in 1815; the second revolution in 1830, and she survived to hear the cannon of 1848 proclaim the coup d'état, that issued in the second empire under Napoleon III. In the following year she died in peace at the age of seventy-two. Mary, Countess of Pembroke, A LEADER OF ENGLISH SOCIETY, TIME OF THIS illustrious woman lived in the days of Queen Elizabeth. As almost every tyro in history knows, the reign of England's Maiden Queen was famous for the eminent men and women whom she patronised, or assembled at her court. We have merely to mention the names of Shakspere, Milton, and Spenser among the former, or Raleigh, Essex, Leicester, and Burleigh among the latter, to remind the reader of the eminent men who lived in those days, and whose fame and works are still prized. We specially notice the name of Sir Philip Sidney, who has been appropriately named a "true Christian hero." Mary Sidney, the subject of this memoir, was the sister of that distinguished man, and married Henry, Earl of Pembroke, the son of one of the most wealthy and influential English noblemen. Her father, Sir Henry Sidney, was a councillor and a courtier; noted for his bravery in the wars, and in time of peace for his benevolence as a country gentleman, at his residence of Penshurst in Kent. Her mother was the daughter of John, Duke of Northumberland, of whom it was written-"As she was of descent of great nobility, so she was by nature of a noble and congenial spirit." We may judge of this lady's excellence by the following advice to her son Philip, in a postscript of her husband's letter to him, while attending to his studies at college:Your noble and careful father hath taken pains,with his own hand,-to give you in this his letter, so wise, so learned, and most requisite precepts for you to follow with a diligent and humble, thankful mind, as I will not withdraw your eyes from beholding and reverently honouring the same, as I first bless you, with my desire to God to plant you in his grace; and, secondly, warn you to have always before the eyes of your mind these excellent counsels of my lord, your dear father, and that you fail not continually once in four or five days to read them over. Such were the parents of Mary and Philip Sidney, their only children, whom they loved with a fervour that was reciprocated by their obedience to the precepts inculcated. While these were adapted to guide them in their advancement through life, yet it was their great object to prepare them for the life hereafter. Consequently, Mary Sidney was nurtured to become an enlightened, agreeable, and pious woman, capable of sustaining her position in society, or holding converse with learned divines. True politeness, she was told, could only be secured by mental cultivation, and spring from a Christian courtesy. Then her brother Philip would impart to her inquiring mind much of the learning he was taught at Oxford. At least this is supposed to have been the case, for he regarded her not only as a beloved sister, but as his intellectual companion; one who could appreciate his works, and sympathise in his pursuits. As an historian expresses it," The ties of consanguinity betwixt this illustrious brother and sister were strengthened by friendship, the effect of congenial sentiments, and similitude of manners." Like most eminent women, Mary Sidney cultivated literature. Even during the time she pursued her studies at home under the supervision of her mother, she evinced a power of composition by her pen, that brought forth the highest encomiums from those who read her letters. She also composed some graceful poetry, addressed to Queen Elizabeth under a fanciful name, which received the approbation of that extraordinary woman. But that by which her name is best known, is the commencement of a version of the Psalms, which obtained the name of the "Sydnean Psalms," and understood to be the joint production of herself and her brother Philip, during the early part of her married life. Lady Mary Sidney became Countess of Pembroke in 1576, and mistress of the princely mansion of her husband at Wilton, named Baynard Castle. Here his father, Lord Pembroke, had lived in great magnificence, and was considered one of the most powerful noblemen of his time. It is stated on heraldic authority, that when he rode to his mansion, he was accompanied by a retinue of three hundred horsemen, a hundred of whom were gentlemen by birth, who wore the badges and insignia of their master. The son could not emulate the grandeur of his father by such a cavalcade, but he kept up the dignity of the family mansion in a manner befitting its antecedents, allowing his wife to do the honours murrificently. Accordingly, she attracted to Wilton all the illustrious characters of that great period; and in stately form, but in all sweetness and courtesy, did Mary, Countess of Pembroke receive the guests who filled its picture galleries. As her appearance is handed down to us in several portraits of the Elizabethan age, it will be interesting to our fair readers to peruse the following graphic description of these by Grace Wharton:-Of her appearance some portraits give an impression of a plain, long, and somewhat hard face, with heavy features; a large, long nose, a small mouth, round which marked lines detracted from the sweetness of the countenance; fine arched eyebrows, and a sleepy, thoughtful eye. Her hair is upraised from a low but broad forehead, and dressed in a thicket of tiny curls, like those of a well-kept poodle. Above this intricate mass is a sort of hair trimming, a lock rolled back, and forming a frame to the forest beneath. The face is, on the whole, more intellectual than pleasing; the dress very stately, such as one may conceive her to have worn when receiving Queen Elizabeth. An enormous ruff of delicate lace, vandycked at the edges in a double row, stands out and shows her fair throat and neck, round which two rows of immense pearls are thrown. Over the long tight sleeves of her dress is a velvet mantle edged with miniver, that fur which seems to have been designed for queens and courts alone, and which all the dictates of etiquette have appropriated to their use. Two pear-shaped pearls appear beneath her hair, and the long, thin hand holds a Psalter. In these days the chief diversion of the rich and noble was a masque, such as that of Comus by Milton. They were performed at the mansions of those who gave the entertainment, and sometimes would cost a thousand pounds in the getting up. They were poetical pieces composed by the most eminent poets of the day, but music and dancing were introduced, with scenery, dresses, and decorations. The most characteristic feature of these entertainments was that the performers were the nobility and gentry themselves; and sometimes high courtiers and royal personages would take a part in the per formance. The famous Ben Jonson was the principal writer of masques, and was frequently engaged by the Countess of Pembroke, who gave the most sumptuous of these entertainments, next to those held at Whitehall or Windsor. Of course, this brought her into contact with the gaieties of the court, but her heart was untainted by its fascinations. It has been said that she was distinguished among contemporary wives and mothers for her piety, her abilities, her erudition, and for her social qualities. She stood at the head of society in her age. She influenced the tone of that society; she was its example, its ornament. She befriended genius, and she gathered around her the gifted and virtuous. Among those she esteemed was Dr John Donne, the eminent divine and poet, whose sermons at that time in London rivetted the attention of his noblest hearers. In this manner the Countess of Pembroke assembled around her for many years men of learning and piety, as well as of political and literary reputation. Her mode of living, therefore, was varied between outward gaiety and occasional retirement. In conversation among her friends and visitors, she discussed all the leading topics of the day. She delighted in poetry, and patronised all the poets of that brilliant epoch. She considered that her pleasure in masques, or even in plays, could not detract from her devotional serenity, nor prevent her attending to her maternal duties in superintending the nurture and education of her two sons. Thus in the height of her celebrity she was blessed with a family, wealth, friends, and high estate, never having suffered any of the greater trials of life. Her first grief, therefore, she felt the more keenly, especially when it was caused by the death of her beloved brother, who was killed at the battle of Zutphen, in the low countries, on the 17th October, |