Various Anecdotes of the extraordinary Mrs. Bendyfh, Grand-daughter of Oliver Crom

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well.

Na letter to Dr. Brooke, Mr. Hewling Ludfon fays, I find fir, that Mr. Say's 'character of Mrs. Bendyfh, has much engaged the public notice; the first fight I had of this character was about twelve years ago, when it was put into my hands at London, by a lady who asked me my opinion of it, because the knew I was well acquainted with Yarmouth and its neighbourhood. 'The copy which was fhewn to me, was taken, as I am informed, from a manufcript in the library of fir Richard Ellys.

Cromwell was fo great in his courage, in his parts, in his hypocrify, in his politics, and in his fortune, and thefe conjoined, produced effects in his own days, fo aftonishing, and even down to our times fo interefling, that the public curiofity is natural ly excited to trace the fate of his own family from his time to our own. He fucceeded in giving the mortal wound to monarchial tyranny; it was wounded, but did not expire; it languifhed indeed, yet lived through the two fucceeding reigns, till at length, exhaufted by the wafting wound of the republican hero, it finally gave up its horrid ghoft, with the abdication of James.

This, and no more, was the merit of Cromwell. Nothing could be more remote from national freedom, than the politics and government of the ufurper, unless it were the principles and manners of the times; thefe were too warlike, too vindictive, and too liberal, to receive a conftitutional establish eat of public liberty. Cromwell conquered typar ny, but he did not cftablish freedom.

Mr. Say's character of Mrs. Bendy fh is fectly juft; in my opinion, it is well dawn, and exhibits a ftriking likeness. Mr. Say, with whom I was perfectly well acquainted, was a moft ingenious, modeft, worthy man; he fought his happiness, and Dund it in domeftic peace and contemplative retirement: his wife was one of the

of women; he married her out of the aily of Mr. Carter, a wealthy merchant at Yarmouth, to whom Mr. Say was nearly relate if: this Mr. Carter married the daughter of general Ireton, and the fifter of Mrs. Pendyth; fo that Mr. Say, being thus connected with the family, had every poffible advantage for an accurate examination of Mrs. Bendyfh'e character. This fon-in-law Ireton died at a very advanced age, about the year 1723; I well remember his perfon, t his wife died long before my time. There was no iffue from this marriage.

N O TE.

When I was a boy, they ufed to fhew which had alfo been the houfe of his father, a large chamber in the houfe of Mr. Carter, in which, as the tradition went, the infamous murder of Charles I. on the fcaffold was finally determined. A meeting of the principal officers of the army was held in this chamber; they chofe to be above stairs for the privacy of their conference; they ftrictly commanded no perfon fhould come near the room, except a man appointed to attend; their dinner, which was ordered at four, was put off, from time to time, till paft eleven at night; they then came down, took a very fhort repaft, and immediately all fet off poft, many for London, and fore for the quarters of the army. This story, fir, I give you from the very doubtful authority of tradition, for it has no better foundation.

I was young, not more than fixteen, when Mrs. Bendyth died, in 1727, or 1728; yet she came so often to my father's house, that I remember her perfon, her drefs, her manner, and her converfation (which were all ftrikingly peculiar) with great precision; and I have heard much more of her than I have feen; fhe was certainly, both without and within, in her person and in her spirits, exactly like her grandfather the Protector; her features, the turn of her face, and expreffion of her countenance, all agreed exactly to the excellent picture I have feen of the Protector in the Cromwell family; and whoever looks upon the print, prefixed to the octavo

Life of Cromwell,' faid to be published by the late bifhop Gibson, about the year 1725, which exactly agrees with thefe pictures, will have a clear idea of Mrs. Bendyih's perfon, if their imagination can add a female drefs, a few years in age, and a very little foftening of the features; I refer to that print, becaufe the fine engraving of Cromwell in the Houbraken collection bears very little refemblance to the pictures in the Cromwell family, and no refemblance at all to Mrs. Bendyth.

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Mrs. Bendyfh had as much of Cromwell's courage as a female conftitution could receive, which was often expreid with more ardour than the rules of female decoram could excufe. That enthusiasm, in which Cromwell was generally but an NOT E.

