The life of the thrice noble, high and puissant prince William Cavendishe, Duke, Marquess and Earl of Newcastle ... written by the thrice noble, illustrious and excellent princess, Margaret, Duchess of Newcastle, his wife.

AN EPISTLE TO HER GRACE THE Duchess of Newcastle.

May it please your Grace,

I Have been taught, and do believe, That Obedience is better then Sacrifice; and know, that both are due from me to your Grace; and since I have been so long in obeying your Commands, I shall not presume to use any Arguments for my excuse, but rather chuse ingeniously to confess my fault, and beg your Graces Pardon. And because forgiveness is a Glory to the supreamest Powers, I will hope that your Grace by that great example will make it yours. And now

I humbly take leave to represent to your Grace, as faithfully and truly as my memory will serve me, all my Observati∣ons of the most memorable Actions, and honourable Deport∣ments of His Grace, my most Noble Lord and Master, William Duke of Newcastle, in the execution and Performance of the Trusts and high Employments commit∣ted and commended to his care and charge by three Kings of England; that is to say, King James, King Charles the First, of ever blessed Memory; and our Gracious King, Charles the Second; under whom he hath had the happiness to live, and the honour to serve them in several capacities: And because I humbly conceive, that it is not within the in∣tention of your Graces Commands, that I should give you a particular Relation of His Graces High Birth, his Noble and Princely Education and Breeding, both at home and abroad; his Natural Faculties, and Personal Vertues; his Iustice, Bounty, Charity, Friendship; his Right Approved Courage, and True Valour, not grounded upon, or govern'd by Passion, but Reason; his Magnificent manner of living and supporting his Dignity, testified by his great Entertainments of their Majesties, and his private Friends, upon all fit occasions, besides his ordinary and constant House-keeping and Attendants; some for Honour, and some for business, wherein he exceeded most of his Qua∣lity; and that he was, and is an incomparable Master to his Servants, is sufficiently testified by all or most of the chiefest of them, living and dying in His Graces Service, which is an Argument that they thought themselves as

happy therein, as the World could make them; nor of his well-chosen Pleasures, which were principally Horses of all sorts, but more particularly Horses of Mannage; His Study and Art of the true use of the Sword; His Magni∣ficent Buidings. These are his chiefest Delights, wherein his Grace spared for no cost nor charge, which are suffici∣ently manifested to the World; for other Delights, as those of running Horses, Hawking, Hunting, &c. His Grace used them meerly for societies sake, and out of a generous and obliging Nature to please others, though his knowledg in them excelled, as well as in the other. And yet notwith∣standing these his large and vast expences, before his Grace was called to the Court, he encreased his Revenue by way of Purchase to a great value; and when he was called to the Court, he was then free from Debts, and, as I have heard, some Thousands of Pounds in his Purse. These Particulars, and as many more of this kind as would swell a Volume, I could enumerate to your Grace; but that they are so well known to your Grace, it would be a Presumption in me, rather then a Service, to give your Grace that trou∣ble; and therefore I humbly forbear, and proceed, ac∣cording to my Intention, to give your Grace a faithful account of Your Graces Commands, as becomes

May it please your Grace,

Your Graces most humble, and most obedient Servant, Iohn Rolleston.