Her grace's assiduity was equal to her originality. She kept a bevy of maidens of honour, who were obliged, at all hours of the night, to attend the summons of her bell, with a light, and materials "to register her grace's conceptions," which, we beg the reader to understand, were all of a literary or philosophical nature.
The good duchess's conceptions are now forgotten; but it should not be forgotten, that her kind solicitude soothed and supported her husband through a weary exile of eighteen years, when their fortunes were reduced to the lowest ebb. In gratitude, he appears to have encouraged her pursuits, and admired the productions of her muse. In the "Sessions of Poets" he is introduced as founding upon her literary pretensions, rather than his own.
Newcastle and's horse for entrance next strives, Well-stuffed was his cloak-bag, and so was his breeches, And —— —— Pulled out his wife's poems, plays, essays, and speeches. Whoop! quoth Apollo, what a devil have we here? Put up thy wife's trumpery, good noble marquis, And home again, home again take thy career, To provide her fresh straw, and a chamber that dark is.
Such were the noble personages whom Dryden deemed worthy of the fine strains of eulogy conveyed in this dedication.
[H] This compliment is overstrained. But though Charles gained many advantages after the earl of Newcastle had left England, the north was irrecoverably lost to his cause.
[I] The duchess wrote her husband's Life, which was translated into Latin. It is certainly the best of her grace's performances.
[J] Jonson and D'Avenant were both protected by the duke of Newcastle. Jonson has addressed several verses to him, and composed a Masque for the splendid entertainment which he gave to Charles I., at his house at Wellbeck, when the king was on his first northern journey.
[K] For some account of the Duke of Monmouth, we refer our readers to the poem of Absalom and Achitophel, in which Dryden has described that unfortunate young nobleman under the character of Absalom.
[L] See the Dedication to the "Indian Emperor."
[M] See the prologue to this play.