The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-02-13
Duchess of marlborough.

Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlbor-
ough. Not only was size beautiful, but
witty and vivaCiOus. lIer 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 iirsU appeared
It the Court of the -slchess of York.
A crowd of adorers was soon signing at
her feet; James himself being amongst
the 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 prohigate bigot was soon
made to comprehend that, though en-
gagged in the service of his duchess, 'la
belle Jennings" was not at all disposed
to engage in his. Her conduct OcCasiOned
unspeakable astOnishment in Charles
licentious Court. A young girl who was
both beautiful and virtuous was there a
phenomenon, and the king thought 1t
something so novel, so piquant, that he
had a fancy to attempt to prevail where
his brothers powers of seduction bad
failed. After the dukes death the duCh-
ess lived in great seclusion at Marlbor-
Ough House, which she held by lease
of fifty years from the crown. Within
the first year and a 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 was unchanged In
color, which she attributed to her con-
slant use Of hOney-WaUer. She, however,
very properly replied to her suitOrs that
she was too old to marry again. "Were
/ l." she said to the Duke of Somerset,
"but thirty instead of past sixty, 1 would
not consent that an emperor should sue
Ceed to a 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-and lived on untrOubled by
] the infirmities incidental to old age until
| I74l, when she was taken i'll, and so Sc
riously that she believed death to be
near at hand. But she recovered, and
survived three years longer; her death
occurring on the 29th of October, l744,
in her eighty-ffth year. cold MarlbOr-
Ough is dying" said Horace Walp0le, a
few days before her death occurred ;
"but who can tell2-last year when she
had lain a great while without speaking,
the physician said: "She must be blis-
tered or she will die" she called out,
"I won't be blistered, and I 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 was done in this world.
Lady Wortley Montague and the Count
! eSs Of Bute often SDent their mornings
with her. She herself had quite given
up going into society, in which she had
never taken delight, so absorbed had she
been by affairs of state. Her interest in
politics remained. In her borOughs Of
| Woodstock and St. Adams she put whom
she pleased. Sir Robert Walpole and
Queen Caroline were the chief objects
Of her political hate and invective. Of
the former she writes: otis thought
wrong to wish anybody dead; but hope
It's none to wish he may be hanged fol
having brought to ruin so great a coun'
/ trV rs this