they insinuated that her lord was a place-hunter4 ,the day before the new ,ministry came in1 she was in attendance on the ,princess1 and the new ,lord ,chancellor was there4 #8,i dare say1 ,lady ,cowper1' said ,her ,royal ,highness1 laughing1 #8you are glad to see the purse in that hand4' #8,yes1 truly1' she replied2 #8,i am right glad1 and hope it will remain there until that hand is as weary of it as ours was4' ,diary4--#8,lord ,cowper invited to the ministerial dinner2 does not mean to go4 ,great hugging and kissing between the two old and the two new ,ministers4 ,they walk all four with their arms round one another to show they are all one4' ,now1 though ,lord ,cowper could not be persuaded to change his resolution as regarded himself1 he was most desirous to obtain the post of ,mistress of the ,robes for his wife1 to whom the ,princess had promised it1 and who seemed best fitted by position1 politics1 and character1 in all the ,court4 ,but the ,king wished the ,duchess of ,st4 ,albans to remain1 and that lady had #8locked up the key in her cabinet1 and did not intend to resign1 unless compelled to do so4' ,lord ,cowper waited several times on the ,princess with the intention of urging his wife's claim1 but ,her ,royal ,highness gave him no opportunity1 and the lady was sorely aggrieved4 #8,the ,princess not willing to give me the key1 yet she promised it4 ,and when the ,king asked for some one else1 she said3 8,remember the obligations ,i am under to ,lady ,cowper1 no one else can have it40 ,but now1 she says1 8,lady ,d4 ,deloraine8 will be disobliged40 ,what claim has she8--is it for flying all over ,richmond with the ,prince8' #8,a new clamour for the ,duchess of ,st4 ,albans4 ,i am quite sick of this usage4 ,why did the ,princess promise me the key1 if she had not the power to give it8 ,to what purpose such dissimulation8 ,sure she thought me a tame fool1 who was to be easily imposed on1 and who had not her interest at heart4 ,the ,germans used to call her1 8,une grande comdienne30 ,i say no2 if actors played their parts in such a manner they would be hissed off the stage1 and must starve4 ,she has disobliged the two best friends she ever had4' ,here follows a little bit of natural petulance4 #8,there is indeed a great advantage in going to the drawing-room to be used as ill as ,lord ,sunderland pleases2 he has undoubtedly taken care to betray his master for at least thirty pieces of silver2 it were well if he would follow out the whole example1 and go and hang himself4' ,alas for the change in ,mary ,cowper's opinion of ,caroline of ,anspach1 and her surroundings6 ,she gives us a sarcastic speech made by the ,archbishop of ,canterbury 7,wake71 showing to the ,princess his opinion of the state of public matters and public men at that crisis1 which we therefore insert3-- #8,madam1 we must now wish ourselves and the world joy4 ,first of this happy reconciliation1 and next of the honour1 integrity1 and disinterestedness of the ,ministers1 as well as their wisdom and virtue4 ,they would be matchless were they not equalled by the two great governors of this ,court1 ,townshend and ,walpole4 ,what glorious things must we not expect from the conduct of the first in the ,ministry and the two last here8 ,what happiness for the people to be under such directors6 and what a glorious figure we must make all the world over when we are influenced by such counsels6' #8,no1 sure1 my ,lord1' answered the ,princess1 somewhat meekly2 #8those men are not our only advisers--what do you make of ,lord ,cowper8' #8,oh6 madam1' replied the ,archbishop1 #8he is not fit to be put on a level with such great men4' ,then the ,archbishop asked her plainly if the ,duchess of ,st4 ,albans was to have the key8 #8,no1 never6' she said2 #8though she is always tormenting me about it4' #8,my ,lord into the country for good2 leaves me to get everything ready4 ,busy packing all day4 ,the ,princess asks why ,lord ,cowper leaves ,london2 and answer1 8,to avoid importunity1 and be quiet40 8,and what makes you go so soon80 8,because he commands me1 madam1 and ,i have nothing to do but to obey40' ,the ,cowpers still kept up their friendship with ,baron ,bernstorff1 who was himself subject to the most capricious treatment in high places1 and the ,german ,baron1 and the ,lady-in-,waiting had many long discussions on political matters4 ,they were agreed on many subjects1 and above all in abhorrence of the ,south ,sea ,scheme1 which was then the great topic of the day4 #8,go into the country1 nothing material there4' ,but she #8came back to go to the birthday of our most gracious ,king4' #8,waited on the ,princess to ,court1 where was one of the greatest crowds ,i ever saw2 it being greatly increased by our new ,lords and ,masters of the ,south ,sea1 who had more court made to them than the ,ministers themselves4' ,as a climax to the confusion that reigned between the rival ,courts1 the ,lord ,chamberlain1 the ,duke of ,newcastle1 chose to celebrate ,his ,majesty's birthday-night by getting drunk1 in consequence of which the ladies of the ,princess's household had no places1 but #8stood in the heat and crowd all night4' ,the ,duchess of ,shrewsbury scolded aloud1 which only elicited insulting answers from the great official1 and so indignant were the ,princess's ladies1 that they all went home1 with the exception of my ,lady ,dorset4 ,here is another mention of the ,chamberlain3 #8,newcastle stood before me both day and night4 ,if ,i had not seen his face ,i should have known who it was1 it being his peculiarity to turn his back upon those he has any obligations to4' ,another incident in ,lady ,cowper's ,court life shows the ,princess of ,wales could be flippant as well as capricious1 but her attendant was a match for her4 #8,she had a mind to be out of humour with me1 and put on a frown4 ,the ,king turned his back to me who was playing4 ,but a sudden curiosity took him1 and he turned his face round1 and had his eyes fixed on me all night so intently1 without being angry1 that it was talked about4 ,the ,princess said to me next morning1 that the ,king could not help liking me as well as ever2 and that she saw plainly by his manner that ,i could do what ,i pleased1 and that it was my own fault if ,i did not rule them all4 ,i answered1 for the thing itself ,i did not believe it at all1 and1 supposing it were true1 power was too dear bought when one was to do such dishonourable work for it4' ,july #e4--#8,my waiting concluded without my having had any opportunity of saying one word to the ,princess alone1 without the door being open2'--her ,royal mistress1 whom she so much loved1 and by whom1 but a short time ago1 she had been trusted1 and consulted on every subject1 public or private4 ,it is probable ,lady ,cowper found much truth in a passage in one of the ,duchess of ,marlborough's letters to her1 though1 as far as one could tell1 her ,grace's taste did not always incline to private life6 #8,i don't wonder that you find it melancholy to be away from your ,lord and children1 for though the ,princess is very easy and obliging1'--this was as early as #agaf1--#8;,i think any one who has common sense or honesty must needs be weary of everything one meets with at ,court4 ,i have seen a good many1 and lived in them many years1 but ,i protest ,i was never pleased but when ,i was a child2 and after ,i had been a maid of honour some time at fourteen ,i wished myself out of the ,court as much as ,i wished to come into it before ,i knew what it was4' ,we have been tempted step by step into lengthening our record of ,mary1 the first ,countess ,cowper1 not only because we have authentic records of herself1 and the ,court she adorned1 from her own pen1 but because in those records we find so much nature and simplicity of style1 so many evidences of her sterling qualities1 her many accomplishments and excellent judgment1 the whole tempered by playful sallies and pardonable petulance4 ,a modest and well-conducted woman in a vicious ,court1 and uncontaminated by the immorality of those with whom she was compelled to associate2 the worthy wife of a good and great man1 whose loss she could not endure4 ,she closed his eyes1 and four months afterwards she once more lay by his side in their last resting-place4 ,lord ,cowper died in ,october #agbc1 and #8in the latter end of ,december1' says ,lady ,sarah ,cowper1 #8my mother grew much weaker1 and extremely ill4 ,she lost her appetite1 and at times her memory1 so that she would speak of my father as if living1 ask for him1 and expect him home4 ,when she recollected his death1 it was with so lively a grief as if it had just happened4 ,in short1 she had really what is so often talked of1 so seldom seen1 a broken heart4 ,she died on the #eth of ,february #agbd4' ,she expected him home2 he did not come1 and so she went to join him in #8the ,court of ,heaven4' ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,william ,,viscount ,,fordwich1 ,,afterwards ,,second ,,earl ,,cowper1 ,,son ,,and ,,heir ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,chancellor4 ,blue velvet coat4 ,white cravat4 ,powder4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,mrs4 ,,gore4 ,white flowered brocade4 ,lace cap4 ,she was the wife of ,charles ,gore1 ,esq4 ,her daughter married ,george1 third ,earl ,cowper1 whose acquaintance they made at ,florence1 where ,mr4 ,gore and his family were residing4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,georgiana ,,carolina1 ,,second ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,second ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,grey gown4 ,blue bows4 ,,born #agaf1 ,,died #aghj4 ,,she was the younger daughter of ,john ,lord ,carteret1 afterwards ,earl ,granville4 ,her sponsors were ,king ,george ,,ii4 and his ,queen1 hence her baptismal names4 ,in #agcc-d a contemporary paper announces her marriage3--#8,the bride1 a beautiful young lady1 with a portion of #cj1jjj1 to the ,hon4 ,john ,spencer1 brother to the ,duke of ,marlborough1 and grandson to ,sarah1 ,duchess ,dowager of ,marlborough4' ,john1 or #8,jack1' as he was familiarly called1 was one of those reckless spirits1 who1 in the days of which we are speaking1 went by the name of #8,rattlebrains1' being very wilful1 merry1 extravagant1 and the best company in the world6 ,better to laugh1 talk1 or drink1 than to transact any business with4 ,by this description it will be seen that between him and his aged grandmother there were many points of resemblance1 and in consequence the ,duchess was very partial to her scapegrace grandson4 ,they fell out1 it must be confessed1 over and over again1 but ,jack always contrived to coax1 cajole1 or joke himself back into favour4 ,on one festive occasion1 when ,sarah was presiding at the head of her own table at ,althorp1 supported by a crowd of daughters1 sons-in-law1 grandchildren1 and what not1 in the pride of wealth1 relationship1 and splendid surroundings1 she said aloud1 #8,here am ,i1 the root1 encircled by my branches4' #8,true1' says mischievous ,jack1 at the bottom of the table1 in a whisper to his neighbour2 #8pity that the root should not be in its proper place1 under ground4' ,the young man to whom the sally was addressed was thrown into such convulsions of laughter that the ,duchess's curiosity was aroused1 and she insisted on knowing the cause of so much mirth4 ,few people dared to gainsay the aged virago1 and certainly not this timid youth2 thus questioned1 he had neither the courage nor the imagination for a false or evasive answer1 and he blurted out the bare truth4 ,the ,duchess rose in a fury4 #8,leave the room1 ,jack1' said she2 #8leave the house1 and never darken my doors again4' ,the culprit obeyed with an air of mock submission1 and on reaching the door he turned1 and with a profound salutation1 quitted the apartment4 ,but in another moment his head appeared above the sill of the window1 which was open4 ,he cleared it at a bound1 vaulted into the room1 and knelt at his grandmother's feet4 ,it was the window1 not the door6 ,a perfect reconciliation ensued2 and so completely was ,jack forgiven1 that the ,duchess settled a considerable annuity on him1 pending the large fortune and estates he would inherit by her will1 in addition to those left in trust for him by his grandfather the ,duke4 ,mrs4 ,delany1 in her amusing diaries and letters1 published of late years by ,lady ,llanover1 to whom many thanks are due for the same1 speaks constantly of her cousin ,georgiana ,granville1 with an obvious pride in the relationship4 ,she says1 in writing to her sister1 #8,you will expect to hear some account of our cousin ,spencer4 ,the marriage took place between eight and nine o'clock at night4 ,the guests were very distinguished1--the ,dukes and ,duchesses of ,marlborough and ,bedford1 ,sir ,robert and ,lady ,worsley1 the bride's grandparents1 and numerous members of their family1 ,lord ,morpeth1 ,colonel ,montagu1 etc4 etc4 ,after they were married1 they played a pool of commerce1 then retired between twelve and one1 and went next day to ,windsor ,lodge4 ,they are to return on ,monday1 to what was ,mr4 ,percival's lodging in ,conduit ,street4 ,georgiana was dressed in white satin1 embroidered in silver1 her laces very fine1 and the jewels the ,duchess of ,marlborough gave her1 magnificent4 ,frequent allusions are made by the writers of the day to these famous jewels in which ,mrs4 ,spencer #8sparkled4' ,then follows a catalogue of the bride's wedding bravery1 of laces and linen very fine1 and flowered silks1 such as would rouse the envy of many a lover of old brocade in modern times2 a pink and silver poudesoy1 a blue damask night-gown1 and rich brocades1 all stiff with embroidery4 ,john ,spencer dying1 his widow contracted a second marriage with ,lord ,cowper1 and ,mrs4 ,delany speaks of the union as being a very happy one1 for #8,georgiana is much attached to her new ,lord and his children1 and it is warmly reciprocated4' ,horace ,walpole1 in describing the gorgeous sight which the coronation of ,george ,,iii4 and his ,queen presented1 gives an amusing account of the preparations for the same among the ladies3 how several were dressed overnight1 and reposed in armchairs1 with watchers beside them to wake up the sleepers when in danger of ruffling their garments or tumbling their headdresses4 ,walpole conveyed ,ladies ,townshend1 ,hervey1 ,hertford1 and ,anne ,conolly1 with ,mrs4 ,clive1 to see the show in his deputy's house at the gate of ,westminster ,hall4 ,says ,lady ,townshend1 #8,i should like to go to a coronation1 for ,i have never seen one4' #8,why1' remarked ,horace1 #8you walked at the last4' #8,yes1 child1' was the candid reply1 #8but ,i saw nothing2 ,i only looked to see who was looking at me4' ,there seemed to have been a great stir among the ,countesses1 who all objected to associate with ,lady ,macclesfield4 ,horace again3 #8,my heraldry was much more offended with the ladies who did walk1 than with those who walked out of place1 but ,i was not so furiously angry as my ,lady ,cowper4 ,she flatly refused at first to set a foot with my ,lady ,macclesfield1 and when at last compelled to do so she set out at a round trot' 7to distance her companion871 #8as if she designed to prove the antiquity of her family by walking as lustily as a maid of honour of ,queen ,guinevere4' ,mrs4 ,delany writes later on1 #8,lady ,cowper is very much pleased at her son being made an ,earl1 and all the more as the honour was entirely unsolicited4' ,lord ,spencer was a generous and dutiful son1 and when his mother once more became a widow1 he gave her a charming house at ,richmond1 fully furnished1 where she was very hospitable to ,mrs4 ,delany and that branch of her family1 as well as to the relations and connections of both her husbands4 ,here her #8cousin' frequently mentions meeting ,lady ,spencer and her mother1 ,mrs4 ,poyntz1 ,anne ,maria ,mordaunt1 who had been maid of honour to ,queen ,caroline1 and governess to the ,duke of ,cumberland4 ,lady ,cowper's letters are lively and genial4 ,in one1 dated ,new ,year's ,day1 she says1 #8,last evening came ,lord ,montagu 7only son of the ,earl of ,cardigan1 created ,baron ,montagu74 ,he spent most of the evening alone with me1 and ,i played on the guitar1 and sang to him4 ,i hope we may not be talked about1 for he is quite alive1 ,i assure you1 although he is fourscore struck1 as the ,duchess of ,marlborough used to say4' ,georgiana retained her good looks to a very advanced age1 for ,mrs4 ,delany says1 not long before her death1 #8,i saw ,lady ,cowper yesterday4 ,she is still the ,glastonbury ,rose4' ,during her last illness1 which was of some duration1 her daughter-in-law1 ,lady ,spencer1 was unremitting in her attentions1 driving over daily from her home at ,wimbledon to ,richmond1 sometimes twice in the twenty-four hours1 and often passing the night by the sufferer's bedside4 ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,lady ,,sarah ,,cowper4 ,black gown4 ,pink ribbons4 ,,died #ageh4 ,,the daughter of the first ,earl1 ,lord ,chancellor ,cowper1 by his second wife1 ,mary ,clavering4 ,mrs4 ,delany in her lively and good-natured gossip makes frequent mention of ,lady ,sarah1 with whom she became well acquainted1 her #8cousin ,carteret' being ,lady ,sarah's sister-in-law4 ,this was ,georgiana ,carteret1 ,lady ,cowper1 of whom we have just given a notice4 #8,i envy you1 says ,mrs4 ,delany1 writing to a friend1 #8for living in the neighbourhood4 ,there is quite a happy nest of brothers and sisters4 ,lady ,sarah has taken a little cottage to be near ,lord ,cowper1 to whom she is tenderly attached4 ,we had a delightful day when we drank tea at ,panshanger1 and we walked through a beautiful wood1 ,mrs4 ,poyntz and her daughter being of the party4 ,her daughter had married ,lord ,spencer1 ,lady ,cowper's son by her first husband4 ,lord and ,lady ,cowper took us to ,cole ,green1 a good large house1 with nothing in it except1 oh6 such a picture6' ,this is an allusion to the magnificent portrait1 by ,vandyck1 of ,count ,john of ,nassau ,siegen and his family4 ,lady ,sarah did not long enjoy the facilities which her little cottage afforded of constant intercourse with her relatives4 ,she fell into bad health1 which entailed great suffering1 and died in #ageh1 making a sad gap in the happy family circle4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,lady ,,caroline ,,seymour4 ,low black gown4 ,white sleeves4 ,daughter of the second ,earl ,cowper by his first wife4 ,married to ,henry ,seymour1 ,esq4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,william ,,lamb1 ,,second ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,dark coat4 ,blue tie4 ,,by ,,partridge4 ,,passage ,,opposite ,,lady ,,cowper',s ,,boudoir4 ,,sir ,,peniston ,,lamb1 ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,head in pastel4 ,,born #agde1 ,,died #ahbh4 ,,he was the son of ,sir ,matthew ,lamb of ,brocket ,hall1 county ,hertford 7originally in the possession of the ,winnington family71 by ,charlotte1 daughter of the ,right ,honourable ,thomas ,coke1 and sister and heir of ,charles ,coke1 who died suddenly at ,geneva1 leaving a very large fortune4 ,sir ,peniston ,lamb1 besides inheriting half a million at his father's death1 came in for a considerable sum1 the savings of his uncle1 the ,bishop of ,peterborough1 and to his accumulated wealth he added considerably by his alliance with the beautiful heiress1 ,miss ,milbanke1 in #agfi4 ,he was a member of the ,house of ,commons for many years2 and in #aggj he was created an ,irish ,peer by the title of ,baron ,melbourne of ,kilmore1 county ,cavan2 in #aghj he was made a ,viscount4 ,he was handsome1 gentlemanlike1 genial1 fond of the country and of sport1 but had no love for study4 ,on the contrary1 he was illiterate for a man in his position2 and one or two of his early love-letters to the celebrated actress1 ,mrs4 ,baddeley1 have been quoted as examples of bad grammar and spelling4 ,he was very popular in society1 both in ,london and the country4 ,but1 for his own taste1 he preferred his shooting or hunting parties to the brilliant reunions of ,melbourne ,house1 and was the idol of the neighbourhood round ,brocket4 ,he sat in the ,house of ,commons for many years1 but when his eldest son was old enough1 he willingly made way for #8,pen4' ,he was one of the most indulgent of husbands1 as we have said in ,lady ,melbourne's ,life1 and used to declare he had given his wife her dowry back in diamonds4 ,he was a most tender father1 his health being much affected at the time by his son ,peniston's untimely death4 ,the ,prince of ,wales prevailed on him to turn part of his park into a race-course1 for he was easily persuaded to comply with the wishes of others1 and was very kind to his eccentric daughter1 ,lady ,caroline ,lamb1 who was fond of him in her own peculiar way4 ,lord ,melbourne survived his wife some years1 and died peacefully2 carefully and tenderly nursed by his son ,william1 and his daughter1 ,lady ,cowper4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,corridor4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,corridor4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,head ,,by ,,rembrandt4 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,male ,,portrait4 ,,unknown4 ,black suit and cap4 ,white ruff4 ,,by ,,ferdinand ,,bol4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,male ,,portrait4 ,,unknown4 ,black and white dress4 ,white ruff4 ,coat of arms in corner4 ,,by ,,porbus ,,the ,,elder4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,miss ,,jackson4 ,fawn-coloured frock4 ,large straw hat lying on the ground4 ,,by ,,william ,,jackson1 ,r4,a4 ,,she was the daughter of the artist1 who was born in #agcj at ,exeter1 where his father was a tradesman4 ,began life as a musician and teacher of music1 but took to painting1 and became a ,royal ,academician4 ,he at first tried his hand at landscapes1 but preferring portraiture1 became a skilful copyist1 being especially successful in the works of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 and ,gainsborough1 who was very friendly to him4 ,jackson died in #ahjc4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,lady ,,of ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,nassau4 ,black dress braided with gold4 ,white bow4 ,stand-up ruff4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,anne1 ,,countess ,,cowper4 ,a ,,head4 ,,she was the daughter of ,charles ,gore1 who resided with his wife and family at ,florence1 where ,lord ,cowper 7the third ,earl7 made her acquaintance1 and married her4 ,mrs4 ,delany mentions her cousin1 ,lady ,cowper1 having received a commission from the betrothed lover to buy jewels for his intended2 at the same time he sends his stepmother a portrait in water-colours of ,miss ,gore1 as a ,savoyard peasant4 #8,pretty enough1 but ,i should think it cannot do her justice1 as it certainly does not answer to her reputation for great beauty4' ,she became one of the leaders of the brilliant society at ,florence1 where she was very much admired1 particularly at the ,grand-,ducal ,court4 ,she survived her husband many years1 living for the most part in a villa outside the walls1 where she died at an advanced age4 ,lady ,cowper was said to have been much imposed upon1 and even robbed by her dependants in her latter days4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,three ,,children ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,earl ,,cowper1 ,,lord ,,chancellor4 ,the eldest1 who is standing1 is dressed in a red frock and white skirt4 ,the two younger children1 who are sitting1 are in pink1 with white pinafores4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,jarich ,,van ,,botnia4 ,black suit1 trimmed with ermine4 ,he was ancestor of ,lady ,henrietta ,auverquerque1 first wife of the second ,earl ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,lady4 ,,unknown4 ,black and white dress4 ,cap4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,luits ,,van ,,botnia4 ,black and white gown4 ,ruff4 ,peaked cap4 ,gold chain4 ,she was the daughter of ,jarich ,van ,botnia1 and wife of ,louve ,van ,walta4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,henry ,,bennet1 ,,earl ,,of ,,arlington1 ,,his ,,wife ,,and ,,daughter4 ,,born #afah1 ,,died #afhe4 ,,by ,,sir ,,peter ,,lely4 ,,the family was settled in ,berkshire1 when1 towards the close of the sixteenth century1 two brothers ,bennet went to ,london1 and respectively made their fortunes by successful commercial undertakings4 ,from the elder descended a certain ,sir ,john ,bennet1 living at ,dawley1 county ,middlesex1 who married ,dorothy1 daughter of ,sir ,john ,crofts of ,saxham1 county ,norfolk4 ,the subject of this notice was their second son4 ,he was educated under the paternal roof till he went to ,oxford1 and was entered a student at ,christ ,church1 where he took his degree as ,b4,a4 and ,m4,a41 and was much esteemed both as scholar and poet4 ,he remained some time at the ,university1 where he was still a resident when the ,court arrived in #afdd4 ,he was presented to ,king ,charles1 and soon after entered the army as a volunteer4 ,lord ,digby1 then ,secretary of ,state1 took a fancy to young ,bennet1 and appointed him ,under-,secretary4 ,but this post did not interfere with his military duties2 he was ever in the field #8when honour called1' and was so severely wounded at ,andover1 in an engagement near that town1 as to be invalided for a long time4 ,he was indeed dangerously ill1 and there is little doubt that it was in one of these encounters that he received the scar by which he is so well known in all his portraits4 ,deeply attached to the ,royal cause1 on the termination of the war ,bennet went to ,france1 and on into ,germany and ,italy1 never losing sight of the hope of once more joining and serving the house of ,stuart4 ,in #afdi he was summoned to ,paris by ,james ,duke of ,york1 to fill the post of private secretary4 ,king ,charles1 writing to his brother1 says3 #8,you must be very kind to ,harry ,bennet1 and communicate freely with him1 for as you are sure that he is full of duty and integrity to you1 so ,i must tell you that ,i shall trust him more than any about you1 and cause him to be instructed in those businesses of mine1 when ,i cannot write to you myself4' ,in #afeh ,sir ,henry ,bennet1 ,knight1 was sent as ,ambassador to ,madrid4 ,clarendon says it was at the instigation of ,lord ,bristol1 but at this time there was strife between the new ambassador and his former patron4 ,henry ,bennet1 with all the zeal that usually characterises a recent convert to ,catholicism1 was very anxious that his ,royal master should make his profession to the same faith1 whereas ,digby1 or rather the ,earl of ,bristol 7as he had become71 though himself a ,roman ,catholic1 considered that such a step would be ruinous to ,charles's interests4 ,great bitterness in consequence existed between ,bristol and ,bennet1 increased by the jealousy excited in the mind of the former with regard to the latter's mission1 being under the impression that he himself was far better fitted for the post4 ,sir ,henry1 however1 seems to have pleased most parties in his diplomatic capacity2 and at the ,restoration the ,king gave him the office of ,privy ,purse1 and made him his constant companion4 ,bennet was well calculated to suit the taste of the ,merry ,monarch4 ,burnet tells us he had the art of observing the ,king's humour1 and hitting it off1 beyond all the men of his time2 and ,clarendon gives us a clue to one of the reasons1 when he mentions that #8,bennet filled a principal place1 to all intents and purposes1 at the nightly meetings' 7alluding to the ,king's jovial suppers in ,lady ,castlemaine's apartments71 #8added to which1 he was most lively and sparkling in conversation4' ,in #affb ,charles bribed ,sir ,edward ,nicholas to resign his ,secretaryship of ,state 7and that with a considerable sum71 that he might bestow the vacant post on his favourite4 ,the contrast between ,bennet's entire submission to the ,royal will1 and the honest rectitude of the ,chancellor 7,clarendon71 increased the ,king's dislike to that worthy servant of the ,crown1 on whose downfall ,bennet rose still higher4 ,in #affc he was raised to the ,peerage as ,lord ,arlington1 whereupon ,clarendon threw some ridicule on the choice of the title1 taken from an obscure village in ,middlesex1 which had once belonged to ,bennet's father1 but was now in the possession of another family4 ,while at the head of public affairs1 no measures of any importance were undertaken1 with the exception of the first ,dutch war4 ,in #afgj was formed the famous ,cabal ,ministry 7spoken of more fully in our notice of ,lord ,shaftesbury7 which ,arlington consented to join1 and of which his title formed one of the initials4 ,so notoriously now did he consult the ,king's wishes rather than the public good1 that he was rewarded in #afgb by the dignity of ,baron ,thetford and ,earl of ,arlington1 and later invested with the ,garter4 ,he was sent on an embassy to ,utrecht1 in company with the ,duke of ,buckingham and ,lord ,halifax 7which was productive of no good results71 and afterwards turned his attention to the overthrow of the ,cabal1 in the breaking up of which he was most instrumental4 ,he however fell into great disrepute with both ,catholics and ,protestants about this time1 the ,duke of ,york 7on the passing of the ,test ,act7 loading him with every kind of abuse1 while the opposite side charged him with endeavouring to introduce ,popery4 ,the ,duke of ,buckingham was loud in censure of ,lord ,arlington1 who was impeached1 and1 after making a long defence1 acquitted by a small majority4 ,he held office for some time longer1 and advocated a treaty of peace with the ,dutch1 but soon after resigned office1 having received 7it was said7 a douceur from his successor of several thousands4 ,in #afgd he was named ,chamberlain of the ,household1 in recompense 7so ran the ,royal declaration7 #8of his long and faithful services1 and particularly of his having discharged the office of principal ,secretary of ,state to his ,majesty's entire satisfaction4' ,lord ,arlington's wish to be again employed in public affairs was not gratified till #afge1 when he once more went on a diplomatic mission to ,holland1 in company with the ,earl of ,ossory4 ,lady ,arlington and ,lady ,ossory were sisters1 and members of the house of ,nassau4 ,this was his last appearance in public life4 ,burnet says that #8,arlington entirely mistook the character of ,william1 ,prince of ,orange1' with whom he had to deal1 speaking to him in a dictatorial manner1 which was not at all agreeable to that ,prince1 although he was then young in years4 ,arlington still held a place in the ,royal household1 but he had fallen into disgrace1 and the ,king encouraged and enjoyed any jest1 or ridicule1 at the expense of his former boon companion4 ,nothing delighted ,charles more than to see some of his courtiers put a black patch upon their noses1 and strut about with a long white staff1 in imitation of #8,harry ,bennet4' ,james ,,ii4 did not remove him from his post in the household1 but he only survived the new accession a few months1 dying in ,july #afhe4 ,lord ,arlington was buried at ,euston1 in ,suffolk2 his wife was the daughter of ,lewis de ,nassau1 ,count of ,beverwoort and ,auverquerque 7a natural son of ,maurice of ,nassau1 ,prince of ,orange71 by ,elizabeth1 ,countess ,horn4 ,she had two sisters1 ,mauritia1 married to ,colin1 ,earl of ,balcarres1 and the second to the gallant ,earl of ,ossory4 ,an only child was born to ,lord and ,lady ,arlington1--,isabella1 who married in #afgb ,henry ,fitzroy1 natural son of ,barbara ,villiers1 ,duchess of ,cleveland1 afterwards created ,earl of ,euston and ,duke of ,grafton4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,large ,,dining-,,room4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,large ,,dining-,,room4 ,all the pictures in this room are full-length portraits by ,vandyck4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,anne ,,lady ,,rich4 ,black dress4 ,white sleeves4 ,gold-coloured scarf4 ,curls4 ,standing by a table near a window4 ,dark red curtain4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,she was the only daughter of ,william1 second ,earl of ,devonshire1 by his wife1 ,lady ,christian ,bruce1 renowned alike for her loyalty1 her wisdom1 and her wealth4 ,lady ,anne ,cavendish married ,robert1 ,lord ,rich1 son and heir to ,robert1 ,earl of ,warwick4 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,philip1 ,,lord ,,wharton4 ,red doublet embroidered with gold4 ,dark red breeches4 ,yellow boots4 ,hat under his arm4 ,holds a stick4 ,red curtain and garden in the background4 ,,born #afac4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,the family of ,wharton derive the name from a #8fair lordship' on the river ,eden1 county ,westmoreland4 ,grainger1 in speaking of this picture in the ,wrest collection1 says of ,lord ,wharton that he was in the service of the ,parliament during the civil war in the reign of ,charles ,i41 but that courage was undoubtedly not his shining point4 #8,like his grandson ,duke ,wharton1 he could better exercise his tongue than his sword4' ,walker says of him1 that at the battle of ,edgehill1 where he was the colonel of a regiment of ,roundheads1 his ,lordship was found hidden in a ditch1 but we are bound to take such testimonies cum grano4 ,he was the fourth ,baron1 of decidedly puritanical views1 and1 whether a good soldier or not1 he was constantly with the army1 and his political life was an eventful one4 ,he sat in ,parliament for many years1 and was summoned to attend the treaty of ,ripon1 together with several other ,peers1 among those who were the least obnoxious at that time to the popular party4 ,lord ,wharton was also one of the so-called ,commissioners who went to ,edinburgh at the meeting of the ,scotch ,parliament4 ,after the ,restoration he was sent to the ,tower1 together with the ,duke of ,buckingham and ,lords ,salisbury and ,shaftesbury1 #8charged with contempt of the authority1 and being1 of ,parliament1' for having called in question the ,parliament meeting after a very long prorogation4 ,in this case the ,duke of ,buckingham petitioned the ,king1 and the captive ,peers were soon set at liberty1 with the exception of ,lord ,shaftesbury4 ,but ,lord ,wharton's chief characteristic seems to have been his high esteem of the matrimonial state1 since he married three times4 ,his first wife was ,elizabeth1 daughter of ,sir ,richard ,wandesford1 ,knight1 in the county of ,york1 by whom he had an only daughter1 married to ,robert ,bertie1 ,lord ,willoughby d',eresby1 afterwards ,earl of ,lindsay4 ,his second wife was ,jane1 daughter and heir to ,arthur ,goodwin1 upper ,winchenden1 county ,bucks1 by whom he had six children4 ,his third spouse was the daughter of ,william ,carre1 ,groom of the ,bedchamber to ,james ,i41 who was widow of ,edward ,popham4 ,by her he had one son1 ,william1 killed in a duel4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,madam ,,kirke4 ,tawny-coloured gown4 ,white sleeves with lace4 ,pearl necklace4 ,fair curls4 ,standing by a table4 ,garden in the background4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,she was one of the dressers to ,queen ,henrietta ,maria1--#8a situation for which she competed with ,mistress ,neville1' says ,grainger1 and gained the preference4 ,when ,king ,charles ,i4 left ,hampton ,court1 he desired ,colonel ,whalley to give ,mistress ,kirke a picture of the ,queen1 which appeared to betoken she had been faithful to their ,majesties in times of trouble4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,portrait ,,of ,a ,,man ,,unknown4 ,dressed in black4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,three ,,brothers ,,of ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,balbi4 ,they are standing on a flight of steps between two columns1 feeding a bird4 ,the eldest wears a red and gold doublet1 red stockings1 white collar and cuffs1 holding a black hat4 ,the second boy in a black and gold suit1 holds his youngest brother by the hand1 who is dressed in a white and gold frock4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,this charming picture was bought by the grandfather of the present ,lord ,cowper1 ,lord de ,grey1 but we are unable to identify the children1 or the date at which it was painted1 doubtless during one of ,vandyck's visits to ,genoa2 neither have we any authority for the supposition1 but it appears more than probable that the beautiful ,marchesa ,balbi1 in ,mr4 ,holford's splendid collection at ,dorchester ,house1 is the mother or sister-in-law of these noble boys4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,diego ,,mesia ,,felipe ,,de ,,guzman1 ,,marquez ,,de ,,leganes4 ,black dress4 ,white collar4 ,order4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,he was the son of ,diego ,mesia de ,obando1 by ,elizabeth1 daughter of the ,count ,d',olvares4 ,from early youth he showed an aptitude for military and diplomatic affairs2 and in #afbf he was created ,marquez de ,leganes1 and sent by ,philip ,,iv4 in command of the ,spanish forces in the ,netherlands2 and the ensuing year the ,king further employed him in negotiations respecting the proposed annexation to ,spain of some of the disputed ,provinces4 ,leganes was a companion in arms of the celebrated ,cardinal ,infant1 ,ferdinand1 son of ,philip ,,iii41 by whose side he fought at ,nordlingen1 and contributed not a little to that decisive victory gained by the ,imperialists over the ,swedes and ,duke ,bernhard of ,saxe-,weimar4 ,it was in allusion to this battle that the pious ,canon ,antonio ,calderon1 in his funeral oration on the ,cardinal1 after extolling the virtues and valour of this warlike prelate1 reminded his hearers that ,nordlingen was the place #8where the heretic ,luther preached his most pestilential doctrines4' ,on the death of the ,archduchess ,clara ,eugenia1 ,ferdinand succeeded to the ,government of the ,spanish ,netherlands1 and thither ,leganes followed him1 but was summoned to ,milan in #afcf1 on his appointment as ,governor of that city4 ,northern ,italy was at that time the theatre of constant warfare1 and ,leganes distinguished himself in frequent encounters with the ,french1 the ,piedmontese1 and the ,savoyards4 ,the ,valteline especially was torn by internal discord1 the result of religious differences between the ,protestants and the ,catholics2 while the position of the country made it an object of desire and contention among foreign powers4 ,leganes had his hands full in that direction1 both as regarded military operations and negotiations with the ,french1 who disputed the territory4 ,on the death of the ,duke of ,savoy1 the ,emperor ,ferdinand employed the ,milanese ,governor to oppose the election of the widowed ,duchess as ,regent for her son's dominions2 after which ,leganes invaded ,piedmont1 took ,vercelli1 ,asti1 ,crescentine1 and some smaller towns2 marched on ,turin1 where he was unsuccessful2 and then attacked ,casale1 a stronghold of much importance1 where he was beaten back with great loss by the ,french1 under ,comte ,simon d',harcourt4 ,this failure was a source of terrible mortification to the ,spanish ,general2 but the future had consolation in store for him4 ,his ,italian campaign at an end2 he marched into ,catalonia1 and there had his revenge on his old enemies1 and the ,comte d',harcourt himself1 by wresting from them the town of ,lerida1 which had been some time in the occupation of the ,french4 ,while thus engaged in active service1 intrigues were being carried on at the ,court of ,spain against ,leganes1 and imputations were cast on his military conduct1 from which he had great difficulty in defending himself4 ,in spite1 however1 of the machinations of his enemies1 he was named ,generalissimo of the ,forces1 and despatched against the ,portuguese in #afdf4 ,his death took place in #afee4 ,he had to wife ,philippina1 daughter of the famous commander1 ,ambrogio ,spinola1 who had done such gallant service for the ,spaniards in the ,netherlands and elsewhere4 ,in the wars of ,northern ,italy he had been less successful2 and the mortification he experienced from several discomfitures1 combined with the slights put upon him by the reigning ,king of ,spain1 from whose predecessor he had received the highest marks of favour1 was said to have accelerated the death of the great commander4 ,in the collection of the engraved portraits by ,vandyck there is a spirited likeness of the ,marquis de ,leganes1 with a ,latin inscription enumerating his many titles4 ,in addition to those already mentioned1 he was ,lord of the ,bedchamber to the ,king of ,spain1 ,grand ,commander of the ,order of the ,lion1 ,privy ,councillor of ,state and ,war1 ,president of the ,council in ,flanders1 and ,captain-,general of ,artillery4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,elizabeth1 ,,countess ,,of ,,southampton4 ,white satin gown4 ,blue scarf4 ,pearl necklace4 ,fair hair4 ,landscape seen through window in the background4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,she was the daughter of ,john ,vernon of ,hodnet1 county ,salop1 and married ,henry ,wriothesley1 third ,earl of ,southampton1 brother in arms of ,robert1 ,earl of ,essex1 under whom he served in his foreign campaigns2 and in one engagement in which he had distinguished himself1 ,lord ,southampton was knighted by his general's hand on the field1 #8before he could sheathe his sword1 or wipe the sweat from his brow4' ,his adhesion to ,lord ,essex1 when that nobleman fell under her ,majesty's displeasure1 nearly cost ,lord ,southampton his life2 but he was more prudent than his friend1 for he made submission1 and asked mercy of ,elizabeth1 while ,essex1 who disdained to follow a similar course in his own case1 interceded with the ,queen for his former comrade4 ,southampton's life was spared2 but he was kept a close prisoner in the ,tower till the accession of ,king ,james1 when he was set at liberty4 ,lord ,southampton had two sons1 the eldest of whom accompanied him to the ,low ,countries on military service1 where they were both attacked by fever4 ,young ,lord ,wriothesley died1 to the inexpressible grief of his father1 who1 travelling home with the loved remains ere he was fit to move1 was delayed by a relapse1 and expired at ,bergen-op-,zoom4 ,lady ,southampton survived her ,lord many years4 ,we hear of her1 #afdg1 giving shelter to ,king ,charles on his escape from ,hampton ,court4 ,she was staying at her son's country house1 at ,titchfield1 in ,hampshire1 where the ,king1 who was riding for his life1 thought best to take refuge1 while he sent messengers to ,portsmouth to inquire for a ship that ought to have been in waiting there1 but which failed him4 ,lord ,southampton1 a zealous loyalist1 and devoted personal friend of ,charles's1 was absent from home1 but his mother1 the aged ,countess1 was a woman of courage and fidelity1 and as deeply attached to the ,royal cause as her son4 ,to her the ,king felt no hesitation in declaring himself1 and claiming her protection2 and in that safe custody he remained several days1 before proceeding to the ,isle of ,wight1 where he was retaken by the rebels4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,lords ,,john ,,and ,,bernard ,,stuart4 ,one boy has long curling auburn hair4 ,he wears a white satin vest1 and hose1 silk stockings1 and buff shoes4 ,blue mantle over one shoulder2 his foot is on the base of a pedestal4 ,the other brother wears a crimson dress1 with a tawny yellow mantle over his left arm4 ,dark buff boots4 ,,both killed in action1 within a few years of each other4 ,esm ,stuart1 ,duke of ,richmond and ,lennox1 had seven sons1 all of whom he survived1 and1 on his death1 the title merging in the person of his ,royal kinsman1 ,charles ,,ii41 his ,majesty bestowed it on his natural son1 by ,louise de la ,querquaille1 ,duchess of ,portsmouth1 ancestor of the present ,duke4 ,lord ,john ,stuart was the eldest son of ,duke ,esm4 ,grainger1 in his description of the portrait in question1 speaks most highly of his noble disposition and courage1 which #8he carried indeed to rashness4' ,a devoted loyalist1 at the battle of ,cheriton ,down he was charging up-hill in command of a troop of light horse to attack ,sir ,william ,waller's army1 when he fell into an ambuscade1 having had two horses killed under him4 ,he lay1 pierced by innumerable wounds1 amidst hundreds of his own men2 he was1 however1 carried off the field while still living 7as was ,sir ,john ,smith1 brother to ,lord ,carrington71 and conveyed first to ,reading1 and the next day still further on the road1 in order to be within help of skilful surgeons4 ,but the gallant youth did not survive the second dressing of his wounds4 ,he was buried at ,christchurch1 ,oxford1 as was a younger brother1 killed at the battle of ,edgehill4 ,lord ,clarendon1 speaking of ,lord ,john1 says that he was early bent on a military career1 being #8of a tough and choleric disposition1' and caring little for the #8softnesses of social life4' ,yet he must have been of a loveable nature1 for his death was deeply regretted4 ,lord ,bernard was the youngest son of ,duke ,esm4 ,he commanded the gallant troop known as the ,king's ,bodyguard1 consisting of the most eminent ,royalists in both ,houses of ,parliament1 and1 indeed1 in all ,england4 ,their servants formed another troop under ,sir ,william ,killigrew1 and invariably followed their lords and masters to the field4 ,at the battle of ,cropedy ,bridge1 where the ,king commanded in person1 ,lord ,bernard secured the safety of his ,majesty1 who was in imminent peril1 by charging two bodies of the ,roundhead horse1 and bearing the brunt of the enemy's cannon1 by remaining stationary in an open field1 to cover the free passage of the ,king4 ,he also distinguished himself greatly at the battle of ,naseby1 among other engagements1 and in consideration of his services was created ,earl of ,lichfield1 an honour he did not long enjoy4 ,he was killed at the battle of ,rowton ,heath1 near ,chester1 having once more come to the assistance of his ,royal master and kinsman4 ,young ,lord ,lichfield was deeply regretted4 ,the ,duke of ,richmond's seven gallant sons all served in the ,king's army1 and three of them died1 like gallant ,cavaliers1 on the field of battle4 ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,rachel1 ,,second ,,wife ,,of ,,thomas1 ,,last ,,earl ,,of ,,southampton4 ,she is seated in the clouds1 habited in blue floating drapery4 ,in her right hand she holds a wand2 her left rests on a sphere4 ,a skull lies at her feet4 ,,by ,,vandyck4 ,,her father1 the ,marquis de ,ruvigny1 came of a noble ,huguenot family in ,france1 and her brother was at one time head of the ,protestant party in that country4 ,but in spite of his religious opinions1 he was much in favour1 not only with ,louis ,,xiv41 but also with ,cardinal ,mazarin4 ,he eventually went to ,england on a diplomatic mission1 where he settled with his family4 ,one of his sons was killed at the battle of the ,boyne1 the other was created ,earl of ,galway by ,william ,,iii4 ,we do not know the date of ,rachel de ,ruvigny's marriage1 but take it for granted that young ,wriothesley made her acquaintance on his first visit to ,france4 ,his elder brother dying of fever1 ,thomas1 the second son1 succeeded to the earldom of ,southampton on the death of his father4 ,his wife bore him two sons1 who both died v4 p41 and three daughters1 the second being ,rachel1 the faithful and devoted wife of ,william1 ,lord ,russel1 who was beheaded4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,staircase4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,staircase4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,john ,,hughes4 ,violet coat4 ,wig4 ,,born #afgg1 ,,died #agbj4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ,,he was born at ,marlborough1 in ,wiltshire1 but went to ,london1 where his father resided1 when quite young2 and1 being of a delicate constitution1 received his education at private schools4 ,he showed an early predilection for the gentle arts of poetry1 music1 and drawing1 yet1 when he came to man's estate1 these tastes1 which never left him1 did not prevent his filling the posts he held under ,government with credit1 and proving himself a good man of business4 ,he had an appointment in the ,ordnance ,office1 and was secretary to several ,commissions for the purchase of lands for the better securing of the ,royal ,docks and ,yards of ,portsmouth1 ,chatham1 and ,harwich4 ,he found leisure in the midst of his public duties to devote a considerable time to the acquisition of modern languages1 with which he supplemented his previous knowledge of ,greek and ,latin4 ,his first poetic effusion was inspired by the ,treaty of ,ryswick1 and was very popular4 ,he wrote many translations and imitations of classical authors1 together with such productions as #8,the ,court of ,neptune1'--an ode on the return of ,king ,william from ,holland2 and many monodies1 elegies1 and panegyrics1 chiefly in honour of royal personages1 which would now be considered but dreary reading4 ,for all that he was much esteemed by the literati of the time1 being intimate with ,addison1 ,pope1 ,rowe1 etc42 and ,johnson tells us that ,addison consulted with him1 and even at one time asked his co-operation1 in the matter of his tragedy of ,cato1 which1 it appears1 was finished1 and put on the stage at the instigation of ,john ,hughes4 ,he was also much favoured by men of high standing and position1 and when ,lord ,wharton was made ,lord-,lieutenant of ,ireland1 he offered our author an appointment in the sister country4 ,hughes declined1 although at the time in very poor circumstances2 but he had another true friend and patron1--the ,lord ,chancellor ,cowper1 in whose family he had been tutor4 ,lord ,cowper not only made ,hughes secretary for the ,commission of the ,peace1 but1 on his own removal from office1 recommended him to the notice of his successor4 ,hughes was now in comparatively affluent circumstances1 but his failing health prevented his enjoyment of life4 ,he had consumptive tendencies1 and grew gradually weaker4 ,his last work was a drama entitled #8,the ,siege of ,damascus1' which set the fashion of sieges innumerable4 ,he completed it a short time before his death1 with a dedication to ,lord ,cowper2 but he had no strength to attend the rehearsals1 or energy to resist the emendations1 alterations1 and innovations thrust upon him by the worshipful company of players4 ,the first night of his tragedy's representation was the last of the author's life2 they brought him word that #8,the ,siege' was progressing satisfactorily2 but by that time his thoughts were fixed on the new life which was opening before him1 and he made no remark1 but passed silently away4 ,many of his works were published during his life2 many more after his death4 ,he was a constant contributor to the ,spectator1 the ,guardian1 and similar periodicals2 and ,steele wrote an eulogistic paper on his death4 ,two letters which passed between ,swift and ,pope may perhaps help to enable us 7if we accept their testimony7 in assigning ,hughes a place as an author4 ,the ,dean writes3 #8,a month ago a friend sent me over the works of ,john ,hughes in prose and verse4 ,i never heard of the man in my life1 yet ,i find your name as a subscriber4 ,he is far too grave a poet for me1 and ,i think among the mediocrists in prose1 as well as verse4' ,pope replies3 #8,to answer your question about ,hughes3 what he wanted in genius he made up in honesty2 but he was of the class you think him4' ,only a few weeks before his death he sent ,lord ,cowper the picture of which we are now treating1 having been painted for him by ,sir ,godfrey ,kneller1--a very favourable specimen of the artist's handiwork4 ,lord ,cowper acknowledges the gift in these words3-- #8,sir1 ,i thank you for your most acceptable present of your picture1 and assure you that none of this age can set a higher value on it than ,i do1 and shall1 while ,i live1--though ,i am sensible posterity will outdo me in that particular4 ,i am1 with the greatest esteem and sincerity1 sir1 your most affectionate and obliged humble servant1 #8,,cowper4 #8,january #bdth1 #agbj4#8 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,mary1 ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,sitting in a garden4 ,red dress1 trimmed with lace4 ,holding her scarf4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,,sarah1 ,,lady ,,cowper4 ,red dress1 ,blue scarf4 ,white sleeves4 ,,she was the daughter of ,sir ,samuel ,holled1 ,knight1 merchant of ,london1 wife of ,sir ,william ,cowper1 second baronet1 and mother of the ,lord ,chancellor4 ,she was an eccentric woman1 ill favoured and ill tempered1 in constant collision with her husband1 her sons1 and her servants1--in fact1 to a certain extent1 the terror of the household4 ,she wrote a voluminous diary1 still in the possession of her descendant1 the present ,lord ,cowper1--a strange mixture of pious reflections1 together with anecdotes more remarkable for breadth than point4 ,towards the end of her life she became more placable in disposition4 ,she had two sons1--,william1 the first ,earl1 and ,spencer1 the celebrated judge4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,frederic1 ,,lord ,,beauvale4 ,brown velvet suit4 ,blue cravat4 ,black cloak1 trimmed with fur4 ,leans against a column1 holding his hat4 ,,by ,,partridge4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,arnold ,,joost ,,van ,,keppel1 ,,lord ,,of ,,the ,,voorst ,,in ,,holland1 ,,earl ,,of ,,albemarle1 ,k4,g4 ,in complete armour4 ,wig1 ,holding a baton4 ,blue riband4 ,,born #afgd1 ,,died #agah4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ,,the subject of this notice derived his origin from one #8,walter1' a knight who flourished in the year #aagi4 ,he was one of the seven imperial vassals of ,guelderland1 who exercised sovereign rights1 each in his several domain4 ,surnames were not known in the middle of the twelfth century4 ,walter ,van ,keppel was probably among the first who made the addition to his baptismal appellation4 ,towards the close of the century it became customary for each knight to call himself after the spot of ground on which his principal castle was situated4 ,accordingly1 our ,walter assumed the name of an islet on the river ,issel1 on which he created his ,hoofdslot1 which ,hoofdslot is now occupied by the descendants of a female branch of the family4 ,passing over a long line of ancestors1 we arrive at ,oswald ,van ,keppel1 ,lord of the ,voorst1 who 7the genealogists show7 bore sixteen quarterings of nobility on his escutcheon4 ,oswald dying in #afhe1 his son1 ,arnold 7whose portrait is under consideration7 succeeded to the lordship of ,voorst4 ,he was now thirteen years of age1 ,page of ,honour to ,william of ,orange1 ,stadtholder1 and the youngest1 liveliest1 and handsomest of the five ,dutch noblemen who landed with their illustrious countryman at ,torbay on the memorable #eth of ,november #afhh4 ,on his accession to the ,english throne1 ,william ,,iii4 raised his page to the confidential post of amanuensis1 and from that time never slackened in his partiality and friendship4 ,in #afie1 on ,keppel's attaining his majority1 he was created ,earl of ,albemarle1 ,viscount ,bury1 and ,baron ,ashford1 and1 shortly afterwards1 ,knight of the ,garter4 ,mackay1 in his ,characters1 describes the new ,peer as #8,king ,william's constant companion in all his diversions and pleasures1' and as being after a time intrusted with affairs of the greatest importance4 ,he was beautiful in person1 open and free in conversation1 and very expensive in his manner of living4 #8,about this time1' says ,bishop ,burnet1 #8the ,king set up a new favourite1 ,keppel1 a gentleman of ,guelder1 who was raised from a page to the highest degree of favour that any person had ever obtained about the ,king4 ,by a quick and unaccountable progress he engrossed the ,royal favour so entirely that he disposed of everything in the ,king's power4 ,he was a cheerful young man1 that had the art to please1 but was so much given to his own pleasure1 that he could scarce subject himself to the attendance and drudgery that were