The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-05-02
Some Virginia Cavaliers.


Connected bv marriage with the Skip
withs is TIE Randolph family Of Vir-
inia, which boasts a poet among its
members. One of the favori,es and
boon companions of Ben Jonson, and
enrolled with Cartwright and others. in
that younger company of poets whom
he denominated his son-in-the-muses
was Thomas Randolph. of Houghton or
Badly, in Northumberland. SEin-
burne, in recently published utterance.
says OF certain little known poet of
this period. that he divided with
Randolph the best part of Jonson's
mantle" Thomas Randolph was a
Fellow OF Trinity College, Cam bridge.
one OF the wealthiest foundations of
that university. So tits presumed that
the narrow circumstances to which he
seems 10 have been reduced were owing
to his habits. Unfortunately his wor.
ship OF Apollo and his train was rivaled
by his worship of Bacchus, and he died
prematurely in his twenty-ninth year.
with a reputation for learning, wit, and
fancy that made his loss TO be the more
regretted. His poems were published
by his brother after his decease. and
Aau NC III.
they would have been pruned of their
more Objectionable features. "The
Muses." says Fuller, ma seem not
only TO have smiled, but 10 have been
tickled at his nativity. such the festivity
of his poems of all sorts" Dying at the
house of his friend Anthony Stafford,
in StaffJrdshire, to whom he has dedi-
Gated an ode, he was buried with the
Staffords; and another friend, Lord
Hattou, erected a monument to his
his memory. His poems. with their
quaint sounding titles, The Muses.
Looking Glass, "Amyntas," ETC., con-
sisted of odes, elegies and other lyrics,
with few dramas of less poetic merit.
The "Elegy enLadyVenetiaDigby. "con-
tains an original conceit expressed in
some fine lines. And the following
pleasant verses will give an idea OF his
lighter moods. Comparing his mistress
TO the seasons, the poet says:
Thou art my all: the spring remains
In the fair yiolets Of thy veins;
And that Il Is n summers day.
Ripe cherries in thy lips display;
AID when for autumnI would seek,
IT'S in the apples OF thy cheek.
But that which only moves my smar;
+ 10 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
Gus century, spelled Randoh. Sir
Thomas was Eliza5sth's ambassador
successfully to France, Russia. and
Scotland. His letters have been pub
lished and an account OF his embassy
10 Russia, then a sort of terra incOgniid.
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 10 Virginia at
this period. This William Randolph,
the progenitor of the Virginia Ran
dolphs, acquired large estates on the
James River, and settled them on his
descendants. Turkey Island, Dunge-
ness, Curls, Tuckahoe, Chatsworth,
Wilton, Varina, and Bremo were all
owned by the sons or grandsOns OF
came distinguished in colonial Virginia
as Sir John Randolph, speaker of the
House of Burgesses. treasurer of the
colony, and representative in the as
sembly of William and Mary College
he was buried in the college chapel at
Villa msburg. in 1877, with impressive
civic ceremonies, one Of the professors
pronouncing over him a funeral Grafton
IN Latin. The college was represented
in the BurgeSses later by Beverly Ran
dolph and the county Of Henrico was
frequently represented by Randolph
There were two OF the family who were
specially distinguished at the time o.
the Revolution; these were Peyto and
Edmund Randolph. The former. n
son OF Sir John Randolph. became
president Of the first Congress. xhile
EDMUND Randolph was the first AttOr
ney-General and Secretary of States OF
the United States. He was also at one
time Governor Of Virginia. One of the
old Randolph estates in described by
Aubury, IN his TrGrcis IA IfrgiRia, dur
ing the time of the Revolution. This
was "Tuckahoe. built on creek of the
same Indian name and commanding a
beautiful view OF the james River. Like
-Strattord." the building was in the
form of the letter III" and had the ap-
pearance Of two houses joined by
large saloon. The house seemed built
in the manner. says this English tray
Ter, solely for the purposes Of hospital
ity, for the family resided in one wing,
and the other was always occupied by
guests. Irving, in his Life of Washing
ton, quotes the account gwen here OF
the stable built for Colonel Randolph's
favorite horse, shakespeare" with
recess for the bed of the negro groom,
who always slept beside him st night.
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