The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-07-12
Seven Stories of Noted Women.

L NO ItttIitS plcGCuCuCc
IN the court of Charles V. They sp-
pealed to the monarch, who, like Solo
mon. awarded, 'tLet the eldest go first. u
Such % dispute WAS never known after
wards. ....,r .-s.s... s.
.4sOne of the principal graces of Sarah,
Duchess of Marlborough, WAS a prodi-
gious abundance of fine hair. One day
at her toilet, to anger her heroic lord.
she cut off her commanding tresses and
flung them in his face.
yNollekins, the sculptor. WAS q para
gon of parsimony. In his. own house
candles were never lighted at the COM
,mencement of the evening. and when
ever. he and his wife heard knock at
the door, they would wait until they
heard q second rap before they lit the
candles, lest the first should have been
q ''run-away, and their candles should
be wasted. - sS q sh
When the Princess Charlotte of Neck
lenburg-Strelitz came over to be mar
ried to George III, she was ten days at
sea, but kept gay the whole voyage,
sung to her 'harpsichord, and left the
cabin door open. When she first caught
sight of st. James Palace she turned
pale. The Duchess of Hamilton smiled.
''My dear Duchess said the Princess,
s.you may laugh. You have been mar
ried twice, but it Is no joke to me-"
Whilst Frederick Merel, the great
scholar and eminent printer, was en-
pleyed on his edition of ''Labanius"
one day, he was told that his wife was
suddenly taken i'll. II have only two
or three sentences to translate. and then
I will come and look at her. A second
message informed him that she was dy-
ing. Il have only two words to write,
and [ will be there as soon as you" re-
piled the philosopher. At length he was
told that his wife was dead. al am
very sorry forit, indeed" said he, going
on with his work, "she was q very hon.
est woman. y
The marriage of Racine was an act OF
penanee.-neither love nor interest had
any share. in tho union. His wife was q
good sort. of woman, but perhaps the
mosteinsensihle of her sex, and the most
proper person in the world to mortify
the passion of literary glory and the mo-
mentary exultations OF Literary vanity.
1t is scarcely credible. but most certain
ly true, since her own son relates the
| fact, that she hstd-never seen acted, nol
ever read, Nor desired to read, the trag-
|e,iies which rendered her husband 50
celebrated throughout Europe. She had
! only learned some of their titles in con.
Versation. s'dirH' 7'7'ej sff-. -. p.
s Maria and Elizabeth Cunning, who
appeared at the court Of George III
one at the age of eighteen and the Other
| at ninctcen-were two portionless girls
of surpassing beauty. "They are de-
/ clared.>', writes Walpole, ITO be the
| handsomest women alive. They cam
walk in tho park, or go to Vauxhall
bnt such crowds follow them that they
are generally driven away" One day
they went to see Hampton Court. A:
they were going into the Beauty Room
another company arrived. The house
keeper said: .fThis way, ladies; here art
! the heauties.'' The Cummings flew into
q passion, and asked her what she
meant. They went to see the palace
and not to be shown as sight them
selves The younger of the fair sister
became the Duchess of Hamilton; tht
other became Lady Coventry.
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