304 A BOOK OF ENGLISH GARDENS 



sister of Viscount Gage and wife of John, the last 

 male heir of the sturdy old founder of the house, 

 Sir Richard Weston. 



In all likelihood, in early days, before the quarrel 

 between the husband and wife, Pope must have 

 stayed at Sutton Place, and may have thought out 

 many poems in the old Garden, or have written 

 some of his bitter letters in the wall Arbour. The 

 poem " To an Unfortunate Lady " is now known 

 to have been written about Mrs. Weston, though 

 entirely fictitious in its detail. For though Mrs. 

 Weston was separated for a time from her husband 

 (Pope writes to Caryll, his friend, in 1711, that 

 it was "her ill-fate to be cast as a pearl before 

 swine"), she did not commit suicide abroad, 

 friendless, but returned to her husband, and died 

 comfortably at home. 



Pope writes to this lady in the most passionate 

 language, " Your own guardian angels cannot be 

 more constant ; nor more silent." 



Nevertheless, he did mischief by his interference, 

 and evidently was banished from the house. He 



writes to Caryll in 1712, "Mr. W is gloomy 



upon the matter the tyrant meditates revenge ; 

 nay, the disturbed dame herself has been taught 

 to suspect I served her but by halves and without 

 prudence." From old letters it appears that Pope 

 did not outlive his fancy ; and even much later he can- 

 not allude to Mr. Weston without passionate abuse. 



