The Love Letters of Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652-54 eBook

Dorothy Osborne
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 319 pages of information about The Love Letters of Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652-54.

The Love Letters of Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652-54 eBook

Dorothy Osborne
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 319 pages of information about The Love Letters of Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652-54.

She is writing of Mr. Charles Rich, and says:  “He was then in love with a Maid of Honour to the Queen, one Mrs. Hareson, that had been chamber-fellow to my sister-in-law whilst she lived at Court, and that brought on the acquaintance between him and my sister.  He continued to be much with us for about five or six months, till my brother Broghill then (afterwards Earl of Orrery) grew also to be passionately in love with the same Mrs. Hareson.  My brother then having a quarrel with Mr. Thomas Howard, second son to the Earl of Berkshire, about Mrs. Hareson (with whom he also was in love), Mr. Rich brought my brother a challenge from Mr. Howard, and was second to him against my brother when they fought, which they did without any great hurt of any side, being parted.  This action made Mr. Rich judge it not civil to come to our house, and so for some time forbore doing it; but at last my brother’s match with Mrs. Hareson being unhandsomely (on her side) broken off, when they were so near being married as the wedding clothes were to be made, and she after married Mr. Thomas Howard (to my father’s great satisfaction), who always was averse to it, though, to comply with my brother’s passion, he consented to it.”  There is a reference to the duel in a letter of Lord Cork, which fixes the date as 1639-40, but Mr. Nevile’s name is nowhere mentioned.

Lord Broghill is well known to the history of that time, both literary and political.  He was Roger Boyle, afterwards Earl of Orrery, the fifth son of the “great Earl of Cork.”  He acted for the Parliament against the Catholics in Ireland, but was still thought to retain some partiality for the King’s party.  Cromwell, however, considered himself secure in Lord Broghill’s attachment; and, indeed, he continued to serve not only Cromwell during his lifetime, but his son Richard, after his father’s death, with great fidelity.  Lord Broghill was active in forwarding the Restoration in Ireland, and in reward of his services was made Earl of Orrery.  He died in 1679.

SIR,—­You have furnished me now with arguments to convince my brother, if he should ever enter on the dispute again.  In earnest, I believed all this before, but ’twas something an ignorant kind of faith in me.  I was satisfied myself, but could not tell how to persuade another of the truth on’t; and to speak indifferently, there are such multitudes that abuse the names of love and friendship, and so very few that either understand or practise it in reality, that it may raise great doubts whether there is any such thing in the world or not, and such as do not find it in themselves will hardly believe ’tis anywhere.  But it will easily be granted, that most people make haste to be miserable; that they put on their fetters as inconsiderately as a woodcock runs into a noose, and are carried by the weakest considerations imaginable to do a thing of the greatest consequence of anything that concerns this world.  I was told by one (who pretends to

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The Love Letters of Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652-54 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.