This, though no ways materially concerning Mrs. Bendyih, was too curious to be omitted, particularly as it was fo fhort. It is generally faid, that the violent death of king Charles I. was finally determined upon at Windfor; but there can be little doubt, that fo momentous a circumftance would require more than one, probably mary meet

afor,

zetor, in her was fincere and original; fhe had not merely the courage to face danger, Trt he had alfo that perfect undisturbed pofthen of her faculties, which left her free to conrive the beft means to repel or to avoid it. Mrs. Bendyth lived through what the Diffenttrs but too juftly called the trou lefome times,' by which they meant the mes when the penal laws against conventiees were ftrained to their utmoft rigour: te preaching of this feet was then held in the doft concealment, while the preachers wat in moraentary danger of being dragged by fp.es and informers to heavy times fevere imprisonments. With thefe fpies and informers the maintained a perpetual war. This kind of buftle was, in all refrafts, in the true taste of her fpirit; I have heard many ftories of her dealings with thefe Tacious people; fometimes the circumsted and outwitted them, and fometimes §- ballled them; and the event generally , that he got the poor parfon out of cr clinches.

Upon the fe occafions, and upon all shers, when they could exprefs their at tachment to her, Mrs. Bendyth was fure of the common people; fle was, as the deferved to be, very dear to them; when the had money, fhe gave it freely to fuch as wasted; and when the had none, which was pretty often the cafe, they were fure of reiving civility and commiferation: the ww not barely charitable; the practifed an ened humanity: if in the meancit fick rem, the found the fufferer infufliciently improperly attended, the turned attendant lf, and would fit hours in the pooreft chamber to adminifter fupport and confolana to the afflicted: in this noble employ : he pailed much of her time.

As Mrs. Bendyth was thus beloved by the poor, to whom he was beneficent, the refpected by the richer fort of all parto whom, when the kept clear of her thufiaftic freaks, fhe was highly enterShe had ftrong and mafculine init, a free and fpirited elocution, much owledge of the world, great dignity in manner, and a moft engaging addrefs. The place of her refidence was called the at-Pans, while the falt works were carried there, but the proper name South-Town, fouth of Yarmouth: in this place it is ite open to the road. I have very often era her in the morning, ftumping about with an old ftraw hat on her head, her hair ut her ears, without flays, and when it coid, an old blanket about her fhoulders, and a ftaff in her hand; in a word, actly accoutred to mount the flage as a witch in Macbeth; yet if, at fuch a time, he was accofited by any perfon of rank or breeding, that dignity of her manner, and

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politeness of her ftile, which nothing could efface, would inftantly break through the veil of debasement, which concealed her na-, tive grandeur: and a stranger to her customs might become aftonifhed to find himfelf addrelfed by a princefs, while he was looking

at a mumper.

Mrs. Bendyfh refembled the Protector in nothing more than in that restless unabated activity of fpirit, which, by the coincidence of a thoufand favourable circumftances, conducted him to the fummit of power and fame, and entangled her generally, unfavoured by fuccefs, in a thousand embarrassments and difgraces, yet fhe never fainted or was wearied; One profpect loft, another ftill fhe gained;' and the enthufiafm of her faith kept pace with, or to fpeak more truly, far out-ran the activity of her mind.

Perhaps warm enthusiasm of all kinds, and in all tempers, by attaching the temper folely to the attainment and fruition of its object, either entirely overlooks, or highly eftimates every objection, however invinci ble, and every obftacle, however infurmountable, which may arife in the neceffary path of its progrefs. Thus it was with her, and the habit of her mind and her temper concurred to render her inflexibly obftinate, and incurably deaf to every fuggeftion in oppofition to her refolves.

Mrs. Bendyth had, however, one conflant never-failing refource against the vexation of difappointments; for, as the determined, at all events, to ferve the Lord with gladness,' her way was to rejoice at every thing as it arrived: if the fucceeded, fhe was thankful for that; and, if the fuffered adverfity, which was generally her lot, the was vafily more thankful for that; and, fhe fo managed, that her fpiritual joy always increated with her outward fullerings. Happy delirium of pious enthusiasm ?

Mrs. Bendyth's religion was in the higheft ftrain of Calviniftic enthusiasm; and Doctor Owen, in his writings, was her fpiritual guide. She no more doubted the validity of her election to the kingdom of Heaven, than Squire Wilkes doubts the validity of his for the county of Middlefex.— But Mrs. Bendyth's enthufiafm never carried her to greater lengths of extravagance than in the justification of her grandfather, of whofe memory ile was pafiicnately ford. It, however, unfortunately happened, that her fancy led her to defend him exactly in that part of his character which was leat defenfible. She valued him, no doubt, very highly, as a General and Politician; but he had got it fixed in her head, that this kind of fame was vain and worthless, when compared with the gracious glory of Oliver's faintflip.

