public good, that he was rewarded in 1672 by the dignity of Baron
Thetford and Earl of Arlington, and later invested with the Garter. He
was sent on an embassy to Utrecht, in company with the Duke of
Buckingham and Lord Halifax (which was productive of no good results),
and afterwards turned his attention to the overthrow of the Cabal, in
the breaking up of which he was most instrumental. He however fell
into great disrepute with both Catholics and Protestants about this
time, the Duke of York (on the passing of the Test Act) loading him
with every kind of abuse, while the opposite side charged him with
endeavouring to introduce Popery.
The Duke of Buckingham was loud in censure of Lord Arlington, who was
impeached, and, after making a long defence, acquitted by a small
majority. He held office for some time longer, and advocated a treaty
of peace with the Dutch, but soon after resigned office, having
received (it was said) a _douceur_ from his successor of several
thousands.
In 1674 he was named Chamberlain of the Household, in recompense (so
ran the Royal declaration) ‘of his long and faithful services, and
particularly of his having discharged the office of principal
Secretary of State to his Majesty’s entire satisfaction.’
Lord Arlington’s wish to be again employed in public affairs was not
gratified till 1675, when he once more went on a diplomatic mission to
Holland, in company with the Earl of Ossory. Lady Arlington and Lady
Ossory were sisters, and members of the house of Nassau. This was his
last appearance in public life. Burnet says that ‘Arlington entirely
mistook the character of William, Prince of Orange,’ with whom he had
to deal, speaking to him in a dictatorial manner, which was not at all
agreeable to that Prince, although he was then young in years.
Arlington still held a place in the Royal household, but he had fallen
into disgrace, and the King encouraged and enjoyed any jest, or
ridicule, at the expense of his former boon companion. Nothing
delighted Charles more than to see some of his courtiers put a black
patch upon their noses, and strut about with a long white staff, in
imitation of ‘Harry Bennet.’
James II. did not remove him from his post in the household, but he
only survived the new accession a few months, dying in July 1685.
Lord Arlington was buried at Euston, in Suffolk; his wife was the
daughter of Lewis de Nassau, Count of Beverwoort and Auverquerque (a
natural son of Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange), by Elizabeth,
Countess Horn. She had two sisters, Mauritia, married to Colin, Earl
of Balcarres, and the second to the gallant Earl of Ossory. An only
child was born to Lord and Lady Arlington,—Isabella, who married in
1672 Henry Fitzroy, natural son of Barbara Villiers, Duchess of
Cleveland, afterwards created Earl of Euston and Duke of Grafton.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration]
LARGE DINING-ROOM.
[Illustration]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LARGE DINING-ROOM.
_All the pictures in this room are full-length portraits by Vandyck._
-------
_No. 1._
ANNE LADY RICH.
_Black dress. White sleeves. Gold-coloured scarf. Curls. Standing
by a table near a window. Dark red curtain._
BY VANDYCK.
SHE was the only daughter of William, second Earl of Devonshire, by
his wife, Lady Christian Bruce, renowned alike for her loyalty, her
wisdom, and her wealth. Lady Anne Cavendish married Robert, Lord Rich,
son and heir to Robert, Earl of Warwick.
------------------
_No. 2._
PHILIP, LORD WHARTON.
_Red doublet embroidered with gold. Dark red breeches. Yellow boots.
Hat under his arm. Holds a stick. Red curtain and garden in the
background._
BORN 1613.
BY VANDYCK.
THE family of Wharton derive the name from a ‘fair lordship’ on the
river Eden, county Westmoreland.
Grainger, in speaking of this picture in the Wrest collection, says of
Lord Wharton that he was in the service of the Parliament during the
civil war in the reign of Charles I., but that courage was undoubtedly
not his shining point. ‘Like his grandson Duke Wharton, he could
better exercise his tongue than his sword.’
