AN EPISTLE TO HER GRACE 



THE DUCHESS OF NEWCASTLE 



May it please your Grace, — I have been taught, and 

 do believe, that obedience is better than sacrifice ; and know, 

 that both are due from me to your Grace ; and since I have 

 been so long in obeying your commands, I shall not presume 

 to use any agruments for my excuse, but rather choose ingen- 

 uously to confess my fault, and beg your Grace's pardon. 

 And because forgiveness is a glory to the supremest powers, 

 I will hope that your Grace by that great example will make 

 it yours. And now I humbly take leave to represent to your 

 Grace, as faithfully and truly as my memory will serve me, all 

 my observations of the most memorable actions, and honour- 

 able deportments of his Grace, my most noble lord and master, 

 William, Duke of Newcastle, in the execution and perform- 

 ance of the trusts and high employments committed and com- 

 mended to his care and charge by three kings of England ; that 

 is to say, King James, King Charles the First, of ever blessed 

 memory ; and our gracious King, Charles the Second ; under 

 whom he hath had the happiness to live, and the honour to 

 serve them in several capacities. And because I humbly 

 conceive, that it is not within the intention of your Grace's 

 commands, that I should give you a particular relation of 

 his Grace's high birth, his noble and princely education and 

 breeding, both at home and abroad ; his natural faculties, 

 and personal virtues ; his justice, bounty, charity, friendship ; 

 his right approved courage, and true valour, not grounded 

 upon, or governed by passion, but reason ; his magnificent 

 manner of living and supporting his dignity, testified by his 

 great entertainments of their Majesties, and his private friends, 

 upon all fit occasions, beside his ordinary and constant house- 

 keeping and attendants, some for honour, and some for busi- 

 ness, wherein he exceeded most of his quality ; and that he 

 was and is, an incomparable master to his servants, is suffi- 



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