Life of the Duchess of Newcastle 165 



Time making suddener ruin in their faces than in hers. Like- 

 wise my mother was a good mistress to her servants, taking 

 care of her servants in their sickness, not sparing any cost she 

 was able to bestow for their recovery : neither did she exact 

 more from them in their health than what they with ease or 

 rather like pastime could do. She would freely pardon a fault, 

 and forget an injury, yet sometimes she would be angry ; but 

 never with her children, the sight of them would pacify her ; 

 neither would she be angry with others but when she had cause, 

 as negligent or knavish servants, that would lavishly or un- 

 necessarily waste, or subtly and thievishly steal . And though 

 she would often complain that her family was too great for 

 her weak management, and often pressed my brother to take 

 it upon him, yet I observe she took a pleasure, and some little 

 pride, in the governing thereof. She was very skilful in leases, 

 and setting of lands, and court keeping, ordering of stewards, 

 and the like affairs K Also I observed that my mother nor 

 brothers, before these wars, had never any lawsuits, but what 

 an attorney despatched in a term with small cost, but if they 

 had it was more than I knew of. But, as I said, my mother 

 lived to see the ruin of her children, in which was her ruin, and 

 then died : my brother Sir Thomas Lucas soon after, my brother 

 Sir Charles Lucas after him, being shot to death for his loyal 

 service, for he was most constantly loyal and courageously 

 active, indeed he had a superfluity of courage 2 . My eldest 

 sister died some time before my mother, her death being, as I 

 believe, hastened through grief of her only daughter, on which 

 she doted, being very pretty, sweet natured, and had an extra- 

 ordinary wit for her age. She dying of a consumption, my 

 sister, her mother, died some half a year after of the same 

 disease ; and though time is apt to waste remembrance as a 

 consumptive body, or to wear it out like a garment into rags, 

 or to moulder it into dust, yet I find the natural affections I 

 have for my friends are beyond the length, strength, and power 

 of time : for I shall lament the loss so long as I live, also the 

 loss of my Lord's noble brother, which died not long after I 

 returned from England, he being then sick of an ague, whose 

 favours and my thankfulness ingratitude shall never disjoin. 



1 This refers to the management of manors and manorial courts. See Roger North's 

 Life of Lord Guilford, pp. 34-6, ed. 1826. 



2 For contemporary accounts of the execution of Lucas see Sir Charles Lucas his 

 Last Speech, printed for R. Smithurst, London, 1648, and Clarke Papers, ii, 31. 