Walker says of him, that at the battle of Edgehill, where he was the
colonel of a regiment of Roundheads, his Lordship was found hidden in
a ditch, but we are bound to take such testimonies _cum grano_. He was
the fourth Baron, of decidedly puritanical views, and, whether a good
soldier or not, he was constantly with the army, and his political
life was an eventful one. He sat in Parliament for many years, and was
summoned to attend the treaty of Ripon, together with several other
Peers, among those who were the least obnoxious at that time to the
popular party. Lord Wharton was also one of the so-called
Commissioners who went to Edinburgh at the meeting of the Scotch
Parliament. After the Restoration he was sent to the Tower, together
with the Duke of Buckingham and Lords Salisbury and Shaftesbury,
‘charged with contempt of the authority, and being, of Parliament,’
for having called in question the Parliament meeting after a very long
prorogation. In this case the Duke of Buckingham petitioned the King,
and the captive Peers were soon set at liberty, with the exception of
Lord Shaftesbury. But Lord Wharton’s chief characteristic seems to
have been his high esteem of the matrimonial state, since he married
three times. His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Richard
Wandesford, Knight, in the county of York, by whom he had an only
daughter, married to Robert Bertie, Lord Willoughby d’Eresby,
afterwards Earl of Lindsay. His second wife was Jane, daughter and
heir to Arthur Goodwin, upper Winchenden, county Bucks, by whom he had
six children. His third spouse was the daughter of William Carre,
Groom of the Bedchamber to James I., who was widow of Edward Popham.
By her he had one son, William, killed in a duel.
------------------
_No. 3._
MADAM KIRKE.
_Tawny-coloured gown. White sleeves with lace. Pearl necklace. Fair
curls. Standing by a table. Garden in the background._
BY VANDYCK.
SHE was one of the dressers to Queen Henrietta Maria,—‘a situation for
which she competed with Mistress Neville,’ says Grainger, and gained
the preference. When King Charles I. left Hampton Court, he desired
Colonel Whalley to give Mistress Kirke a picture of the Queen, which
appeared to betoken she had been faithful to their Majesties in times
of trouble.
------------------
_No. 4._
PORTRAIT OF A MAN UNKNOWN.
_Dressed in black._
BY VANDYCK.
------------------
_No. 5._
THREE BROTHERS OF THE HOUSE OF BALBI.
_They are standing on a flight of steps between two columns, feeding a
bird. The eldest wears a red and gold doublet, red stockings,
white collar and cuffs, holding a black hat. The second boy in a
black and gold suit, holds his youngest brother by the hand, who
is dressed in a white and gold frock._
BY VANDYCK.
THIS charming picture was bought by the grandfather of the present
Lord Cowper, Lord de Grey, but we are unable to identify the children,
or the date at which it was painted, doubtless during one of Vandyck’s
visits to Genoa; neither have we any authority for the supposition,
but it appears more than probable that the beautiful Marchesa Balbi,
in Mr. Holford’s splendid collection at Dorchester House, is the
mother or sister-in-law of these noble boys.
------------------
_No. 6._
DIEGO MESIA FELIPE DE GUZMAN, MARQUEZ DE LEGANES.
_Black dress. White collar. Order._
BY VANDYCK.
HE was the son of Diego Mesia de Obando, by Elizabeth, daughter of the
Count D’Olvares. From early youth he showed an aptitude for military
and diplomatic affairs; and in 1626 he was created Marquez de Leganes,
and sent by Philip IV. in command of the Spanish forces in the
Netherlands; and the ensuing year the King further employed him in
negotiations respecting the proposed annexation to Spain of some of
the disputed Provinces. Leganes was a companion in arms of the
celebrated Cardinal Infant, Ferdinand, son of Philip III., by whose
side he fought at Nordlingen, and contributed not a little to that
decisive victory gained by the Imperialists over the Swedes and Duke
Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. It was in allusion to this battle that the
pious Canon Antonio Calderon, in his funeral oration on the Cardinal,
after extolling the virtues and valour of this warlike prelate,
reminded his hearers that Nordlingen was the place ‘where the heretic
Luther preached his most pestilential doctrines.’ On the death of the
Archduchess Clara Eugenia, Ferdinand succeeded to the Government of
the Spanish Netherlands, and thither Leganes followed him, but was
summoned to Milan in 1636, on his appointment as Governor of that
city. Northern Italy was at that time the theatre of constant warfare,
and Leganes distinguished himself in frequent encounters with the
French, the Piedmontese, and the Savoyards. The Valteline especially
was torn by internal discord, the result of religious differences
between the Protestants and the Catholics; while the position of the
country made it an object of desire and contention among foreign
powers. Leganes had his hands full in that direction, both as regarded
military operations and negotiations with the French, who disputed the
territory. On the death of the Duke of Savoy, the Emperor Ferdinand
employed the Milanese Governor to oppose the election of the widowed
Duchess as Regent for her son’s dominions; after which Leganes invaded
Piedmont, took Vercelli, Asti, Crescentine, and some smaller towns;
marched on Turin, where he was unsuccessful; and then attacked Casale,
a stronghold of much importance, where he was beaten back with great
loss by the French, under Comte Simon d’Harcourt. This failure was a
source of terrible mortification to the Spanish General; but the
future had consolation in store for him. His Italian campaign at an
end; he marched into Catalonia, and there had his revenge on his old
enemies, and the Comte d’Harcourt himself, by wresting from them the
town of Lerida, which had been some time in the occupation of the
French. While thus engaged in active service, intrigues were being
carried on at the Court of Spain against Leganes, and imputations were
cast on his military conduct, from which he had great difficulty in
defending himself. In spite, however, of the machinations of his
enemies, he was named Generalissimo of the Forces, and despatched
against the Portuguese in 1646. His death took place in 1655. He had
to wife Philippina, daughter of the famous commander, Ambrogio
Spinola, who had done such gallant service for the Spaniards in the
Netherlands and elsewhere. In the wars of Northern Italy he had been
less successful; and the mortification he experienced from several
discomfitures, combined with the slights put upon him by the reigning
King of Spain, from whose predecessor he had received the highest
marks of favour, was said to have accelerated the death of the great
commander.
