occurrences, and from the manner in which she has used her talents to avenge her real or fancied injuries. Her maiden name was Wheeler, only daughter of a respectable widow who resided in London. Miss Wheeler is represented to have been "a pale, slender, beautiful girl;" Edward Lytton Bulwer, fresh from college, saw and loved her; they were married against the wishes of his mother. The sequel is too well known to require detail; there was "incompatibility of temper"—unhappiness—separation. It was not till after this last event that Lady Bulwer became an author; we regret to say that her pen has not improved the respect we should like to entertain for one who has suffered. She is unquestionably a woman of talents; but her genius is not always well-directed. There is, throughout her works a sort of daring, a way of writing that seems like loud talking, when you are disposed to beg for less vociferation. "Chevely," her first novel, has some good scenes and fine passages, but it is a book of which we cannot approve; its tendency is wrong, its views of life unsound: still in reading it we feel disposed to make allowance; it appears like the outpourings of a sadly grieved spirit. Her next work, "The Bubble Family" is, in a literary point of view, a better book; yet it is disfigured by a coarse, sailor-like humour, such as would amuse coming from Captain Marryatt; from the pen of a lady it is sadly out of keeping. "Bianca Capello" shows great acquaintance with Italian learning, yet is rather a dull book. Lady Bulwer, however, displays so much information upon this interesting portion of Italian history, that we wonder she did not choose the simple vehicle of memoirs rather than this cumbrous romance. "The Peer's Daughters" is a later novel, and displays a minute knowledge of French history and manners, during the reign of Louis the Fifteenth. Critics have praised this work very highly. She has written other novels.
BURE, CATHARINE,
A learned Swedish lady, whose correspondence with her country-woman, Vandela Skylte, has been printed. It is characterized by elegance of language, correctness of style, and delicacy of expression. She died in 1679, aged seventy-seven.
BURLEIGH, LADY MILDRED,
Eldest daughter of Sir Anthony Cooke, and sister of Anne Bacon, was born at Milton, in 1526. Her education was carefully superintended by her father, and she learned to read and write the Greek and Latin languages with ease and elegance. On presenting the Bible, in Hebrew and other languages, to the University of Cambridge, she sent with it an epistle in Greek of her own composition.
In 1546 she married Sir William Cecil, afterwards Lord Burleigh, lord high-treasurer of England, privy-counseller to Queen Elizabeth, and Knight of the Garter.
Lady Burleigh was very happy in her long marriage of forty-two years; she died, April 4th, 1589, deeply regretted by her husband, who lost in her not only an amiable wife, but a friend whom he had been accustomed to consult on the most important occasions, and whose judgment and knowledge in state affairs was little inferior to his own. She was buried in Westminster Abbey.
After her decease, Lord Burleigh diverted his sorrow by composing
