Great Englishwomen: An Historical Reading Book for SchoolsSynge, M. B. (Margaret Bertha)
History
Great Englishwomen: An Historical Reading Book for Schools
Synge, M. B. (Margaret Bertha)
Women -- Great Britain -- Biography
In 1689, William and Mary were crowned; one of their first acts was to
annul the sentence against Lord Russell. When the parchment which effected
this was laid on the table of that assembly in which, eight years before,
his face and his voice had been so well known, the excitement was great.
One old Whig member tried to speak, but could not. "I cannot," he
faltered, "name my Lord Russell without disorder. It is enough to name
him. I am not able to say more."
Lady Russell's health was broken, and she was threatened with blindness.
It has been said that she wept herself blind, but this is hardly true. It
was discovered she had cataract, and must give up writing by candlelight
and reading.
Soon after her son, Lord Tavistock, was married at fifteen to a rich
heiress, and her daughter Catherine to a nobleman.
An amusing account is given of Catherine and her husband, which shows what
favour the family was in at this time.
When they drew near Belvoir, where they were going to stay, verses were
presented them on the occasion of their happy marriage; at the gate stood
"four-and-twenty fiddlers all in a row; four-and-twenty trumpeters with
their tan-tara-ra-ra's; four-and-twenty ladies, and as many parsons."
Her son was only just married when Lady Russell was requested to let him
stand to be elected to the House of Commons. He was just going to
Cambridge to study, a mere boy, and his mother, feeling it would ruin his
future, and turn his head, to enter parliament so young, refused, though
the offer was a tempting one.
In 1701 she was called to the deathbed of that son, who had caught small
pox, which was raging at that time. His wife and little children had been
obliged to flee from it, and his mother was left to comfort his last
hours.
"I did not know the greatness of my love to him, till I could see him no
more," she cried, when he had gone. She was confused and stunned by the
suddenness of his death, but she had need of all her strength, for another
blow was close at hand.
Six months after, her second daughter Catherine died. Rachel, Duchess of
Devonshire, was very ill at the time, but, knowing of her sister's
illness, she constantly enquired for her. It was all the poor mother could
do to keep up herself, and conceal from Rachel the death of her sister for
a time.
The last years of Lady Russell's life were calm, but very sad;--her
husband, her son and daughter, were all gone, and she longed to follow
them.
At last, on a September day in 1723, she died in the arms of her daughter
Rachel, the little "Fubs" of bygone days, and she was buried beside the
husband whom she had loved and served so devotedly during the few happy
years of their married life.
ANGELICA KAUFMANN (1741-1807).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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