In the collection of the engraved portraits by Vandyck there is a
spirited likeness of the Marquis de Leganes, with a Latin inscription
enumerating his many titles. In addition to those already mentioned,
he was Lord of the Bedchamber to the King of Spain, Grand Commander of
the Order of the Lion, Privy Councillor of State and War, President of
the Council in Flanders, and Captain-General of Artillery.
------------------
_No. 7._
ELIZABETH, COUNTESS OF SOUTHAMPTON.
_White satin gown. Blue scarf. Pearl necklace. Fair hair. Landscape
seen through window in the background._
BY VANDYCK.
SHE was the daughter of John Vernon of Hodnet, county Salop, and
married Henry Wriothesley, third Earl of Southampton, brother in arms
of Robert, Earl of Essex, under whom he served in his foreign
campaigns; and in one engagement in which he had distinguished
himself, Lord Southampton was knighted by his general’s hand on the
field, ‘before he could sheathe his sword, or wipe the sweat from his
brow.’ His adhesion to Lord Essex, when that nobleman fell under her
Majesty’s displeasure, nearly cost Lord Southampton his life; but he
was more prudent than his friend, for he made submission, and asked
mercy of Elizabeth, while Essex, who disdained to follow a similar
course in his own case, interceded with the Queen for his former
comrade. Southampton’s life was spared; but he was kept a close
prisoner in the Tower till the accession of King James, when he was
set at liberty.
Lord Southampton had two sons, the eldest of whom accompanied him to
the Low Countries on military service, where they were both attacked
by fever. Young Lord Wriothesley died, to the inexpressible grief of
his father, who, travelling home with the loved remains ere he was fit
to move, was delayed by a relapse, and expired at Bergen-op-Zoom.
Lady Southampton survived her Lord many years. We hear of her, 1647,
giving shelter to King Charles on his escape from Hampton Court. She
was staying at her son’s country house, at Titchfield, in Hampshire,
where the King, who was riding for his life, thought best to take
refuge, while he sent messengers to Portsmouth to inquire for a ship
that ought to have been in waiting there, but which failed him. Lord
Southampton, a zealous loyalist, and devoted personal friend of
Charles’s, was absent from home, but his mother, the aged Countess,
was a woman of courage and fidelity, and as deeply attached to the
Royal cause as her son. To her the King felt no hesitation in
declaring himself, and claiming her protection; and in that safe
custody he remained several days, before proceeding to the Isle of
Wight, where he was retaken by the rebels.
------------------
_No. 8._
LORDS JOHN AND BERNARD STUART.
_One boy has long curling auburn hair. He wears a white satin vest,
and hose, silk stockings, and buff shoes. Blue mantle over one
shoulder; his foot is on the base of a pedestal. The other brother
wears a crimson dress, with a tawny yellow mantle over his left
arm. Dark buff boots._
BOTH killed in action, within a few years of each other. Esmé Stuart,
Duke of Richmond and Lennox, had seven sons, all of whom he survived,
and, on his death, the title merging in the person of his Royal
kinsman, Charles II., his Majesty bestowed it on his natural son, by
Louise de la Querquaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, ancestor of the
present Duke.
