90 



representative of the Plantagenets being Margaret of York, Cicely's 

 grand-daughter, consort to the Tudor King Henry VII. 



But two generations later we see the Duchess Cicely's illustrious 

 descendant by the female line, the great Queen Elizabeth, carried 

 to the tomb ; ladies of the highest rank support the pall, and a 

 little maid of thirteen — daughter and niece to two of them — looks 

 on with awe-stricken face ; and as we note that this fair girl is, ere 

 she dies, to be the last of the Cliffords, we ask, where now is the 

 deadly hate of Plantagenets and Cliffoids? 



This high-born little lady was Anne, daughter, and sole heir of 

 George Clifford, third Earl of Cumberland, who had then been 

 dead some three years. Her mother was the Lady Margaret 

 Russell, a lady of illustrious family, and, by universal assent, of 

 surprising virtues. .A.nne Clifford was born at Skipton Castle, one 

 of the family seats, in 1590, but was taken early to London and 

 placed under the care of her aunt, the Countess of Warwick, to be 

 trained in courtly manners at Queen Elizabeth's court, the Countess 

 being then principal lady of the bedchamber, and chief royal 

 favourite. For tutor, Anne had the learned and good poet and 

 writer, Daniel, whose memory she never ceased to venerate. 



In her after-Hfetime, at great cost, she caused all available 

 ancient records to be collected and copied, and left behind her 

 voluminous records of her ancestors, together with memorials of 

 her own life, contained in a minute diary. 



In this diary, writing at the age of sixty-three, the Countess 

 gives us this description of herself as a girl : — " I was very happy 

 in my first constitution, both in my mind and body, both for 

 internal and external endowments : for never was there a child 

 more equally resembling both father and mother than myself. 

 The colour of mine eyes was black, like my father, and the form 

 and aspect of them was quick and lively, like my mother's ; the 

 hair of my head was brown, and very thick, and so long that it 

 reached to the calf of my legs when I stood upright, with a peak 

 of hair on my forehead and a dimple on my chin, like my father's; 

 full cheek'd and round faced like my mother, and an exquisite 

 shape of body resembling my father ; but now time and age hath 



