Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-03

GiShtccutn century women.
Two books have recently appeared
and are now lying on my desk which
deserve far more than the ordinary
notice of novel or a biography. They
suggest picture of the eighteenth
century, of its beautiful women, its
free, coarse, yet noble manners, its
fox-hunting squires and it's wonder
full historic figures in literature and
craftsmanship, quite unique. 1t is as
If we We're looking through a book of
the cartoons of Cruikshank or GILL
ray, or as If one again had turned
to the pages of Thackeray's -Four
Georges" and were reveling in those
inimitable memoirs.
The first of these books which
shall notice is 1.-THE Beautiful Lady
Craven published by John Lane of
London and New York. This eigh-
tenth century dame was the wife of
the sixth Lord Craven and it was
said of her by one who saw and adj
mired her that she sighed to think
that the heart whose effulgence that
engaging smile seemed to be could
ever have been libertine." Another.
not an admirer, called this Lady
Craven an example of the Cleopatra
of the Eighteenth Century" Thus
it may be judged that her ladyship
was not one of whom her virtuous
sisters would have approved.
But it was a curious point about the
attitude of Lady Craven that though
she defied scandal in her day and
followed her own somewhat licentious
inclinations, she yet wished to leave
virtuous reputation after her death.
To this end. at the age of seventy
six, she published her memoirs, but
these were written as if they were
to be submitted to the index eXpurga-
torious of the church. Lady, Craven
was born Elizabeth Berkeley, and
when she died she was Margarine of
Anspach. Her portraits indicate
that she was, indeed, very beauti-
| full woman.
| When she was sixteen Elizabeth
Berkeley became the bride of Lord
Craven. Like all of his race and
rank in his day Lord Craven was far
from being a faithful husband. His
| infidelities are exposed with circum-
stantiality in his wife's memoirs, but
her own peccadilloes are CLOSED over
with specious care. Her initial
liasion with Due de Guines, the am
bassador of France, which was a
matter of public knowledge, was over
looked by her husband and 1t was not
!
oversexed desires that he threw her
adrift. Then came her wanderlust,
which carried her to Constantinople
after she had traversed Europe.
When she left the Turkish capital
that witty flaneur, Horace Walpole,
wrote to her, saying: How could
suppose that SO many despotic in
fidels could part with your charms?"
He added that he never expected to
see her again on Christian ground.
| 1t was while on her last tour
through Europe that Lady Craven
conquered the heart of the last Mar
grave of Anspach, and ousted the
/ reigning favorite, a French actress.
When the margarine died, an event
quickly followed by the death of
Lord Craven, the countess was
soon married to the margrave, whom
sire had told her husband before his
death that she was prepared to treat
as a sister would. The countess,
when she returned to England was
not received by the King and Queen,
but she lived to gather about her
az Hammersmith a distinguished Cir
Gle. In her old age she was spoken
OF by a famous woman as a gal
vanized Egyptian mummy"
The other book of which I spoke is
entitled Rose of the Garden by
Katharine lyman, and published by
the Bobbs- Merrill Company, of
indianapolis. This is story con-
cerned with the romantic life and
charm of Lady Sarah Lennox, surely
a heroine of romance if ever there
was one. The very mention of her
name centuries up memories of Hol-
land House, that eighteenth century
home of wit and genius, and OF
Charles Fox, the friend of America,
a figure whose fame is undying Fox,
the uncle of Lady Sarah. He loved the
gay and beautiful little DAME who
was the life of Holland House, and
who might have shared the throne
with George ii. had she set her
heart upon it. She was favorite
too. of the great Pitt, Lord Chatham
whose haughtiness to the politician
was only equaled by his suave
graciousness when he addressed
such delightful creatures as Lady
Sarah.
Descended from Mary, Queen OF
Scots, Lady Sarah Lennox was the
peer of the most exalted in the
Ipatrician circles of England In love
Ia deadly earnest with her cousin
Lord William Gordon, through 9
series of misunderstanding she
firally came to wed Sir Charles Bun
bury, a wonderfully handsome
} lyrical fox-hunting squire and bar
onet, who said of his wife. "She wa.
a beauty, "a wit. "a bit of a blue
ST ocking, a Diana of the chase, 8
good comrade, yet at home in hei
own kitchen"
The beauty of Lady Sarah, her
ravishing claarness OF skin and com.
plexion, her masses of dusky hair