The Diary Of John Evelyn Vol-2

DIARY OP ALTHORPE

It is situated in the midst of a garden, exquisitely planted
and kept, and all this in a park walled in with hewn
stone, planted with rows and walks of trees, canals and
fish ponds, and stored with game. And, what is above
all this, governed by a lady, who without any show of
solicitude, keeps everything in such admirable order, both
within and without, from the garret to the cellar, that I
do not believe there is any in this nation, or in any
other, that exceeds her in such exact order, without
ostentation, but substantially great and noble. The mean-
est servant is lodged so neat and cleanly; the service at
the several tables, the good order and decency—in a
word, the entire economy is perfectly becoming a wise
and noble person. She is one who for her distinguished
esteem of me from a long and worthy friendship, I must
ever honor and celebrate. I wish from my soul the Lord,
her husband (whose parts and abilities are otherwise
conspicuous), was as worthy of her, as by a fatal apostasy
and court-ambition he has made himself unworthy! This
is what she deplores, and it renders her as much affliction
as a lady of great soul and much prudence is capable of.
The Countess of Bristol, her mother, a grave and honor-
able lady, has the comfort of seeing her daughter and
grandchildren under the same economy, especially Mr.
Charles Spencer, a youth of extraordinary hopes, very
learned for his age, and ingenious, and under a governor
of great worth. Happy were it, could as much be said
of the elder brother, the Lord Spencer, who, rambling
about the world, dishonors both his name and his family,
adding sorrow to sorrow to a mother, who has taken all
imaginable care of his education. There is a daughter
very young married to the Earl of Clancarty, who has a
great and fair estate in Ireland, but who yet gives no
great presage of worth,— so universally contaminated is
the youth of this corrupt and abandoned age! But this
is again recompensed by my Lord Arran, a sober and
worthy gentleman, who has espoused the Lady Ann Spen-
cer, a young lady of admirable accomplishments and
virtue.

a 3d August, 1688. I left this noble place and conver-
sation, my lady having provided carriages to convey us
back in the same manner as we went, and a dinner being
prepared at Dunstable against our arrival. Northampton,harles of the British Museum. ..,'••d to do. J* ^ that he could do none of Worcester he would have no further com-