Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-06-06

ed with the strongest sway in his ovcrheated mind
He her with what avowcd motives does not ap
pearl 10 the solitary manor house Of Gunner in
Berkshire, village not far from Oxford inhabited
by one OF his train named Anthony Forster. Ththor
she was shortly followed by Sir Richard Varncy,
another OF his retaners and few days after, these
persons, having sent all her servants to Arlington
fair and no one being with her but themselves she
died IN consequence, they reported, Of fall down
staircase. hut "the inhabitants of Cumnor" saws
Aubrey, IN whose history of Berkshire all that could
be collected Oh the subject is mnutely detailed will
tel you there that she conveyed from her usual
chamber where she lay 10 anothLr, where the beds
head of the chamber stood close 10 PRIV postcrr
door, where they in the nigh, came, and stiHcd hel
IN her bed; bruised her head very much; broke hcr
neck; and at length flung her down stairs thereby be-
licvug the world would have thought it inischance
and so have blinded their vilaiuy.--Nor was thi.
plan OF violence adopted till after they had vainly at
tempted to destroy her by poison throuuh the nm
conscious aid Of DR.. Bailey then professor of phvsic
IN the University of Oxford, who had resisted thc
earnest importantly to make medicine for her. wher
he knew she was in perfect health suepecting from
his observation, Of circumstances as he afterwards
declared, that they intended 10 add 10 il some dcal,
drug, and trembling for his own saicty-The dis u.
urcd corpse was hurried tn the earth without coro.
ncrs inquest and TO such height did the pity and tho
resentment OF the ncighborirg families arise, tha
they employed the pen OF Thomas Lever, Il preben
dairy OF Coventry to write 10 the Secretaries of State
intreatDg that strict inquiry should be made into
the cause of the ladys DEATH but the application La,
! no effect The strongest inference, however, O.
LcIccsters guilt in this case is 10 be known from :
string Of reasons, noted down BY Cecil himself VIII,
The Queen should not make him her husband, one o.
(which is-'that he is infamed by the death OF hi:
wife, The effect Of such remark, made by such
person, and for such purpose, wants little Of the
: force of positive evidence
! The rclaxations of such Leicester are
commonly sought IN the qualification OF mere appetite
and such were his. Aher variety OF amorous IN
tTgucs not worthy Of recollection, he became moro
than usually attached TO Douglas. daughter of VIII
liam Howard, first Lord Efiingham, and widow OF
John, Lord Sheffield. Vulgar report, presuminc on
the known enorT tiles of his life proclaimed that he
rad disposed of her husband by those Internal
means SO frequently ascribed TO him in other cases.
Be this it might it is certain that he married her
or deceived her into pretended marriage. immcd-
ately after the death of Lord Sheffield. Bv this lady
he had son, with whose future story, remarkable
as 1t rendered by the dispositions unhappiv and
UNANIMOUSLY made by the father, this memoir has no
concern) and daughter. He stipulated with tie I'm
fortunate Douglas that their marriage should be kept
profoundly secret the children were debarred from
any intercourse with their mother; and the Earl ha
wing some years after dcrnIined TO marry another
compelled her by threats, by promises and M enrth
by attempts on her life, to make most eticctual.
though tacit remuneration of all marital claims on
HIM, by publicly taking her husband Sir Edward
STAFFORD.
These ncfarous circumstances were disclosed
shortly otter the death Of Elizabeth in the proecu-
ton OF suit in the Star Chamber instituted 10 esta-
bsh the legitimacy, and consequent right OF nhcri-
tance OF her son. and on this occason Douglas after
having proved BY the testimony of many respectable
witnesses her marriage 10 the deceased Earl dcclar
cd on oath tho foul proceedings by which she had been
forced to throw herselfnto the arms and Oh the pro
lection OF Stratforj concluding with relation of ihc
means which Leicester had previously used to take
her oil 10y poison, under the operation Of which she
sworc that her nair and her nails had fallen off and
mat her constitution had been ruined; and that she
had narrowly escaped with life.
The object for whom he abandoned this miserable
lady, was Lctticc, daughter Of Sir Francis Knollys
ana rchCt Of Walter Dcvcrcux Earl of Essex. The
already strong suspicion that Leicester had caused
ny the same diabOlical tho death of that noble
man. TO winch some slight ausion has already been
made was aggravated TO the utmost by the indecent
haste with which he welded the widow with whom,
there was no doubt TINT he had for some time before
maintained guilty intercourse. This was the
marriage which highly excited the displeasure Of
and which she unmertngIy resented to- /,
wards the Countess by insulting neglect in spite
OF all the Intercesslons Of the Young Essex her SON
who succeeded his uncle in the Queens ex'ravlrant
favor Leicester had by this lady one son, Robert |
who died in childhood four years before his father
She survived the Earl for half century: and
prosecuted with tedious suits his by Lady Shelf
rcld, whose Legitimacy Leicester, with folly coua
10 MS injustice, had sometimes affirmed and sornn
times denied, and to whom he had bcileathed his
prncely castle and domain Of Ksnilworth, Of which
the unfortunate gentleman wasNt list. in manner
dciraudcd by the crown in the succeeding reign
Such on The whole, Ezaba.h's most distin- I
ruIshed favortc. History 10 its lamcntablc discr-
dt, invariably Asserts, in the BREADTH his wick
cdnes5 and the wisdom OF his ROYAL patroncss Onci
or the other of those assertions must be false.
METEORIC EXPLOSION