Kentucky, where, three years afterwards, she was married to Mr. George B. Welby, a merchant of that city. Mrs. Welby began to write at a very early age, and, when scarcely more than a girl, her poems, which were published under the nom de plume of Amelia, in the Louisville Journal, had gained for her no small degree of fame, as one of the most promising of our numerous band of young writers. Without displaying any marked or peculiar traits of genius, her writings possess a finish and graceful ease; they show true and warm womanly feelings, a refined delicacy, and an eye to perceive, together with a mind that can appreciate the lovely and beautiful in spirit, as well as in nature. They are evidently not mere imitations of some favourite writer, but have a character and style of their own, which has probably contributed much to their popularity. In 1844, a collection of her poems was published in Boston, which met with unusual success for that class of writings, going through no less than four large editions in four years. In 1850, a larger collection of her writings was published by the Appletons of New York, in a volume beautifully illustrated.
WELSER, PHILIPPINA,
Daughter of Francis, and niece of Bartholomew Welser, the opulent privy-councillor of Charles the Fifth of Germany, was a beautiful and accomplished woman. Ferdinand, son of the Archduke (afterwards Emperor) Ferdinand, and nephew of Charles the Fifth, fell violently in love with her, in 1547, at Augsburg. She refused all his offers, except on condition of marriage, and the ceremony was performed privately, in 1550. When the archduke heard of it, he was very much incensed, and for eight years he refused to see his son. Philippina died in 1580, at Innspruck. Her husband had a medal struck in her honour, with the inscription Divæ Philippinæ. She had two sons, who both died without children.
WERBURGA,
Was the wife of Ceolred, King of Mercia, who died after a reign of but eight years, and left no children. His widow then retired to a monastery, probably that in Holy Island, where she continued to reside up to the time of her death, which, in the chronicle of Roger de Hovenden, is thus pithily recorded:—"Werburga, formerly Queen of the Mercians, then abbess, ceased to live here that she might have fevour with Christ, Anno. 783."
Werburga was canonized as a saint, and her character is given in these words "Like the holy widow Anan, the prophetess, she never departed from the Lord's temple, serving God day and night, in abstinence and prayers, for the space of sixty-five years. For the latter part of that time she was abbess of the monastery, and shewed no less humility in governing others, than she had before in obeying.
WEST, JANE,
Was the wife of a farmer, in Northamptonshire. She received but a scanty education; still she applied herself very closely to study, and was known as an amusing and moral writer. She lived in the latter part of the eighteenth, and the early part of the present century. Her principal works are, "A Gossip Story," "A Novel,"
