EXTRACTS FROM MEMOIRS OF ROYAL LADIES ; BY EMILY SARAH HOLT.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1437, 20 September 1861, Page 4

EXTRACTS FROM MEMOIRS OF ROYAL LADIES ; BY EMILY SARAH HOLT.

Fair Rosamond. — Over the life of "William LongufipSe's mother — of her who is so well-known to history as " Fair Rosamond " — theie hangs a deep veil of mystery, which many an historian has stiiven to lift, but, hitherto, in vain. She was the elder daughter of Walter de Clifford and Margaret dc Toney. Seveial places contend for the honour of her bath, to which Clifford Castle appeals to have the best claim. The exact date of it is unknown, though it was probably not later than 1134. Her real name is said to have been Joan, fiom which it would seem that her Sa\on epithet, " The Rose of Peace," was given her only as a soubriquet. Within the present century there has been found moie than one historian to make public the suspicion that the old story of Rosamond was calumny, and not truth. Indeed, the ballad-tale of the poiboning by Qvreen Eleanor is not found in any contempoiaiy chronicler, and has long been rejected as. fiction ; but the compaiatively new statement that Rosamond had a better right to the name of Queen of England than Eleanor, has not won confidence m geueial I must, nevertheless, own myself among its disciples. And, smely, confirmation of it may be found in the agonised words wrung from Rosamond's faithless lord, long after the close of her unhappy life, when, at the time when all his princely sons weie in rebellion against him, the younger son of Rosamond hastened to his side at the head of a band of armed men. " Geoffrey '" cued the old broken heai ted King, "Geofftey, thou art my son, and all the rest aie bastaids '" The mairiage, or contract, or whatever it may be called, between Hemy and Rosamond, piobably took place in 1149, when he came to England to be knighted by his giand uncle, David, King of Scotland. Then eldei son, William, was born in 1153, a few months after the acknowledged inariiage of Henry with Eleanor , the younger, Geoffrey, in 1159. The two boys differed much, both in person and chaiacter. Longueptie inherited the fair hair and blue eyes of his mother, and his name has descended to us linked to the epithet of "gentle." Geoffrey, who in peison resembled King Henry, was warm-hearted, generous, passionate, lash, and fiery. He was rather formed for a valiant knight than for a Christian minister, yet he assumed the ecclesiastical tonsure, and died Aichbishop of Yoik. It was, probably, soon after the birth of her younger son that the desolate and bioken-heaited Flower of Cliffoid withdrew herself from the world by which her name had been so thoioughly calumniated, that for 050 yeais its tradition concerning her leputation passed unquestioned. She retired to the convent at Godstowe, where she took the veil, and thoie she exphed in 1177, aged about 43 veais Fourteen year 1 ) after the death of Rosamond, the stein and rigid Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, visited God«tnve. Ho found in the middle of the chapel-choir a tomb, covered with o, silken pall, and "set about with

lights of w»xe." On his asking whose grave it was, the nuns informed him that he w»s gazing on the last resting-place of " Lady Rosamond." Hugh wat extremely wioth upon receiving this reply. Probably his lespcct for Rosamond was not increased by his having just been engaged in a violent quarrel with her younger son, his superior. "Then," quoth the Bishop, " Take out of this place the hailot and bury hei without the church ' " The nuns silently obeyed, but .w soon as Hugh of Lincoln had departed, they again le placed in their old sepulchre the last remains of Rosamond,

Joan op Kent "Wooed by tiie Black Ymnce.— lie rode leisurely through the shady woods to the manorhouse wheie the Countesi of Kent, surrounded by her infant children, kept up her solitary state. She gave a cordial welcome to her royal cousin, and entertained him at dinnei. When the repast was ovei the Prince of Wales discharged his commission. Ho went thiough it with perfect outward calmness ; but I will not say that a secret feeling of satisfaction did not spring up m his heart, as he watched something like disdain curling the ruby lip of the Princess Joan. As soon as ho ceased speaking, she replied to the proposal by a flat dunial The prince discharged his mission honestly ; he begged her to reconsidei hei decision She replied, that she had quite made up. her m nd on the subject. When Edward again attacked he- requesting her to alter hei conclusion, Joan looked up f 1 om her embroidery frame, and answeied — " Lord prince and fair cousin, when I was undei ward I was disposed of by otheis. Now, being at years of discretion, and mine own miati ess, 1 will not cast myself beneath my rank. I cannot cease to remember that I am of the blood royal of England ; wherefoie I have determined never to marry again, save unto a Prince renowned for quiihty and virtue — like yourself."

The First Pketender and his Queen. — We had a general invitation given us whilst we stayed in town, and were deshed to use the palace as oui house , we weie indispensably obliged to make a visit next day, in ordei to return thanks for so many civilities received , these aie things due to a Tuik. We were admitted without ceieinony. The Pretender entertained us on the subject of our families as knowingly as if he had been all his life in England. He told me some passages of my&elf and father, and of his being against the followers of King Charles I. and 11 , and added, that if you, sir, had been of age before my grandfather's death to leain his principle?, there had been little danger of your taking paity against the rights of a Stuait. He then observed, how far the prejudices of education, and wrong notions of infancy, are apt to cany people from the paths of their ancestors ; he discoursed as pertinently on several of our neighbouring families as I could do ; upon which I told him I was surprised at his so perfect knowledge of England. His answer was, that from his infancy he had made it his business to acquire the knowledge of the laws, customs, and families of his countiy, so that he might not be leported a stranger, when the Almighty pleased to call him thither. These and the like discourses held, until woid was biought that dinner was served ; we endeavoured all we could to withdraw, but there was no possibility foi it, after he had made ub this compliment, " I assure you, gentlemen, I shall never be for {.training any man's inclination ; however, our grandfathers, who were worthy people, dined, and I hope there can be no fault found that we do the same " There is every day a regular table of ten or twelve coveis, well seived, unto which some of the qualified persons of hts eouifc, or travellers, are invited , it is supplied with English and Fiench cookeiy, French and Italian wines ; but I took notice that the Pretender ate only of English dishes, and made his dinner of roast beef, and what we call Devonshire pie ; he also prefeis our March beer, which he has fiom Leghorn, to the best wmes ; at the desseit, lie drinks his glass of champagne veiy heartily ; and to do him justice, he is as free and cheerful at his table as any man I know He spoke much in favour of our English ladies, and said he was peisuaded that he had not many enemies among them then he earned a health to them. The Puncess, with a smiling countenance, took up the matter, and said, " I think then, sir, it would be just that I drink to the cavaliera '" Some time aftei, the Pietender begun a health to the prosperity of all fuends in England — which he addiessed to me. I took the fieedom to leply, that as I presumed he meant his own friends, he would not take it ill that 1 meant mine. " I assute you, sir," said he, " that the fuends you mean can have no great shaie of prosperity till they become mine , thei efoie here s prosperity to youis and mine " After we had eat and drank veiy heartily, the puncess told us we must go see her sou, which could not bo refused. He is really a fine, promising child, and is attended by English women, mostly Piotestants, which the princess observed to us, saying, that as she believed he was to live and die a among Piotestants, she thought fit to have him brought up by their hands , and that in the country where she v\ as bom, theie was no othei distinction but that of honor and dishonoi These women, and paiticulaily two Londoneio, kept up such a lacket about us, to make us kiss the young Pretender's hand, that, to get clear of them as soon as we could, we weie forced to comply The puncess laughed very heaitily, and told us she did not question but the tay would come when we should not be sony to have made so early an acquaintance with her son. I thought myself under a necessity of making her the compliment, that, being hers, he could not miss being good and happy.