The Washington critic., 1886-05-13
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS.
Some of the Leading Families OF the
Old Dominion.

SUNNI VI thc beauing Families OF the
Old Dominion.
Connected by marriage with the
Skipwiths, says Miss Rowland In au
article on "Some Virginia Cavaliers"
in the May Southern Bicouac, is the
Randolph family of Virginia, which
also boasts poet among its members.
One Of the favorites and boon compan.
ions of Ben. Jonson, and enrolled with
Cartwright and others, In that younger
company of poets whom he denomi-
mated his sons.in.the- e-muses, was Thos.
Randolph of Houghton or Badly, In
Northamptonshire Swinburne, in a
recently published utterance, says of q
certain little known poet of this period.
That he "divided with Randolph the
best part of Jonson's MANTLE" Thomas
Randolph was Fellow of Trinity Col
lege, Cambridge, one of the wealthiest
foundations of this university. SO 1t
is presumed that the narrow circum.
stances to which he seems to have been
reduced were owing to his habits.
Unfortunately. his worship of Apollo
and his train was rivaled by his
worship of Bacchus, and he died
prematurely In his twenty ninth year,
with reputation for learning, wit, and
fancy that made his loss to be the more
regretted. His poems were published
by his brother after his deccase, and
perhaps, had he edited them himself,
they would have been pruned of their
more Objectionable features. "The
Muses." says Fuller, "may seem not
only to have smiled, but to have been
tickled at his nativity, such the festivity
Of his poems of all sorts" Dying at
the house of his friend Anthony Stat.
ford, in Staffordshire, to who he has
dedicated an ode, he was buried with the
Staffords and another friend, Lord Hat
ton, erected monument to his memory.
His poems, with their quaint. sounding
titles, "The Muses. Looking Glass"
"Amyntas," etc., consisted of odes,
elegies and other lyrics, with q few
dramas of less poetic merit. The
"Elegy Of Lady Venetia Digby" con-
tains an original conceit expressed in
some fine lines And the following
| pleasing verses will give an idea of his
lighter moods. Comparing his mis-
tress 10 the seasons, the poet says:
Thou art my all: the spring remains
| In the fair violets of thy veins
| And that II Is q summers day,
Ripe cherries In thy lips display;
| And when for autumn would seek,
| Vt is In the apples of thy cheek
But that which only moves my smart
| Is to see winter In thy heart"
OF the same family with Thomas
Randolph, the poet, was the grave and
accomplished Sir Thomas Randolph of
Queen Elizabeth's court, that grand
statesman and ambassador" as Fuller
styles him. Sir Thomas Randolph was
born in Kent County, where the name
is found among the gentry in the pre-
vious century, spelled Randolf. Sir
Thomas was Elizabeth's ambassador
successively to France, Russia and
Scotland. His letters have been pub.
lished and an account of his embassy
to Russia, then sort of terra incognita.
In the days of the civil war the Ran.
dolph family took the Kings side, and
one Of them, William Randolph, a
nephew of the poet, came to
Virginia at this period. This
William Randolph, the progenitor
of the Virginia Randolphs. acquired
large estates on the James River. and
settled them on his descendants. Tur-
key Island, Dungeness, Curls, Tucka-
hoe, Chatsworth, Wilton, Varina and
Bremo were all owned by the sons or
grandsons of William Randolph. One
of his sons became distinguished in CO.
lonial Virginia as Sir John Randolph,
Speaker Of the House of Burgesses,
treasurer Of the colony, and Represen-
tative in the Assembly of William and
Mary College. He was buried in the
college chapel at Williamsburg, in
1887, with impressive civic ceremonies,
one of the professors pronouncing over
him funeral Grafton in Latin. The
college was represented in the
Burgesses later by Beverly Randolph,
and the County of Henrico was fire.
ouently represented by Randolph.
There were two Of the family who were
specially distinguished at the time OF
the Revolution; these were Peyton and
Edmund Randolph. The former, q son
of Sir John Randolph, became presi,
dent of the first Congress, while Ed
mund Randolph was the first Attorney
General and Secretary of State of the
United States. He was also at one time
Governor of Virginia. One of the old
Randolph estates Is described by Au
| III liio Lf0teto sH HUtNFV,
the time of the Revolution. This was
"Tuckahoc," built ON q creek of the
same Indian name and command
ing q beautiful view Of the James
River. Like "Stratford," the building
was in the form of the letter "u" aud
had the appearance of two houses
Joined by large saloon. The house
seemed built in the manner, says this
English traveller, solely for purposes Of
hospitality, for the family resided in
one wing, and the other was always
occupied by guests, Irving, In his
"Lifc of Washington" quotes the ac
count given here of the stable built fol
Colonel Randolph's favorite horse
shakespeare, with recess for thu
bed of the negro groom, who always
slept beside him at night.
"WuY, JONES' what ho(a)rse you hay,
in your throatn "Yes, raised it from
col(d)t in my head. I've too much liv,
stock" swell, like cures like. DIR. Bull'
Cough Syrup viii cure you. The Bull vii
quickly scare the ho(a)rse away"