THE LIFE 



OF 



THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE, 



WILLIAM, DUKE OF NEWCASTLE 



THE FIRST BOOK 



Since my chief intent in this present work is to describe the 

 life and actions of my noble Lord and husband, William, Duke 

 of Newcastle, I shall do it with as much brevity, perspicuity, 

 and truth, as is required of an impartial historian. The history 

 of his pedigree I shall refer to the Heralds, and partly give you 

 an account thereof at the latter end of this work ; only thus 

 much I shall now mention, as will be requisite for the better 

 understanding of the following discourse. 



His grandfather by his father's side was Sir William Caven- 

 dish, Privy Counsellor and Treasurer of the Chamber to King 

 Henry the Eighth, Edward the Sixth, and Queen Mary. His 

 grandfather by his mother was Cuthbert, Lord Ogle, an 

 ancient Baron. His father, Sir Charles Cavendish, was the 

 youngest son to Sir William, and had no other children but 

 three sons, whereof my Lord was the second ; but his elder 

 brother dying in his infancy, left both his title and birthright 

 to my Lord, so that my Lord had then but one only brother 

 left, whose name was Charles after his father, whereas my 

 Lord had the name of his grandfather 1 . 



These two brothers were partly bred with Gilbert, Earl of 

 Shrewsbury, their uncle-in-law, and their aunt Mary, Countess 



1 Sir William Cavendish died in 1557. His widow, Elizabeth Hardwick, married 

 George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and thus began the connection between the Talbot 

 and Cavendish families, which was strengthened and completed by the marriage of 

 Mary Cavendish, youngest daughter of Sir William, to Gilbert Talbot, the eldest son 

 of Earl George, whilst Henry Cavendish, eldest son of Sir William, married Grace Talbot, 

 youngest daughter of the same Earl. William Cavendish, the hero of this Memoir, 



1 B 



