The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-01-03
Assassination of the Duke of Bucking-
ham.

Duke of Buckingham is title Of i'll
omen in the history of England. 1t is a
singular circumstance that of the six men
who have borne that title, during the last
four hundred years, every one has been
signally unfortunate, signally wicked, or
signally foolish. In the wars of the
Roses, Duke of Buckingham last his ell
dest son, and was afterwards himself
slain. Next comes the Duke of Buckng-
ham whom Richard III. beheaded whose
monument in little village near Sails
bury have seen. To him succeeded the
Duke of buckingham who publicly insult
ed Cardinal Wolsey, and excited the
jealousy Of Henry VIII. and lost his
head in consequence. The title then be-
came extinct, and so remained until it
was revived under James l. for the pur-
pose of gratifying the adventurer who is
the subject of this article. And strange
to relate, this Duke of Buckingham,
though no connection of the former dukes
showed precisely the cast of character as
they, and met with fate not less tragic
Like them, too, he transmitted his folly
to his descendants who were all either
notoriously vicious or singularly unwise.
The last Duke of Buckingham, who
died years ago, inherited immense wealth,
but indulged mania for buying land to
such an extent, that he became bank
rupt. Even his furniture was sold at
auction, and his eldest son, the Marquis
of Chandos, earned his living by serving
n railroad company. Many houses in
New York are now adorned by pictures
and curiosities bought at the sale of the
effects Of the last of the unfortunate dukes
Of Buckingham. What renders his fate
the more remarkable is, that he was not
descended from either of the former
ducal houses. 1t seems that merely to
have the title of Duke Of Buckingham is
enough to deprive man either Of his
virtue or his good sense, or both
James I. was one Of the weakest and
most ridiculous beings that ever sat upon
throne. His mother, Mary Queen Of
Scots, and his father, Lord Darnley, were
considered the handsomest couple in Eu.
rope but James was so clumsily made a,
to be almost deformed and the whole
aspect of the man was vulgar and clown
ish. Besides his awkward figure, he haC
a strange way of rolling his eyes, side
long, unsteady walk, kind Of paralyti
trembling ofthe imbs,a soldering mouth
and certain boyish expression Of coun
tenance. These personal defects wer
rendered more conspicuous by his habitua
attempt to assume the air Of a CRANE
monarch, and by his preposterou' notion
of the royal diguity, which he was neve
weary Of expounding. His mind was a
inferior and loosely knit as his body. II
was vain, pedantic, and credulous he wa
extravagant and sensual superstition
and bigoted; incapable Of being infuene
. ed by wise and honest counsellors, bu
the very slave of any man who knew hi
t weaknesses, and how to play upon hin
. Such a king is invariably governe
; either by an imperious and artful ministe
, like Richelieu, or by an agreeable an
. Aattering favorite, or by mistres
James |. was, oil his life, the tool an
minion of favorites, of whom the Duke {
Buckingham held him longest, used hi
worst, and despised him most. He calle
the king "my dear dad and gossip" an
laughed in his face when he had sal
. something more ridiculous than usual.
T. have letter before me, addressed b
u Buckingham to King James, which b
:, gins with "my dear dad and gossip an
) ends with Your most humble slave an
+ dog Steenie; and in which the heir-a
+ parent to the throne is styled "Bat
Charles. ."-Haughty and unrelenting
the king was to all men of worth,
could refuse nothing whatever to III
handsome, audacious and debauched a,
venturer.
il This man owed the kings favor to
20 court intrigue, which was set on foot {
r his purpose of displacing another favori
who was ruling tyranically both king al
the kingdom Casting about for n pc
y son fitted to seduce the kings affection
(, the choice of this party fell on Geor
> Villers, the sou of Sir George Nillers,
Lieccstershire baronet. The Young IN
was ,trikinely handsome, very fluent a
= witty, perfectly accomplished in all cou
= ly exercises, and of -ingularly gracet
= winning address aud manners At I
same time, as he had no principles 4
- mental stamina, the intriguers imagin
3 that they could easily mould and use h
4 for their own purposes. In this plo
2 large number of the highest nobility W,
81 engaged nay, even bishops and ar
q bishops.-The queen herself,whom Jan
totally neglected, was consulted and u
', ed to cooperate and it was an archbisl
'o' who made the proposal to her
my Lord" she replied, "you k1