362 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2«'> S. VI. 149., Nov. 6. '58. 



by these particulars. When you were at my Lady Blud- 

 worth's you declared j'ou could not endure the thoughts 

 of living with me, and that you had writ to your mother 

 .about it, and you hoped she would not be against your 

 parting with me ; and when she answered you that a wo- 

 man must not part with her husband for two or three 

 angry words, you said that now you found your mother 

 hated you, since she was against a thing so much for 

 your content and happiness, for you could never have 

 any with me : really 1 might very easily afound it at 

 first when I made love to you, for I never aske you a 

 question that I could ever get an answer to, but I was then 

 deluded and told it was your modest}'. But since I have 

 not found it when to my face you told me you only mar- 

 ried me to make yourself more easy than you were at 

 home, at which place you sufficiently railed, and I did 

 imagine I should follow when there was no good word 

 for a father and a mother. 



" And since j'ou resolved 3'ou would not live with me, 

 and said to bring it about you would say several pro- 

 voking things to me, on purpose to make me strike you, 

 for it was the thing in the world you wished I would do. 

 But if you could not bring it about, that there was 3001. 

 a year I could not hinder you of, and that you would go 

 and live with your mother, though the lodgings at 

 Whitehall would be inconvenient, but however you would 

 go there because I could have no power to take you from 

 thence, which you needed not to fear, and when you did 

 speak several provoking things to me, I told you that 

 I would acquaint your father and mother with your be- 

 haviour to me, for I could not bear it, nor did I believe 

 they would countenance you in things of this nature. 

 Your answer was. Let me make what complaints I would, 

 you would deny every word, and that you were sure they 

 would credit you sooner than me. 



" You have often since spoke with scorn and contempt 

 of me and my family to my face, and expressed that 3'ou 

 did not care to have any children by me, but always 

 pretended yourself with child whenever I went out of 

 town from you. Your design in it, I cannot imagine. 



" That you have very confidently wise asked to part 

 with me, and at the same time told me if I was a man of 

 Honour sure I would give you your 12,000/. back again, but 

 M.adam, I have had but two as j'et, and a 250 pound. The 

 rest has been in your allowance, which last sum my very 

 coach horses has stood me in as much, though you scorn 

 to use them, though reported as if you could never have 

 the coach, but never refused by me but twice, I having 

 lent it once, and you came and demanded it after : another 

 time when you heard me lend it to my sister at dinner ; 

 but this is but like the rest of your malice to make me 

 appear infamous if it was m your power, and in setting 

 in another room to entertain company by a coal fire, as 

 if I refused you wood. 



" When I first proposed going into the country, you 

 said you did not know whether you should or no, a very 

 obedient answer ; but being better advised since, I suppose 

 you have since said j'OU would bear living with me a little 

 longer, not out of love for me, but out of considcation 

 and kindness to your sister, by reason that if you now 

 parted with me, it might do her prejudice to her marriage. 

 This is the first good-natured action 1 knew j'ou capable 

 of, for she really deserves every body's love, and you said 

 if J'OU went into the country your father intended to come 

 down to see if all things were settled as they ought to be, 

 but if he did not find so to his mind and yours, and if I 

 otfred to come to Town without you, he would take you 

 home to him. 



" And now Madam I am resolved to give you the satis- 

 faction you have often asked, for parting with me, which 

 you may have cause to repent at leasure, and will shew 

 myself the man of honour you speak of, in refTering it to 



your relations and mine what is reasonable to allow you, 

 and my satisfaction ivill be that neither myself nor any 

 of my relations have been the occasion of it, for never 

 woman came into a family more disposed to love you, if 

 you had by any tolerable behaviour deserved it. But I 

 still think myself obliged, being separated from me [to 

 see that?] j'ou may have a regard to your own honour, 

 and govern yourself bj' discreter counsellors than those 

 who have brought these missfortunes upon yourself and 

 me. 



" I am yours, 



" C. Brandon." 

 " This show to Sir Richard and my lady, for I will 

 never live with you as long as I live." 



Witnesses depose that this letter was delivered 

 by the Earl's servant at seven o'clock in the 

 morning, and that the lady when she read it " was 

 mijihtily concerned, and fell a-crying." 



The character of Lady Brandon is a point of 

 great importance in judging of the probability 

 of Savage's story. It is worthy of remark that, 

 though misconduct is vaguely hinted at in this 

 letter, no specific charge is made against her, 

 and that although the inquiry on the trial for 

 adultery embraced this time, no .such misconduct 

 was even alleged ; the first allegation — her 

 liaison with Lord Rivers — having reference to 

 a period ten years after her separation from her 

 husband. The letter of Lord Brandon is evi- 

 dently intended as a defence of his own conduct, 

 and a justification of his determination to aban- 

 don her ; which is confirmed by the postscript, 

 " This show to Sir Richard and my Lady " [Sir 

 Richard and Lady Mason]. Even the House 

 of Lords, on the trial, appear to have seen in the 

 husband's conduct some extenuation. They re- 

 turned to the Countess of Macclesfield the whole 

 of her fortune, and the reason given by Salmon 

 (I do not know on what authority) is, " the Earl 

 having been in a great measure the occasion of 

 his lady's going astray." Lord Brandon appears 

 to have been a violent and capricious man. It is 

 mentioned in Reresby's Memoirs that he was 

 convicted in Charles II.'s reign of the murder of 

 a boy, for which he was pardoned. Witnesses on 

 the trial for adultery depose to various acts of 

 cruelty, and to general neglect towards his wife. 

 It was sworn that he habitually absented himself 

 from her soon after their marriage ; that she was 

 denied all authority over servants, and refused 

 necessary food when ill, and violently expelled 

 from her husband's home by his father. The 

 lady, however, appears to have been still willing 

 to return. Lord Brandon was convicted of high 

 treason in the year following their separation, 

 and sentenced to death, from which he was un- 

 expectedly pardoned ; and it appears from the 

 evidence that his wife made great exertions, " both 

 with money -and jewels," to obtain this pardon. 

 The following evidence of Mr. Buckingham, the 

 confidential servant of the husband, and a witness 

 evidently hostile to the Countess, refers to the 