A chofen veffel,' he was, "

a r

rated child of God, divinely inspired,' and much more jargon of this fort: she was perpetually attempting to tranflate from her own imagination into her auditors: now, it could not but happen, that, for five hundred who might be prevailed with to receive Oliyer as a great General, not five could be found who would admit him as a great faint; and this cenftant kicking against Oliver's faintfaip, wrought the Lady fore travail. On fuch occafions her friends gave way to her whims, or laughed them oil; but, when her faith in Oliver was generally concefled by ftrangers, great and fearful was her wrath.

Mrs. Bendyfh gravely infifted in converfation with her friends, that Oliver was one day fecking the Lord, with fuch fervour of devotion, and ftriving for a gracious anfwer with fuch vehemence of fpirit, that the tears were forced from him in fuch abundance, as to run under the clofet door, into the next room. This, to be fure, was nivelling to fome purpose. A Gentleraan, to whom this information was particularly addreffed, obferved, in reply, that it was difficult to fay precifely, what abundant fountains of tears might fill up and run over the Lord's chofen vefiels; yet he could not help fufpecting, that the flood, under the clofet-door, occafioned by the Protector's fruggles, was derived from fome other fource than his eyes.' This fhe Lore pretty well. But it happened in a ftage coach, where he was not known, Mrs. Bendyth fell into a violent difpute in behalf of the Protector: the opponent was as hot and as violent as the Lady; and if, towards the end of the flage, their anger fubfided, it was not for want of wrath, or of words to keep it up, but for want of breath to give it utterance. After they went out of the coach, and had taken fome refreshment, the old Lady very calmly and refpectfully defired to speak apart with the Gentleman who had been the opponent in the difpute. When he had him alone, fhe told him, with great compofure, he had, in the greateft manner, belied and abufed the moft pious man that ever lived; that Cromwell's blood, which flowed in her veins, would not allow her to pass over the indignities caft on his memory in her prefence; that the could not handle a fword, but he could fire a piflol as well as he, and that the demanded immediate fatisfaction to the injured he nour of her family. The Gentleman was exceedingly amazed at the oddnefs of this addrels; but, as he happened to carry a bout him good fenfe enough to teach him how to act upon the fpc, he immediately told her, there were mit ny great qualities a Over, which he honoured as much as the

18; that, if he had known, or fufpe&ted,

her relation to him, he would not have fa a word on the fubject to give her offenc and that he fincerely asked her paylɔn.' This fubmiffion completely fatisfied her, a. they finished their journey with much pic fure and good humour; but Saint City was not again brought on the tapic. T truth of this flory I never heard quetioned As the whole of Mrs. Bendyih's pe fonal economy was not of the comm form, her hours of vifiting were general out of the common feafon. She would ver frequently come and vifit at my father's nine or ten at night, and fometimes late if the doors were not shut up. On fu vifits the generally ftayed till about one the morning. Such late vifits, in the fober times, were confidered by her frien as highly inconvenient, yet nobody con plained of them to her. The refpect f univerfally commanded, gave her a licen ia this and many other irregularities. S would, on her vifits, drink wine in gre plenty; and the wine ufed to put her tong. into very brifk motion; but I do not r member that he was ever difgracefully ex pofed by it.

There was an old mare, which had b.d the faithful companion of Mrs. Bendyh adventures during many years. The o mare and her manœuvres, were as well know at Yarmouth, as the old Lady. On th nare fhe was generally mounted; but, t wards the end of her life, the inare was pr vailed with to draw a chaife, in which M Bendyth often feated herfof.

Mrs. Bendyth would never fuffer a f vant to attend her in thefe night vific

Wh

God,' fhe faid, was her guard, and i would have no other.' Her drefs, on the vifits, though it was in a tafte of her ow was always grave and handfome. At abo one in the morning, for fhe never finith her round of vifits fooner, fhe ufcd to p herself on the top of the mare, or into t chaife, and fet off on her return. the mare began to move, Mrs. Bendy began to fing a pfalm, or one of Watt hymns, in a very loud, but not a ve harmonious key. This I have often hear and thus the two old fouls, the mare a her niftrofs, one gently trotting, and t N .0 Τ E.

*Doctor Watts was well known to M Bendyth, and her family; for, in the H ræ Lyrice of the Doctor's, is a copy verfes, dated 1699, to Mrs. B. Bendy againft tears: another, dated September 1701, intitled, the Indian Philofopher, a dreffed to Mr. Henry Bendyfh, her feco fon, upon his marriage; and a third, call The Life of Souls, dated 1704, to Do Thomas Gibson, the Protector Richar fon-in-law.

