Life of the Duchess of Newcastle 157 



necessity, it might chance to create in us sharking * qualities, 

 mean thoughts, and base actions, which she knew my father, 

 as well as herself, did abhor. Likewise we were bred tenderly, 

 for my mother naturally did strive, to please and delight her 

 children, not to cross or torment them, terrifying them with 

 threats, or lashing them with slavish whips ; but instead of 

 threats, reason was used to persuade us, and instead of lashes, 

 the deformities of vice was discovered, and the graces and 

 virtues were presented unto us. Also we were bred with 

 respectful attendance, every one being severally waited upon, 

 and all her servants in general used the same respect to her 

 children (even those that were very young) as they did to 

 herself ; for she suffered not her servants, either to be rude 

 before us, or to domineer over us, which all vulgar servants 

 are apt, and ofttimes which some have leave to do. Likewise 

 she never suffered the vulgar serving-men to be in the nursery 

 among the nursemaids, lest their rude love-making might 

 do unseemly actions, or speak unhandsome words in the 

 presence of her children, knowing that youth is apt to take 

 infection by ill examples, having not the reason of distin- 

 guishing good from bad. Neither were we suffered to have 

 any familiarity with the vulgar servants, or conversation : 

 yet caused us to demean ourselves with an humble civility 

 towards them, as they with a dutiful respect to us. Not 

 because they were servants were we so reserved ; for many 

 noble persons are forced to serve through necessity ; but by 

 reason the vulgar sort of servants are as ill-bred as meanly 

 born, giving children ill examples and worse counsel -. 



As for tutors, although we had for all sorts of virtues 3 , as 

 singing, dancing, playing on music, reading, writing, working, 

 and the like, yet we were not kept strictly thereto, they were 



1 Shark, to swindle, to trick dishonestly, to sponge on a person. 



2 The Duchess elsewhere describes the evils of familiarity with servants : ' Others 

 through carelessness make their children fall into the same errors, not instructing 

 them with noble and honourable principles, but suffering them to run about into 

 every dirty office, where the young master must learn to drink and play at cards 

 with the kitchen-boy, and learn to kiss his mother's dirty maid for a mess of 

 cream. The daughters are danced upon the knee of every clown and serving-man, 

 and hear them talk scurrilous to their maids, which is their compliment of wooing ; 

 and then dancing Sellinger's Round with them in Christmas time, and many other such 

 things, which makes them become like unto like ; and their parents think no harm in 

 it because they are young.' — The World's Olio, p. 79. 



3 Virtues, accomplishments. According to Mr. Jenkins, in his reprint of this relation 

 in The Cavalier and His Lady, in the copy of this book in the King's Library at the 

 British Museum, the Duchess has with her own hand altered virtues into virtuosos. 

 Accordingly he reads, ' As for tutors, although we had all sorts of virtuosos '. 