Lord John Stuart was the eldest son of Duke Esmé. Grainger, in his
description of the portrait in question, speaks most highly of his
noble disposition and courage, which ‘he carried indeed to rashness.’
A devoted loyalist, at the battle of Cheriton Down he was charging
up-hill in command of a troop of light horse to attack Sir William
Waller’s army, when he fell into an ambuscade, having had two horses
killed under him. He lay, pierced by innumerable wounds, amidst
hundreds of his own men; he was, however, carried off the field while
still living (as was Sir John Smith, brother to Lord Carrington), and
conveyed first to Reading, and the next day still further on the road,
in order to be within help of skilful surgeons. But the gallant youth
did not survive the second dressing of his wounds. He was buried at
Christchurch, Oxford, as was a younger brother, killed at the battle
of Edgehill. Lord Clarendon, speaking of Lord John, says that he was
early bent on a military career, being ‘of a tough and choleric
disposition,’ and caring little for the ‘softnesses of social life.’
Yet he must have been of a loveable nature, for his death was deeply
regretted. Lord Bernard was the youngest son of Duke Esmé. He
commanded the gallant troop known as the King’s Bodyguard, consisting
of the most eminent Royalists in both Houses of Parliament, and,
indeed, in all England. Their servants formed another troop under Sir
William Killigrew, and invariably followed their lords and masters to
the field. At the battle of Cropedy Bridge, where the King commanded
in person, Lord Bernard secured the safety of his Majesty, who was in
imminent peril, by charging two bodies of the Roundhead horse, and
bearing the brunt of the enemy’s cannon, by remaining stationary in an
open field, to cover the free passage of the King. He also
distinguished himself greatly at the battle of Naseby, among other
engagements, and in consideration of his services was created Earl of
Lichfield, an honour he did not long enjoy. He was killed at the
battle of Rowton Heath, near Chester, having once more come to the
assistance of his Royal master and kinsman. Young Lord Lichfield was
deeply regretted. The Duke of Richmond’s seven gallant sons all served
in the King’s army, and three of them died, like gallant Cavaliers, on
the field of battle.
------------------
_No. 9._
RACHEL, SECOND WIFE OF THOMAS, LAST EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON.
_She is seated in the clouds, habited in blue floating drapery. In her
right hand she holds a wand; her left rests on a sphere. A skull
lies at her feet._
BY VANDYCK.
HER father, the Marquis de Ruvigny, came of a noble Huguenot family in
France, and her brother was at one time head of the Protestant party
in that country. But in spite of his religious opinions, he was much
in favour, not only with Louis XIV., but also with Cardinal Mazarin.
He eventually went to England on a diplomatic mission, where he
settled with his family. One of his sons was killed at the battle of
the Boyne, the other was created Earl of Galway by William III. We do
not know the date of Rachel de Ruvigny’s marriage, but take it for
granted that young Wriothesley made her acquaintance on his first
visit to France. His elder brother dying of fever, Thomas, the second
son, succeeded to the earldom of Southampton on the death of his
father. His wife bore him two sons, who both died _v. p._, and three
daughters, the second being Rachel, the faithful and devoted wife of
William, Lord Russel, who was beheaded.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration]
STAIRCASE.
[Illustration]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
STAIRCASE.
-------
_No. 1._
JOHN HUGHES.
_Violet coat. Wig._
BORN 1677, DIED 1720.
BY SIR GODFREY KNELLER.
