which trust, though it cost her almost unspeakable labour and difficulties, she discharged with such indefatigable pains, such conscientious exactness, and amazing prudence, that as she failed not of one tittle of his will till all was executed, so she never gave or left occasion for the least complaining from any interested person, but rendered all more than silent, satisfied; more than satisfied, applauding and admiring her prudent and honourable management of that great affair: an event which she owned to God with much thankfulness, as no small mercy and blessing to her. As for that noble estate which was to descend to others after her, she would not have wronged it in the least, to have gained the disposal of the whole; and therefore was at vast. expenses in repairs both of the mansion and the farms, though she herself had them only for a term. It may be also truly said concerning her, that though none were more ready to recede from their own right terminating in personal interests, yet, that she was very strict and tenacious in whatever might concern her successors, usually saying, "that whatever she lost herself, she would never give occasion for them who came after her to say that she had hurt their estates, or wronged her trust, or them."

When she came to the possession of the very large estate her lord bequeathed her for life, she in good measure realized what a great person was reported to say, "that the Earl of Warwick had given all his estate to pious uses;" intending that, by giving it to his Countess, it would be converted to these purposes. All the satisfaction, as she declared, that she took in such large possessions being put into her hands, was the opportunity they afforded her of doing good; and she averred that she would not accept of, or be encumbered with, the greatest estate in England, if it should be offered her, were it clogged with this condition, that she was not to do good to others with it.

Such was the amiable and exemplary life of the Countess of Warwick.

LADY RACHAEL RUSSELL.

LADY Rachael Wriothesley was born about the year 1636, and was the daughter of Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton.

It is an event which can never be forgotten, that the husband of this lady, William Lord Russell, was beheaded

July 21, 1683. How worthy a man he was, how true a friend to the liberties of his country, how undeserving of his bitter treatment, and with what an invincible fortitude he met his cruel doom, the Introduction to the Letters of Lady Rachael Russell, his widow, particularly shows; and to that we refer our readers. As our concern is only with his relict, we shall turn our thoughts entirely to her.

She

We are not furnished with any considerable materials for our memoirs of her before the dismal period of her illustrious husband's sufferings. At this juncture, she conducted herself with a mixture of the most tender affection and the most surprising magnanimity. appeared in court at the trial of her husband; and when the Attorney-General told him, "he might use the hands of one of his servants in waiting to take notes of the evidence for his use;" Lord Russell answered, "that he asked none, but that of the lady that sat by him." The spectators at these words turning their eyes, and beholding the daughter of the virtuous Southampton rising up to assist her lord in this his utmost distress, a thrill of anguish ran through the assembly. After his condemnation, she threw herself at the King's feet and pleaded, but, alas! in vain, with his majesty, the

merits and loyalty of her father, in order to save her husband. And without a sigh or a tear, she took her last farewell of him; when it might have been expected, as they were so perfectly happy in each other, and no wife could possibly surpass her in affection to a husband, that the torrent of her distress would have overflowed its banks, and been too mighty for all the powers of reason and religion to have restrained it. Indeed, the affection of Lord Russell and his lady to each other, and their behaviour in the season of their extremity of distress, were very remarkable, and well deserve a particular mention. On the Tuesday before Lord Russell's execution, after dinner, when his lady was gone, he expressed great joy in the magnanimity of spirit he saw in her, and declared, "the parting with her was the greatest thing he had to do; for," he said, "she would be hardly able to bear it; the concern about preserving him filled her mind so now, that it in some measure supported her, but, when that would be over, he feared the quickness of her spirits would work all within her." On Thursday, while his lady was gone to try to gain a respite till Monday, he said, "He wished she would give over beating every bush, and running so about for his preservation; but when

he considered, that it would be some mitigation of her sorrow that she left nothing undone that could have given any probable hope, he acquiesced." Indeed, his heart was never seen so near failing him as when he spake of her. Sometimes a tear would be seen in his eye, and he would turn about, and presently change the discourse. The evening before his death, he suffered his children, who were very young, and some of his friends, to take leave of him; in which interview he preserved his constancy of temper, though he was a very fond parent. He parted with his lady at the same time with a composed silence; and she had such a command of herself, that when she was gone, he said, "the bitterness of death was past," for he loved and esteemed her beyond expression. He ran out into a long discourse concerning her, declaring "how great a blessing she had been to him, and what a misery it would have been to him if she had not had that magnanimity of spirit joined to her tenderness, as never to have desired him to do a base thing for the saving his life." He added, "there was a signal providence of God in giving him such a wife, where there were birth, fortune, great understanding, great religion, and great kindness to himself; but her carriage," said he, "in my