Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1853-04-16
ShclIey,s Girl Wife.

From De Quincy's Essay upon Shelley.
cd, which was that Of his expulsion from Ok
ford,he married a beautiful girl named West
brook. She was respectfully connected; but
had not moved in rank corresponding to
Shelley's; and that accident brought him into
nv own neighborhood For his family, eb-
tranged from him, were now thoroughly irrita-
ted by what they regarded as a misalliance,
and withdrew, or grately reduced his pecuni-
ary allowances. Such, at least, was the story
current. In this embarrassment, his wfes
father made over to him an anual income of
f200; and as economy had become impor-
tant, the youthful pair--both, in fact still
children--came down to the Lakes supposing
this region of Cumberland and westmoreland
to be sequestored place, which it was, for
eight months in the year-and also to be
cheap place, which it was not. Another mo-
tive to this choice arose with the then Duke
of Norfolk He was an old friend of Shelley's
family, aud generously refused to hear a word
of The young mans errors, except where he
could de anything to relieve him from their
consequences,
His Grace possessed the beautiful estate Of
Gobarrow Park, on Ulleswater, and other es-
tates of crater extent in the same two coun.
ties ibis own agents he had directed to furnish
any accommodations that might meet Shelly's
views; and he had written to some gentlemen
among bis agricultural friends in Cum
berland, requesting them to pay such neigh
borly attentions to the solitary young people
as circumstances might place in their power.
This bias. being impressed upon Shelley,
naturally brought him TO Keswick, as the
most central and the largest of the lttle-towns
dispersed amongst thet Lakes. Southey,
made aware of the interest taken in Shelley
by the Duke of Norfolk, with his usual kind
ness Immediately called upon him; and the
ladies Of Southey's family subsequently made
an early call upon Mrs. Shelley.
One Of them mentioned to me, as occnring
in this first act an amusing expression of this
youthful matron, which, four years later,
when | heard of her gloomy end, recalled
with the force Of pathetic, that icy arrest
then claiming up her youthful feet forever
The Shelleys had been induced by one of
their new friends to take part of house,
standing about half mile out of Keswick,
on the Penrith Road; more, believe in that
friends intention for the sake of bringing them
easily within bis hosptalities, than for any
beauty in the place. There was, however,
pretty garden attached to it.. And whilst
walking in this, one of the Southey party ask
ed Mrs Shelley if the garden had been let
with their part of the house "Oh, no." she
replied, "the garden is not ours; but then.
the people let us run about in it whenever
Percy and are tired of sitting in the house."
The naviete of this expression run about
contrasting so picturesquely with the inter-
mittng efforts of the grlish wife at support
ing matron-like gravity, now that she was
doing the honors OF her house to married la
dies, caused all the party to smile. And me
it caused profoundly to sigh, four years later,
when the gloomy death of this young crea-
ture, now frozen in distant grave, threw
back my remembrance upon her fawn like
play yfulness, which unconciously to herself,th
girlsh phrase of run about so naturally be-
trayed.
In about four years his first marriage was
dissolved by the death of his wife, She had
brought to shelly two children. But feuds
arose between them, owing to Incompatible
habits Of mind They parted. And it is one
chief misery of beautiful young woman, sep
arated from her natural protector, that her
desoate situation attracts and stimulates the
calumnies of the malicious. Stung by these
calumnies and oppressed (as | have UNDER
stood) by the loneliness of her abode, perhaps
also by the delirium of fever, she threw her
self into a pond, and was drowned. The
name under which she first enchanted all
= eyes, and sported as the most playful of nymph
like girls, is now forgotten among men, and
, that other name, for a brief period her am
biton and her glory,s inscribed OIL her grave
stone as the name under which she wept and
she despaired-sufrered and was buried
, turned away even from the faces of her chill
dren, and sought hiding place in darkness"