HE was born at Marlborough, in Wiltshire, but went to London, where
his father resided, when quite young; and, being of a delicate
constitution, received his education at private schools. He showed an
early predilection for the gentle arts of poetry, music, and drawing,
yet, when he came to man’s estate, these tastes, which never left him,
did not prevent his filling the posts he held under Government with
credit, and proving himself a good man of business. He had an
appointment in the Ordnance Office, and was secretary to several
Commissions for the purchase of lands for the better securing of the
Royal Docks and Yards of Portsmouth, Chatham, and Harwich. He found
leisure in the midst of his public duties to devote a considerable
time to the acquisition of modern languages, with which he
supplemented his previous knowledge of Greek and Latin. His first
poetic effusion was inspired by the Treaty of Ryswick, and was very
popular. He wrote many translations and imitations of classical
authors, together with such productions as ‘The Court of Neptune,’—an
ode on the return of King William from Holland; and many monodies,
elegies, and panegyrics, chiefly in honour of royal personages, which
would now be considered but dreary reading. For all that he was much
esteemed by the literati of the time, being intimate with Addison,
Pope, Rowe, etc.; and Johnson tells us that Addison consulted with
him, and even at one time asked his co-operation, in the matter of his
tragedy of Cato, which, it appears, was finished, and put on the stage
at the instigation of John Hughes. He was also much favoured by men of
high standing and position, and when Lord Wharton was made
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, he offered our author an appointment in
the sister country. Hughes declined, although at the time in very poor
circumstances; but he had another true friend and patron,—the Lord
Chancellor Cowper, in whose family he had been tutor. Lord Cowper not
only made Hughes secretary for the Commission of the Peace, but, on
his own removal from office, recommended him to the notice of his
successor. Hughes was now in comparatively affluent circumstances, but
his failing health prevented his enjoyment of life. He had consumptive
tendencies, and grew gradually weaker. His last work was a drama
entitled ‘The Siege of Damascus,’ which set the fashion of sieges
innumerable. He completed it a short time before his death, with a
dedication to Lord Cowper; but he had no strength to attend the
rehearsals, or energy to resist the emendations, alterations, and
innovations thrust upon him by the worshipful company of players. The
first night of his tragedy’s representation was the last of the
author’s life; they brought him word that ‘The Siege’ was progressing
satisfactorily; but by that time his thoughts were fixed on the new
life which was opening before him, and he made no remark, but passed
silently away. Many of his works were published during his life; many
more after his death. He was a constant contributor to the
_Spectator_, the _Guardian_, and similar periodicals; and Steele wrote
an eulogistic paper on his death. Two letters which passed between
Swift and Pope may perhaps help to enable us (if we accept their
testimony) in assigning Hughes a place as an author. The Dean writes:
‘A month ago a friend sent me over the works of John Hughes in prose
and verse. I never heard of the man in my life, yet I find your name
as a subscriber. He is far too grave a poet for me, and I think among
the mediocrists in prose, as well as verse.’ Pope replies: ‘To answer
your question about Hughes: what he wanted in genius he made up in
honesty; but he was of the class you think him.’
Only a few weeks before his death he sent Lord Cowper the picture of
which we are now treating, having been painted for him by Sir Godfrey
Kneller,—a very favourable specimen of the artist’s handiwork. Lord
Cowper acknowledges the gift in these words:—
‘Sir, I thank you for your most acceptable present of your picture,
and assure you that none of this age can set a higher value on it than
I do, and shall, while I live,—though I am sensible posterity will
outdo me in that particular. I am, with the greatest esteem and
sincerity, sir, your most affectionate and obliged humble servant,
‘COWPER.
‘_January 24th, 1720._‘
------------------
_No. 2._
MARY, WIFE OF THE FIRST EARL COWPER.
_Sitting in a garden. Red dress, trimmed with lace. Holding her
scarf._
BY SIR GODFREY KNELLER.
------------------
_No. 3._
SARAH, LADY COWPER.
_Red dress, Blue scarf. White sleeves._
SHE was the daughter of Sir Samuel Holled, Knight, merchant of London,
wife of Sir William Cowper, second baronet, and mother of the Lord
Chancellor. She was an eccentric woman, ill favoured and ill tempered,
in constant collision with her husband, her sons, and her servants,—in
fact, to a certain extent, the terror of the household. She wrote a
voluminous diary, still in the possession of her descendant, the
present Lord Cowper,—a strange mixture of pious reflections, together
with anecdotes more remarkable for breadth than point. Towards the end
of her life she became more placable in disposition. She had two
sons,—William, the first Earl, and Spencer, the celebrated judge.
------------------
_No. 4._
FREDERIC, LORD BEAUVALE.
_Brown velvet suit. Blue cravat. Black cloak, trimmed with fur.
Leans against a column, holding his hat._
BY PARTRIDGE.
------------------
_No. 5._
ARNOLD JOOST VAN KEPPEL, LORD OF THE VOORST IN HOLLAND, EARL OF
ALBEMARLE, K.G.
_In complete armour. Wig, Holding a baton. Blue riband._
BORN 1674, DIED 1718.
BY SIR GODFREY KNELLER.
THE subject of this notice derived his origin from one ‘Walter,’ a
knight who flourished in the year 1179. He was one of the seven
imperial vassals of Guelderland, who exercised sovereign rights, each
in his several domain.