A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Chudleigh, (Lady Mary)
CHUDLEIGH, (LADY MARY) Daughter of Sir Richard Lee, of Winslade, Devonshire. Born 1656, died 1710,
Was taught no other language but her mother tongue, though her love of books and great capacity, enabled her to make a very considerable figure among the literati of her time.
She was married to Sir George Chudleigh, of Ashton, in the county of Devon, baronet, by whom she had two children; was as eminent for virtue as understanding; and, though well versed in poetry and history, dedicated much of her time to the study of philosophy and divinity, as appears from her excellent essays, which discover an uncommon degree of piety and knowledge, and a noble contempt of common vanities.
The works she wrote and published are, The Ladies' Defence; or, the Bride-woman's Counsellor answered: a poem.—In a Dialogue between Sir John Brute and Sir William Loveall; Melissa and a Parson. This last piece has been several times published, and was occasioned by an angry sermon preached against the ladies. She wrote also, The Song of the Three Children paraphrased; and many other poems upon various subjects, which are printed together, with the following title; Poems on various Occasions. By the Lady Chudleigh. Likewise Essays on several Subjects, in Prose and Verse. These are upon Knowledge, Pride, Humility, Life, Death, Fear, Grief, Self-love, Justice, Riches, Anger, Calumny, Friendship, Love, Avarice, Solitude; and are dedicated to her royal highness the princess Sophia, electress and duchess dowager of Brunswick, who, then in her eightieth year, honoured her with an epistle in French on the occasion.
At the end of the second volume of the duke of Wharton's Poems, are five letters from Lady Chudleigh, to the Rev. Mr. Norris, of Bemerton, and to Corinna, i. e. Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas.
She wrote several other things, which, though not printed, are carefully preserved in the family, viz. two tragedies, two operas, and a masque. Some of Lucian's Dialogues, in verse; Satirical Reflections on Saqualia, in imitation of Lucian's Dialogues, with several small poems.
She had been confined to her chamber by the rheumatism, a considerable time before her death, which happened at Ashton, in Devonshire, in the fifty-fifth year of her age.