First I'Jarl of Pembroke of the Present Creation. 125 



judged by the standard of his own day rather than by that of our 

 own. The enormous political changes which took place in England 

 during the period of Pembroke's life were not worked out without 

 great difficulties and perplexities at the time ; we now see the results; 

 but " if the results were inevitable, the characters which assisted to 

 produce those results were inevitable also/^ Undoubtedly the 

 revolutions of these eventful reigns were productive to him of con- 

 tinued accession of power and wealth, for his peculiar characteristic 

 was pliancy. 



Of Pembroke's personal appearance, Aubrey says, " He was strong 

 sett, but bony, reddish favoured, of a sharpe eie, sterne looke." 

 There are several portraits of him extant, the best authenticated is 

 a silver medallion, dated 1 562, at the age of fifty-six. It is by 

 Stevens, of Holland, who was an excellent medallist as well as 

 painter of portraits, a copy of it is given at the head of this paper. 

 The subject on the reverse, with the inscription, Draco hie verus 

 virtutmn custos — This dragon the true guardian of the virtues — is 

 probably only a complimentary allusion to Pembroke, whose badge 

 was a dragon. A full-length portrait of him accompanied by a dog 

 is now in the library at Wilton House, this is said to be by Holbein, 

 but is not considered so by Dr. Waagen ; it was probably painted 

 several years later. Of this picture Aubrey says, ''Mem: This 

 Wm. (the founder of his family) had a little cur-dog which loved 

 him, and the E loved the dog ; When the Earle dyed the dog would 

 not goe from his masters dead body, but pined away, and dyed 

 under the hearse ; the picture of which dog is under his picture in 

 the Gallery at Wilton." 



There is a well-engraved portrait of him in Holland's Heroologia, 

 published in 1620, which was probably taken from the preceding 

 picture. A full-length figure of Pembroke is included in the large 

 picture of Edward VI. presenting a charter to Bridewell Hospital : 

 this too has been ascribed to Holbein, by Vertue, but without any 

 truth, as Holbein died several years before the accession of Edward 

 VI. It is believed to have been painted by an artist named Streetes. 

 Another three-quarter painting of him in his declining years, be- 

 longing to the Coimtess Delawarr, was exhibited at the National 



