1 66 Life of the Duchess of Newcastle 



For I will build his monument of truth, though I cannot of 

 marble, and hang my tears and scutcheons on his tomb. He 

 was nobly generous, wisely valiant, naturally civil, honestly 

 kind, truly loving, virtuously temperate ; his promise was like 

 a fixed decree, his words were destiny, his life was holy, his 

 disposition mild, his behaviour courteous, his discourse pleas- 

 ing ; he had a ready wit and a spacious knowledge, a settled 

 judgment, a clear understanding, a rational insight ; he was 

 learned in all arts and sciences, but especially in the mathe- 

 matics, in which study he spent most part of his time ; and 

 though his tongue preached not moral philosophy, yet his 

 life taught it, indeed he was such a person, that he might have 

 been a pattern for all mankind to take. He loved my Lord his 

 brother with a doting affection, as my Lord did him, for whose 

 sake I suppose he was so nobly generous, carefully kind, and 

 respectful to me ; for I dare not challenge his favours as to 

 myself, having not merits to deserve them. He was for a time 

 the preserver of my life, for after I was married some two or 

 three years, my Lord travelled out of France, from the city 

 of Paris, in which city he resided the time he was there, so went 

 into Holland, to a town called Rotterdam, in which place he 

 stayed some six months. From thence he returned to Brabant, 

 unto the city of Antwerp, which city we passed through when 

 we went into Holland, and in that city my Lord settled himself 

 and family, choosing it for the most pleasantest and quietest 

 place to retire himself and ruined fortunes in. But after we 

 had remained some time therein, we grew extremely necessi- 

 tated, tradesmen being there not so rich as to trust my Lord 

 for so much, or so long, as those of France ; yet they were so 

 civil, kind, and charitable as to trust him for as much as they 

 were able. But at last necessity enforced me to return into 

 England to seek for relief. For I, hearing my Lord's estate, 

 amongst the rest of many more estates, was to be sold, and 

 that the wives of the owners should have no allowance there- 

 from, it gave me hopes I should receive a benefit thereby. 

 So, being accompanied with my Lord's only brother, Sir 

 Charles Cavendish (who was commanded to return, to live 

 therein, or to lose his estate, which estate he was forced to buy 

 with a great composition before he could enjoy any part there- 

 of), so over I went. But when I came there I found their hearts 

 as hard as my fortunes, and their natures as cruel as my 



