mbition, well fits her whole mind;
there is restlessness about everything she did and wrote. She is never
satisfied with one epistle to the reader; she must have ten or twelve
prefaces and under-prefaces, which forcibly remind us of her
contemporary, Oronte, in his famous sonnet scene with Alceste. Her
"Natures pictures drawn by Fancies pencil to the life" is preceded by
several copies of commendatory verses and a succession of preambles,
entitled: "To the reader--An epistle to my readers--To the reader--To
the reader--To my readers--To my readers"; each being duly signed "M.
Newcastle." It seems as if the sight of her own name was a pleasure to
her. These prefaces are full of expostulations, explanations and
apologies, quite in the Oronte style: "The design of these my feigned
stories, is to present virtue, the muses leading her and the graces
attending her.... Perchance my feigned stories are not so lively
described as they might have been.... As for those tales I name
romancicall, I would not have my readers think I write them either to
please or to make foolish whining lovers.... I must entreat my readers
to understand, that though my naturall genius is to write fancy, yet ...
Although I hope every piece or discourse in my book will delight my
readers or at least some one, and some another ... yet I do recommend
two as the most solid and edifying." Great is the temptation to answer
with Alceste: "Nous verrons bien!"[335] But how could one say so when
she was so pretty? The best preface to her volumes is in fact the
charming engraving representing a party meeting at her house to tell and
hear tales round the fire, and of which we give a reproduction. The only
pity is that the figure meant as her portrait, though laurel-crowned,
looks much more plain and commonplace than we might have expected.

She wrote then abundantly "romancicall" tales, as she called them, with
a touch of heroism; edifying tales in which she prescribes "that all
young men should be kept to their studies so long as their effeminate
beauties doth last;" dialogues "of the wise lady, the learned lady and
the witty lady," the three being only too wise; plays in which she
depicts herself under the names of Lady Sanspareile, of Lady Chastity,
&c., unpardonable sins, no doubt, to give oneself such names; but it is
reported she was so beautiful!

Among the mass of her writings, it must be added, ideas are scattered
here and there which were destined to l