The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05
SOME NEW BOOKS.
Life Under the First Two stuart

An attempt to exhibit the conditions o
social and family life In England during thu
first half Of the seventeenth century is made
in volume entitled Home Life Under tn
Stndsts, by ELIZABETH GODFREY (E. P
button 4 co... For her materials the
author has relied ON letters, diaries anC
chance references in contemporary writ
ings 1t III, for the most part, only the
upper stratum OF society upon which such
documents throw light The available
records are confined TO those who in the
language Of the day were described az
persons OF quality. At the epoch of which
We speak the working classes in England
wrote few letters and no journals. The
upper stratum, however, was deeper than
II is now; 1t was not limited to the aristoc-
yacyy tn country gentlemen and 10 sue
oasasui members OF the liberal professions
Under the Stuarts tradesmen of the better
sort were gentlemen, not only in point OF
cultivation, but because they belonged by
birth to good families. Younger SONS OF
men Of social position went into trade as a
matter Of course, and in no way lost caste
by 30 doing. Thus Marmaduke Rawdon.
the wine merchant, was quite q great man
socially, and it would be a mistake to sup
pose that LEAK Walton. the friend of Dome
and George Herbert, the brother-in-law OF
Bishop Ken. held the rank Of linen draper
of to-day. James Howell, whose letters
throw light on many customs of his time,
began life az manager OF a glass-blowing
factory In Broad street. then travelled for
the business. was later tutor to Sir Richard
Savage's son at Long Melford, and. after
having been intr,isted with various mis-
sions abroad, was made clerk to the Privy
Council. On the other hand, we can learn
next to nothing from the extant writings OF
the Stuart times about the Ives Of farmers,
shepherds, stroling fddlers and wandering
chapmen. bargees. hackney coachmen and
the "fe!oes who cary coles To-day we
write about people in corresponding social
strata. and even in the old comedies they
walk across the stage and are made to speak
appropriate words; but 80 far as the reigns
OF the first Stuarts are concerned. we can
only conjecture how they lived.
Our author has found the correspondence
of the Verney family invaluable for the
domestic life of the Stuart period. Hardly
less useful are the Letters Of Mr. Endy-
mion Porter, Gentleman Of the Bedchamber
to King Charles l." Much information has
also been derived from the Life of Sir
Kenelm Digby, by one Of his descendants;
from the Annals of Winchester; from
Mrs. Ady's "Saccharissa' and from Miss
Fell Smiths "Mary Rich, Countess of War
wick. In memoirs the Stuart period is
very rich. II the author seems to have
drawn more from Cavalier than from Puri
tan sources, this is because the former are
more numerous. The Puritan ladies', with
the exception OF Mrs. Hutchinson, do not
appear TO have been given to much writing;
and even she is more concerned with battles
and sieges than with children or servants,
dress or needlework. Lady Brtlliana Har-
lev, who was a strict, though not violent,
Puritan casts in her letters to her son
good deal Of illumination upon her home
life and religious observances. For anus
ing and frivolous details, the author has to
20 to Lady Fanshawe, or Anne Murray.
In a chapter on -Girlhood,' the author
POINTS out that 1t is popular delusion that
to give women a classical education La an
invention Of our own day. Rather Is 1t a re-
version to an older custom after period OF
neglect during which fashion OF help
lessness and ignorance for women had
come in Among the Puritans, indeed, an
idea that learning was waste OF time
for woman had begun to be entertained
during the first half of tho seventeenth
century. Thus Ralph Verney strongly dep
recated too learned an education for his
Rod-daughter. To his uncle he wrote:
-Let not your girl learn Latin or shorthand;
the difficulty Of the first may keep her from
that vice, for so may esteem it in woman;
but the easiness of the other may he preju-
dice to her; for the pride Of taking sermon
notes hath made multitudes OF women
most unfortunate" This view Of the
education Of girls, however, was by no
means universal among the Puritans. The
daughters Of Cromwell, for instance. seem
to have been we'll educated. and Milton's
were decidedly learned. Not only had
their father high idea of the importance
OF classical education, but in his blind
ness he had need Of their services. Never
theless, the account of their education
given by Milton's nephew and biographer,
Edward Philips, shows that, learned
though the daughters were, some thing
was lacking. In a spirit Of dumb re-
belion," they read aloud to their blind
father In Hebrew. Syriac, Greek. Latin.
Italian, Spanish and French; wrote at his
dictation and looked out for him the ref
erenoes he needed; but, instead OF being
proud of the privilege. combined with his
maidservant to cheat him in their market
ings. made away with some Of his books,
and would have sold the rest to the dung
hill woman"
As a rule, girls seemed to have been
grounded in the same way as boys. fire.
ouently sharing the instruction given by
their brothers tutor, when there was one
In the house Girls schools were not much
patronized There was, indeed, ladies.
school at Putney. kept by certain Mrs.
Bathsua Makyns, who had been governess
in the royal family. We also hear OF Mrs.
Salmon's school at Hackney, at which
Katherine Phillips. "the matchless Orinda. v
was educated Here verse making seems
to have been taught, as in boys schools,
for Katherine wrote verses as well as
studied French and Italian. She studied
bookkeeping also, and turned out an ex-
cellent woman OF business. What did the
schoolgirls play at in those days? Battledore
and shuttlecock may be taken for granted
1t is so often mentioned by Dorothy Osborne
and Others skipping-rope, too. They GER
tainly danced, for dancing lessons are al
-, s,,oLen Of IA of much importance