necessary to maintain his post2 he had not1 however1 yet distinguished himself in anything4 ,he was not cold or dry1 as the ,earl of ,portland was thought to be1 who seemed to have the art of creating enemies to himself1 and not one friend2 but the ,earl of ,albemarle had all the arts of ,court1 and was civil to all4' ,if this spoiled child of nature and fortune counted his ,court duties as drudgery1 the same could not be said of his military avocations4 ,he studied the art of war under his ,royal patron1 one of the most consummate captains of the day4 ,so satisfied was the teacher with the capacity of his pupil1 that he not only initiated him into the secrets of his strategy1 but imparted to him no small share in the execution of his projects1--a confidence which1 although placed in so young a man1 the ,king never had reason to repent4 ,in the year of his elevation to the ,peerage1 ,albemarle accompanied the ,king on the memorable campaign which ended in the surrender of ,namur to ,william ,,iii41 who left his friend behind for the transaction of some necessary business in that town1 whilst he proceeded to his ,palace of the ,loo1 before returning to ,england4 ,here the news of ,albemarle's sudden and alarming illness so distressed the ,king that he sent his own physician1 the eminent ,dr4 ,john ,radcliffe1 to the sufferer's assistance4 ,albemarle soon recovered under the good doctor's skilful care2 and so delighted was the ,king to have his favourite restored to health1 that he acknowledged ,radcliffe's services in the most munificent manner4 ,in addition to his travelling expenses1 the ,doctor received #djj and a magnificent diamond ring2 ,radcliffe was also offered a baronetcy1 but he declined1 on the plea of having no son to inherit the title4 ,in #afih ,lord ,albemarle received a grant of #ajj1jjj confiscated acres in ,ireland1 which grant1 however 7as in the case of ,lord ,athlone and others71 the ,commons of ,england very properly refused to ratify4 ,the following year the ,king sent some of the most skilful ,british artificers to ,holland to decorate and beautify the house and grounds of the ,voorst1 at a cost of #ej1jjj4 ,what this large sum would represent in these days1 the writer does not feel competent to hazard an opinion4 ,in #agja ,lord ,albemarle married ,gertrude1 daughter of ,adam van der ,duen1 ,lord of ,gravemoor1 whose descent is traced by the genealogists of ,guelderland to ,alphert1 ninth ,lord of ,bridesden1 and through him to ,siegfried1 son of ,arnulf1 ,count of ,holland1 who died in #iii4 ,the ,treaty of ,ryswick1 in #afig1 had procured for ,europe a few years' suspension of hostilities2 but in #agjb broke out the ,spanish ,war of ,succession1 when ,albemarle was sent on a mission to ,holland by ,royal command1 but was soon recalled in hot haste to ,england to his dying master's bedside4 #8,the ,king1' says ,macaulay1 #8was sinking fast4' ,albemarle arrived at ,kensington exhausted by hasty travel1 and ,william bade him rest for some hours4 ,he then summoned him to make his report4 ,it was in all respects satisfactory3 the ,states-,general were in the best temper2 the troops1 the provisions1 the magazines were all in good order2 everything was in readiness for an early campaign4 ,william received the intelligence with the calmness of a man whose work is done2 he was in no illusion as to his danger4 #8,i am fast advancing1' he said1 #8to my end4' ,to ,albemarle he gave the keys of his closet and private drawers4 ,it was now about seven in the morning4 ,the ,bishop knelt down and said the customary prayer3 when it was ended1 the ,king was no more4 ,by a codicil to the ,royal will1 ,albemarle came into possession of the lordship of the ,breevervoorst and #bjj1jjj guelders4 ,in ,june #agjb an heir was born to the house of ,keppel1 who was named ,william1 after the child's patron1 and ,anne1 after the reigning sovereign1 who stood godmother in person4 ,shortly after the birth of this son1 ,lord ,albemarle returned to his native country1 where he passed the greater part of his time1 and took his place as a member of the ,assembly of the ,states-,general4 ,we have not space to do more than glance at his military career4 ,suffice it to say that he served with distinction successively under four of the greatest commanders of their day1--,william ,,iii41 ,marshal ,auverquerque1 the ,duke of ,marlborough1 and ,prince ,eugne of ,savoy2 all of whom in turn bore public testimony to his merits as a soldier4 ,in #agab he was1 on the recommendation of the ,duke of ,marlborough1 appointed to the command of the ,dutch forces1 and on the death of ,queen ,anne he was sent by the ,states-,general to congratulate ,george ,i4 on his accession to the ,british throne4 ,the new monarch1 accompanied by his son1 the ,duke of ,gloucester 7afterwards ,george ,,ii471 was ,lord ,albemarle's guest at the ,voorst on his first day's journey towards his new kingdom4 ,in #agag ,albemarle was nominated by the nobles of ,holland to compliment ,peter the ,great on his visit to their country1 and he accompanied the ,czar in great state to the city1 which his ,imperial ,majesty had first entered as a journeyman carpenter6 ,arnold ,keppel1 first ,earl of ,albemarle1 died the following year1 and was succeeded by his son1 ,william ,anne1 ,viscount ,bury4 ,the portrait of which we are now speaking is a replica of one in the possession of the original's great-great-grandson1 the present bearer of the title4 ,there are several other likenesses in ,england of this distinguished man1 among which may be noted one at ,woburn ,abbey1 that came into the ,russell family in consequence of the marriage of ,lady ,elizabeth ,keppel 7daughter of the second ,earl of ,albemarle7 with the ,marquess of ,tavistock in #agfd4 ,a4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,william ,,lamb1 ,,second ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,black coat4 ,hand resting on a table4 ,,by ,,sir ,,george ,,hayter1 ,r4,a4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,george1 ,,third ,,earl ,,cowper4 ,blue velvet coat4 ,blue and gold waistcoat1 and breeches4 ,sword4 ,stick in one hand1 ,holds his hat in the other above his head1 as if in the act of saluting4 ,landscape in background4 ,,by ,,zoffany4 ,he was the first ,prince of the ,holy ,roman ,empire in the ,cowper family4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,james ,,butler1 ,,first ,,duke ,,of ,,ormonde4 ,in the robes of the ,garter4 ,a wand in his hand4 ,,born #afaj1 ,,died #afhh4 ,,by ,,sir ,,peter ,,lely4 ,,the biographer of the second ,duke thus alludes to the antiquity of the family3--#8,it is sufficient for the honour of the house of ,ormonde that its original is too ancient to be traced1 and that its first descents1 even after it became considerable for its possession1 power1 and alliances1 cannot be ascertained4' ,according to the above-quoted author1 the immediate ancestor of the family1 ,theobald ,walter1 accompanied ,king ,henry ,,ii4 to ,ireland about the year #aaga1 when ,roderick1 ,king of ,connaught1 and many other petty ,princes1 yielded up their sovereignty to the ,english monarch4 ,theobald ,walter did ,henry good service in the new country1 and received as a reward such extensive grants of lands1 as determined him to take up his residence in ,ireland2 and from that time forth the fortunes of the family have been bound up with those of the sister island4 ,the post of ,chief ,butler 7hereditary7 was also assigned him1 with a further grant of what was called #8the prisage of wine1' which entitled ,theobald and his descendants to one tun of wine out of nine brought by any ship into ,irish ports4 ,in #acae ,edmund le ,botillier 7it is an open question if the name were derived from the office7 was created ,earl of ,carrick1 as a recompense for his loyal services to ,edward ,,ii4 ,he was ,guardian and ,governor of the kingdom of ,ireland2 and henceforth his descendants in the succeeding reigns were almost invariably connected with the government of that country1 whether as ,lords-,deputy1 ,lords-,justices1 or ,lords-,lieutenant4 ,lord ,carrick's son married the ,king's cousin1 and was in #acbb created ,earl of ,ormonde4 ,he had also the rights of a ,palatine in the county of ,tipperary conferred on him1--rights which were taken away and restored again and again in the troubled times of that ever troubled country4 ,few families in any part of the world have been more remarkable for the vicissitudes of fortune than the ,butlers4 ,the seventh ,earl of ,ormonde died without sons1 and left his two daughters very large fortunes2 the youngest married ,sir ,william ,boleyn1 and was grandmother to ,queen ,anne of that name4 ,sir ,piers ,butler1 a distant relative1 became heir to the ,irish estates1 but ,king ,henry ,,viii41 at the instigation of his father-in-law1 ,sir ,thomas ,boleyn1 prevailed upon him 7chiefly1 it is said1 by conferring on him the title of ,ossory7 to relinquish the earldom of ,ormonde in favour of the said ,sir ,thomas1 on whose death1 however1 a few years afterwards1 the rightful ,earl of ,ormonde resumed his title4 ,we are induced to give these details in consequence of the strange coincidences which befell the heads of this family in different reigns4 ,thomas1 the tenth ,earl1 a man of undaunted courage1 who began his military career at an early age1 was a great favourite with ,queen ,elizabeth1 and for a time with ,king ,james ,i4 #8,his courage in the field and his spirit in private occurrences were remarkable4 ,he always held the ,earl of ,leicester at defiance1 and did not scruple to charge him to the ,queen as a knave and coward4' ,there is an amusing anecdote told of the two noblemen meeting one day at ,court1 in the antechamber4 ,after the usual exchange of civilities1 says ,lord ,leicester1 #8,my ,lord ,ormonde1 ,i dreamed of you last night4' #8,what could you dream of me8' inquired the other4 #8,that ,i gave you a box on the ear1' was the rejoinder4 #8,oh1' exclaimed ,lord ,ormonde2 #8do you not know that dreams are always interpreted by contraries8' and with that he bestowed a hearty cuff on the ,royal favourite4 ,this one-sided satisfaction entailed on ,ormonde a visit to the ,tower2 but he was soon released4 ,the ,queen had a great fancy for him1 in spite of ,lord ,leicester's enmity1 and used to call him her #8black husband4' ,his dark complexion had gained for him in ,ireland the nickname of #8,dhuiv1' or #8the ,black4' ,he was three times married3 first to ,elizabeth1 daughter and heiress to ,thomas1 ,lord ,berkeley2 secondly to ,elizabeth1 daughter of ,lord ,sheffield2 and thirdly to ,ellen1 daughter of ,lord ,barry and widow of ,lord ,poer1 whom he married when he was old and blind4 ,he had children by his second wife only1--a son1 who died in boyhood1 and a daughter1 ,elizabeth4 ,this young lady married1 by her father's wish1 her cousin1 ,lord ,tulleophelim1 who died very shortly afterwards without children4 ,king ,james ,i4 obliged the aged ,earl of ,ormonde1 much against his will1 to bestow the hand of his widowed daughter on one of his own ,scotch favourites1 ,sir ,richard ,preston1 whom he first created ,baron ,dingwall1 and afterwards1 in 7what his ,majesty was pleased to call7 right of his wife1 ,earl of ,desmond1 an act which caused universal dissatisfaction in ,ireland1--so time-honoured a title to be bestowed on an alien4 ,not content with this deed of injustice1 ,james ordained that ,preston should become possessed of the bulk of the ,irish property which ,thomas1 ,earl of ,ormonde1 had bequeathed to his successors in the title4 ,at his death in #afad1 the ,king used every endeavour to persuade ,sir ,walter ,butler 7who became eleventh ,earl7 to yield up his rights in favour of ,lord ,desmond1 but1 with the true spirit of his race1 he showed a bold front to the tyrant1 in consequence of which he was thrown into the ,fleet prison1 where he remained in captivity for eight years4 ,his eldest son1 ,lord ,thurles1 married ,elizabeth1 daughter of ,sir ,john ,poyntz1 of ,iron ,acton1 county ,gloucester1 by whom he had ,james1 first ,duke of ,ormonde1 and several other children4 ,the subject of our notice was born in #afaj at ,newcastle ,house1 in ,clerkenwell1 belonging to the ,duke of that title1 but inhabited at the time by ,lady ,thurles's father1 ,sir ,john ,poyntz4 ,the infant was nursed by a carpenter's wife at ,hatfield1 and remained in her charge1 when his parents returned to ,ireland1 till he was three years old1 when they sent for him2 and the ,duke used in after years to relate that he could call to mind1 even at that tender age1 how he had been carried in arms through the streets of ,bristol1 and what he then noticed on the bridge4 ,he appears to have had a most retentive memory1 for he also recollected being taken to visit ,thomas1 the aged ,earl of ,ormonde1 who was living at his estate of ,carrick-upon-,suir1 and who felt a great interest in the child1 not only as his future heir1 but on account of his former friendship with ,sir ,john ,poyntz4 ,the ,duke often spoke in his later life of the impression his kinsman had made on him3 a grand old man1 with sightless eyes and long white beard1 wearing his ,george round his neck1 which he never laid aside1 whether sitting in his chair or lying on his bed4 ,he would take the boy on his knees and caress him1 this last year of his life1 for ,earl ,thomas died in #afad4 ,james lived on in ,ireland with his father and mother1 till the unfortunate death of the former1 who was drowned off the ,skerries on his voyage to ,england in #afai1 v4p4 ,the little ,lord ,thurles accompanied his mother to ,london the following year1 and went to school at ,finchley1 under a ,roman ,catholic priest1 who educated him in his own creed1--the actual ,earl of ,ormonde and all the younger branches of the family adhering to the ,church of ,rome4 ,but ,thurles was a ward of the ,crown1 and the ,king removed him from ,finchley1 and transferred him to ,lambeth ,palace1 to be brought up as a ,protestant1 under ,abbott1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury4 ,the ,primate troubled himself very little as regarded the youth's education1 probably because he received no allowance whatever1 even for the maintenance of his pupil4 ,to the young ,lord himself ,james only doled out the paltry sum of forty pounds a year for all expenses4 ,the biographer of the second ,duke1 in alluding to these circumstances1 says that #8intelligence found means to supply the want of education4' ,even after his marriage ,lord ,thurles studied ,latin1 from his uncle's domestic chaplain1 when on a visit to ,iron ,acton4 ,he also acquired a knowledge of the ,irish language1 which he found of the greatest service to him during his government1 enabling him to communicate personally with the ,irish chiefs4 ,he became1 indeed1 in every way a most accomplished gentleman2 his grandfather1 the stout-hearted ,earl of ,ormonde1 had endured imprisonment and hardship of all kinds rather than submit to the unjust demands of the ,king1 or surrender his lawful rights1 but at the expiration of eight years he was released1 and a great portion of his estates restored to him1--upon which he hired a house in ,drury ,lane1 and sent for his grandson from ,lambeth ,palace to come and reside with him4 ,lord ,thurles was delighted with his emancipation from the dull atmosphere of the ,primate's roof4 ,he mixed in all the gaieties of the town1 and took especial pleasure in theatrical representations and in the society of the leading members of the profession4 ,he was also a frequent attendant at ,court1 by the express wish of ,lord ,ormonde1 who left him in ,london to make his way in the world1 while he returned to ,ireland to look after the property1 which had been long neglected4 ,the circumstances attending the marriage and courtship of ,lord ,thurles were of so romantic a nature1 that we are induced to give them in detail1 although reluctant to record a stumble on the threshold of so noble a career4 ,it was at ,court that he first saw his cousin1 ,lady ,elizabeth ,preston1 daughter to ,lord ,dingwall and ,desmond1 already mentioned1 by ,lady ,elizabeth ,butler4 ,she was a ward of the ,king's1 who had placed her under the care of ,henry1 ,earl of ,holland1 who held an office at ,court4 ,though very young1 she had a perfect knowledge of all the family disputes1 and had been much influenced in ,lord ,thurles's favour by the advice of her kinsman1 ,lord ,mountgarret1 who not only highly commended the young man1 but pointed out to the heiress that their union would be a means of reconciling all former difficulties4 ,when the cousins met at ,court1 ,elizabeth #8liked the person of the young ,lord1 which was very handsome1 his mien and manner witty1 insinuating2 and the vivacity of his parts1 with the sprightly turn of his wit1 made the conversation most pleasing to her4' ,this was remarked on1 and the ,king admonished ,lord ,thurles not to meddle with his ward4 ,the secret of this was that the ,duke of ,buckingham had arranged with ,lord ,desmond that his nephew1 ,lord ,feilding1 should espouse ,lady ,elizabeth ,preston1 with a remainder to their heirs of her father's titles4 ,the said ,earl of ,desmond had also received from the ,king the power over the wardship and marriage of ,lord ,thurles1 so that there seemed but little hope of the union on which the cousins had set their hearts4 ,but ,elizabeth had the spirit of her race4 ,her affections were irrevocably fixed1 and she was in a humour to say with the beautiful bride of ,van ,artevelde3-- #8,me shall no earthly potentate or prince ,toss1 like a morsel of his broken meat1 ,to any suppliant3 be they advised ,i am in wardship to the ,king of kings1 ,god and my heart alone dispose of me4' ,now ,lord ,holland was inclined to further ,lord ,thurles's suit1 actuated thereto1 it was said1 by pecuniary inducements2 but the ,royal commands were not to be disobeyed1 openly at least4 ,there was one in the house1 however1 who was in a position to assist the lovers1 and that was ,lady ,isabella ,rich1 ,lord ,holland's daughter1 ,elizabeth's chosen friend1 and sister in all but name1--a lovely1 sharp-witted girl of her own age4 ,she admitted ,lord ,thurles every day1 at all hours1 in a clandestine manner2 nor did her parents object or interfere1 but allowed her to make a feint of herself receiving the young man's addresses2 and implicit trust was placed by all parties in ,isabella's rectitude4 ,alas for the compact6 which we must believe was begun in good faith4 ,lord ,thurles1 as we have said1 was young1 handsome1 agreeable1--captivating1 in fact1 and the rle of confidante is proverbially dangerous4 ,in an evil hour he forgot his loyalty to his betrothed1 and ,isabella forgot her friend1 herself1 her duty1 and all but her infatuation for the man who was playing a double part by the two girls4 ,few romances can outdo this real history in sensational incident4 ,lord ,desmond was drowned about the same time as his wife died1 and the latter left as her last injunction that ,elizabeth should marry her cousin1 and thus restore the property to the rightful branch1--for ,lady ,desmond had never been easy in her mind over these unlawful acquisitions4 ,buckingham was assassinated1 and ,king ,charles ,i4 gave the ,royal consent to the union of the cousins2 #8and so1' says the biographer of the great ,duke of ,ormonde 7who1 by the way1 makes very light of this episode71 #8the marriage was joyously celebrated1 and everybody content4' ,we are not informed how the unfortunate ,lady ,isabella fared on the occasion2 her content could not have been great2 but the dnouement remains to be told1 and though1 as a matter of dates1 it should come much later1 we think it advisable to finish the concluding acts of the drama in this place4 ,several years afterwards1 when ,lord ,ormonde was in ,paris1 he went to the ,academy to visit a handsome and intelligent youth1 whom he had sent thither for his education2 whereupon he sat down1 and wrote a long description of the boy to ,lady ,isabella 7then the wife of ,sir ,james ,thynne of ,longleat71 being a subject in which they had a common interest4 ,as ill-luck would have it1 he at the same time indited a letter to his wife1 and misdirected the covers4 ,while ,lady ,ormonde was making the discovery that she had been cruelly deceived and betrayed by the two people she at that time loved best in the world1 ,lady ,isabella came in1 and found her reading the fatal letter4 ,tears1 sobs1 caresses--an agitating scene--ensued4 ,isabella humbled herself before the woman she had so grievously injured1 and sought by every means of fascination that she possessed1 to soften her just resentment4 ,lady ,ormonde1 generous and high-minded1 almost beyond belief1 raised the suppliant1 who was kneeling at her feet1 with the promise not only of forgiveness1 but of unchanging friendship1--a promise nobly kept1 as we shall see later4 ,scarcely more marvellous is the fact1 for we cannot doubt the evidence1 that ,lady ,ormonde not only never upbraided her husband1 but from that day kept a profound silence on the subject4 ,nor was this all4 ,some time afterwards1 when ,lady ,ormonde was residing with her children at ,caen1 she received a letter from ,lady ,isabella1 who had again got herself into hot water1 recalling her promise of unchanging friendship1 and asking for shelter4 ,the generous-hearted exile not only welcomed her old companion to share her small house and straitened means1 but allowed her to remain for nearly two years under her roof1 during which time ,lord ,ormonde was a constant visitor4 ,the destinies of the two women1 who had been early friends1 but whose characters were diametrically opposed1 were strangely entangled1--,lady ,isabella1 being described in a contemporary journal as #8one of those rattle-brained ladies1' was most eccentric1 to say the least of it1 and full of #8strange vagaries2' while ,lady ,ormonde was remarkable for sound sense and judgment1 and for her dignified and stately deportment4 ,we make an extract bearing on this subject from the ,life of ,roger ,boyle1 ,lord ,broghill1 afterwards ,earl of ,orrery4 ,this nobleman1 who1 like his father and his brothers1 was a zealous ,royalist1 was surprised one day at receiving a summons from the ,protector1 who bluntly offered him a high command in the army in ,ireland under ,government4 ,broghill gave for answer that nothing should induce him to take arms against the ,king1 his master4 #8,no one asked you to do so1' was the angry retort2 #8,i offer you the alternative of serving ,england against the ,irish insurgents1 or proceeding without delay to the ,tower of ,london4' ,the first choice was the most palatable1 and ,broghill returned to ,ireland1 where he continued to give proofs of his courage and martial skill4 ,between him and ,lord ,ormonde there had been some disagreement1 but they were reconciled1 and ,broghill ever afterwards remained the fast friend of both husband and wife1 and1 standing high in the ,protector's favour1 in consequence of his military services1 more than one opportunity presented itself of being useful to them4 ,he had come over from ,ireland1 when the ,protector sent for him1 and thus addressed him3 #8,if you are still interested in my ,lord ,ormonde's safety1 you had better advise him to leave ,london4 ,we know all about him1 where he is1 what he is doing1 and he had best absent himself4' ,the hint was given and taken1 and ,lord ,ormonde left ,england accordingly4 ,a short time elapsed1 when one day ,lady ,ormonde was much distressed at receiving a domiciliary visit from one of ,cromwell's functionaries1 who ransacked the house1 and carried away every paper he could find4 ,she immediately sent for her faithful friend1 and besought him to intercede once more in her behalf4 ,broghill lost no time2 he hurried off to ,whitehall1 and found the autocrat in a towering passion4 #8,you have undertaken1 indeed1' he said1 #8for the quietness of a fine person4 ,i have allowed my ,lady ,ormonde #bjjj a year out of her husband's estates1 because they were sufferers in ,ireland4 ,but ,i find she is a wicked woman1 and ,i promise you she shall pay for it4' ,it was some time before ,lord ,broghill could gain a hearing1 but when he was permitted to speak1 he asked what proof could be adduced of ,lady ,ormonde's guilt1 upon which ,cromwell threw him a letter1 that certainly left no doubt of the writer's ,royalist tendencies and disaffection to the existing ,government4 #8,this was found1' said the ,protector1 #8in searching the escritoire at ,lord ,ormonde's house4' ,lord ,broghill could not help laughing4 #8,but this1' he observed1 #8is not the writing of my ,lady ,ormonde4' #8,indeed1' rejoined ,cromwell angrily1 #8and pray who wrote these lines8' ,bent on saving his friends1 ,lord ,broghill not only explained the letter was from ,lady ,isabella ,thynne 7between whom and ,lord ,ormonde there had been undoubted love passages71 but he produced some other letters from the same lady to identify the handwriting1 and further proceeded to relate several anecdotes of a most lively nature respecting her1 which turned all ,cromwell's wrath into merriment1 and he laughed immoderately4 ,broghill's judicious conduct had gained his friends' cause4 ,we have forestalled events in order to finish the romance of which ,lady ,isabella ,thynne was the heroine1 and we must now turn back to the year #afbi1 being that of the marriage4 ,lord ,thurles took his bride to the house of his maternal uncle1 in ,gloucestershire1 where they remained a year1 and then proceeded to ,carrick1 in ,ireland1 where his grandfather lived1 and where he began his military career by purchasing a troop of horse4 ,he went to ,scotland1 and then to ,england1 and succeeding to the title of ,ormonde on ,earl ,walter's death1 returned to ,ireland in #afcc4 ,there he began a life of activity1 which never ceased from that time forward4 ,many passages in ,carte's ,life of the #8great ,duke' tend to confirm our previous remark1 that ,irish history1 more than that of any other nation1 verifies the saying1 #8,que l'histoire se rpte4' ,great were the expectations raised all over the kingdom1 in #afbc1 of important matters to be done on the coming over of a new ,lord-,deputy1 endowed with a larger measure of authority1 etc4 ,this was ,lord ,wentworth1 who arrived in ,dublin in ,july #afcc4 ,lord ,ormonde did not delay to repair thither1 in order to pay his respects to my ,lord ,wentworth1 who1 chancing to observe him from a window1 as he was crossing the ,castle-yard1 observed to the standers-by1 #8,if ,i possess any skill in physiognomy1 that young man will be the chief of his family4' ,at the outset of their acquaintance1 an incident occurred which threatened to make a breach between these two high spirits1 but1 instead thereof1 cemented a friendship1 which was only terminated by the untimely death of ,lord ,strafford4 ,during the session of the ,irish ,parliament1 the ,lord-,deputy had found it advisable to prohibit the ,lords wearing their swords1 lest1 in the heat of argument1 they might have recourse to sharper weapons than those of eloquence4 ,the order was obeyed in every instance1 save that of my ,lord ,ormonde1 who1 when the ,usher of the ,black ,rod insisted on his disarming1 replied angrily1 marching on in a stately manner1 and taking his seat in the ,house1 #8,you shall have no sword of mine1 except through your body4' ,on being summoned before the ,lord-,deputy for this open act of insubordination1 he proudly drew forth the ,king's warrant for his admission to the ,privy ,council4 ,the ,lord-,deputy was satisfied1 and the two noblemen became fast friends4 ,when evil days fell on ,strafford1 and the ,irish ,parliament joined the ,english in hastening his downfall1 ,lord ,ormonde pleaded his cause in the ,upper ,house with so much reason and eloquence as to bias a considerable party in ,strafford's favour1 at least for a time4 ,the letters which passed between them during the latter's imprisonment were couched in the most affectionate terms4 ,writing from the ,tower1 the captive tells his friend that he has recommended him to the ,king for the ,lord-,deputyship of ,ireland2 and