Life of the Duchess of Newcastle 175 



general actions of the world, judging, condemning, approving, 

 commending, as they thought good, and with those that were 

 innocently harmless, they would make themselves merry there- 

 with. As for my study of books it was little, yet I chose 

 rather to read, than to employ my time in any other work, 

 or practice, and when I read what I understood not, I would 

 ask my brother, the Lord Lucas, he being learned, the sense 

 or meaning thereof. But my serious study could not be much, 

 by reason I took great delight in attiring, fine dressing, and 

 fashions especially such fashions as I did invent myself, 

 not taking that pleasure in such fashions as was invented 

 by others. Also I did dislike any should follow my fashions, 

 for I always took delight in a singularity, even in 

 accoutrements of habits 1 . But whatsoever I was addicted 

 to, either in fashion of clothes, contemplation of thoughts, 

 actions of life, they were lawful, honest, honourable, and 

 modest, of which I can avouch to the world with a great 

 confidence, because it is a pure truth. As for my dis- 

 position, it is more inclining to be melancholy than merry, 

 but not crabbed or peevishly melancholy, but soft, melting, 

 solitary, and contemplating melancholy. And I am apt to 

 weep rather than laugh, not that I do often either of them. 

 Also I am tender natured, for it troubles my conscience to kill 

 a fly, and the groans of a dying beast strike my soul. Also 

 where I place a particular affection, I love extraordinarily and 

 constantly, yet not fondly, but soberly and observingly, not 

 to hang about them as a trouble, but to wait upon them as a 



1 This is quite borne out by the remarks of Pepys and other contemporaries, and 

 by her portraits. For instance, Pepys on April u, 1667, speaks of her coming to court, 

 ' her footmen in velvet coats and herself in antique dress. . . . There is as much ex- 

 pectation of her coming to court, so that people may see her, as if it. were the Queen of 

 Sheba.' On April 26 he notes : ' Met my Lady Newcastle going with her coaches and 

 footmen all in velvet ; herself (whom I never saw before), as I have heard her often 

 described, for all the town talk is nowadays of her extravagances, with her velvet cap, 

 her hair about her ears, many black patches because of pimples about her mouth, naked- 

 necked, without anything about it, and a black just-au-corps. She seemed to me a 

 very comely woman ; but I hope to see more of her on May-day.' On May-day, ac- 

 cordingly, Pepys went with Sir William Penn to the Park. ' That which we and almost 

 all went for, was to see my Lady Newcastle ; which we could not, she being followed 

 and crowded upon by coaches all the way she went, that nobody could come near her 

 only I could see she was in a large black coach, adorned in silver instead of gold, and 

 so white curtains, and everything else black and white, herself in her cap.' See also 

 Pepys, May 8, 1667, and Halton Correspondence, i, 47. 



Evelyn on April 18, 1667, ' went to make court to the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle 

 at their house in Clerkenwell, being newly come out of the north. They received me 

 with great kindness, and I was much pleased with the extraordinary fanciful habit, garb, 

 and discourse of the Duchess.' On April 27 he saw her again, and remarks that her dress 

 was ' very singular '. 



