Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-07-26
Duchess of Marlborough.

Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlbor.
ough. Not only was she beautiful, but
witty and viVacious. Her conversation
was interesting, and a vein Of keen but
delicate satire often gave piquancy to
her remarks. The fascinating Frances
was but sixteen when she irst appeared
1T the Court of the Duchess of York.
A crowd of adorers was soon signing at
her feet; James himself being amongst
tire most ardent of worshipers at the
shrine of the new divinity. Unavailing,
however, were his sighs and his Ian
gushing airs to win her smiles and good
graces and the profigate bigot was soon
made to comprehend that, though en-.
gagged in the service of his duchess, ia
belle Jennings" was not at all disposed
to engage in his. Her conduct occasioned
unspeakable astonishment in Charles
icentious Court. A young girl who was
both beautiful and Virtuous was there
phenomenon, and the king thought it
something SO novel, so piquant, tnat he
had q fancy to attempt to prevail where
his brothers powers of seduction had
failed. After the dukes death the duch-
ess lived in great seclusion at Marlbor-
ough House, which she held by lease
Of fifty wears from the crown. Within
the first wear and q half Of her widow
hood she had offers of marriage from
Lord Coningsby and the Duke of Som
erset; the latter was persistent, saying
he had admired her for years. She was
then sixty-two, but still very handsome.
Her beautiful hair wss unchanged in
color, which she attributed to her con-
slant use of honey-water. She, however,
very properly replied to her suitors that
she was too old to marry again. "Were
]" she said to the Duke of Somerset,
"but thirty instead Of past sixty, would
not consent that an emperor should sue
ceed to place in my heart, which was
wholly given to the Duke of Marlbor-
ough." She survived all her children
except the youngest-the Duchess OF
Montague sand lived on untroubled ~
the inhrmities incidental to old age until
I74l, when she was taken i'll, and so Sc
riously that she believed death TO DO
near at hand. But she recovered ana
survived three years longer; her death
occurring on the Goth of October, 1144,
in her ei9hty-fifth year. "Old Marlbor-
ollgh is diving" said Horace WalpOle, a
few days before her death occurred
"but who can tell?-last year when she
had lain a great while without speaking,
the physician said she must be bis
tered or she will die;' she called out,
al won't be blistered, and won't die"
She, however, did not fear death. She
said "there was one great happiness in
dying, that one would never hear more
OF anything that wasdone in this world"
Lady Wortley Montague and the Count
ess of Butte often spent their mornings
with her. She herself had quite given
up going into society, in which she had
never taken delight, so absorbed had abe
been by affairs of state. Her interest in
politics remained. In her boroughs Of
Woodstock and st. Albans she put whom
she pleased. Sir Robert Walpole and
Queen Caroline were the chief objects
of her political hate and inyectiye. VI
the former she writes: IT'S t99ugle
wrong To wish ANYBODY dead; but hope
It's none TO wish he may be hanged Ior
having brought to ruin so great coun'
try as this"