later he writes3 #8,there is so little rest given to me1 my noble ,lord1 that ,i have scarce time to eat my bread4 ,your ,lordship's favours to me in my afflictions are such as have and shall level my heart at your foot so long as ,i live4' ,on the eve of his execution1 ,strafford intrusted ,archbishop ,usher with some last requests to the ,king1 amongst which was the earnest hope that the ,earl of ,ormonde should have his vacant ,garter4 ,the offer was made2 but ,lord ,ormonde declined1 saying that his loyalty needed no such stimulus1 and that the honour might be more advantageously bestowed for the ,king's service4 ,at the breaking out of the ,irish rebellion1 the ,king wished to appoint him ,lord-,deputy1 but was overruled by the ,parliament1 which had resolved on ,lord ,leicester4 ,he was however selected by the ,lords-,justices in ,ireland for the chief command of the forces in that country4 ,the appointment was an excellent one4 ,he was successful against the rebels for a considerable period1 and his services were 7for a time7 duly appreciated by the ,english ,commons1 who voted a large sum of money to purchase him a jewel of great value4 ,they also recommended him to the ,king for the ,garter1 an honour that was bestowed later on a most deserving knight4 ,ormonde was indeed as chivalrous as he was brave1 keeping good faith with his savage adversaries2 and a noble answer given by him is worthy to be recorded here4 ,one of the native chiefs threatened to take reprisals on ,lady ,ormonde and his family4 #8,my wife and dear ones1' said the ,general1 #8are in your power2 but for myself1 ,i should never be dastardly enough to revenge any offence they received on the women and children of my enemies4' ,after a while his popularity began to wane1 and he became a mark for jealousy and calumny on both sides of ,st4 ,george's ,channel4 ,the ,lords-,justices thwarted him in his campaigns1 and stinted him in supplies1 and the ,lord-,deputy ,leicester never let slip an opportunity of doing him an evil turn1 both in public and private4 ,the ,king1 however1 remained his staunch friend1 and wrote him a most flattering letter1 renewing his command of the army1 and raising him to the grade of a ,marquis4 ,the account of the ,irish rebellion would1 and indeed has1 filled many a large volume1 and concerns history rather than biography4 ,we cannot do more than glance at events1 in which ,lord ,ormonde himself bore so distinguished a part4 ,after giving the most striking proofs of valour1 patriotism1 and loyalty in his encounters with the insurgents1 under difficulties of almost unparalleled hardship1 want of supplies1 provisions1 and the like1 he found himself compelled to agree to a cessation of arms for twelve months4 ,the news of this treaty was received with much disapprobation in ,england1 and was represented by the enemies of ,ormonde and of the ,king1 as #8an unseasonable and unnecessary concession2' but ,charles was duly impressed with the honour and ability of his faithful servant1 and resolved to make him ,lord-,lieutenant in the stead of ,lord ,leicester4 ,the gallant ,general was unwilling to accept the post1 but was persuaded to do so1 #8without much hope1 indeed1 of serving the ,crown1 or remedying many of the disorders4' ,during his tenure of office1 political and religious factions were at their height in this most unhappy country1 and intrigues on both sides of ,st4 ,george's ,channel were carried on against the ,lord-,lieutenant1 paralysing his efforts1 till he had no choice but to conclude a peace1--a peace that was no peace4 ,conspiracies of all kinds were hatched1--and one in particular was discovered1 the aim of which was to seize the person of ,lord ,ormonde in his own castle of ,kilkenny1 whence he escaped with much difficulty to ,dublin1 where he was besieged by the insurgents4 ,he held out till all his supplies were exhausted1 and he had lost every hope of redress4 ,the ,king was a prisoner in the hands of the ,roundheads1 who had sent over ,commissioners to ,ireland2 there was no choice left for ,ormonde but to surrender to the ,irish1 or ,english rebels4 ,he chose the latter alternative1 and1 delivering up the keys to the ,commissioners1 embarked for ,england1 followed by the prayers and good wishes of the well-affected among the citizens1 but more especially of the poorer clergy1 whose wives and children had been saved from starvation by his bounty and that of his excellent wife4 ,he reached ,england1 went first to ,iron ,acton1 gained a pass from ,general ,fairfax which gave him access to the ,king 7then a prisoner in his own palace of ,hampton ,court71 and hired a lodging at ,kingston-on-,thames1 in order to remain in the vicinity4 ,he had frequent intercourse with his ,royal master1 who fully appreciated all his devoted friend and subject had dared and done for his service1 and reiterated his opinion that no one else was qualified to fill the post of ,viceroy of ,ireland4 ,but this view of the case did not fall in with the notions of those in authority1 and ,ormonde received intimation to the effect that it would be advisable for him to leave ,england1 which he accordingly did1 and1 crossing to ,dieppe1 proceeded to ,paris1 to join the ,queen1 ,henrietta ,maria1 and the ,prince of ,wales4 ,while residing in the ,french capital1 ,lord ,ormonde kept up a continuous correspondence with the loyalists in ,scotland1 and more especially with the influential leaders in ,ireland4 ,there had existed a feud between the ,lords ,ormonde and ,inchiquin and ,lord ,broghill1 ,general of the ,horse1 but it was not difficult to bring about a reconciliation between three devoted servants of the ,crown4 ,lord ,ormonde was at length prevailed on by the wishes of the ,queen and ,prince1 as also by the earnest solicitations of the ,royalists in ,ireland1 to return to that country1 and resume his post as ,lord-,lieutenant4 ,he had1 during his stay in ,paris1 entered into communication with many leading members of the ,roman ,catholic religion1 with a view to a pacification between the two opposing creeds on his return1 and had also endeavoured to raise at the ,french ,court a sufficient sum to insure him proper supplies2 but in this respect he was wofully disappointed1 and he landed in ,cork with the miserable sum of thirty ,french pistoles in his military chest4 ,everything was against him in ,dublin1--the hands of the ,parliamentarians1 ,cromwell's emissaries spread far and wide over the country1 while ,prince ,rupert1 who commanded a ,royalist fleet on the coast1 was less assistance than detriment to the cause1 from his unceasing jealousy and rivalry of other officials4 ,the news of the ,king's execution was received with consternation by his partisans in ,scotland and ,ireland1 and with profound grief by ,lord ,ormonde1 who caused the ,prince of ,wales to be instantly proclaimed1 and wrote off to him urging the advisability of his coming over in person1--a scheme which was not carried out4 ,the ,lord-,lieutenant was now engaged in negotiations of a pacific nature with the so-called #8old ,irish party' 7headed by ,phelim ,o',neill1 and other leading ,roman ,catholics71 and he concentrated all his energies on gaining possession of ,dublin4 ,but the death of ,o',neill1 the arrival of ,cromwell with a large body of troops1 and the number of desertions1 all conduced to render his position untenable4 ,he only waited for the ,king's sanction to leave ,ireland1 and once more embarked for ,france1 where1 after a most tempestuous voyage1 he joined his wife and children at ,caen1 and passed many months between that temporary home and ,paris1 where he finally joined the king1 as a regular attendant1 after ,charles's escape from the battle of ,worcester4 ,ormonde was now reduced to the greatest straits1 having but one pistole a week for his board1 and being obliged #8to go afoot1 which is not considered reputable in ,paris2' added to which1 his wife found it impossible to live on at ,caen1 even in the modest style to which she had lately been accustomed2 and the ,king had nothing to spare out of his scanty pittance to assist his friends4 ,in these trying circumstances1 it was arranged that ,lady ,ormonde should go to ,england in person1 and endeavour to gain some redress from ,parliament4 ,it was no agreeable errand1 but the lady was well qualified to act with spirit and determination1 tempered by tact2 and she did not shrink from the undertaking4 ,her dignity of demeanour and her courage were proverbial4 ,it had been said of her that she had the spirit of old ,earl ,thomas2 and she knew how to inspire ,cromwell with respect4 ,in her interviews he always treated her with the greatest consideration1 and accompanied her downstairs to her coach or chair1 although she was kept long in suspense about her financial demands1 and the great man often answered her arguments by a shrug of the shoulders4 ,it may not come into the proper place1 as far as dates are concerned1 but1 speaking of her relations with the ,protector1 we must allude to an audience she had of him later4 ,cromwell was very jealous of the growing power and popularity of ,lord ,ossory1 and although he had already granted him a pass to travel beyond seas1 he suddenly thought it safer to have him seized1 and sent to the ,tower4 ,his mother immediately proceeded to ,whitehall1 or wherever ,cromwell was holding his reception at the time1 and asked her son's freedom1 saying she knew not who were his accusers1 or of what crime they accused him1 but that she would answer with her life for her son's innocence4 ,cromwell begged to be excused giving her an answer1 but observed he had much more reason to be afraid of her than of anybody else4 #8,i desire no favour1' said the noble petitioner aloud1 before the hundreds who were present on the occasion1 #8but do consider it strange that ,i1 who have never been implicated in any plot1 and never said a word against the ,protector1 should be considered so terrible a person6' #8,no1 madam1 that is not exactly the case1' replied ,oliver2 #8but your worth has gained you so great an influence over all the commanders of our party1 and we know so well your power over the other side1 that it is in your ,ladyship's breast to act what you please4' ,the incident speaks well for both parties1 and ,oliver1 with all his faults1 had learned to respect a noble woman when he encountered one1 being blest as he was in his wife and mother4 ,after many delays and heartburnings1 the ,parliament authorised ,lady ,ormonde to receive from the ,irish ,commissioners a yearly income for herself and children of #bjjj out of her own inheritance1 together with the house of ,donnemore1 near ,kilkenny1 for their residence4 ,here she took up her abode1 and never saw her ,lord again till the ,restoration4 ,the treaty which was concluded between the ,protector and the ,court of ,france rendered it imperative on the ,english ,king to leave ,paris1 and1 accordingly1 accompanied by ,ormonde1 he proceeded to ,spa 7to meet his sister1 the ,princess of ,orange71 and afterwards to ,aix-la-,chapelle and ,cologne4 ,from the latter place he despatched ,lord ,ormonde to ,paris on an errand of trust and difficulty4 ,the young ,duke of ,gloucester had been sent to the ,french capital with a hardly-wrung permission from ,oliver to pursue his education under the auspices of his mother1 who had pledged her word to the ,king not to tamper with the boy's religion1--an oath which ,henrietta ,maria evidently thought #8more honoured in the breach than the observance4' ,she accordingly separated the ,duke from his ,protestant tutor1 and placed him under the care of a ,jesuit priest1 where she frequently visited him1 and by alternate coaxing and threatening strove to bring her child over to her own creed4 ,the boy stood firm1 and declared he would never disobey his father's last injunctions1 but the ,queen's menace of never seeing his face again grieved his affectionate nature so much as to injure his health4 ,ormonde arrived in ,paris1 armed with the ,king's authority to convey the ,duke of ,gloucester to ,cologne1 but the necessary funds for travelling expenses were not forthcoming1 so the ,duke went to reside for a time in ,paris with ,lord ,hatton1 a firm ,royalist and faithful ,protestant4 ,lord ,ormonde was not one to be baffled in any undertaking in which he was engaged3 he pawned his ,garter1 and the jewel which the ,parliament had given him1 to defray the cost of the journey2 and he set out with his young charge1 travelling for safety via ,antwerp1 where he was like to have died of a fever4 ,at length1 however1 he placed the youth under the protection of the ,king1 his brother1 and they remained together till the ,restoration took them to ,england4 ,so temperately and judiciously had ,lord ,ormonde conducted this affair1 that the ,king was deeply grateful to him1 and he still kept a tolerable hold on the good graces of the ,queen1 and was1 indeed1 afterwards instrumental in bringing about a reconciliation between mother and son4 ,he was now employed in several diplomatic missions of importance1 especially with the ,court of ,spain1 and he ventured into ,england1 at the risk of life and freedom1 in order to communicate with the ,royalists at home4 ,he landed on the coast of ,essex in disguise1 and went to ,london1 where he lay perdu1 only venturing out at nightfall1 and running the gauntlet of many dangers and adventures1 which were not without some charm for a man of his spirit4 ,we cannot refrain from alluding to an incident1 which1 though in reality trivial1 has a laughable side1 and there has been little that is laughable to record in the life of ,lord ,ormonde4 ,he often changed his lodgings1 and was constantly reconnoitring the premises with a view to escape1 changing his clothes1 generally lying down dressed4 ,he had an aversion to wearing a periwig1 so a friend gave him a dye to turn his own hair black1 but the lotion was badly mixed1 and the ingredients deleterious1 so that poor ,lord ,ormonde's head was not only scalded1 but his hair came out in party-coloured patches of every variegated hue1 more likely to attract than elude observation4 ,he returned to ,paris1 having proved1 what was already undoubted1 his courage and zeal to the ,king's service1 but with no other good result4 ,his presence in the ,french capital was almost as dangerous as it had been in ,london1 for ,cromwell had set a price upon his head1 and the ,cardinal ,mazarin1 who was then ,prime ,minister1 was by no means insensible to the charms of money4 ,the liberality of ,lord ,ormonde1 even in his straitened circumstances1 had like on one occasion to have been productive of unfortunate results1 and the incident teaches a lesson of the necessity of studying the peculiar manners and customs of foreign countries in contradistinction to our own4 ,lord ,ormonde was much respected and courted by the ,french nobility1 to one of whom he paid a visit near ,st4 ,germains1 and on his departure1 according to the well-known ,english fashion of #8vails' or parting gifts1 he presented the matre d'htel with ten pistoles1 being the whole contents of his purse4 ,riding onward1 as we may imagine rather disconsolately1 the ,marquis was startled by the sound of wheels driving furiously2 and1 looking back1 perceived his late host's coach gaining on him4 ,he reined in his steed1 sprang from the saddle1 and embraced his friend1 who alighted at the same moment4 ,lord ,ormonde was surprised at a decided coldness in the ,frenchman's manner and tone of voice1 as he said1 #8,after you left the chteau1 ,i heard a great disturbance among the servants of my household1 and1 inquiring into the cause1 found them all quarrelling over their share of the money which your ,lordship1 for some inexplicable motive1 had given to my matre d'htel4 ,i am come to ask if you found any fault with your treatment in my house8' #8,on the contrary1' warmly responded ,lord ,ormonde4 #8,then why did you treat it as an inn8 ,i pay my servants well to wait on me and my guests4 ,i do not know1 my ,lord1 if this be the custom in your country1 but assuredly it is not so with us4 ,here are the ten pistoles1 which ,i have rescued from my servants' grasp2 you must either take them back at my hands1 or else your ,lordship must give me on the spot that satisfaction which no gentleman can refuse another4' ,we may believe the affair turned into one of laughter rather than of #8honour1' when ,lord ,ormonde explained that in his country such amenities were invariably practised by guests at leave-taking4 ,the ,king of ,england was now at ,brussels1 hampered and entangled by fruitless negotiations with foreign powers1 and he sent for his right hand1 ,lord ,ormonde4 ,short cuts are proverbially dangerous1 and so thought the ,marquis1 who1 taking horse1 rode from ,paris1 via ,lyons and ,geneva1 through the ,palatinate to ,brussels1 where he joined the ,king1 who1 failing in his ,spanish views1 had formed an idea of marrying the daughter of ,frederic ,henry1 the ,stadtholder4 ,but the ,dowager ,princess of ,orange1 who was very powerful at her son's ,court1 opposed the design so strongly that the match was prevented4 ,meanwhile ,lord ,ormonde's eldest son1 the ,earl of ,ossory1 fell in love with ,emilia1 daughter of ,louis de ,nassau1 ,lord of ,auverquerque1 a natural son of ,maurice1 ,prince of ,orange4 ,louis was much esteemed1 both for character and position1 and had considerable weight in the ,assembly of the ,states4 ,at first he was persistent in his demands that ,lord ,ormonde should come forward with good settlements1 but1 being made to understand the state of ,irish affairs1 he was content to accept what ,lord ,ossory's mother 7who could deny nothing to her first-born7 contrived to spare out of her hardly gained pittance4 ,moreover1 he found the young couple were devotedly attached1 and that ,ossory had refused a more advantageous marriage with the daughter of the ,earl of ,southampton1 in consequence of his preference for ,emilia2 and so the marriage was arranged1 ,lord ,ormonde himself nothing loath that his son's happiness should be assured by a connection which he hoped might also prove beneficial to the ,king's interests4 ,one of ,lord ,ossory's daughters married ,auverquerque1 ,earl of ,grantham1 and their daughter1 ,henrietta 7eventually sole heiress to her grandfather71 married the second ,lord ,cowper4 ,from this lady the present ,earl lays claim1 not only to titles and estates1 but to a lineal descent from the illustrious patriot1 ,william the ,silent4 ,better times were in store1 of however short duration4 ,the ,restoration was at hand1 and ,ormonde1 as may have been expected1 was one of those faithful friends whom the ,king #8delighted to honour4' ,he was made ,lord ,steward of the ,household1 ,duke of ,ormonde in the peerage of ,ireland1 ,earl of ,brecknock and ,baron ,lantony in that of ,england1 and all his estates1 dignities1 and privileges in the sister country of which he had been deprived1 restored to him1 though1 as far as emolument went1 some were scarcely more than nominal4 ,he walked at the coronation as ,lord ,steward1 and carried ,st4 ,edward's crown4 ,the ,viceroyalty of ,ireland1 having been offered to and declined by the ,duke of ,albemarle1 was next proffered to the ,duke of ,ormonde1 who undertook the thankless task with eyes sharpened by long experience2 and in so doing he remarked to a friend3 #8,besides many other disadvantages1 there are two proper to me--one of the contending parties believing that ,i owe them more kindness and protection than ,i find myself chargeable with1 and the other suspecting ,i entertain that prejudice to them from which ,i am free4 ,this temper will be attended undeniably in them with clamour and scandal upon my most equal and wary deportment1'--a prophecy which was too soon and too exactly fulfilled4 ,the ,lord-,lieutenant was received with great pomp and splendour1 and a sum of several thousands voted to facilitate his acceptance of the dignity2 but a year had not elapsed before a deeply-laid plot was discovered to seize the ,castle of ,dublin and the person of his ,excellency2 and though the principal conspirators were arrested1 and some executed1 the arch-traitor ,blood1 who was one of them1 escaped1 with a vow of vengeance in his heart against the ,duke1 as will be seen hereafter4 ,once more in straits for troops for the ,king's service1 and money to pay them1 ,ormonde wrote to the ,duke of ,albemarle1 asking for five hundred men1 to which request he got the unsatisfactory reply1 that ,monk himself had not that number in his whole army upon whose fidelity he could rely4 ,ormonde1 however1 was not discouraged1 as we shall see by an extract from the author already quoted1 speaking of all the difficulties with which the ,lord-,lieutenant had to contend4 #8,he was not less indefatigable and prudent than his enemies were indefatigable1 industrious1 and artful1 but turned his whole thoughts to raising the distressed kingdom of ,ireland1 both in character and circumstances4 ,he gave the greatest encouragement to learning1 fostered trade1 and revived the linen manufacture1 which had been founded by ,lord ,strafford4' ,it seems strange that the ,irish1 who are among the best and most skilful artificers of any nation1 should scarcely ever have persisted in any manufacture1 among the many that have been set on foot at different times1 with the exception of this branch1 in which they have for so many years been paramount4 ,the ,duke also advocated for ,ireland the advantages of free trade to all foreign nations1 in peace and war2 for no ingratitude on the part of his countrymen ever induced ,ormonde to neglect their interests in matters ecclesiastical1 civil1 or military4 ,added to which1 he made the most liberal sacrifices of his own personal property to advance the interests of the ,king and the country he ruled2 yet notwithstanding1 he was made the mark for calumny and persecution1 in ,england as well as in ,ireland1 and the ,duke of ,buckingham hated and envied him1 and meditated an impeachment1 while ,lords ,arlington and ,shaftesbury were most inimical to him1 neither was he a favourite with the ,queen-,mother1 in spite of all the services he had rendered her4 ,another formidable adversary was ,barbara1 ,countess of ,castlemaine1 afterwards ,duchess of ,cleveland1 the rapacious mistress of ,charles ,,ii41 who had given her the ,lodge in ,phnix ,park1 ,dublin4 ,the ,lord-,lieutenant refused to confirm the grant1 stopped the warrant1 declaring that it was the proper summer quarter for himself and his successors in office4 ,barbara1 as may be expected1 never forgave this interference4 ,meeting the ,duke one day while he was in ,london1 in the precincts of the ,court1 she fell on him with abusive and insulting words1 and concluded by saying she devoutly wished she might live to see him hanged4 ,his ,grace listened with a calm1 imperturbable smile to these ravings1 and said he was not in such hot haste to put an end to her ,ladyship's existence2 he should be quite content to live long enough to see her old and ugly4 ,neither did the faithful friendship which existed between the ,duke and the ,earl of ,clarendon1 whose star was now waning1 redound to the worldly advantage of the former4 ,he made more than one journey to ,england to give an account of his stewardship to the ,king1 as also to look after his own interests1 well knowing what numbers were plotting against him4 ,burnet1 ,pepys1 ,evelyn1 all pay their tribute to the ,duke during his residence in ,london at this time1 when ,charles1 who esteemed him in his heart1 was too weak to uphold him against his arrogant favourite and his other slanderers4 ,pepys says3 #8,i do hear that my ,lord of ,ormonde shall not hold his government of ,ireland any longer1 which shows the power of ,buckingham and the poor spirit of the ,king1 and the little hold that any man can have of him4' ,again3 #8,this day ,i do hear that my ,lord ,ormonde is to be declared in ,council no more ,lord-,deputy of ,ireland2 his time of commission having expired1 the ,king is prevailed with to take it out of his hands1 which people do mightily admire' 7how many meanings may lie in the same word671 #8saying he is the greatest subject of any ,prince in ,christendom1 and hath done more for his ,prince than any ever yet did1 but he must down1 it seems3 the ,duke of ,buckingham carries all before him2' and so forth4 ,but the machinations of his enemies succeeded4 ,lord ,robartes reigned in his stead1 while the ,duchess went over to ,dublin to break up the establishment1 and received an ovation from the people there4 ,oxford1 of which ,university the ,duke had been made ,chancellor1 came forward to show him all the respect he deserved1 but no longer received1 at the hands of the weak-spirited ,charles1 whom he continued to serve so faithfully4 ,archbishop ,sheldon1 speaking of the ,duke's firmness and temper1 which he showed in the melancholy occasion of his disfavour at ,court1 says it insured the admiration of all bystanders beyond everything he had ever done before1--indeed it was the most glorious part of his life4 ,one of the principal causes of the ,king's coldness was the resolution ,ormonde had formed1 and from which he never swerved3 he would not truckle to those female harpies who were ruining the ,king not only in his pocket1 but in the estimation of his people4 ,so dignified was ,ormonde's demeanour that ,buckingham asked ,charles1 #8,will your ,majesty answer me one question3 ,is it the ,duke who is out of favour with the ,king1 or the ,king with the ,duke8 for1 upon my word1 it is your ,majesty who looks most out of countenance when you are together4' ,people who were not cognisant of the real state of affairs at ,court would sometimes ask him to intercede for some favour1 which caused him to reply3 #8,i have no longer the power to help1 only to hurt4' ,one day ,carey ,dillon1 afterwards ,lord ,roscommon1 came and requested the ,duke to assist him with the ,king in some private affair1 saying1 #8,i have no friends but ,god and yourself4' #8,alas6' said ,ormonde1 #8poor ,carey1 ,i pity thee2 thou couldst not have two friends who have less interest at ,court or less respect shown them there4' ,the ,prince of ,orange being over in ,england1 the ,duke had been in attendance on his ,highness at a banquet given by the ,city of ,london1 and was returning to ,clarendon ,house1 where he then lived1 in his coach1 which was so large that he had caused iron spikes to be placed at the back1 lest his footmen should get up1 and make it too heavy for the horses2 so six of them walked by the side2 but1 in spite of this escort1 the coach was stopped by the notorious ,blood and several accomplices1 who had been on the watch in ,st4 ,james's ,street4 ,they dragged out the ,duke1 and placed him behind a horseman1 tightly bound by a rope1 with orders that the prisoner should be conveyed to ,tyburn1 while ,blood galloped on in front to prepare the gallows1 with his own hands1 for the execution of the man he detested4 ,but ,ormonde made a stalwart resistance2 he struggled so violently as to impede the progress of the horseman1 and at length1 getting his foot under the stirrup1 upset his captor1 and they both rolled off together on the pavement4 ,meantime the coachman had hastened home1 alarmed the servants1 with whom he tore off in pursuit1 and by the light 7not of the stars of heaven1 but7 of the star which the ,duke wore1 and which glittered in the flicker of the lamps1 they found the struggling pair1 and1 rescuing their beloved master1 conveyed him home almost senseless4 ,it was naturally supposed that ,blood would suffer condign punishment2 but to the surprise of all--saving1 perhaps1 the ,duke of ,buckingham and the ,duchess of ,cleveland--the ,king not only pardoned him1 but gave him later on an estate in ,ireland6 ,it was currently believed at ,court that ,buckingham had a hand in this attempt on ,ormonde's life1 and ,lord ,ossory taxed him with it one day at ,court4 #8,i give you warning1' said the eager young man1 #8that if my father comes to a violent death by the hand of a ruffian1 or by secret way of poison1 ,i shall not be at a loss