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bitterness against her father, she must have found in his case the 

 keeping of the fifth commandment a most perplexing duty. 



After the earl's death (Anne being about sixteen years old) his 

 widow commenced, on the part of her disinherited daughter, an 

 action at law to set aside the earl's iniquitous will. It was argued 

 that the Vetripont estates and honours were by the original royal 

 grant to descend to the heirs, whether male or female, in the direct 

 line, so long as there was an heir, and to go to a second son only 

 if there was neither son nor daughter. In this view, Anne's father 

 left an illegal will ; and with this law-suit commenced the fulfilment 

 of the second part of the shepherd-lord's prediction. 



Mother and daughter, to maintain their claim, came to the north 

 and stayed some time at Appleby and Brougham castles ; but on 

 presenting themselves at Skipton Castle, they found the doors 

 barred against them, and the uncle's agents in possession ; they 

 then returned to London to prosecute their claims. 



In 1609, at the age of eighteen, Anne Clifford was married to 

 Richard Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, son of the Earl of Dorset, who, 

 however, only two days after, by the sudden death of his father, 

 became Earl of Dorset. 



Anne's husband was a great courtier, and a man of accomplish- 

 ments and learning, but of unbounded extravagance ; and he soon 

 showed himself an unkind and tyrannical husband. He co-operated 

 with King James in the endeavour to compel his wife to agree to 

 her disinheritance. Twice Anne was taken before the King, and 

 urged to yield her claims ; but though king and husband coerced, 

 the brave Anne held out. 



The Countess, her good mother, was still in possession in West- 

 morland, and residing at Brougham Castle; and in 16 16 Anne 

 having been then married some seven years, came from her house 

 at Knowle, to visit her mother at Brougham Castle for a month. 

 Anne thus describes their parting : — " It was the last time that 

 ever mother and daughter saw one another, for that day, about a 

 quarter of a mile from Brougham Castle, in the open air, they took 

 their last leave one of another, with many tears and much grief, 