1785.

other loudly finging, jogged on, the length of a fhort mile from Yarmouth, which brought them home.'

I could not fhorten thefe curious and wellwritten Anecdotes of Mrs. Bendyth, without doing an injuftice to thefe Memoirs.

Account of the Celebration of the Queen's Birth Day.

AT

Tuesday, January 18.

T noon, the Park and Tower guns were fired, and a brilliant appearance made at St. James's, at an early hour. Moft of the great officers of ftate, and the foreign minifters were prefent; amongst others who attended the drawing-rooin, were the Dukes of Northumberland, Montague, Queenfb.rry, and Roxborough: the Duke and Duchefs of Portland, Duke and Duchefs of Richmond, Duke and Duchefs of Marlborough, Duke and Duchefs of Chandos, Duke and Duchefs of Beaufort, Duke and Duchefs of Ancaster, Duchefs of Rutland, Duchefs of Bedford, the Marchi

s of Lanfdown, and the Marchioness of Buckingham; Ladies Buckinghamshire, Pembroke, Aylesford, Percy, Algernon Percy, Effingham, Weymouth, Dartmouth, Sydney, Gower, Holderness, Harcourt, Denbigh, Rofs, Moreton, Granthani, Southapon, &c. &c. Lord Loughborough; and h Lady; the Bishop of Rochester and his Lady; the Archbishops of York and Canterbary, and their Ladies; Lord Cornwallis; Lard Fauconberg and his Lady; Sir Henry Cinton; Earl and Countefs of Waldegrave; Lady Harriot Pitt, &c. The drawing-room not break up till fix o'clock.

The King wore a fuit of scarlet, grandly embroidered with gold; his Majefty's Star, George, and Epaulet, were of diamonds, and uncommonly rich.

The Queen, as ufual on her birth-day, a very neat, though fhe wore but few orsaments, fuch diamonds as were mingled with her dress, were displayed with great fumplicity and effect.

The Prince of Wales was in a dark blue velvet, very richly embroidered down the feams, and made a moft brilliant appearance. His Highness's coat had the appearance of t-work, laid upon gold.

The Princefs Royal, by her fuperior grace and dignity, captivated every beholder. If any thing could add luftre to fo much perfoa perfection, it must be the choice and magcence of her drefs. Her Royal Highness's Train was a fmall pattern in gold tissue, with Pppy colour. The decorations of the pettiat were finely conceived in wreaths of foil and gold, with a beautiful embroidered Crape en Vermicelle, brilliants, gold taffels, &c. The Hb. Mag. Feb. 1785.

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whole of her attire was adjusted with uncom mon addrefs, and had a most superb and wonderful effect.

The Princess Augufta was exceedingly elegant, and refembled her fifter in all the delicacies of perfon and drefs. Tho' there was much difference in the position and fafhiwas a great fimilitude in the colour, there on of their ornaments; each was fo perfect of its kind, that what may be faid in praise of one, is jufly due to the others

The Marchionefs Lanfdown might be confidered a model of great tafte and fashion. Her Ladyfhip was in white fattin, covered with a curious embroidered crape in filver and foil, with wreaths of wild rofes moft beautifully difpofed. Des plumes Chinoises, the most brilliant we ever faw, reclined with much negligence and eafe from a band of white crapes across the petticoat, and pointed to a moft fuperb border of great beauty and workmanship. The embroidery reprefented vine branches, with fine embellishments in foil and gold, and terminated at bottom, by a rich lace with filver and fpangles.

The Duchefs of Rutland's drefs, which difcovered both her loyalty to the country where the prefides, and the peculiar elegance of her tafte, was likewife very much admired. Her Grace might be truly faid to lead the world in chains! Though the golden chains of her Grace's petticoat may have given rife to the idea, there needed but a fingle glance from her eye to juftify the pofition. The gold chains are a pretty specimen of ornament, and were moft artfully relieved by a dark shade of figured velvet. The bottom of the petticoat was decorated with narrow gold fringe, &c.

Lady St. Afaph was extremely brilliant, in a purple and gold tiffue, ornamented with uncommon tafte and elegance in flowers of purple foil and gold fringe.

Lady Parker, Lady Salisbury, Lady Galway, and the Marchioness of Buckingham, were likewife diftinguished for their beauty and fafhion. Lady Galway was in a poppy coloured fattin, trimmed with crape, gold fringe, taffels, &c.

