1 88 The Duchess of Newcastle 



then a great man with Queen EHzabeth, and this 

 gentleman, Mr. Brooks, a kind of a favourite, and as 

 I take it brother to the then L. Cobham, which 

 made Queen EHzabeth so severe, not to pardon him : 

 but King James of blessed memory graciously gave 

 him his pardon, and leave to return home to his native 

 country, wherein he lived happily, and died peace- 

 ably, leaving a wife and eight children, three sons, 

 and five daughters, I being the youngest child he had, 

 and an infant when he died. 



As for my breeding, it was according to my birth, 

 and the nature of my sex; for my birth was not lost 

 in my breeding, for as my sisters was or had been 

 bred, so was I in plenty, or rather with superfluity; 

 likewise we were bred virtuously, modestly, civilly, 

 honourably, and on honest principles : as for plenty, 

 we had not only for necessity, conveniency, and 

 decency, but for delight and pleasure to a superfluity; 

 'tis true we did not riot, but we lived orderly; for 

 riot, even in kings' courts and princes' palaces, brings 

 ruin without content or pleasure, when order in less 

 fortunes shall live more plentifully and deliciously 

 then princes, that live in a hurlieburlie, as I may 

 terme it, in which they are seldom well served, for 

 disorder obstructs; besides, it doth disgust life, 

 distract the appetites, and yield no true relish to the 

 sences; for pleasure, delight, peace, and felicitie, live 

 in method and temperance. 



As for our garments, my mother did not only 

 delight to see us neat and cleanly, fine and gay, rich 

 and costly; maintaining us to the height of her 

 estate but not beyond it; for we were so far from 

 being in debt, before these warrs, as we were rather 

 beforehand with the world; buying all with ready 

 money, not on the score; for although after my 