to know who is the author1 but consider you the assassin1 and whenever ,i meet you will pistol you1 though it be behind the ,king's chair4 ,and ,i tell you this in his ,majesty's presence1 that you may know ,i will keep my word1'--a threat which the blustering ,duke seems to have found himself obliged to put up with2 at all events1 it was said that when ,blood was tried for stealing the ,regalia1 he accused ,buckingham on this count2 and the ,king1 whose unreasonable clemency with respect to the villain has always remained a mystery1 sent to beg ,ormonde's forgiveness for ,blood4 ,the ,duke replied to the messenger3 #8,if the ,king can forgive him for stealing his crown1 ,i may easily forgive him for attempting my life4' ,in order to be near his service at ,court1 the ,duke had taken a house near ,windsor1 and1 being in great favour with the ,queen and the ,duchess of ,york1 was often summoned to play at basset with them4 ,one ,sunday1 the card-table being brought out1 the ,queen invited him to play4 #8,i hope your ,majesty will excuse me1' he said4 #8,you surely can have no scruples1' observed the ,queen1 not best pleased2 #8nobody else has any4' #8,i beg your ,majesty's pardon1' was the reply2 #8,christian1 and even ,jewish1 laws1 set apart one day in seven for the service of ,god1 and cessation from business4' ,undoubtedly at this ,court card-playing was a business1 and one in no way profitable to the impoverished state of the ,duke's fortune4 ,we do not know if it were at ,windsor or in ,london1 but1 after having been slighted for so long by the ,king1 ,ormonde frequently asked leave to retire from ,court4 ,he one day received the astounding intelligence that his ,majesty would sup with his ,grace4 ,the cause of this sudden step was to announce the ,royal intention of reinstating the ,duke of ,ormonde in the viceregal power in ,ireland1 ,charles being thereto instigated1 it was said1 by the ,duke of ,york1 who feared the post might be offered to the ,duke of ,monmouth4 ,we are inclined to believe that it was on this occasion that the ,duchess prepared so sumptuous a repast as to call forth a lengthened description in ,carte's life of her husband3 #8,if she had a fault1 #8twas the height of her spirit1 which put her upon doing everything in a magnificent manner1 without regard for expense4' ,bent on giving his ,majesty a noble entertainment1 the ,duchess consulted her steward1 who expostulated1 as in duty bound1 and counselled greater economy2 but her ,grace drew herself up1 and observed with much dignity3 #8,you must allow me to be a better judge of what is fitting for my own sphere2' and so the banquet cost over #bjjj6--;if we may trust the biographer so often quoted4 ,the ,duke1 who loved her dearly1 never interfered with her financial arrangements1 though he must often have had reason to regret them4 ,he was once betrayed into a melancholy jest on this subject4 ,the ,duchess had built ,dunmore ,castle for her jointure-house1 at a large cost1 and one day1 as the ,duke was walking with a friend on the leads of ,kilkenny ,castle1 which commanded a fine view of the surrounding country1 the new castle and grounds forming a conspicuous object in the landscape1--#8,your ,grace1' observed his companion1 smiling1 #8has done a great deal here2 but yonder you have done more4' #8,alas6' replied the ,duke1 #8my wife has done so much1 that she has undone me4' ,the history of his return to power was but a repetition of all that had gone before4 ,fresh plots against his authority and his life1 fresh outbreaks of religious strife between ,catholics and ,protestants1 continued undermining of his interests in ,england2 but no public trouble could be compared with the crushing sorrow occasioned by the death of his eldest son1 ,lord ,ossory1 in the prime of life1 in the zenith of his reputation4 ,we have no space to enlarge on the merits of this noble son of a noble father2 he has been immortalised in the pages of that father's faithful friend1 ,lord ,clarendon4 ,suffice it to say1 that all ,england and ,ireland sympathised with the afflicted parents4 ,the ,duchess appears never to have entirely rallied1 for though her death did not occur till some years later1 her health began to fail1 and she went over to ,bath for the benefit of the waters4 ,in #afhd1 of fever and weakness1 this most remarkable woman1 the #8best helpmate man ever was blessed with1' died1 at the age of sixty-nine1 having married when only fourteen4 ,her guardian1 ,lord ,holland1 had so far neglected her education1 that she had never even learned to write1 but she taught herself by copying print1 which was the reason her letters were never joined together4 ,in appearance she was tall and well made1 but not a beauty2 an excellent capacity for business1 good sense and judgment1 and1 as we have said before1 an undaunted spirit1 which fitted her for all the vicissitudes of her eventful life4 ,irreproachable in her own conduct1 she avoided the society of the ,king's favourites1 and #8would never wait on the ,duchess of ,cleveland1' who was her enemy in consequence4 ,the ,duchess of ,portsmouth would take no denial1 and when the ,ormondes lived near ,windsor would always be calling1 and once she sent word she was coming to dine4 ,the ,duchess1 on receiving this semi-royal intimation1 despatched her granddaughters1 who were staying with her1 to ,london1 and when #8,la ,qurouaille' arrived she found no one to sit with her at table1 with the exception of the ,duke and ,duchess1 and their domestic chaplain2 whereas1 when the ,duke of ,york married ,lady ,anne ,hyde1 and few were found to pay her court1 the ,duchess of ,ormonde waited on the bride1 and1 kneeling1 kissed her hand1 as to a ,princess of the blood4 ,queen ,catherine esteemed the ,duchess of ,ormonde highly1 none the less1 doubtless1 for the slights she put upon #8,the ,castlemaine1' and made her a present of her own and the ,king's portraits1 set in large diamonds1 which their ,majesties had exchanged at the ,royal marriage4 ,this jewel was given by the ,duke to his grandson's wife1 ,lady ,mary ,somerset1 who was compelled to sell it for subsistence at the ,revolution1 when her husband's estates passed away from him4 ,the ,duke was in ,england when his wife died1 and was inconsolable2 #8indeed1 when alone at night1 he was almost distracted4' ,the only solace he found was in constant work1 and he hurried over to ,dublin to resume his duties2 in the meantime1 ,charles ,,ii41 who had lately made him an ,english ,duke1 was besieged1 as before1 with applications once more to deprive his faithful servant of the ,lord-,lieutenancy4 ,for a while he stood firm1 saying he had one of his kingdoms in good hands1 and was resolved to keep it so2 and another time1 being asked by my ,lord ,arlington if the report were true that the ,duke was to be recalled1 his ,majesty replied with much anger1 #8,it is a damned lie6' ,but no one could trust in the steadfastness of the #8,merry ,monarch4' ,ormonde's enemy1 ,colonel ,talbot1 made a report on ,irish affairs1 which ,charles took hold of as a plea for the ,duke's recall4 ,sir ,robert ,southwell wrote to ,dublin to give him warning of the ,king's decision4 #8,they begin early1' was the reply1 #8to find fault with my conduct1 before ,i am warm in my post here1 or my head recovered from the agitation of the sea4' ,charles ,,ii4 died suddenly1 but ,james lost no time in carrying out his brother's intention2 ,ormonde was superseded by ,lord ,clarendon1 the ,king's father-in-law1 and he had in turn to make way for ,ormonde's bitter enemy1 ,colonel ,talbot1 who1 in #afhg1 was made ,earl of ,tyrconnell and ,lord-,lieutenant of ,ireland4 ,his ,majesty paid the ,duke the scanty compliment of asking him to remain in his post at ,court1 which he did1 and again carried the ,crown at the ,coronation4 ,in ,february #afhf he went to stay a while at ,cornbury1 a beautifully situated forest lodge in ,oxfordshire1 lent him by his friend1 ,lord ,clarendon1 whence he waited on the ,king at ,bristol2 and1 being afterwards laid up with gout and rheumatism at ,badminton1 ,james visited him twice in person1 and condescended to request him to continue his place at ,court1 though unable to attend4 ,the ,duke then proceeded to ,kingston ,hall1 a country house he had hired in ,dorsetshire1 where he died4 ,the constant society of his faithful friends1 ,sir ,robert ,southwell1 and the ,bishop of ,worcester1 who had been his domestic chaplain1 cheered his last days1 and he took much delight in seeing little ,lord ,thurles1 his great-grandson1 playing about the room1 or in taking the child on his knee to caress him4 ,one day1 appearing more than usually downcast1 he was asked the reason4 #8,this is the anniversary of the saddest day of my life1' replied the ,duke1--#8the day on which ,i lost my beloved wife4' ,he had always been of a religious turn of mind1 never entering on any new duty1 or assuming any responsibility1 without writing for himself special prayers to be used on the occasion4 ,he attended family prayers twice a day up to the very last1 received the ,sacrament1 selecting his fellow-communicants1 and took a tender leave of his servants1 thanking them for their fidelity1 and regretting he had nothing to leave them1 beyond a recommendation in his will to his successor4 ,his attendants were lifting him from one side of the bed to the other when his noble spirit passed away1 gently1 silently1 without a groan or struggle4 ,he had eight sons1 all of whom he survived1 and two daughters3 of his sons1 five died very young1 and one under peculiar 7we are tempted to say national7 circumstances4 ,the boy was taking an airing in the ,phnix ,park1 when the horses took fright and ran away1 and the ,irish nurse1 anxious to save the life of her little charge1 flung him headlong from the window6 ,in appearance the first ,duke of ,ormonde was tall1 well-shaped1 and inclined to embonpoint2 his complexion was fair1 which gained for him the nickname among the ,irish of ,bawn4 ,he was plain1 but elegant1 in his dress1 especially at ,court1 when people began to be slovenly2 he wore his hat without a button1 uncocked1 as it came from the block1 after the fashion of his ,majesty4 ,but he was given to pomp on state occasions2 the service of the ,viceregal ,court was simply splendid1--numbers of coaches1 horses1 and retainers4 ,in travelling he always carried his staff of office with him1 and when they came to a town1 his gentleman 7bareheaded7 bore it through the streets1 before his ,grace's coach4 ,he used often to revert in after days to an incident which might well #8point a moral' on the danger of that offence1 so frequently considered venial1--a white lie4 ,one time1 when ,lord ,ormonde was in ,france1 it was deemed necessary he should go over suddenly and secretly to ,ireland for the ,king's service1 and he accordingly embarked in a small boat1 on a stormy day4 #8,the master came up to his noble passenger during the voyage1 and inquired the hour1 and ,lord ,ormonde1 being very anxious to make as quick a passage as possible1 told the man an hour later than the real time4 ,the consequence was1 that the skipper miscalculated the time of the tide and the boat was wrecked1 split in two on the rocks1 and ,lord ,ormonde had to take to the cock-boat1 and1 finally1 to be carried ashore on the shoulders of the seamen4 ,there was no help at hand1 for the good people of ,havre were all at church1 it being a festival4 ,thus1 in consequence of a white lie1 told with an excellent motive1 the whole crew were nearly drowned1 and the delay so great as to endanger the success of the undertaking in which ,lord ,ormonde was engaged4 ,we will end a notice1 which has had little that is cheerful or exhilarating in its pages1 with a repartee which the ,duke made to a friend of the family1 one ,mr4 ,cottington1 who lived near ,dublin1 and had a pretty house on the sea-shore4 ,the ,duke's third son1 ,lord ,gowran1 a most genial and popular member of society1 who had given his father much anxiety on account of the laxity of his morals1 had presented ,mr4 ,cottington with a set of the ,ten ,commandments to place over the altar in his new chapel at his marine villa4 ,much delighted1 and doubtless edified1 by so appropriate a donation1 ,mr4 ,cottington expressed his gratification to the ,duke1 who thus answered him3 #8,i think ,i can guess at the nature of my son's generosity2 he can easily part with things he does not intend to keep6' ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,portrait4 ,,unknown4 ,black velvet suit4 ,battle-axe and armour beside him4 ,his hand rests on a table4 ,landscape in background4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,dutch ,,lady4 ,,unknown4 ,black dress4 ,white ruff and cap4 ,standing by a table1 on which she rests her hand4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,mary ,,tudor1 ,,queen ,,of ,,england4 ,dress of white and gold brocade4 ,dark bodice4 ,small ruff4 ,her hands are clasped4 ,,born #aeaf1 ,,succeeded #aeec1 ,,died #aeeh4 ------------------ ,no4 #ab4 ,,cardinal ,,trento4 ,in ,cardinal's robes4 ,sitting in an arm-chair4 ,,born #agbh1 ,,died #aghd4 ,,by ,,tintoretto4 ,,hierome ,trento came of a noble family in ,padua1 and1 at the age of eighteen1 entered the ,order of the ,jesuits at ,bologna4 ,he was zealous and pious in his calling1 and unambitious by nature1 although he attained to the honours of the ,cardinalate4 ,he died in the performance of his duty1 while concluding one of the ,lent services in the church of ,san ,leone1 at ,venice4 ,his posthumous works1 treating of religion and morality1 were published almost immediately after his death4 ------------------ ,no4 #ac4 ,,louve ,,van ,,walta4 ,he married the daughter of ,jarich van ,botnia1 who was ancestor to ,lady ,henrietta ,auverquerque1 daughter of the ,earl of ,grantham1 and first wife to the second ,earl ,cowper4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,north ,,library4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,north ,,library4 ------- ,no4 #a4 ,,the ,,honourable ,,peniston1 ,,william1 ,,and ,,frederic ,,lamb1 ,,three ,,sons ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,in a garden1 the eldest in dark satin coat and velvet breeches4 ,his arm round the youngest child1 who is standing on a boulder in a white frock4 ,he is also supported by the second brother1 dressed in a light-coloured suit4 ,a hat and feathers lying on the ground4 ,,by ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds4 ,,this picture was painted for ,lord ,melbourne1 to whom it did not give satisfaction1 and he returned it to ,sir ,joshua4 ,it was engraved by the title of #8,the ,affectionate ,brothers4' ,peter ,leopold1 fifth ,lord ,cowper1 bought it from the painter's executors for #hjj4 ------------------ ,no4 #b4 ,,portrait4 ,,unknown4 ,black suit4 ,,by ,,bol4 ------------------ ,no4 #c4 ,a ,,lady ,,in ,,the ,,dress ,,of ,,the ,,reign ,,of ,,henry ,,viii4 ------------------ ,no4 #d4 ,,portrait4 ,,unknown4 ,in armour4 ------------------ ,no4 #e4 ,,raphael ,,mengs4 ,greenish coat4 ,red collar4 ,own hair4 ,,born #agbh1 ,,died #aggi4 ,,by ,,himself4 ,,born at ,aussig1 in ,bohemia1 the second son of ,ismael ,mengs1 a native of ,copenhagen1 miniature painter to ,augustus the ,strong1 ,king of ,poland4 ,ismael brought up his boys as painters2 he gave them1 when quite children1 nothing but pencils for playthings1 keeping them at work sometimes for sixteen hours a day4 ,after a while the eldest son rebelled against this close application1 and made his escape from home1 taking refuge with the ,jesuits at ,prague2 but ,raphael inherited his father's love of art1 and laboured diligently4 ,in #agdj ,ismael took him to ,rome1 where the same rigid course of study was enforced2 the youth was constantly locked up in the ,vatican with his work cut out for him1--to copy ,raphael1 ,michael ,angelo1 or the antique the whole day long1 with a loaf of bread and a pitcher of water4 ,on the days passed at home1 the father kept his son a prisoner in the same manner1 and would go out for hours on his own concerns1 with the key of the room in his pocket4 ,these early lessons of industry and application bore ample fruit in the future life of this indefatigable painter4 ,returning to ,dresden1 the young man's miniature copies of ,raphael1 and some excellent portraits in pastel1 pleased ,king ,augustus so much that he appointed ,raphael ,mengs his ,painter-in-,ordinary1 with a considerable salary4 ,to his ,majesty's surprise1 and the great displeasure of ,count ,brhl1 ,raphael declined1 on the plea that he was too young for such a post4 ,rome had great attractions for him1 and thither he returned4 ,he painted a #8,holy ,family1' which gained him much credit1 the original of ,our ,lady being a beautiful girl1 ,margaret ,guazzi by name1 the child of poor parents1 and as good as she was beautiful4 ,the young painter became a proselyte to the ,roman ,catholic faith1 and married his lovely model1 nor had ever cause to repent his choice4 ,he remained at ,rome several years1 painting assiduously1 and studying in the ,hospital of ,san ,spirito2 it was in obedience to his father's wishes that he returned to ,dresden1 with much regret1 and was obliged by so doing to forfeit many advantageous commissions4 ,old ,ismael1 whose nature was violent and cruel1 repaid his son's devotion by turning him1 his wife1 and infant child into the streets on some trifling disagreement4 ,the story came to the ,king's ears1 and he once more offered the rejected post to young ,mengs1 with an increased salary1 a house1 and carriage4 ,this time the ,royal bounty was accepted with gratitude1 for ,raphael was now a husband and a father4 ,the ,king was at that time employed in building the ,catholic church at ,dresden1 where the ,royal ,family still carry on their separate worship1--it being one of the few 7is it not the only87 capitals where the ,court and the subjects profess a different creed4 ,raphael ,mengs painted the lateral altars1 and had a commission for the high altar-piece2 but the longing was upon him1 in no way singular1 to return to ,rome1 and he pleaded that he would execute the order far better in ,italy4 ,he repaired thither1 and1 after making a copy of the school of ,athens for the ,earl of ,northumberland1 he began his altar-piece for ,dresden4 #8,the ,seven ,years' ,war now broke out1 and ,augustus was deprived of his electorate1 and found himself unable to continue ,mengs's salary4 ,the failure of this income1 added to his own improvidence1 plunged our artist into poverty2 he was obliged to take any orders that offered1 and accept any terms proposed1 in order to keep the wolf from the door4 ,the fresco which he executed for the monks in the ,church of ,sant' ,eusebio brought him little pay indeed1 but great increase of popularity4 ,he did not carry out a commission he had received from ,king ,augustus to go to ,naples and paint the ,royal ,family1 supposing the order to be cancelled2 but the ,duke of ,censano1 ,neapolitan ,minister to the ,papacy1 urged him to fulfil it1 and wrote to ,naples1 specifying the prices which the now popular painter had received in ,saxony4 ,just as he was starting for ,naples1 rumours were set afloat which troubled ,mengs exceedingly2 he was assured that a picture which had been ordered for the ,chapel-,royal at ,caserta was not required1 and that the ,king and ,queen declined to sit to him on account of his prices being reckoned exorbitant4 ,he was perplexed how to act1 when the arrival of the ,polish ,minister from ,naples set his mind at rest4 ,count ,lagnasco assured him that the altar-piece for ,caserta was daily expected1 and that the ,king and ,queen had never demurred at the prices1 but were only displeased at the delay4 ,he therefore hastened to ,naples1 but1 on his arrival1 found the ,king and ,queen on the eve of embarkation for their new kingdom of ,spain1 and too much engrossed by their preparations to give him sittings4 ,they1 however1 commanded a portrait of their son ,ferdinand1 about to ascend the vacant throne of ,naples4 ,the jealousy of his brother artists made the fair city insupportable to ,mengs1 and he again took his way to ,rome1 where he was very popular1 and had plenty of work4 ,he adorned the beautiful ,villa ,albani with classical frescoes1 and painted numerous pictures1 chiefly for ,english and ,neapolitan patrons4 ,charles ,,iii41 ,king of ,spain1 hearing him highly spoken of1 now proposed to ,raphael ,mengs to enter his service1 with a large salary1 a house1 and carriage1 and all materials for painting provided2 also a free passage for himself and family on a ,spanish vessel sailing from ,naples4 ,mengs accepted1 and was kindly received by the ,king1 but soon found he had to encounter the bitter hatred of all the artists in the ,spanish capital4 ,giaquinto1 an ,italian1 who had hitherto enjoyed the ,royal favour1 was so disgusted at the success of ,mengs1 that he abandoned the field1 and1 leaving ,spain in dudgeon1 returned to his own country4 ,mengs was now employed in the decoration of the new palace1 and painted the ,gods of ,olympus in the bedchamber of the ,king1 ,aurora in that of the ,queen1 and ,morning1 ,noon1 ,evening1 and ,night in the apartments of the ,infanta1 besides numerous easel pictures4 ,he was also appointed honorary member of the ,academy of ,st4 ,ferdinand1 where1 being desirous of instituting new regulations and bringing about reforms1 he provoked much ill-will1 and being himself of a hot and hasty temper1 bickerings and disagreements ensued without number4 ,altogether1 ,raphael ,mengs was far from happy during his sojourn at ,madrid2 the climate was most injurious to his health1 which declined daily1 yet he never slackened in his toil1 but worked unremittingly from dawn till dusk1 and often far into the night4 ,he had already despatched his wife and family to ,rome1 and now asked permission to join them4 ,suffering and melancholy1 he proceeded on his solitary way1 and was delayed some time at ,monaco by increased illness2 at length he arrived in his beloved ,rome1 where the affection of his dear ones and the warmth of the climate partially revived him4 ,he now turned his attention chiefly to sacred subjects1 and in loving memory of his favourite ,notte di ,coreggio in the ,dresden ,gallery1 executed a ,nativity on the same plan1 where all the light emanated from the ,holy ,child2 introducing his own portrait as one of the adoring shepherds4 ,pope ,clement ,,xiv4 gave ,mengs a labour of love to perform1 and in that light he considered it1 for he stipulated that he should receive no payment3 this was to decorate the walls of the hall destined for the reception of the papyrus rolls in the ,vatican4 ,to work beneath the same roof which his illustrious namesake had sanctified1 was indeed a glory6 ,although enfeebled in health1 ,mengs was comparatively content1 both in the matter of his residence and his work2 but he received a warning from ,madrid that his leave of absence had been too long exceeded1 and it required all the kind intercession of ,don ,joseph de ,azara1 ,spanish ,envoy at ,rome1 and ,mengs's great friend1 to intercede with the ,king on this score4 ,at last there was a compromise1 ,mengs agreeing to go to ,naples to paint the portraits of the reigning ,king and ,queen for the gallery at ,madrid4 ,but his industry seemed on this occasion to forsake him2 when in ,naples he was very dilatory over his commission1 and spent his time in buying coins and vases to add to his collection2 and on his return to ,rome he had only finished the heads4 ,then he had to conclude his work in the ,vatican1 and take leave of the ,pope1 who gave him a rosary of lapis-lazuli and a set of medals struck during his ,pontificate4 ,so little was ,mengs in haste to reach ,spain that he stopped by the way at ,florence to paint the ,grand ,duke and ,duchess1 with many other portraits4 ,he arrived at ,madrid1 and recommenced his labours in the palace1 to the great satisfaction of ,king ,charles2 went to ,aranjuez1 where he worked both in the palaces and the churches2 but relapsed into bad health1 and became so ill that the kind-hearted monarch would no longer detain him1 and sent him back to ,rome1--#8with1' says ,sir ,william ,stirling1 #8a stipend far beyond his requirements1 and a fame far beyond his merits4' ,charles also settled dowries on the daughters of ,raphael ,mengs2 but alas6 he had not been long at home before his good and beautiful wife died2 and he strove to console himself by working harder than ever4 ,the winter was unusually severe1 his studio was overheated1 and the bad air increased his malady4 ,his frame became emaciated1 and his features so ghastly as to attract the notice of every one4 ,one of his pictures1 purchased by an ,englishman1 met with a strange fate3 despatched to ,england by sea1 the vessel was taken by a ,french cruiser1 and the picture sent to ,paris4 ,eventually ,louis ,,xvi4 sent it as a present to the ,empress ,catherine of ,russia4 ,in spite of the expostulations of his children1 ,mengs now put himself into the hands of a ,german quack1 and1 to follow his directions without opposition1 took a lodging by himself1 first in ,via ,condotti1 and then in the ,gregoriana4 ,a nun at ,narni had lately gained great popularity by selling a decoction of holy jessamines1 by which she worked miraculous cures4 ,to a strong dose of this medicine the quack doctor added a still more efficacious dose of antimony1 and thus indeed relieved the poor painter from all further suffering1 physical or mental4 ,he worked to the last1 and died in ,june #aggi1 being buried at ,san ,michele1 on the ,janiculan ,hill1 followed by the ,professors of the ,academy of ,st4 ,luke4 ,don ,joseph de ,azara1 knowing his friend's tastes1 erected a cenotaph to his memory1 adorned with a bronze portrait1 close to the monument of his illustrious namesake and idol1 the divine ,raphael4 ,by nature ,mengs was choleric and melancholy1 more prone to be ruffled by the petty ills of life than satisfied by his success1 which is generally allowed to have been far above his deserts4 ,he was self-willed even to arrogance in his opinions4 ,finding fault with some ,venetian pictures ,pope ,clement had bought1 his ,holiness remarked they had been much admired by other artists4 #8,ah1' replied ,mengs1 #8they praise what is above their powers2 ,i despise what is below mine4' ,he was severe on other ,art writers1 and especially on the works of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds2 ,azara said he was very truthful1 and tells how on one occasion ,mengs declared he had never taken a pinch of snuff1 though in so doing he would have redeemed a collection of valuable snuff-boxes1 the presents of many grandees1 from the clutches of the ,custom-,house officers1 who seized them as merchandise4 ,yet he practised a hoax on his friend ,winckelman1 and allowed him to publish in his book the description of a #8,ganymede' by ,mengs1 which the painter had passed off on the ,professor as an antique4 ,he was a faithful and affectionate husband1 a tender and loving father1 and gave his children a good education1--but little beside1 for1 with all the riches he had acquired1 he was both extravagant and improvident1 and at his death he only left his collections of coins and casts1 bequeathed to the ,king of ,spain1 and a number of engravings1 which were bought by the ,empress of ,russia4 ,mengs's eldest daughter1 ,anna ,maria1 was a successful portrait-painter2 married to ,manuel ,salvador ,camoni1 a member of the ,academy of ,san ,fernando1 she died at ,madrid in #agih4 ,he would not allow his sons to become painters1 #8for1' said he1 #8if they were inferior to me1 ,i should despise them2 if superior1 ,i should be jealous of them4' ,one of his sons became a soldier in the service of ,spain4 ,mengs wrote much on the subject of ,art1 had great command of language1 and was a good linguist4 ,this picture was painted expressly for the third ,earl ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #f4 ,,charles ,,james ,,fox4 ,dark coat4 ,white cravat4 ,,by ,,hoppner4 ------------------ ,no4 #g4 ,,father ,,of ,,james ,,northcote ,,the ,,painter4 ,dark coat4 ,white hair4 ,red curtain4 ,,by ,,his ,,son4 ,,notwithstanding that he exercised the modest trade of a watchmaker in his native town of ,plymouth1 ,northcote boasted of a long pedigree1 and maintained that his family was of very good standing in the county4 ,but his pride did not prevent his wishing his son ,james to follow the same trade1 while the young man had set his heart on being a painter4 ,in the notice of the future ,royal ,academician's life1 we shall find every particular connected with ,james's rise to eminence4 ,among his numerous works1 he painted the portrait in question of the father who had done all in his power to thwart his son's artistic proclivities4 ,this picture was bought at ,northcote's sale by the fifth ,earl ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #h4 ,,sarah1 ,,duchess ,,of ,,marlborough4 ,red gown1 bordered with white fur4 ,,born #afeh1 ,,died #agdd4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ,,the youngest daughter of ,richard ,jennings1 ,esq4 of ,sundridge1 near ,st4 ,albans1 by the daughter and heir of ,sir ,gifford ,hornhurst4 ,when quite young she went to ,court1 where her sister ,frances 7afterwards ,lady ,tyrconnell7 was already remarkable1 as much for the laxity of her conduct as for her beauty4 ,sarah's features may not have been as regular as those of her sister1 but her countenance was most expressive1 her complexion beautiful1 and the profusion of her fair hair1 formed a most attractive combination4 ,amidst her crowd of adorers1 the young1 handsome1 and insinuating ,colonel ,churchill stood pre-eminent2 he was poor1 and by many accused of avarice already1 yet he preferred the portionless girl to a rich heiress with a plain face1 when the match was suggested to him4 ,sarah ,jennings was a woman of inordinate ambition and iron will1 and she made use of her close friendship with the ,princess 7afterwards ,queen7 ,anne to rise in the world and push her husband's fortunes1 even before his own distinguished talents had insured his eminence4 ,the tyranny which the high-spirited1 hot-tempered ,lady of the ,bedchamber exercised over her ,royal mistress for many years are matters too well known to be here recapitulated4 ,the romantic correspondence between #8,mrs4 ,morley' and #8,mrs4 ,freeman1' showing the manner in which ,queen ,anne1 even after her marriage1 gave herself up to the dominion of her favourite1 until the self-imposed yoke became intolerable1 and was suddenly and completely severed1 are historical facts bound up with public events4 ,the ,duchess of ,marlborough was supplanted by her own protge1 ,mrs4 ,masham1 and peremptorily dismissed1 in spite of #8rages1 prayers1 and scenes4' ,voltaire says3 #8,quelques paires de gants qu'elle refusa la ,reine1 un verre d'eau qu'elle laissa tomber sur la robe de ,madame ,masham1 changrent la face de ,europe6'--alluding to the political changes which followed the downfall of ,sarah4 ,in her latter days her temper became ungovernable2 she quarrelled with her husband1 her son-in-law1 her grandchildren2 and on one occasion1 when the ,duke1 wishing to pacify her rage1 complimented her on her long fair hair1 which was still luxuriant1 the furious lady cut it off1 and flung it in her husband's face6 ,at his death a long coil of golden tresses was found in the ,duke's drawer4 ,sarah survived her husband twenty years1 and1 in spite of her age 7it must be remembered she was very rich71 had many suitors1 amongst them the ,duke of ,somerset and ,lord ,coningsby4 ,to the latter1 after reminding him she was sixty-three1 she replied3 #8,were ,i only thirty1 and you could lay the world at my feet1 ,i would never bestow on you the heart and hand which belonged exclusively to ,john1 ,duke of ,marlborough4' ,lady ,cowper 7the ,chancellor's wife7 saw a great deal of the ,duchess at ,court2 they exchanged constant visits1 and corresponded1 but ,lady ,cowper had no opinion of her ,grace2 she describes her trying to make mischief by repeating ill-natured speeches1 and goes on to say3 #8,she is certainly an ill woman1 and does not care what she says of anybody1 to wreak her malice or revenge4' ------------------ ,no4 #i4 ,,charlotte1 ,,countess ,,fauconberg4 ,peeress's robes4 ,,she was the only daughter of ,sir ,matthew ,lamb1 and sister to ,peniston1 first ,viscount ,melbourne4 ,married in #agff ,henry ,belasyse1 second ,earl ,fauconberg1 a ,lord of the ,bedchamber1 and ,lord-,lieutenant of the ,north ,riding of ,yorkshire4 ,they had four daughters1 co-heiresses2 but the title is extinct4 ------------------ ,no4 #aj4 ,,portrait4 ,,unknown4 ,man in blue velvet coat1 braided4 ------------------ ,no4 #aa4 ,,uncertain4 ,dark coat4 ,white cravat4 ------------------ ,no4 #ab4 ,,robert ,,harley1 ,,earl ,,of ,,oxford4 ,black and gold dress4 ,,born #affa1 ,,died #agbd4 ,,studied under the famous ,dr4 ,birch 7who boasted of the number of statesmen he had educated71 and showed great promise4 ,in #afhh he raised a troop of horse for the service of ,william of ,orange1 whom he joined1 but who showed him no particular favour4 ,harley sat in ,parliament1 but waited for office till #agjd1 when ,queen ,anne gave him a seat in the ,council1 and made him ,secretary of ,state4 ,he was much opposed to ,godolphin and ,marlborough1 and made common cause with the ,queen's new favourite1 ,mrs4 ,masham1 to overthrow the power of the ,whigs4 ,the ,ministers insisted on his dismissal1 but ,anne stood by him as long as she could2 when ,harley was compelled to resign1 the ,queen said to him3 #8,you see the unfortunate condition of monarchs1--they are obliged to give up their friends to please their enemies2' but so high was ,anne's opinion of ,harley1 that she constantly consulted him on public affairs1 when out of office4 ,on the downfall of the ,whig ,administration1 he was made ,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 and ,treasurer4 ,he was much censured1 even by his own party1 for some of his financial measures1 by which1 however1 he enriched the ,royal coffers4 ,in ,march #agaa1 an event happened that made a great noise1 and rendered ,harley the hero of the day4 ,a ,french adventurer1 called ,bourlie1 or the ,marquis de ,guiscard and ,langalleve1 was a shifty individual1 who acted first as a spy of ,england against ,france1 and then of ,france against ,england1 being in the pay of both4 ,his intrigues were discovered1 and he was brought before the ,privy ,council4 ,believing that ,harley had been instrumental in his detection1 he resolved to be revenged4 ,while waiting his turn for examination1 he found means to secrete about his person a penknife which was lying on the table1 among some papers4 ,no sooner was he brought forward than he rushed in a fury upon ,harley1 and stabbed him several times1 the ,minister falling senseless on the ground1 covered with blood4 ,a scene of confusion ensued1 and the ,duke of ,buckingham1 drawing his sword1 wounded the assassin1 who was conveyed to ,newgate1 where he died in a few days1 either from the effect of the sword-thrusts1 or by his own hand4 ,the event seemed to have revived ,harley's popularity3 both ,houses presented an address to the ,queen1 assuring her that ,harley's loyalty had brought this attack upon him1 etc4 etc41 and when he reappeared in the ,house1 a brilliant reception awaited him2 and a ,bill was passed making an attempt on the life of a ,privy ,councillor a felony which deprived the offender of benefit of clergy4 ,in the same year1 ,robert ,harley1 being then ,lord ,high ,treasurer1 was created ,baron ,wigmore1 and ,earl of ,oxford and ,mortimer1 and next year he received the ,garter1 and became ,prime ,minister of ,england4 ,lords ,oxford and ,bolingbroke at first worked together to withstand the power of the ,opposition1 and to bring about the pacification of ,europe2 and the ,peace of ,utrecht added to the popularity of the ministerial party4 ,but dissensions arose between ,bolingbroke and the ,premier1 and recriminations and fresh intrigues1 in which ,mrs4 ,masham was implicated1 all of which belong to ,england's political history4 ,oxford was deprived of all his offices1 and accused of plotting in favour of the ,pretender4 ,the ,queen died1 and in #agae he was sent to the ,tower1 on an accusation of high treason4 ,he was imprisoned for two years1 and on his release gave himself up to the enjoyment of art and literature2 he formed a magnificent library1 which cost him a fortune1 not only from the splendour of the works themselves1 but on account of their sumptuous binding4 ,his collection of ,,mss41 called after him the ,harleian ,,mss41 which was afterwards greatly increased by his son1 is now one of the glories of the ,british ,museum2 it was purchased by the ,government after the second ,lord ,oxford's death4 ,few men have been more eulogised on the one hand1 and reviled on the other1 but he has been unanimously described as a kind patron of men of letters4 ,it was ,harley who brought into operation the measure known to posterity as #8,the ,south ,sea ,bubble1' which entailed ruin on numbers2 and in spite of much opposition he also established ,state lotteries4 ,lord ,oxford was twice married3 first to ,elizabeth1 daughter of ,thomas ,foley1 of ,whitley ,court1 county ,worcester1 by whom he had one son and two daughters2 and secondly1 to ,sarah1 daughter of ,thomas ,myddleton1 ,esq41 who was childless4 ------------------ ,no4 #ac4 ,,field-,,marshal ,,henry ,,of ,,nassau1 ,,lord ,,of ,,auverquerque4 ,father of the first ,earl of ,grantham1 grandfather of ,henrietta1 wife to the second ,earl ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #ad4 ,,lady ,,anne ,,colleton4 ,blue gown1 trimmed with white lace4 ,,died #agdj4 ,,by ,,sir ,,godfrey ,,kneller4 ,,she was the second daughter of the first ,earl ,cowper1 by his second wife1 ,mary ,clavering4 ,she married1 in #agca1 ,james ,colleton1 ,esq4 of ,haynes ,hill1 county ,berks1 grandson of ,sir ,james ,colleton1 ,bart4 ------------------ ,no4 #ae4 ,,lady ,,milbanke4 ,white gown4 ,holding a pink scarf4 ,she was the daughter and heir of ,john ,hedworth1 ,esq41 ,m4,p41 wife of ,sir ,ralph ,milbanke1 of ,halnaby1 ,m4,p41 and mother of the first ,viscountess ,melbourne4 ------------------ ,no4 #af4 ,,elizabeth1 ,,wife ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,viscount ,,melbourne4 ,light-coloured gown4 ,white veil4 ,scarf4 ,coaxing her baby1 who is seated on a cradle beside her4 ,,died #ahah4 ,,by ,,sir ,,joshua ,,reynolds4 ,she was the only daughter of ,sir ,ralph ,milbanke1 of ,halnaby ,hall1 county ,york4 ,in #agfi she married ,sir ,peniston ,lamb1 ,bart41 ,m4,p41 who was created ,viscount ,melbourne in #aggj4 ,she was a beautiful young woman of twenty when she first went to ,london1 and took the town by storm4 ,she was as much admired for her vivacity as her beauty1 and ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds speaks of her as figuring at one of the fashionable masquerades of the day in domino and tricorne hat1 as #8a pretty fellow' or maccaroni1 with the ,duchess of ,ancaster and ,lady ,fordyce1 and a charming portrait1 in possession of ,lord ,southampton1 represents her in this costume4 ,lady ,melbourne persuaded her husband to buy a house in ,piccadilly from ,mr4 ,fox 7father of ,charles ,james71 who had been a friend of ,sir ,matthew ,lamb1 next door to ,burlington ,house1 which cost a large sum4 ,lady ,melbourne called it after her husband's title1 and took the greatest delight in furnishing and adorning the interior1 on which work she employed ,cipriani1 ,wheatley1 the humorous designer ,rebecca1 and all the best decorative artists of the day4 ,the society was as brilliant as the walls which encircled them2 and ,royalty1 fashion1 beauty1 and talent flocked to the receptions at ,melbourne ,house1 whose master1 bent on pleasing his beautiful wife1 threw open his gates with lavish hospitality4 ,sir ,joshua was an intimate1 as well as a general guest1 and thus had many opportunities of studying the form and features which he afterwards immortalised in the picture that heads this notice4 ,it was painted in #aggj1 just after ,sir ,peniston ,lamb's elevation to the peerage and the birth of his eldest son4 ,no sooner was the ,london house completed1 than ,lady ,melbourne turned her attention to the embellishment of her husband's country seat in ,hertfordshire1 where1 in company with her chosen friend1 ,mrs4 ,damer 7alike charming as a woman and an artist71 she planned and arranged the internal decorations of ,brocket ,hall4 ,wheatley was again called in1 and1 with the assistance of ,mortimer1 painted the ceilings with allegorical subjects4 ,the two ladies were also much addicted to the pastime of private theatricals1 as was their mutual friend1 the beautiful ,duchess of ,devonshire2 while such names as ,sheridan1 ,fox1 ,horace ,walpole1 and other celebrities1 figured as actors and authors in ,lady ,melbourne's company4 ,it was here1 doubtless1 that ,lord ,egremont 7then a youth7 imbibed that love of art1 and that taste for the society of artists1 which made him so noble and munificent a patron1 to the end of a long life4 ,he was a great friend of the ,melbournes1 and loved to see his #8three young lambs' gambolling over the greensward in his spacious park at ,petworth4 ,lady ,melbourne was very popular with the ,royal ,family1 and one day the ,duke of ,york called on her1 and in the course of conversation became very enthusiastic in his admiration of ,melbourne ,house4 ,he confessed he was weary of his own at ,whitehall1 and would gladly move into her neighbourhood4 ,the lady laughed1 and said1 for her part1 she often wished to exchange the chimes of ,st4 ,james's ,church for those of ,westminster ,abbey2 and they talked on1 half jestingly1 half in earnest1 till the possibility of an exchange of residence was mooted4 ,it appeared strange1 but perhaps the amateur house-decorator was lured by the prospect of new walls to beautify1 fresh fields to conquer4 ,before the ,duke took his leave1 he had gained her ,ladyship's promise to discuss the subject with her husband3 #8,for you know1 dear ,lady ,melbourne1 you always have your way with everybody1 especially with my ,lord4' ,his ,royal ,highness was right3 if ,lord ,melbourne raised any objection at first1 it was soon overcome2 the consent of the ,crown was gained1 the bargain was struck1 the house at ,whitehall became ,melbourne ,house1 and the residence in ,piccadilly1 ,york ,house1 afterwards changed to the ,albany1 where1 in the oldest portion and principal apartments of that paradise of bachelors1 the decorations of ,cipriani and his colleagues may still be admired4 ,all contemporary writers speak of ,lady ,melbourne as a leader of fashion and an ornament of society2 ,horace ,walpole1 in particular1 alludes to her frequently1 #8in wonderful good looks1' at the ,prince of ,wales's birthday ball at ,carlton ,house1 and again at the ,french ,ambassador's1 where it was so hot he was nearly stewed1 but #8the quadrilles were surprisingly pretty1 especially that one in which ,lady ,melbourne1 ,lady ,sefton1 and ,princess ,czartorisky figured1 in blue satin and gold1 with collars mounted la reine ,elizabeth4 ,in #ahje her eldest son died2 but the mother seems to have been consoled by the promise of future greatness shown by her second son1 ,william1 who early evinced a taste for public life1 which harmonised with ,lady ,melbourne's views4 ,she took a great interest in political affairs1 was a staunch ,whig1 and at the time of ,charles ,fox's famous election1 she displayed as much zeal and enthusiasm as her rival beauty1 the ,duchess of ,devonshire4 ,william ,lamb's marriage with the daughter of ,lord ,bessborough1 which enlarged his connection with all the principal ,whig families1 was a source of great pleasure to ,lady ,melbourne4 ,it was a pity1 with her political predilections1 she did not survive to see her favourite son and her daughter's second husband each rise to the coveted position of ,prime ,minister of ,england4 ,we have no authority for stating in what light ,lady ,melbourne viewed her daughter-in-law's infatuation for ,lord ,byron2 but we know1 from his own letters1 that he entertained a great admiration for herself4 ,he had never met with so charming a woman4 #8,if she had only been some years younger1 what a fool she would have made of me6' ,with her he kept up unvarying friendly relations during all the vicissitudes of his love and hate passages with ,lady ,caroline4 ,one day he called on ,lady ,melbourne1 and asked her advice and sympathy4 ,she was a model confidante1 and had once given it as her opinion1 that few men could be trusted with their neighbours' secrets1 and scarcely any woman with her own4 ,byron assured her he was wearied with his way of life1 that he wished to marry and reform1 and settle down at ,newstead1 and asked if she would assist him in his choice of a wife4 ,lady ,melbourne smiled1 and said she thought she knew of the very woman to suit him--her near kinswoman1 ,miss ,milbanke1 daughter of ,sir ,noel ,milbanke1 heiress to a large fortune1 and a peerage in her own right1 as ,lady ,wentworth1--no great beauty1 but not uncomely1 well brought up1 well educated1 and amiable4 ,byron was quite satisfied1 but1 as may be expected1 when ,lady ,caroline heard of it1 she was furious4 #8,the girl has a bad figure1 is given to statistics1 and goes regularly to church1--a pretty wife for a poet6' ,the lady refused the man1 of whose moral character she had heard a sorry account2 but he persisted1 and the marriage took place in #ahaf1--;an ill-fated union1 as might have been expected1 a fact but too well known4 ,lady ,melbourne's health began to fail2 she drooped gradually1 till one day the sentence was pronounced in her hearing--she had but a short time to live4 ,she heard the announcement with calmness1 took an affectionate leave of those she loved1 and addressed some parting admonitions to her beloved ,william1 which he never forgot4 ,lady ,melbourne died on the #fth ,april #ahah1 at ,whitehall1 and was buried at ,hatfield ,church4 ,her son ,frederick was absent from ,england at the time4 ,this portrait was brought from ,brocket1 where it once hung at the end of the ball-room4 ,it was engraved by the title of #8,maternal ,affection4' ------------------ ,no4 #ag4 ,,lady ,,caroline ,,lamb4 ,white gown4 ,blue bows4 ,crop of fair hair4 ,,born #aghh1 ,,died #ahbh4 ,,by ,,hoppner4 ,,she was the only daughter of the first ,earl of ,bessborough1 by ,lady ,henrietta ,spencer1 daughter of the first ,earl ,spencer4 ,she was in ,italy when a child1 with her mother1 but1 on their return to ,england1 ,lady ,bessborough being in very delicate health1 ,lady ,caroline was intrusted for a time to the care of her aunt1 the beautiful ,duchess of ,devonshire4 ,throughout her life she kept a diary1 and she gives a detailed record of her early days at ,devonshire ,house4 ,the children saw very little of their elders1 and were brought up with a strange mixture of luxury and laxity4 ,the nursery table was covered with dainties1 and served with goodly plate1 but the young lords and ladies were allowed to run wild backwards and forwards between the servants' apartments in search of sweetmeats and #8goodies4' ,caroline's education was little cared for1 her knowledge circumscribed1 and she only believed in two classes of society1--aristocrats and beggars4 ,at ten years old she could scarcely write1 and could not spell at all2 but she composed verses1 #8which were pronounced splendid in the family1 and everybody petted me1 especially my cousin ,hartington 7afterwards ,duke of ,devonshire71 who was my constant companion4 ,my chief delight consisted in polishing my specimens of ,derbyshire spar1 washing my dog1 and breaking in a pony4' ,caroline was transferred from ,devonshire to ,spencer ,house1 to live with her grandmother1 and the change did not suit her small ladyship4 #8,how well ,i remember the grand housekeeper1 in a hoop and ruffles1 who presided over seventy servants4' ,under ,lady ,spencer's roof1 of whom the poet ,cowper speaks so highly1 and to whom ,horace ,walpole1 with his usual sneer1 alludes as #8the goddess of wisdom1' it may be imagined the girl was subjected to a discipline which was so different from the liberty of ,devonshire ,house that she soon broke out into open rebellion4 #8,i was indeed very naughty1 and used to give way to such paroxysms of rage that a physician was called in4 ,dr4 ,warren forbade all study1 and desired that my brain should lie fallow4 ,i believe he feared for my reason4 ,i was very fond of music1 and cried when ,i had to give it up4 ,my governess was too severe1 my relations too indulgent4' ,it was not until ,lady ,caroline was fifteen that she tried to make up for lost time4 ,as regarded her education1 she showed great aptitude for languages1--,french1 ,italian1 ,latin1 #8and ,i had even mastered enough ,greek to enable me to enjoy a classical play1 when taken to speech-day at ,harrow1 where my brother was at school4' ,she could recite an ode of ,sappho to admiring listeners at ,devonshire or ,spencer ,house1 and was much praised and petted4 ,she piqued herself on her unconventionality1 and would plunge into intimacy1 or manifest her aversion in the most unequivocal manner4 ,among the frequent guests at ,spencer ,house was ,william ,lamb1 the second son of ,lord ,melbourne4 ,it would seem strange that the vigilance of the young lady's relations should not have been awakened by the growing intimacy between her and the captivating younger son4 ,well bred1 well born1 with a ringing laugh and an inexpressible charm1 which never forsook him in advanced life amid the turmoil of politics1 ,william ,lamb had everything to recommend him but a birthright1--and had it not been settled in the family that ,caroline was to make a brilliant marriage8 ,lady ,caroline1 who loved to record her own adventures1 writes to her friend and confidante1 ,lady ,morgan1 not very long before her death1 recalling her past life3 #8,i fell in love1 when only twelve years old1 with a friend of ,charles ,fox1--a friend of liberty1 whose poems ,i had read1 whose self ,i had never seen1 and1 when ,i did see him1 at thirteen1 could ,i change8 ,i was more attached than ever4 ,william ,lamb was beautiful1 and far the cleverest person then about1 the most daring in his opinions1 in his love of liberty and independence4 ,he thought of me but as a child2 yet he liked me much4 ,afterwards he wished to marry me1 and ,i refused him because of my temper4' ,in another letter she says3 #8,i was a fury4 ,he asked me a second time1 and this time he was not refused1 for ,i adored him4' ,the lady's relations were reconciled to the match1 possibly influenced in some slight degree by the consideration that ,william ,lamb had become heir to a large fortune and a peerage1 in consequence of the death of his elder brother4 ,marriages never come single in a family4 ,lamb's sister ,emily was already engaged1 and in the year #ahje1 within a month of each other1 the brother was united to ,lady ,caroline ,ponsonby1 and the sister to ,lord ,cowper4 ,mr4 ,lamb and his wife passed the early days of their married life between ,brocket 7,lord ,melbourne's7 and ,panshanger 7,lord ,cowper's7 ,houses in ,hertfordshire2 and when the ,london season began1 ,lady ,caroline contributed not a little to the former attractions of ,melbourne ,house1 where she and her husband took up their abode4 ,society was at variance as to the bride's merits2 her eccentricities amused many of the guests1 and affronted others1--for some people are indignant when merely called upon to stare at what is said to them4 ,the ,prince of ,wales1 an habitu of ,melbourne ,house1 was one of those who encouraged ,lady ,caroline in her wayward and wilful moods2 her startling speeches1 her flighty coquetry1 her sudden quarrels1 and as sudden reconciliations1 whether with her husband or any other member of the community1 were a great source of amusement to his ,royal ,highness4 ,miss ,berry speaks of meeting the ,prince at ,lady ,caroline ,lamb's in the year #ahjh4 ,she says in her ,diary3 #8,it was an immense assembly4 ,we came away at half-past twelve1 and had to walk beyond the ,admiralty to our carriage4 ,many of the company did not leave till past three2 the ,prince of ,wales had supped below1 in ,lady ,melbourne's apartments1 and remained till past six4 ,sheridan was there1 and quite drunk4' ,it would appear by these remarks that ,lady ,melbourne had vacated a suite of apartments in favour of her daughter-in-law1 who received on her own account1 as in another passage in ,miss ,berry's correspondence there is mention1 #8,i am going to ,lady ,caroline ,lamb's to-night4 ,she gives a party1 to be convenient for hearing what is going on1 about this famous motion in the ,house of ,peers4' ,but ,lady ,caroline was of too romantic a turn of mind to be absorbed by politics2 she had always some small flirtation on hand1 and her admirers were frequently under age4 ,we read in the ,life of the late ,lord ,lytton some very early passages between him and this mature object of his adoration1--assignations entered into1 notes passing clandestinely1 engagements to dance broken off and renewed with playful inconstancy4 ,excitement1 even on so small a scale1 seemed necessary to the lady's existence2 she would have been bored to death without it4 ,the novelist admired his goddess enough to put her in print1 and describes the compassion she displayed one day1 when1 finding a beggar who had met with an accident1 she insisted on his being lifted1 rags and all1 into the carriage beside her1 when she drove the cripple to his destination4 ,but a luminary was about to appear on the horizon1 which was destined to eclipse all lesser lights4 ,here is her own account of her first acquaintance with ,lord ,byron3 #8,rogers1 who was one of my adorers1 and extolled me up to the skies1 said to me one evening1 8,you must know the new poet40 ,he offered to lend me the proofs of ,childe ,harold to read4 ,that was enough for me4 ,rogers said1 8,he has a club foot1 and bites his nails40 ,i said1 8,if he were as ugly as sop ,i must know him40 ,lady ,westmoreland had met ,byron in ,italy2 she undertook to present him4 ,i looked earnestly at him1 and turned on my heel1'--conduct which the poet afterwards reproached her with4 ,london had gone mad about him4 ,all the ladies were pulling caps for him4 ,he said once ostentatiously3 #8,the women positively suffocate me4' ,that night the entry in ,lady ,caroline's ,diary was--#8,mad1 bad1 and dangerous to know4' ,she declared at first she had no intention of attracting him1 but she confesses how she had come in from riding one windy1 rainy day1 all muddy and dishevelled1 and had been conversing with ,moore and ,rogers in that plight1 when ,byron was announced1 and she flew out of the room to beautify herself4 #8,lord ,byron wished to come and see me at eight o'clock1 when ,i was alone4 ,that was my dinner-hour4 ,i said he might4 ,from that moment1 for many months1 he almost lived at ,melbourne ,house4' ,lord ,hartington1 ,lady ,caroline's favourite cousin1 expressed a wish to have some dancing of an evening at ,whitehall1 as his stepmother 7,lady ,elizabeth ,foster7 objected to anything of the kind at ,devonshire ,house1 and accordingly for a time the drawing-room at ,melbourne ,house was turned into a ball-room4 ,but as ,lord ,byron's lameness cut him off from the quadrilles and waltzes1 this arrangement did not suit him1 and his word being law with ,lady ,caroline1 the dancing was soon discontinued4 ,it was a strange flirtation between the poet and the poetaster4 ,the lady would lie awake half the night composing verses1 which she would repeat the next day to the great man1 in the fond hope of a few crumbs of praise1 a commodity of which ,byron was very sparing1 he being a great deal more taken up with giving utterance to his own effusions4 ,lady ,caroline was often mortified1 ,lord ,byron often wearied1--at least so it would appear4 ,lord ,holland came up to them one evening as they were sitting side by side as usual1 with a silver censer in his hand4 #8,i am come1' he said1 #8,lady ,caroline1 to offer you your due4' #8,by no means1' she