The figure of Lady H. Waldegrave, and the elegance of her drefs, attracted univerfal admiration; fhe appeared in a viniet coloured fattin, with a white petticoat, which was moft fuperbly decorated with fefloons of gold, embroidered crape and bugles; her head-drefs was equally elegant and ftriking.

Mrs. Haflings, whofe drefs was much admired, excelled inanitely in the richness of her jewels; and her appearance altogether was truly noble and elegant. Her robe, which was of white fattin, was fuperbly wrought in various devices of embroidery and ermine. The ornaments that covered her petticoat, were of the moft brilliant

L

-Ealy feftoons of embroidery and jewels. which hung across the middle, were deliately intermixed with bows and wreaths of he pureft ermine; and at the bottom, was a range of superb gold ornaments, en gris houillons, embroidery and fpangles.

The Duchess of Richmond wore a blue triped velvet, richly trimined with blond, embroidered crape and bugles.

The drefs of Lady Rofs was much admir-ed for its extreme neatnefs and fimplicity; it was entirely white, and in the difpofition of the ornaments great tafte was difcovered. None fhone more confpicuous than Mrs. Jobafone; her drefs emblematic of her mind, was white, richly embroidered with bugles; he looked divinely handfome, Grace vas in all her feps.

Lady Walfingham was in a poppy coloured fattin, covered with a crape, beautifully embroidered with pearls, intermixed with [point lace.

Lady W. Afbley appeared in a white fattin, trimmed with crape, bugles, gold and filver fringe.

The ladies were in general dreffed with extreme elegance, but particularly the Countefs of Harcourt, the Duchefs of Rutland, and Lady Salisbury. All three partook in an eminent degree of the grand, the elegant, and the beautiful; but if we were under a neceffity of applying but one of the three epithets to each, we fhould appropriate the irft of the three, to the dress of Lady Harcourt, the fecond to that of the Duchefs of Rutland, and the third to that of Lady Salifbury. Among the gentlemen alfo there were many beautiful fuits; thofe of Mr. Pitt, Lord Caermarthen, the Duke of Manchefter, Lord Southampton, Lord Salisbury, Lord Lewisham, and a few others ftruck us moft forcibly.

NEW CARRIAGES.

The Duke of Gordon difplayed an elegant pearl coloured coach bordered with blue, and lined with white. The carriage and wheels were of a ftraw colour, veined with blue. The hammer cloth was white and straw colour.

Lord Duncannon, an elegant carmelite chariot.

Lord Carbery, a coach, pearl colour, edged with fearlet; the lining a bright poppy. Hammer cloth fearlet and white.

General Sloper, a coach, carmelite and white. Hammer cloth carmelite, with white lace.

Captain Snow, ditto, ditto, ditto.

Mr. Calvert, an-elegant poppy coloured thariot, with an edging. Arms in relief; drapery with filver cords. Orange lining. Hammer cloth the fame, with poppy lace.

Mr. Neville, an orange coach, stone co

loured carriage, and wheels edged with brown, &c.

Mr. M.Namara alfo difplayed a new carriage, of a whimfical defign.

St. James's-ftreet continued for the greateft part of the day thronged with gentlemen's carriages, in which parties of ladies were feated, the beauty and loveliness of fome of whom, would have done honour to a court. Some city nobility were alfo prefent, and here and there a grandee Jew, from Duke's Place, and its environs. Kitty Frederick, Mrs. Fleming, Mrs. Smith, and a few others of the fifterhood, alfo joined in the throng.

As the night approached, a difplay of illuminations was made, in which the different court tradefmen demonftrated their anni. verfary loyalty. The houfe of Weltjie in St. James's-ftreet, was diftinguished for its fuperior brilliancy: In the central part of the illumination, the initials of her Majefty were formed of small variegated lamps. Mr. Sherwin made a like difplay in fmall coloured lamps. Brooks's, Kenny's, and White's, &c. &c. kept each other in countenance. Eaft of Temple Bar, feveral houfes were lighted up. The Mansion House discovered fome ranges of lamps; which like a torch near a fepulchre, ferved but to discover its ponderofity and gloom.

In the evening, there was a fplendid ball. The Prince of Wales danced with the Prin cefs Royal and Princess Augufta. Prince Edward, who never before honoured the birth-night affembly, fucceeded his brother, and walked a minuet with the Duchefs of Rutland, and afterwards with the Countess of Salisbury; minuets were continued till paft eleven, when country dances were affumed.

The Prince of. Wales danced with the Princefs Royal, and Prince Edward with the Princess Augufta.