By the Rev. Canon J. EF. Jackson, F.8.A. 55 
8.—AmyE NEVER “Countess or LEICESTER.” © 
For the same reason, she never was, as Scott calls her, ‘ Coun- 
tess of Leicester :”? Dudley not having been created Earl of Leicester 
until after the grant of Kenilworth Castle. The patent of creation 
is dated 29th September, 1563, rather more than three years after 
her death. During her life he was “ Sir R. Dudley, Kt., commonly 
ealled Lord Robert;” and she “ Amye, Dame or Lady, Dudley.” 
4.—Sim Ricuarp VARNEY. 
I come next to speak of the delusion about “ Varney,” one of the 
leading “ villains” of the novel. In the melodrama of “ Amy Rob- 
sart,” this worthy appears in the costume of a brigand, wrapped up 
in the regulation bandit cloak, with his arms folded, and a most sinister 
countenance duly provided with dark eye-brows and piercing eyes. 
He is placed at a further corner of the stage, scowling askance at 
his poor victim, as if he were thirsting for the moment to spring, 
like a tiger, upon her. It must be exquisitely ridiculous to any 
person knowing the truth to sit and see such nonsense. An arche- 
ologist, looking round upon the spectators, would sigh with pity for 
the hundreds of simple folk who watch the proceedings with the 
deepest interest, not having the slightest idea that they are gulled 
and misled by the whole representation. Well, but what is the 
real history of Varney, the scowling brigand in the regulation cloak ? 
The late Mr. Pettigrew, in the pamphlet to which I have referred, 
says: “ Of Sir Richard Varney I can ascertain no particulars. He 
is mentioned, in no measured terms, as an instigator to baseness, as 
the chief prompter to the murderous design, and as having been left 
with a manservant, an underling, and Anthony Foster, to effect the 
diabolical business. We know nothing of Varney, save the mention 
of him in Ashmole’s narrative, drawn by the Jesuit in ‘ Leicester’s 
Commonwealth, and by the very important part he is made to play 
in the novel of Kenilworth. His name does not occur in any au- 
thentic documents connected with Sir Robert Dudley or Amye 
Robsart, nor, indeed, does he appear to have had any real existence.” } 
- 1The italics are so marked by myself 