returned in a tone of pique2 #8pray give it all to ,lord ,byron4 ,he is so accustomed to incense that he cannot exist without it4' ,a recent biography describes the situation well when it says3 #8,he grew moody1 and she fretful1 when their mutual egotisms jarred4' ,william ,lamb's wife was certainly not formed to make home happy4 ,one day she extolled his generosity and lack of jealousy2 another1 she accused him of apathy and indifference with regard to her flirtations4 ,her conduct was marked by alternate tenderness and ill-temper3 there could be no doubt of her affection for her invalid boy1 yet her treatment of him was spasmodic and fitful1--now devoted1 now neglectful4 ,more than once a separation had been agreed upon1 and ,mr4 ,lamb had even gone so far as to forbid his wife the house1 and believed she was gone4 ,he went to his own room1 locked himself in1 and sat brooding over his troubles4 ,it was growing late1 when he was attracted by the well-known sound of scratching at the door1 and he rose to let in his favourite dog4 ,but lo6 the intruder was no other than his wife1 who1 crouching on the floor1 had made use of this stratagem to gain admittance4 ,half indignant1 half amused1 he did not long resist the glamour which this eccentric woman knew how to throw around him4 ,peace was restored for a short time1 but not for long2 another explosion1 a violent domestic quarrel1 occurred one night in ,london4 ,lady ,caroline went out1 called a hackney coach1 and in her evening dress--a white muslin frock1 blue sash1 and diamond necklace--drove to the house of a physician1 whom she scarcely knew4 ,she describes with great unction the surprise and admiration of the assembled guests1 #8who took me for a child1 and were surprised at my fine jewels4' ,it was her cherished vanity to be taken for a young unmarried girl4 ,her relations were much alarmed at her disappearance4 ,lady ,spencer sent to ,lord ,byron's house1 who disclaimed all knowledge of the truant4 ,after creating a great excitement in the good doctor's drawing-room1 the lady returned home1 to enjoy another scene and another reconciliation4 ,her mother1 ,lady ,bessborough1 who was in very delicate health1 was deeply concerned at her daughter's conduct1 the conjugal quarrels1 and the intimacy with ,lord ,byron1 which was so much talked of in the world4 #8,poor dear mamma was miserable2 she prevailed on me at length to go to ,ireland with her and papa4' ,on their departure1 ,lord ,byron wrote to his dearest ,caroline a most peculiar letter1 abounding1 indeed1 in high-flown protestations1 assuring her he was hers only1 hers entirely2 that he would with pleasure give up everything for her1 both here and beyond the grave2 that he was ready to fly with her1 when and whenever she might appoint1 etc42 at the same time reminding her of her duty to her husband and her mother--a most wonderful mixture of false sentiment and shallow feeling1 which could only have deceived one so blinded as the recipient4 #8,byron continued to write to me while ,i was in ,ireland4 ,his letters were tender and amusing4 ,we had arrived at ,dublin1 on our way home1 when my mother brought me a letter from him1--such a letter6--,i have published it in ,glenarvon4 ,it was sealed with a coronet1 but neither the coronet nor the initials were his2 they were ,lady ,oxford's4' ,lady ,caroline was beside herself with rage and jealousy2 she fell ill4 ,they were detained at #8a horrid little inn' at ,rock4 ,she arrived in ,england in the most excited frame of mind4 ,byron complains of her proceedings1 which were of a most melodramatic nature2 she went to see him1 dressed as a page2 she vowed she would stab herself1 and wished some one would kill him2--#8in short1' says the poet1 #8the ,agnus is furious2 you can have no idea what things she says and does1 ever since the time that ,i 7really from the best motives7 withdrew my homage4 ,she actually writes me letters threatening my life4' ,we have no reference at hand to note when these lines were written1 but we believe after his marriage3-- #8,they'll tell thee1 ,clara1 ,i have seemed ,of late another's charms to woo1 ,nor sighed nor frowned as if ,i deemed ,that thou wert vanished from my view4 ,clara1 this struggle to undo ,what thou hast done too well for me1 ,this mask before the babbling crowd1 ,this treachery1 is truth to thee1'-- a peculiar and ambiguous form of reasoning1 by which it appeared ,lady ,caroline was not convinced4 ,byron's well-known stanzas1 #8,farewell6 if ever fondest prayer1' were said to have been addressed to ,lady ,caroline when he left ,england for ever1 having quarrelled with his wife as well as with his friend4 ,the poem was not calculated to conciliate the lady1 and it was not long before she heard from a third person that ,byron had spoken slightingly of her to ,madame de ,stal and others4 ,she accordingly sat down1 and wrote him a long account of the childish revenge she had taken1 by burning his effigy in a bonfire1 with her own hands4 ,in her ,diary she gives a touching account of her useless endeavours to pique or persuade her poor boy into cheerfulness1 and how1 when he saw her look of disappointment1 he would come and sit beside her1 take her hand1 and look wistfully into her face4 ,she had consulted many physicians1 she said1 and now she would consult a metaphysician4 ,some time ago she had met ,godwin1 the author1 and taken one of her sudden fancies for him4 ,she now sat down and asked him to come and pay her a visit at ,brocket2 she wished to have some conversation with him about her son1 and indeed about her own unsettled and discontented state of mind4 #8,when ,i saw you last under painful circumstances1 you said it rested with myself to be happy4 ,i fear you can only think of me with contempt4 ,my mind is overpowered with trifles4 ,would you dislike paying me a little visit8 ,i hold out no allurements2 if you come1 it can only be from friendship4 ,i have no longer the excuse of youth and inexperience for being foolish1 yet ,i remain so4 ,i want a few wise words of advice4 ,no one is more sensible of kindness from a person of high intellect4 ,i have such an over-abundance of activity1 and nothing to do4 ,i feel as if ,i had lived five hundred years1 and am neither better nor worse than when ,i began4 ,i conduce to no one's happiness2 on the contrary1 ,i am in the way of many4 ,all my beliefs and opinions are shaken as with small shocks of moral earthquake2 it is as if ,i were in a boat without chart or compass4' ,surely she was not wise in her selection of a navigator4 ,godwin obeyed the summons1 but1 as might have been expected1 brought no consolation in his train4 ,lady ,caroline would often in her correspondence eulogise her husband in very high terms1 and call him her guardian angel1 and there is no doubt she was proud of him2 but his very forbearance and good-humour were often a source of irritation1 and she would upbraid him with treating her as a child1 though1 in reality1 nothing flattered her more than to be so considered1 and in some of her early caricatures 7for she often amused herself in that way7 she represents herself carried about in ,mr4 ,lamb's arms as a little girl4 ,her father-in-law1 easy-going as he was1 blamed her for her extravagance1 and called her #8her laviship4' #8,indeed ,i think ,i am a good housewife1' she writes to ,lady ,morgan1 #8and have saved ,william money2 but he says1 8,what is the use of saving with one hand if you scatter with the other80 ,what is the use--that is what ,i am always saying--what is the use of existing at all8' ,this unwholesome excitement tended to increase the natural irascibility of her character4 ,in her ,diary she records petty quarrels with her servants and other inmates of the house4 ,she at length took to authorship as a consolation1 and gives an odd account of the manner in which her literary labours were carried on4 ,she had a companion1 who began by acting as her amanuensis1 but after a time she decided on having an expert copyist4 ,even so commonplace an arrangement must be carried out in a melodramatic manner4 ,she wrote the book1 unknown to all1 except to ,miss ,welsh1 in the middle of the night4 #8,i sent for old ,woodhead to ,melbourne ,house4 ,i dressed ,miss ,welsh elegantly1 and placed her at my harp1 while ,i sat at the writing-table1 disguised in the page's clothes4 ,the copyist naturally took ,miss ,welsh for ,lady ,caroline1 and expressed his astonishment that a schoolboy of that age 7,i looked about fourteen7 could be the author of ,glenarvon4 ,next time he came ,i received him in my own clothes1 and told him ,william ,ormond1 the young author1 was dead4 ,when the book was finished1 ,i sent it to #8,william1 who was delighted4' 7,query47 ,glenarvon disappointed the public1 not so much on account of its literary shortcomings1 which might have been anticipated1 but from its lack of sufficient allusions to the separation of ,lord and ,lady ,byron1 though there was no scarcity of abuse of the hero4 ,the story was too feeble and vapid to cause much sensation1 yet the authoress found publishers willing to accept further works from the same pen1 and ,graham ,hamilton and ,ada ,reis followed4 ,lord ,byron1 writing from ,venice1 speaking of ,glenarvon1 says3 #8,i have seen nothing of the book but the motto from my 8,corsair03-- 8,he left a name to all succeeding times ,linked with one virtue and a thousand crimes40 ,if such be the posy1 what must the ring be8--the generous moment selected for the publication6 ,i have not a guess at the contents4' ,a little while after1 ,madame de ,stal lent him the book1 when he went to see her at ,coppet4 #8,it seems to me that if the author had told the truth1 the whole truth1 and nothing but the truth1 the romance would not only have been more romantic1 but more interesting4 ,the likeness is not good2 ,i did not sit long enough4' ,besides her novels1 ,lady ,caroline sent contributions to ,annuals and ,magazines1 breathing eternal love and dire remorse3-- 8,weep for what thou'st lost1 love1 ,weep for what thou'st won1 ,weep for what thou didst not do1 ,and more for what thou'st done40 ,she often amused herself by setting her own compositions to music very prettily4 ,we are not told in what manner ,lady ,caroline received the tidings of ,byron's death1 but we have a detailed account of her driving one summer's day on the ,great ,north ,road1 not far from ,brocket1 in an open carriage1 accompanied by her husband1 when1 at a turn in the road1 they came upon a long and melancholy procession4 ,it proved to be the funeral of a peer1 from the fact that the hearse was preceded by a horseman bearing a coronet on a cushion4 ,the lady stopped her carriage and asked the question whose funeral it was4 #8,we are taking ,lord ,byron to ,newstead to be buried1' was the reply4 ,the shock was terrible4 ,lady ,caroline reached home1 more dead than alive1 and fell into a species of trance1 from which the waking was slow and tedious4 ,she would sit for hours with her hands clasped on her lap1 silent and listless2 and it was long before she could be prevailed on to resume her usual occupations1 or busy herself with her books1 music1 or drawing4 ,when the invalid was a little better1 change of air and scene was prescribed1 and she was sent abroad4 ,she wrote from ,paris to ,lady ,morgan1 asking her to look in a cabinet1 in a certain room at ,melbourne ,house1 where she would find a miniature#e of ,lord ,byron3 #8,pray send it me without delay4' ,coming back to ,england1 she again took up her abode at ,brocket1 where her husband often visited her1 although his official and ,parliamentary duties were a sufficient reason for his residing mostly in ,london4 ,when he went over to ,ireland as ,chief ,secretary1 he kept up a regular correspondence with his wife 7now a confirmed invalid71 and with those to whose care she was consigned4 ,in ,dublin he was a frequent visitor at the house of ,lady ,morgan1 who was much attached to ,lady ,caroline1 to give her news of his wife's health1 or show her some of the letters he received from ,brocket1--such1 for instance1 as1 #8,my dearest ,william1--,since ,i wrote last ,i have been a great sufferer4 ,tapping is a dreadful sensation1 it turns me so deadly cold and sick4444 ,but everybody is so good to me4 ,all the members of both our families1 ,emily1 and ,caroline have been to see me1 and the whole county has called to inquire4 ,my dear brother1 too1 has been with me1 and is coming again4 ,he reads to me1 which is so soothing2 but what pleased me most of all was your dear letter1 in which you said you loved me and forgave me4' ,footnote #e3 ,lady ,caroline ,lamb bequeathed this portrait to ,lady ,morgan1 at whose death it was sold by auction4 ,in proportion as her bodily health failed1 so did the sufferer become more and more gentle1 patient1 and grateful for kindness4 ,the evil spirit had been cast out4 ,she grew so much worse that it was deemed advisable to remove her to ,london for the benefit of medical advice4 ,on the #bfth of ,january #ahbh1 ,lady ,morgan received a letter from ,mr4 ,william ,ponsonby 7afterwards ,lord ,de ,mauley71 to announce his sister's death4 #8,from the beginning of her illness1' he says1 #8she had no expectation of recovery1 and only felt anxious to live long enough to see ,mr4 ,lamb once again4 ,in this she was gratified1 and was still able to converse with him1 and enjoy his society4 ,but for the past three days it was apparent that her strength was rapidly declining1 and on ,sunday night1 at about nine o'clock1 she expired without a struggle4 ,a kinder or more tender heart never ceased to beat1 and it was a great consolation to her and to us that her mind was fully prepared and reconciled to the awful change4 ,she viewed the near approach of death with calmness1 and during her long and severe sufferings her patience never forsook her1 or her affectionate consideration for those around her4 ,mr4 ,lamb has felt and acted as ,i knew he would on this sad occasion4' ,the friendship of the brothers-in-law had never been interrupted4 ,although fully prepared for a great change in his wife's appearance1 ,william ,lamb was more shocked than he expected to be4 ,the short time that intervened between his return and her death was marked by tenderness on his part and affection on hers2 and in after years the widower always spoke of #8,caroline' with gentleness and forbearance4 ,lady ,morgan thus describes her friend's appearance3 #8,a slight tall figure1 dark lustrous eyes1 with fair hair and complexion2 a charming voice1 sweet1 low1 caressing1 which exercised a wonderful influence over most people4 ,she was eloquent also1 but had only one subject--herself4 ,she was the slave of imagination and of impulse4' ------------------ ,no4 #ah4 ,,nathaniel ,,clifford4 ,brown coat4 ,white cravat4 ,he was a man of letters1 a friend of ,lord ,chancellor ,cowper4 ------------------ ,no4 #ai4 ,,three ,,brothers ,,of ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,nassau4 ,two in armour4 ,one in a velvet coat4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,smoking-,,room4 ------- ,,the ,,witches ,,round ,,the ,,cauldron4 ,,being ,,portraits ,,of ,,lady ,,melbourne1 ,,the ,,duchess ,,of ,,devonshire1 ,,and ,,mrs4 ,,dawson ,,damer4 ,,by ,,anne ,,seymour ,,dawson ,,damer4 ,,in the notice of ,lady ,melbourne we have alluded to that lady's taste for private theatricals1 tableaux vivants1 and other dramatic entertainments1 and to the merry meetings on those festive occasions4 ,this sketch is an interesting record of one such4 ,lady ,melbourne knew where to select talent and beauty3 the ,duchess of ,devonshire1 daughter of the first ,earl ,spencer1 by ,georgina1 daughter of ,stephen ,poyntz1 ,esq4 of ,midgham1 near ,newbury1 was a beauty1 a wit1 and1 above all1 a politician4 ,a tribute was once paid to her charms1 to our mind1 better worth remembering than the widespread story1 so often told1 so often delineated1 in the caricatures of the day1 of how her ,grace bartered a kiss to a butcher1 in exchange for his vote in favour of the fair ,whig's political idol1 ,charles ,james ,fox4 ,the anecdote to which we give the preference is as follows3 ,one day1 when proceeding to the poll1 the crowd was so dense1 and the mob pressed so heavily against the coach panels1 that her ,grace1 usually so fearless1 became alarmed1 and1 stretching out her fair head1 she requested a rough and shabby member of the community to keep back a little1 and induce the others to do the same4 ,the man1 an undoubted ,irishman1 stared at the charming vision for a moment1 with his short pipe suspended between his fingers1 and then burst forth1 #8,god bless yer1 and that ,i shall1 and anything else in life1 so as ,i may light my pipe at your eyes4' ,lady ,melbourne was also a beauty1 as her many portraits show1 without the testimony of posthumous fame1 and her features were decidedly more regular than those of her captivating friend4 ,mrs4 ,damer was also much admired1 and in such circumstances we can easily imagine what prettily turned compliments were paid1 what flattering contrasts drawn1 between these three bewitching witches1 who met1 and met again1 not on a #8blasted heath1' but in the sylvan shades of ,brocket1 and the midnight hags whom ,shakespeare drew1 #8so wizen1 and so wild in their attire'6 ,the artist1 ,anne ,seymour1 was the daughter of the ,hon4 ,hugh ,seymour ,conway1 brother of the ,marquis of ,hertford4 ,she married1 in #agfg1 the ,hon4 ,john ,damer1 eldest son of the first ,lord ,milton4 ,the union was far from happy1 and in #aggf the eccentric and restless-minded husband shot himself4 ,mrs4 ,damer1 who had no children to engross her time and thoughts1 now gave herself up to the study and enjoyment of art1 for which purpose she travelled in ,italy1 ,france1 and ,spain1 mastering the languages of the countries through which she passed2 and1 benefiting by the treasures of painting and sculpture which they afforded her1 she became a proficient with her brush and her chisel1 and executed many admirable works1 too numerous to be mentioned1 being a frequent exhibitor at the ,royal ,academy4 ,in politics ,mrs4 ,damer emulated her friends1 ,lady ,melbourne and the ,duchess of ,devonshire1 being a staunch ,whig1 while on the boards of ,brocket and ,white ,hall she displayed much talent as an actress4 ,when her cousin and friend1 ,lord ,orford1 died1 he bequeathed ,strawberry ,hill to her1 with a handsome annual sum for its maintenance1 and there she lived for some years4 ,in #ahbh she died at her house in ,upper ,brook ,street1 and1 by her own desire1 was buried at ,sundridge4 ,her sculptor's tools and apron1 together with the ashes of a favourite dog1 were placed with her in her coffin4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,pictures ,,not ,,placed4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,pictures ,,not ,,placed4 ------- ,,pensionary ,,john ,,de ,,witt4 ,black velvet gown4 ,long hair4 ------------------ ,,admiral ,,cornelius ,,de ,,witt4 ,leather jerkin4 ,own hair4 ,holds a truncheon4 ,one arm akimbo4 ,,john ,,de ,,witt was born at ,dort in #afbe4 ,he was educated in the ,latin ,school of ,dort1 was at ,leyden for four years with his brother ,cornelius1 two years older than himself1 travelled with him in ,france and ,england1 and in #afdh went to study law and mathematics at the ,hague4 ,it may be as well to begin by briefly depicting the political situation of the ,dutch ,provinces at this period4 ,they had for some time been divided into two parties4 ,one was headed by the ,prince of ,orange1 composed of the old nobility and of the lower orders both in town and country1 and supported by the bulk of the clergy4 ,the other consisted mainly of the higher classes in the large towns4 ,the differences between the two parties were numerous1 but may chiefly be described as having reference to ,war1 ,trade1 and ,religion4 ,the ,house of ,orange1 by the line it had taken at a critical moment against ,philip ,,ii41 by the indomitable constancy of its ,princes1 and by their vast political and military talents1 had been the principal instrument of the liberation of the ,netherlands from the dominion of ,spain2 but their enemies accused them of continuing the war for the sake of their own aggrandisement much longer than was necessary1 and of thus squandering the resources and weakening the energies of the ,state4 ,they complained of the heavy burdens laid upon commerce1 and of the losses sustained by the mercantile interest1 owing to the insecure condition of the seas4 ,as to religion1 the wealthier burgesses belonged for the most part to the ,arminian1 or what we may perhaps call the ,broad ,church party1 and were ardently in favour of toleration1 while their opponents leaned strongly for support upon the rigid and persecuting ,calvinists4 ,in addition to the causes of disagreement which ,i have mentioned1 was the conflict between the authority of the ,union1 on the one hand1 and1 on the other1 the individual rights of each particular ,province4 ,these provincial rights were more especially insisted upon by those who opposed the ,house of ,orange in the ,province of ,holland itself1 for they complained that though ,holland paid more towards sustaining the public burdens than all the other ,provinces put together1 she was constantly outvoted and overruled on the most important subjects of public policy4 ,this is as full an account as our limits will permit of the subjects of dispute between the party of the ,house of ,orange and the ,opposition4 ,the ,opposition1 we must bear in mind1 derived its chief strength from the rich merchants and the magistrates of the large towns4 ,these magistrates were elected by close corporations1 and were chosen in each town1 generation after generation1 from a small number of select families4 ,it was to one of the most considerable of these families in the town of ,dort that ,john de ,witt belonged2 he had thus the advantages and the disadvantages of having his political party already decided for him by the accident of his birth1 and the less doubtful good fortune of finding an open access to public life4 ,it was while ,de ,witt was studying at the ,hague that the struggle between the two parties in the ,state was brought to a crisis4 ,peace had at last been made with ,spain2 but it was expected that the young ,prince of ,orange1 ,william ,,ii41 who had just succeeded to his father1 would soon break it4 ,fearing this1 the ,provincial ,government of ,holland1 which was in the hands of the burgess oligarchy1 refused to pay its share of the expenses of the troops1 and directed certain numbers to be disbanded4 ,the ,prince obtained an order from the ,states-,general of the ,united ,provinces to go with a deputation to the different towns of ,holland and forbid the local authorities from obeying the directions of the ,provincial ,government4 ,at ,dort1 which was the first place he visited1 he was thwarted by ,jacob de ,witt1 ,john's father1 ex-burgomaster1 and one of the principal men in the town4 ,on returning to the ,hague1 he summoned ,jacob de ,witt and five or six others of the leading deputies1 and put them in prison4 ,meanwhile1 he attempted to seize ,amsterdam4 ,the attempt failed2 but the municipality of that city1 in order to avert a civil war1 agreed to abandon all further opposition to the ,prince1 who was now all-powerful2 but at the moment of his triumph he fell ill of the small-pox and died4 ,his only son was not born till a week afterwards4 ,the rich middle-class oligarchical party now found itself raised by fortune from complete prostration to the supreme direction of affairs4 ,whether they could maintain their position might well have been doubted4 ,they had many difficulties to contend with2 they had against them the large circle of personal adherents of the ,house of ,orange1 all the distinguished soldiers1 many of the distinguished admirals1 the ancient nobility1 and the mass of the common people4 ,they were few in number1 and none of them had yet shown any particular ability4 ,it is in circumstances like these that the appearance of a remarkable man affects the current of history4 ,such a man appeared at this moment in ,john de ,witt1 who had just received his first official appointment as ,pensionary of ,dort4 ,born1 as we have seen1 in the very centre of the faction which was now dominant1 he obtained at once1 and without an effort1 their full confidence4 ,on the other hand1 his just and impartial nature1 conspicuous from the very first1 the consummate ability which he gradually developed1 and1 above all1 his commanding resolution1 raised and sustained the weak party to which he belonged4 ,his influence extended far beyond its narrow circle1 and his name is associated with one of the most prosperous times in the history of his country4 ,it was not1 however1 for some years that ,de ,witt filled more than a subordinate position4 ,meanwhile the new ,government proved itself both feeble and unfortunate4 ,it was compelled by the fundamental principles of the party to push provincial independence to an extreme that almost disintegrated the ,union4 ,the office of ,captain-,general1 which had largely contributed towards holding the ,union together1 was abolished1 for it would assuredly have fallen into the hands of the ,house of ,orange4 ,the provincial office of ,stadtholder remained vacant for the same reason4 ,business had never been rapidly conducted by the ,dutch2 but now it could hardly be conducted at all4 ,the first result of this state of things was drifting into a war with ,england1 against the wishes and interests of both nations1 particularly of the ,dutch4 ,nor was the war carried on in a manner creditable to the authorities at home4 ,the ships were ill-fitted and ill-provisioned1 the instructions were confused1 and nothing but the genius and conduct of the admirals1 ,van ,tromp and ,de ,ruyter1 saved the country from overwhelming calamities4 ,in spite of the most desperate fighting that ever took place at sea1 and of some brilliant victories by the ,dutch1 they were overmatched1 blockaded1 and very nearly reduced to starvation4 ,the ablest men in the country had for some time seen the folly of the war and the necessity for putting an end to it4 ,but the breakdown in the machinery of government1 which made it difficult to carry on the war with vigour1 made it almost impossible to conclude a peace4 ,it was now that ,de ,witt1 appointed ,grand-,pensionary of ,holland1 began to play a leading part4 ,on the one hand1 he commenced building a new fleet of larger and better ships2 on the other1 he started negotiations with ,cromwell1 at this time ,lord ,protector of ,england4 ,the difficulties in his way1 both in prosecuting the war and in making peace1 were almost inconceivable4 ,he had no actual power in his hands2 nothing but moral influence4 ,every measure had to be debated in each of the ,assemblies of the ,seven ,provinces4 ,it was then brought before the ,states-,general1 whose members had no authority to decide any new point without referring it back to their constituents2 even when the ,states-,general had come to a decision1 there was no means of binding the dissentient minority4 ,it is an under-statement of the case to say that no diplomacy ever exercised throughout ,europe by ,cardinal ,richelieu1 by ,william ,,iii4 of ,england1 by ,metternich1 or by ,talleyrand1 was vaster or more intricate than that required by ,de ,witt to bring about the end he had in view4 ,his difficulties were the greater that the bulk of the nation thoroughly detested the new ,government4 ,the ,orange party among the lower classes were almost as violent now as they became later in #afgb1 and ,de ,witt went about in danger of his life4 ,at last1 by incredible exertion and dogged resolution1 joined with admirable tact and temper1 by impenetrable secrecy1 and1 it must be confessed1 by a certain amount of duplicity1 he attained his objects4 ,the new fleet was begun1 and shortly afterwards peace was concluded on better terms than might have been expected4 ,still greater duplicity was shown in carrying out a secret agreement whereby the ,state of ,holland bound itself to exclude for ever