Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 1 Vol 7.djvu/321

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SUNDERLAND. 319 pr. 16-18. His widow, who was 5. at Sinn House and bap. 5 Oct. 1617, at Islewortb, m. 8 July 1652, Robert Smythe, of Bidborough, co. Kent, and d-, his widow being bur. at Brington afsd.,( a ) 25 Feb. 16S;i/4, aged 67. Aduion. 29 March 16S4, to a creditor. III. 1G43, 2. Robert (Spencer), Earl op Sunderland, and Baron Sep. Spen'CEh of WORMLKIOHTON, only s. and h.; b. 1040, sue. to the peerage, 20 Sep. 1613; Ambassador to Madrid, 1671-72 ; to Paris, 1672-73, and again 1678; to Cologne, 1673 ; P.O. 167-1 ; Sec. of .State for the North, 1679-Sl( b ) and 165-3, and for the South, 16S5-S8: L. President of the Council, 16S5-88. He was also L. Lieut, of Staffordshire, 1079-S1 ; of Warwickshire, 16S3-86 and 1687-88 ; el. and inv. K.G., 26 April, and inst. 23 May 16S7. He was excepted from pardon nt the Revolution, both by Jac. II. and Will. III., but was in 1697, P.O. to the latter, and was I,. Chamberlain of the Household, and one of the Lord JUSTICES (Regents) of the Realm,,'") April to Dec. 16!<7. He m. 10 June 1665, at St. Vedast's, London (Lie. Vie. Gen., he about 24 and she about 19), Anne, only surv. sister and b. [169S] of John (DlOBT), 3d Kaiii. ok BRISTOL, 2d and yst. da. of George, 2d Karl, by Anne, da. of Francia (rtUBSBI.L), 4th Kahi. ok BEDFORD. He d. at Althorpe, 28 Sep., and was bur. 7 Oct, 1702, at Brington afsd., aged about 62.('>) Will nr. Xov. 1702. His widow, who was one of the Beauties of the court of Charles H.(*j d. 16 and was bur. 26 April 1715, at Brington. Will pr. April 1715. [Robert Spencer, styled Lord Spencer, 1st .«. and h. ap., bap. 2 May 166H, at Brington afsd, ; Envoy to the Duke of Morden.i on a spec, mission, Aug. 16S7 ; d. unni. and v.p. at Paris., 0 5 Sep. 16SS, aged 22]. (•) She is the " Sacliarissa " of Waller's poem, and was gifted with great pergonal attractions. Her portrait was taken by Vandyke. ( b ) Bishop Burnet says that the Kai ls of Essex, Halifax, and Sunderland, were at this date called " the Triumvirate," Essex regulating the treasury; Halifax "the King's spirit,' - and Sunderland, the foreign affairs. ('-') See vol. iii, p. 115, note " B," sub " Devonshire," for a list of these. (<•) He was in receipt of an annual pension of 25,000 crowns from Louis XIV. of France, and is spoken of by Cose as " notorious in the annals of this country for his great abilities anil consummate treachery." Burnet says that "in order to the supporting himself he changed sides often with little regard either to religion or the interest of his country," so that " he came by this to lose himself so much, that even those who esteemed his parts, depended little on his firmness." The Princess Anne [Sidney's " Diary "] writes to the Princess of Orange, that he was " the suhtleist, Wurkinest villain on the face of the earth." Sir Egerton Brydges [Oo/lins, vol. i, p. 433, note] thus sums up his career — " He retired at last to Althorp ! but not till the game of public life was up, nud his perpetual tergiversation had blunted all the arts of intrigue." His portrait "after C. Maratta," is engraved in " Doyle." (°) Her portrait by I.ely is engraved in Mis. Jameson's book of these " Beauties," where also is a long and very favourable account of her. She was a great friend of the famous Duchess of Marlborough and accordingly was an object of jealousy to Queen Anne, who, when Princess, [Sidney's Diary "] writes of her to the Princess of Orange, as "a Battering dissembling, false woman, but she has so fawning and endearing away that she wiH deceive anybody at first, she will cheat tho' it be lor a little. Then she has had her gallants though, may be, not so many as some ladies here, and with all these good qualities she is a constant churchwoinan." Evelyn (in his " Diary") speaks of her as "a wise and noble person ... of great 6ense and much prudence." while the Duchess of Hamilton calls her "as good a woman as any in England." She is, however, often supposed to have had " commerce de galanterie " with Henry (Sidney), Earl of Romney. ( r ) He, says Mrs. Jameson, (»( supra) " plunged into every species of dissipation " while Evelyn speaks of him as one who "rambling -about the world, dishonours his name and family, adding sorrow to sorrow to a mother who has taken all imaginable .care of his education." He is said to have d. of a wound in n duel, the consequence of tt riot in which he was engaged at Bury.