This petty, inferior being had attracted the regard of the Princess Royal—­afterwards Princess of Orange—­the daughter of Charles I. Then the Countess of Castlemaine—­afterwards Duchess of Cleveland—­became infatuated with him; he captivated also the lovely Mrs. Hyde, a languishing beauty, whom Sir Peter Lely has depicted in all her sleepy attractions, with her ringlets falling lightly over her snowy forehead and down to her shoulders.  This lady was, at the time when Jermyn came to England, recently married to the son of the great Clarendon.  She fell desperately in love with this unworthy being:  but, happily for her peace, he preferred the honour (or dishonour) of being the favourite of Lady Castlemaine, and Mrs. Hyde escaped the disgrace she, perhaps, merited.

De Grammont appears absolutely to have hated Jermyn; not because he was immoral, impertinent, and contemptible, but because it was Jermyn’s boast that no woman, good or bad, could resist him.  Yet, in respect to their unprincipled life, Jermyn and De Grammont had much in common.  The Chevalier was at this time an admirer of the foolish beauty, Jane Middleton; one of the loveliest women of a court where it was impossible to turn without seeing loveliness.

Mrs. Middleton was the daughter of Sir Roger Needham, and she has been described, even by the grave Evelyn, as a ’famous, and, indeed, incomparable beauty.’  A coquette, she was, however, the friend of intellectual men; and it was probably at the house of St. Evremond that the Count first saw her.  Her figure was good, she was fair and delicate; and she had so great a desire, Count Hamilton relates, to ’appear magnificently, that she was ambitious to vie with those of the greatest fortunes, though unable to support the expense.’

Letters and presents now flew about.  Perfumed gloves, pocket looking-glasses, elegant boxes, apricot paste, essences, and other small wares arrived weekly from Paris; English jewellery still had the preference, and was liberally bestowed; yet Mrs. Middleton, affected and somewhat precise, accepted the gifts but did not seem to encourage the giver.

The Count de Grammont, piqued, was beginning to turn his attention to Miss Warmestre, one of the queen’s maids of honour, a lively brunette, and a contrast to the languid Mrs. Middleton; when, happily for him, a beauty appeared on the scene, and attracted him, by higher qualities than mere looks, to a real, fervent, and honourable attachment.

Amongst the few respected families of that period was that of Sir George Hamilton, the fourth son of James, Earl of Abercorn, and of Mary, grand-daughter of Walter, eleventh Earl of Ormond.  Sir George had distinguished himself during the Civil Wars:  on the death of Charles I. he had retired to France, but returned, after the Restoration, to London, with a large family, all intelligent and beautiful.