any members of the ,house of ,orange from the office of ,stadtholder4 ,was this really forced upon ,de ,witt by ,cromwell8 ,was his own judgment warped by prejudice8 ,or was it one of those sacrifices to the passions of a party1 which1 in a time of excitement1 are occasionally demanded even from the most upright ,minister8 ,it was accomplished in a most discreditable manner2 the storm it raised when it became known shook the ,seven ,provinces to their very foundation4 ,its immediate effect1 when that storm subsided1 was to confirm the power of the class which held the reins of ,government2 but the measure was pregnant with future mischief4 ,by the tact and tenacity shown in these proceedings1 ,de ,witt had raised himself to so high a position that he never again had quite the same herculean labours to go through in carrying out his measures2 but1 in order to judge his abilities fairly1 we must always remember that on every occasion when it was necessary to act1 obstacles somewhat of a similar nature had to be overcome4 ,a cordial understanding with ,england lasted till the ,restoration in #affj1 far more cordial1 indeed1 than with ,france4 ,up to this time1 almost from the commencement of its existence1 it had been the policy of the ,dutch ,republic to maintain an alliance with ,france4 ,but the ,french had come to consider this alliance so necessary to the ,republic that they had felt themselves able to treat their allies in a most supercilious manner4 ,their armed ships had for some time been in the habit of seizing and plundering ,dutch merchantmen4 ,it had been impossible to obtain redress till1 in #afeg1 ,admiral de ,ruyter had orders from his ,government to make reprisals1 and took two of the ,king's ships4 ,a ,french envoy was sent to demand satisfaction4 ,a rupture seemed imminent1 but matters were smoothed over1 and the ,united ,provinces came out of the difficulty without loss of credit4 ,in the meantime much alarm had been created in ,holland by the ambition of ,charles ,gustavus of ,sweden1 who had engaged in a successful war with ,poland1 and afterwards attacked ,denmark4 ,denmark was in alliance with the ,united ,provinces1 and1 moreover1 it was necessary for the trade of ,holland in the ,baltic1 which was very considerable1 that the balance of power in the ,north should be preserved4 ,after many negotiations1 and an abortive attempt to make a treaty with ,sweden1 the ,dutch assisted ,denmark with a powerful fleet and a small body of troops4 ,they had an obstinate naval engagement1 by which ,copenhagen was saved1 and in the following year they destroyed some of the largest of the ,swedish men-of-war1 which they succeeded in surprising and outnumbering4 ,charles ,gustavus died suddenly1 and peace was soon afterwards made4 ,a desultory war had all this time been going on with ,portugal1 in order to obtain compensation for losses sustained by the ,dutch in ,brazil1 which does not come within our limits to describe4 ,this war was chiefly carried on in the ,east ,indies1 where the ,dutch conquered the rich island of ,ceylon4 ,peace was finally made with ,portugal in #affa1 ,portugal paying a heavy indemnity for the ,brazil losses4 ,in all these matters ,de ,witt had become more and more the principal mover4 ,as to home affairs1 his reputation1 and the power which was derived from it1 were not confined to his own province of ,holland1 for we find him about this period chosen by the nobility1 first of ,friesland1 and then of ,overyssel1 to settle their internal disputes4 ,the office of ,grand-,pensionary was a five years' appointment4 ,it had been renewed to ,de ,witt in #afeh1 and in #affc it had become such a matter of course that he should fill it1 that even his opponents gave a tacit consent to his remaining4 ,having proved himself necessary1 it was impossible that he should not continue to hold the most honourable place in the ,government4 ,not that his place as ,grand-,pensionary gave him any real power4 ,i have already remarked1 and it is important to bear in mind1 that by the strange system now prevailing1 no official whatever possessed more than a moral influence4 ,whenever anything of importance was to be done1 some person was appointed for that particular purpose1 and this person was now almost always either ,de ,witt or his brother1 generally the former4 ,for instance1 there was at this time a dispute between the ,prince of ,east ,friesland and his subjects1 which threatened to be serious4 ,john de ,witt was at once appointed to go at the head of a deputation to mediate between the contending parties4 ,i need hardly add that his mediation was at once successful2 and there was soon to be a still greater scope for the display of his abilities1 as a war with ,england was impending4 ,charles ,,ii4 was now on the throne of ,england1 and there was a natural antagonism between him1 as uncle to the ,prince of ,orange1 and the party which now governed ,holland4 ,besides this1 the ,english nation had always been jealous of the commercial prosperity of the ,dutch1 and they had not yet become sufficiently aware of the extent to which the power of ,france was increasing1 or the necessity for a ,dutch alliance in order to check it4 ,we cannot be surprised1 therefore1 that this war should have broken out2 it began on the coast of ,africa1 and soon became general4 ,de ,witt was1 of course1 at once appointed ,chief ,commissioner for the direction of the navy1 and by his personal exertions at ,amsterdam and other places he succeeded in fitting out a considerable fleet1 very differently equipped and provisioned to what had been the case in the war with ,cromwell4 ,this fleet1 however1 under the command of ,opdam1 engaged the ,english in the beginning of ,june #affe1 and suffered a tremendous and most disastrous defeat4 ,opdam was killed1 and the other admirals were at daggers drawn with each other4 ,such was the general confusion and discouragement1 and such the general instinct to turn to ,de ,witt in any great emergency1 that though he had never yet had any military or naval experience whatever1 the chief command was at once thrust upon him4 ,he knew well how invidious his position would be1 and it was in spite of the earnest persuasion of his personal friends to the contrary1 that1 at the call of duty1 he accepted the office4 ,the fleet had been driven into the ,texel1 and was shut in there by a contrary wind4 ,to ,holland1 who depended for her very existence upon supplies from abroad1 and whose ,east ,indian ships at this very moment required protection for their safe passage1 it was absolutely necessary that the fleet should at once put to sea4 ,but the seamen unanimously represented that as the wind then stood this was impossible4 ,de ,witt1 though no sailor1 was a great mathematician4 ,he had read deeply and written ably on the subject1 and he was now to put his knowledge to practical use4 ,he proved by calculation that it was just possible1 even with this adverse wind1 to sail out by one passage1 then called the ,spaniards' ,gat4 ,the pilots now declared that in the ,spaniards' ,gat there was not more than ten feet of water1 and that this was not sufficient4 ,de ,witt took a boat1 personally sounded it1 and found everywhere a depth of at least twenty feet4 ,he himself superintended the carrying out of the largest ship in the fleet1 and was followed by all the rest4 ,he now had to exercise his diplomatic abilities in order to reconcile the two admirals under his command--,de ,ruyter and the younger ,van ,tromp4 ,he succeeded in smoothing down their mutual animosities1 and in attaching them both personally to himself4 ,but the sailors still grumbled1 not unnaturally1 at being commanded by an unknown and inexperienced landsman1 and it was not till a violent storm arose that he had an opportunity of winning their esteem4 ,for two days and two nights1 without food and without rest1 he remained on deck1 infusing courage into others1 as only a really brave man can do1 working himself1 and1 what seems to have been unusual1 forcing his officers also by his example to work with their own hands4 ,he gradually became the idol of the men1 showing particular concern for their comfort and welfare1 while1 at the same time1 by his tact and good management1 he avoided giving any offence to the officers4 ,this expedition1 however1 does not seem on the whole to have been very successful1 probably on account of the roughness of the weather4 ,on his return he found the people violently irritated by false reports of the intermeddling of himself and the other deputies whom he had taken with him4 ,he was particularly supposed to have thwarted ,de ,ruyter1 but1 unfortunately for his enemies1 ,de ,ruyter happened at this time to come to the ,hague1 and to choose for his lodgings the house of the very man who was reported to have behaved so ill4 ,de ,ruyter wrote a letter to the ,states1 not only vindicating1 but warmly praising him4 ,de ,witt also wrote an elaborate account of all his proceedings2 the tide of opinion changed4 ,he received an enthusiastic vote of thanks1 and the offer of a large present1 which he declined4 ,de ,witt only left the fleet in order to plunge deep into the tangled thicket of negotiation4 ,louis ,,xiv4 was indeed nominally an ally1 but he was very slack and very procrastinating2 delighted to see his two neighbours tearing each other to pieces1 and not anxious to help the ,dutch more than he was obliged4 ,denmark was making perfidious overtures1 first to ,england1 and then to ,holland4 ,de ,witt eventually succeeded in forming an alliance with her1 and also with ,brandenburg1 but for a long time she required watching with constant attention4 ,meanwhile ,charles ,,ii4 had induced the ,bishop of ,mnster to invade the ,united ,provinces with #hjjj men4 ,the ,bishop proved to be a bad general1 was threatened by ,brandenburg in his rear1 and was induced by ,de ,witt to leave the country before he had done much harm4 ,but ,holland had received a warning to which she ought to have attended4 ,the army was evidently no longer the same as in the old days of ,maurice and ,frederick ,henry4 ,there were ugly stories of incompetent officers1 and of men unwilling to expose themselves to the fire of the enemy4 ,but peace was made with the ,bishop2 men's minds were diverted by the fierce fighting which was going on at sea2 and all this was hushed up1 and forgotten for a time4 ,all parties in the ,state were now united in a vigorous prosecution of the war4 ,de ,witt1 who1 as ,i have said1 seems to have been the one man besides his brother who looked after everything1 had taken care that the education of the young ,prince of ,orange should not be neglected4 ,though he opposed with all his might intrusting him with the offices held by his ancestors1 he was magnanimous enough to provide that1 if he did obtain them1 he should be qualified to fill them4 ,the two factions seemed now1 in the face of a common danger1 to have been for the moment reconciled4 ,a large and well-furnished fleet took the sea in the summer of #afff under ,de ,ruyter and the younger ,van ,tromp2 on ,june ,i they met the ,english1 under ,prince ,rupert and the ,duke of ,albemarle4 ,one of those desperate sea-battles took place which form the peculiar feature of the period of which we are writing4 ,the ,english were outnumbered1 but not more so than they have been in many of the most decisive of their victories over other nations4 ,for four days the desperate struggle continued1 and it ended in what the ,dutch called a victory1 and the ,english a drawn battle4 ,on ,july #be another engagement took place4 ,the ,english1 who had by this time been reinforced1 were now successful1 but only after the most desperate fighting4 ,van ,tromp had become separated from ,de ,ruyter1 either from accident or by design2 but ,de ,ruyter kept his station till night against overwhelming numbers1 and next morning moved sullenly away1 frequently exclaiming1 #8,my ,god6 is there not one among all these bullets which will put an end to my miserable life8' ,not only were the ,dutch defeated1 but dissension of the most violent nature broke out between the two admirals1 and among all the officers of the fleet4 ,the ,provinces were in consternation2 ,de ,witt was sent out to endeavour to put things straight4 ,van ,tromp's commission was taken from him1 and some of the captains were punished2 but the most guilty are said to have escaped on account of their family connections4 ,both nations were now beginning to be desirous of peace4 ,holland had been reduced to great distress1 and ,charles had found the war attended with little glory and much expense4 ,de ,witt1 afraid of the intrigues of the ,orange party1 refused to receive an ,ambassador at the ,hague1 but negotiations were begun at ,paris4 ,it was agreed as a basis that each country should retain whatever possessions they at the moment had4 ,this was1 on the whole1 favourable to ,england1 but some trifling matters remained to be adjusted1 and ,england meanwhile proposed immediate disarmament4 ,de ,witt1 knowing the character of ,king ,charles1 and seeing his opportunity1 persuaded the ,states to refuse4 ,charles1 as he expected1 thinking the matter virtually settled1 and wanting his money for other purposes1 made no preparations for the coming year4 ,de ,witt1 however1 equipped a large fleet1 which he despatched1 early in the summer1 under the command of his brother ,cornelius1 straight to the ,thames4 ,sheerness was taken1 and the ,dutch sailed up the river4 ,the ,medway was guarded by a chain drawn across it1 and by three ships of war2 the chain was broken1 and the ships burnt4 ,three more ships were burnt at ,chatham2 the ,dutch guns were heard in ,london1 and there was general consternation4 ,charles immediately sent orders to give way upon all the points still insisted on by the ,dutch1 and peace was signed at ,breda4 ,thus ended the war between ,england and ,holland4 ,we may console our national pride by feeling that our ill success was as much owing to our own imbecile ,government as to the merits of our enemy1 but it will be impossible to refuse a tribute of admiration to the latter4 ,we have grown so accustomed since1 in reading of our many glorious wars1 to look with pride upon the map1 and to compare our own small island with the large proportions of our various opponents1 that it almost amuses us1 now that it is so long ago1 for once to observe the contrary1 and to remember that we were formerly defied and held at bay by a country of almost exactly the same size as ,wales4 ,i have said that it was some time before ,england and ,holland recognised the fact1 to us so obvious1 that it was the common interest of both countries to join together against ,france4 ,the rising power of that country1 and the ambition displayed by her ,king1 now began to open the eyes of her neighbours4 ,even ,charles ,,ii4 was for a few years persuaded to adopt the course required by reason2 after some preliminary negotiation1 ,sir ,william ,temple was sent to the ,hague1 where1 with a celerity quite unexampled in anything at that time dependent on the movements of the ,dutch ,government1 he concluded a ,triple ,alliance between ,england1 ,holland1 and ,sweden4 ,this was carried out by ,de ,witt4 ,he had for some time been convinced of the necessity for it1 but he had great difficulties in his way1 as some of the ,provinces were in favour of the suicidal policy of an agreement with ,france for the division of the ,spanish territory in ,flanders2 ,de ,witt only carried his point by a breach of the ,constitution4 ,he persuaded the ,states-,general to sign the treaty at once1 instead of referring it back to the local ,assemblies1 as they were in strictness bound to do4 ,had he not felt sure of his position with the people1 he could only have done this at the risk of his head2 but there was no danger4 ,he was at this moment at the very height of popularity and fame4 ,there is some interest in contemplating a great man at such a moment1 particularly when there is in the background a dark shadow of impending fate4 ,the interest is in this instance increased by the modest dignity of the hero2 there is something very striking in the picture drawn by ,temple of the life and habits of one who at this period shone prominently among the most conspicuous figures in ,europe1--his simple dress1 his frugal house-keeping1 and his single servant4 ,he lived upon a salary of #cjj a year1 shortly to be increased to #gjj2 and he steadily refused all presents from the ,state2 accepting with difficulty a small one of #aejj from the rich families of his own ,province4 ,his third term of office now expired3 he was again elected for a fourth period of five years2 it was to be the last time4 ,we are now to witness first the decline1 and then the sudden close1 of this memorable career4 ,de ,witt's popularity with the multitude was never more than a temporary matter2 the ,prince of ,orange was now growing up1 and had already displayed more than ordinary ability4 ,he was admitted into the ,council1 and he gathered round him a considerable party--not large enough to assume the management of affairs1 but sufficiently so to cause division and weakness4 ,on the other hand1 the party of burgomasters and rich citizens--the burgess oligarchy1 as we have called it--to which ,de ,witt properly belonged1 and which had brought him into power1 became divided within itself1 one portion only giving him undeviating support4 ,de ,witt had ceased1 to a certain extent1 to be a party man1 and every ,minister in a ,constitutional ,government who does this runs the risk of being deserted by his followers4 ,we have seen that1 even in the height of his power1 he was unable to procure the punishment of the aristocratic sea-captains who had misbehaved1 and he was now equally unsuccessful in his attempts to remodel and reorganise the army1 which was largely officered from the same class4 ,but perhaps he did not push his attempts in this direction with as much vigour as he ought1 for he relied largely upon diplomacy for preventing the necessity of employing any army at all4 ,louis meanwhile applied all his energy and skill to dissolve the ,triple ,alliance4 ,he certainly succeeded in persuading the ,dutch to enter into negotiations1 but to this ,de ,witt only consented with the utmost reluctance1 evidently because he could not help himself2 or we may feel pretty sure that he would have succeeded in keeping his country firm to its true interest4 ,in ,england1 however1 things were very different3 it was the time of the ,cabal--the worst and most profligate ,ministry we have ever had4 ,by bribery of the ,ministers1 by the promise of a large subsidy to the ,king1 and with the help of the beautiful ,duchess of ,portsmouth1 whom he sent over for the purpose1 ,louis persuaded our ,government suddenly to reverse their whole policy1 to break all their engagements1 and to declare war against the ,united ,provinces4 ,the ,french were already prepared4 ,an army of #acj1jjj men1 commanded1 under the ,king1 by ,cond1 ,turenne1 ,luxembourg1 and all the most distinguished generals of ,france1 advanced upon the frontier4 ,the ,dutch troops were panicstricken and demoralised2 the army had1 as we know1 been allowed to get into a very unsatisfactory condition4 ,de ,witt had relied chiefly upon the navy for maintaining the greatness of his country2 but he had not been insensible to the deficiencies of the other branch of the service4 ,he had1 as ,i have said1 tried hard1 but not hard enough1 to remedy them4 ,his party had always been pledged to the reduction of the troops in order to keep down the taxation2 the adherents of the ,house of ,orange1 who comprised the best officers of the country1 had been unwilling to serve under the present ,government1 and the ,government had been equally unwilling to employ them4 ,on the other hand1 the rich citizens1 whose political support was the main prop of the ,administration1 had insisted upon all the best commands being conferred upon their sons and other relations1 who were too often utterly incompetent4 ,the ,french passed the ,rhine with only a faint show of opposition1 and1 scattering their enemies before them1 marched almost to the very suburbs of ,amsterdam4 ,in the meantime the ,prince of ,orange had been made1 first ,captain-,general of the ,united ,provinces1 and then ,stadtholder of ,holland and ,zealand2 his partisans were everywhere triumphant1 and his opponents1 particularly after a gallant but indecisive naval engagement1 and a vain effort by ,de ,witt to make peace1 were utterly crushed and discredited4 ,now comes the tragic termination of our story4 ,cornelius de ,witt had just distinguished himself highly in the sea-fight of ,solebay1 but1 on the testimony of one of the most infamous of mankind1 he was accused of the preposterous charge of attempting to poison the ,prince of ,orange4 ,he was put to the torture1 which he endured with heroic constancy1 and nothing could be wrung from him4 ,but he was sentenced to be banished4 ,john de ,witt1 whose assassination had already been attempted a short time before1 went to convey his brother out of prison1 and start him on his journey4 ,the prison was besieged by an armed mob1 who blockaded the door1 and eventually broke into the room1 where they found the two brothers--,cornelius in bed1 shattered by the torture which he had recently undergone1 and ,john1 sitting upon the foot of the bed1 calmly reading his ,bible4 ,cornelius1 whose fiery and impetuous nature formed a contrast to the composure and self-control of ,john1 rose1 in spite of his weakness1 and angrily bade the intruders begone4 ,john1 having tried in vain to reason with them1 put his arm round his brother1 and assisted him to descend the stairs4 ,in the courtyard they were hustled by the crowd1 separated1 and eventually murdered1--,john1 as he fell1 covering his face1 like ,csar1 with his cloak4 ,the end of ,de ,witt's political career was disastrous1 and it is not easy to assign to him his proper place among the statesmen of the world4 ,i think1 however1 it should be on the whole a high one2 as to actual work done1 he merely showed that ,holland could maintain her proud position independently of the ,house of ,orange4 ,the great men of that ,house1 who came before and after him1 under whom the ,united ,provinces were created a nation1 and obtained a world-wide renown1 under whom1 in a death-struggle with first one and then the other1 they successfully resisted all the strength of the two mightiest monarchies in the world--those ,princes1 ,william the ,silent1 ,maurice1 and ,william ,,iii41 have thrown ,de ,witt rather into the shade4 ,it is only when we take into account the difficulties he had to contend with that his rare abilities become fully apparent4 ,one of his biographers has invidiously compared his character with that of ,cromwell1 who led a rival ,republic at about the same time4 ,but it seems to me that there are no materials for a comparison2 what ,de ,witt might have done as the all-powerful chief of a large and well-disciplined army is an unknown quantity4 ,on the other hand1 how would the great ,protector1 with his irritable temper and his unintelligible speeches1 have succeeded in doing the work of ,de ,witt8 ,we must remember that ,cromwell at the most critical period only saved himself and his country by turning out half his ,parliament into the street4 ,he cut the ,gordian knot2 while ,de ,witt was compelled to be continually untying it4 ,there is a good simile1 supposed to have been used by an illustrious statesman of the present day as regards his own position1 but far less applicable to him than to the ,pensionary3 #8,de ,witt was like a man out hunting upon a mule4' ,c4 ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,index ,,of ,,portraits4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration ,,index ,,of ,,portraits4 ------- ,where there is more than one ,portrait of the same ,person1 the first number refers to the ,page containing the notice of the ,life4 ,,albemarle1 ,,first ,,earl ,,of1 #cii ,,arlington1 ,,earl ,,of1 ,,wife ,,and ,,daughter1 #cgd ,,austria1 ,,archduchesses ,,of1 #ci ,,auverquerque1 ,,field-,,marshal1 #aii1 #dee ,,balbi ,,brothers1 #chd ,,beauvale1 ,,lord1 #cih ,,botnia1 ,,jarich ,,van1 #cgc ---- ,,luits ,,van1 #cgd ,,burke1 ,,edmund1 #fi ,,clavering1 ,,john1 #ccd ,,clifford1 ,,nathaniel1 #dgd ,,colleton1 ,,lady ,,anne1 #def ,,cowper1 ,,lady1 #cih ---- ,,lady ,,caroline1 #baa ---- ,,edward1 ,,the ,,honourable1 #ccd ---- ,,henry1 ,,of ,,tewin ,,water1 #cbd ---- ,,john1 #aag ---- ,,sarah1 ,,lady1 #cff ---- ,,spencer1 ,,judge1 #aai ---- ,,spencer1 ,,the ,,honourable1 ,,dean ,,of ,,durham1 #ccc ---- ,,william1 ,,sir1 ,,first ,,baronet1 #aae ---- ---- ,,second ,,baronet1 #aai ---- ,,william1 ,,the ,,poet1 #bbi ,,earls-- ,,cowper1 ,,first ,,earl1 ,,lord ,,chancellor1 #abf1 #agc ---- ,,as ,a ,,youth1 #cce ---- ,,second ,,earl1 #adg ---- ,,third ,,earl1 #adh1 #cjh1 #cbd1 #djd ---- ,,fourth ,,earl1 #aeb ---- ,,fifth ,,earl1 #aeb1 #cbc ,,cowper1 ,,sixth ,,earl1 #cjc ---- ,,seventh ,,earl1 #cca ,,wives ,,of ,,the ,,earls ,,cowper-- ,,cowper--,,of ,,the ,,first ,,earl1 #cce1 #cih ---- ---- ,,second ,,earl1 #cfb ---- ---- ,,third ,,earl1 #cjh1 #cgb ---- ---- ,,fifth ,,earl1 #bfe ---- ---- ,,sixth ,,earl1 #cjg ---- ---- ,,seventh ,,earl1 #bbh1 #cji ,,damer1 ,,mrs4 ,,dawson1 #dge ,,dolce1 ,,carlo1 ,,wife ,,of1 #fd ,,este1 ,d'1 ,,eleanora1 #fe ,,fauconberg1 ,,charlotte1 ,,countess ,,of1 #deb ,,fiammingo1 #fc ,,fordwich1 ,,viscount1 #cfa ,,fox1 ,,charles ,,james1 #hd1 #ddi ,,gore1 ,,family ,,of1 #cjh ---- ,,mrs41 #cfa ,,grey1 ,,de1 ,,earl1 #cbe ,,hobbes1 ,,thomas1 #ih ,,hughes1 ,,john1 #cie ,,jackson1 ,,miss1 #cgb ,,kirke1 ,,madam1 #chc ,,lamb1 ,,emily1 ,,the ,,honourable1 #cbb1 #cbc ---- ,,frederick1 ,,the ,,honourable1 #cbg1 #dda ---- ,,george1 ,,the ,,honourable1 #cjf ---- ,,harriet1 ,,the ,,honourable1 #cbb ---- ,,peniston1 ,,the ,,honourable1 #cbj1 #cbd1 #cbg1 #dda ---- ,,william1 ,,the ,,honourable1 #caj1 #cjc1 #dda ---- ,,lady ,,caroline1 #dfa ,,leganes1 ,,marquez ,,de1 #che ,,marlborough1 ,,sarah1 ,,duchess ,,of1 #dej ,,mary1 ,,queen ,,of ,,england1 #dcf ,,melbourne1 ,,first ,,viscount1 #cfg1 #cbb ---- ,,second ,,viscount1 #cfg1 #djc ---- ,,viscountess1 #deg1 #cbj1 #cbb1 #cbc ,,mengs1 ,,raphael1 #ddb ,,milbanke1 ,,lady1 #def ---- ,,sir ,,ralph1 #cbb ,,milbanke1 ,,john1 #cbb ,,moro1 ,,sir ,,antonio1 #big ,,nassau1 ,,three ,,brothers ,,of ,,the ,,house ,,of1 #dgd ---- ,,john1 ,,count ,,of ,,nassau ,,siegen1 ,,and ,,family1 #aec ,,northcote1 ,,james1 ,r4,a41 #aaa ---- ,,his ,,father1 #ddi ,,northumberland1 ,,earl ,,of1 #di ,,orange1 ,,frederic ,,henry ,,of ,,nassau1 ,,prince ,,of1 #bga ---- ,,maurice ,,of ,,nassau1 ,,prince ,,of1 #bgh ---- ,,william1 ,,prince ,,of1 #afb ,,ormonde1 ,,first ,,duke ,,of1 #djd ,,oxford1 ,,earl ,,of1 #dec ,,palmer1 ,,miss1 #bbe ,,retz1 ,,cardinal ,,de1 #ib ,,reynolds1 ,,sir ,,joshua1 ,p4,r4,a41 #bac ---- ,,mrs4 ,,samuel1 #bab ,,ruyter1 ,,admiral ,,de1 #aei ,,sarto1 ,,andrea ,,del1 #ci ,,seymour1 ,,lady ,,caroline1 #cfg ,,shaftesbury1 ,,earl ,,of1 #afc ,,somers1 ,,earl1 #agc ,,southampton1 ,,elizabeth1 ,,countess ,,of1 #chg ---- ,,rachel1 ,,countess ,,of1 #cia ,,stuart1 ,,lords ,,john ,,and ,,bernard1 #chi ,,trento1 ,,cardinal1 #dcg ,,tromp1 ,,admiral ,,van1 #bjd ,,turenne1 ,,field-,,marshal1 #c ,,vandyck1 ,,anthony1 #ec ,,walta1 ,,louve ,,van1 #dcg ,,wharton1 ,,lord1 #chb ,,witt1 ,,de1 ,,brothers1 #dha ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,rest ,,pray ,,sleep ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,the ,erratum on page #bgh was1 in the original1 an entire page inserted at this point4 ,it was changed to a footnote4 ,missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected4 ,typographical errors were silently corrected4 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant form was found in this book4 ,text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores 7italics74 ,the name of 8,lord ,somers0 is spelled with an 8overbar0 on the letter 8m04 ,this cannot be reproduced in the text version1 so the overbar is omitted4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration