No! My dear Sir WilliamWilliam Elford, Sir, baronet, Recorder for Plymouth, Recorder for Totnes, Member of Parliament | Born: 1749-08 in Kingsbridge, Devon, England. Died: 1837-11-30 in Totnes, Devon, England.
According to L’Estrange, Sir William was first a friend of Mitford’s father, and Mitford met him for the first time in the spring of 1810 when he was a widower nearing the age of 64. They carried on a lively correspondence until his death in 1837.
Elford worked as a banker at Plymouth Bank (Elford, Tingcombe and Purchase) in Plymouth, Devon, from its founding in 1782. He was elected a member of Parliament for Plymouth as a supporter of the government and Tory William Pitt, and served from 1796 to 1806. After his election defeat in Plymouth in 1806, he was elected member of Parliament for Rye and served from July 1807 until his resignation in July 1808. For his service in Parliament as a supporter of Pitt, he was made a baronet in 1800. After his son Jonathan came of age, he tried to secure a stable government post for him but never succeeded. Mayor of Plymouth in 1796 and Recorder for Plymouth from 1797 to 1833, he was also Recorder for Totnes from 1832 to 1834. Sir William served as an officer in the South Devon militia from 1788, eventually attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; the unit saw active service in Ireland during the Peninsular Wars. Sir William was a talented amateur painter in oils and watercolors who exhibited at the Royal Society from 1774 to 1837; he exhibited still lifes and portraits but preferred landscapes. He was elected to the Royal Society Academy in 1790. He was also a talented amateur naturalist and was elected to the Royal Linnaean Society in 1790; late in life, he published his findings on an alternative to yeast.
He married his first wife, Mary Davies of Plympton, on January 20, 1776 and they had one son, Jonathan, and two daughters, Grace Chard and Elizabeth. After the death of his first wife, he married Elizabeth Hall Walrond, widow of Lieutenant-Colonel Maine Swete Walrond of the Coldstream Guards. His only son Jonathan died in 1823, leaving him without an heir.
—ebb, lmw

—your kind & delightful letter with all its enclosures did not make me bless myself at all—Kindnesses never take me by surprise especially from you—Hoping is one of my pleasures—I always begin expecting to hear from you as soon as ever I have left off a letter. So now you know why I always write so soon, & may answer me at any time by return of post without danger of expecting my nerves by taking me unawares.

I have now to thank you most sincerely for your kindness & frankness with regard to Miss JamesElizabeth Mary James, or: Miss James | Born: 1775 in Bath, Somerset, England. Died: 1861-11-25 in 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond, Surrey, England.
Close friend and correspondent of Mary Russell Mitford. She was the eldest daughter of Thomas Webb and Susanna Haycock. Her father died in 1818 and her mother in 1835. After her parents’ deaths, she lived with her two younger sisters, Emily and Susan, in Green Park Buildings, Bath, Walcot, Somerset; High Street, Mortlake, Surrey; and 3 Pembroke Villas, Richmond, Surrey. According to Coles, referring to Mitford’s diary, letters were also addressed to her at Bellevue, Lower Road, Richmond (Coles 26). She was buried at St. Mary Magdalene, Richmond, Surrey. In the 1841 census, she is listed as living on independent means; in the 1851 census, as landholder; in the 1861 census, she as railway shareholder.—lmw & to apologize for having troubled you with her terms—but I did not know at all that your interest was so strongly & so laudably pre-engaged, & could not resist the temptation of mentioning her scheme wherever there was a chance of doing her good. I am quite sure you will forgive me. It seems to me that I & my friend are in a conspiracy to plague you with terms & proposals—I find by a letter from Mrs. HoflandBarbara Wreaks Hofland | Born: 1770 in Yorkshire, England. Died: 1844-11-04 in Richmond-on-Thames.
Frequent correspondent of Mitford's, mentioned often in her Journal of 1819-1823. Novelist and writer of children’s books popular in England and America, Barbara Hofland was a native of Sheffield, Yorkshire, where she published poems from July 1794 in the local newspaper, The Sheffield Iris. Her first marriage to Thomas Bradshawe Hoole left her widowed and in poverty, raising a son, Frederic, on her own, and she supported herself by publishing poems and children’s books, and by running a girl’s school in Harrogate. Her second marriage was to the artist Thomas Christopher Hofland. (Source: ODNB)—ebb, hjb that the poor dear woman, has sent you the proposals of her book—but this was none of my doing—She sends it to you not as my friend but as a Patron of Art—She has sent about a thousand to all the great men in the Kingdom—It is not a book you would have the slightest temptation to buy—It consisted of Plates from the Hofland's Views of WhiteknightsA Descriptive Account of the Mansion and Gardens of White-Knights: A Seat of His Grace the Duke of Marlborough. By Mrs. Hofland. Illustrated with twenty-three engravings, from pictures taken on the spot by T.C. Hofland. T.C. Hofland, Barbara Hofland. London: T. C. Hofland . 1819.
Printed by T.C. Hofland for the 6th Duke of Marlbourough; publisher and printer names are given variously in WorldCat. Mitford suggests that the Hoflands supported the entire cost of printing themselves and printed only 50 copies, because the bankrupt Duke could not finance the venture. In her February 27, 1819 letter to Elford, Mitford indicates that she does not expect him to buy a copy, since he is a great deal too wise to deal in books printed upon drawing paper in Atlas quarto--books merely meant to make a show. It is unknown how many copies were sold.—lmwYou are a great deal too wise to deal in books printed upon drawing paper in Atlas quarto—books merely meant to make a show—but if you would have the goodness when you go into PlymouthPlymouth, Devonshire, England | Plymouth | Devonshire | England | 50.3754565 -4.14265649999993 City on the coast of Devonshire. After declines in the seventeenth century, increasingly important from the late eighteenth century into the nineteenth as a seaport, site of trade and emigration to and from the Americas, and a center of shipbuilding. Birthplace of Benjamin Robert Haydon. Sir William Elford was also born nearby at Bickham. Elford worked as a banker at Plymouth Bank (Elford, Tingcombe and Purchase) in Plymouth, from its founding in 1782, and he was elected a member of Parliament for Plymouth and served from 1796 to 1806.—ebb, lmw merely to  begleave the proposals on the table in the Reading Room it might do good—there are fools in DevonshireDevonshire | Devonshire | England | Devon | 50.716667 -3.716667 The county of Devonshire, now known as Devon, in the south west of England.—scw I suppose as well as elsewhere & some one who happened to be at page 2
once silly & rich might see the proposals might buy the Volumes. The prints are beautiful.—I take the liberty to make this request because it is one that cannot give you much trouble, & may do good—& above all because the sale of these miserable fifty copies is all poor Mr. HoflandThomas Christopher Hofland | Born: 1777-12-25 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England. Died: 1843-01-03 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.
Landscape painter, and second husband of the author Barbara Hofland.—ebb is likely to get for the paintings drawings [del: .]journies—his wife's writing—&, which is worst of all, the whole of the engravings—every one of which he was obliged to pay for—not a single engraver in LondonLondon, England | London | England | 51.5073509 -0.12775829999998223 Capital city of England and the United Kingdom; one the oldest cities in Western Europe. Major seaport and global trading center at the mouth of the Thames. From 1831 to 1925, the largest city in the world.—lmw chusingchoosing to strike a single stroke upon the Duke of MarlboroughGeorge Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, or: 6th Duke of Marlborough Marquess of Blandford Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire | Born: 1793-12-27 in Bill Hill, Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1857-01-07 in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.
Tory Member of Parliament and celebrated collector of books, art, and antiquities. Born at Bill Hill, an estate in Wokingham, Berkshire rented by his father. He owned and extensively renovated the house and grounds of the Whiteknights estate from 1798 to 1819, when bankuptcy forced the auctioning of the estate and all its contents. The auction created much excitement amongst book collectors, since his library contained works of early works printed in English by Caxton, Pynson, and deWorde; the catalogs of the auction remain an important record of book history and collecting. In 1819, he had commissioned Thomas and Barbara Hofland to produce the lavish publication A Descriptive Account of the Mansion and Gardens of White-Knights: A Seat of His Grace the Duke of Marlborough. By Mrs. Hofland. Illustrated with twenty-three engravings, from pictures taken on the spot by T.C. Hofland. They were never paid for their work because of the bankruptcy. Mitford discusses the Duke's penuriousness and his treatment of the Hoflands in her letters of 1819.—lmw
's credit—& the Duke of MarlboroughGeorge Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, or: 6th Duke of Marlborough Marquess of Blandford Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire | Born: 1793-12-27 in Bill Hill, Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1857-01-07 in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.
Tory Member of Parliament and celebrated collector of books, art, and antiquities. Born at Bill Hill, an estate in Wokingham, Berkshire rented by his father. He owned and extensively renovated the house and grounds of the Whiteknights estate from 1798 to 1819, when bankuptcy forced the auctioning of the estate and all its contents. The auction created much excitement amongst book collectors, since his library contained works of early works printed in English by Caxton, Pynson, and deWorde; the catalogs of the auction remain an important record of book history and collecting. In 1819, he had commissioned Thomas and Barbara Hofland to produce the lavish publication A Descriptive Account of the Mansion and Gardens of White-Knights: A Seat of His Grace the Duke of Marlborough. By Mrs. Hofland. Illustrated with twenty-three engravings, from pictures taken on the spot by T.C. Hofland. They were never paid for their work because of the bankruptcy. Mitford discusses the Duke's penuriousness and his treatment of the Hoflands in her letters of 1819.—lmw
, not having, to use his own elegant phrase "a brass farthing" to repay Mr. HoflandThomas Christopher Hofland | Born: 1777-12-25 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England. Died: 1843-01-03 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.
Landscape painter, and second husband of the author Barbara Hofland.—ebb. I can tell you when we meet some curious anecdotes of this Noble DukeGeorge Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, or: 6th Duke of Marlborough Marquess of Blandford Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire | Born: 1793-12-27 in Bill Hill, Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1857-01-07 in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.
Tory Member of Parliament and celebrated collector of books, art, and antiquities. Born at Bill Hill, an estate in Wokingham, Berkshire rented by his father. He owned and extensively renovated the house and grounds of the Whiteknights estate from 1798 to 1819, when bankuptcy forced the auctioning of the estate and all its contents. The auction created much excitement amongst book collectors, since his library contained works of early works printed in English by Caxton, Pynson, and deWorde; the catalogs of the auction remain an important record of book history and collecting. In 1819, he had commissioned Thomas and Barbara Hofland to produce the lavish publication A Descriptive Account of the Mansion and Gardens of White-Knights: A Seat of His Grace the Duke of Marlborough. By Mrs. Hofland. Illustrated with twenty-three engravings, from pictures taken on the spot by T.C. Hofland. They were never paid for their work because of the bankruptcy. Mitford discusses the Duke's penuriousness and his treatment of the Hoflands in her letters of 1819.—lmw
—Mrs. HoflandBarbara Wreaks Hofland | Born: 1770 in Yorkshire, England. Died: 1844-11-04 in Richmond-on-Thames.
Frequent correspondent of Mitford's, mentioned often in her Journal of 1819-1823. Novelist and writer of children’s books popular in England and America, Barbara Hofland was a native of Sheffield, Yorkshire, where she published poems from July 1794 in the local newspaper, The Sheffield Iris. Her first marriage to Thomas Bradshawe Hoole left her widowed and in poverty, raising a son, Frederic, on her own, and she supported herself by publishing poems and children’s books, and by running a girl’s school in Harrogate. Her second marriage was to the artist Thomas Christopher Hofland. (Source: ODNB)—ebb, hjb came from WhiteknightsWhiteknights, Berkshire, England | Whiteknights | Berkshire | England | 51.440426 -0.9427994999999783 Berkshire estate of George Spencer-Churchill, the sixth Duke of Marlborough. Purchased by him in 1798 and extensively renovated at great expense until the Duke’s bankruptcy in 1819, when the estate and contents were sold at auction. Subject of an 1818 publication by the Hoflands. Formerly the manor of Earley Whiteknights; now Whiteknights Park, part of the campus of the University of Reading.—lmw here—the DukeGeorge Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, or: 6th Duke of Marlborough Marquess of Blandford Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire | Born: 1793-12-27 in Bill Hill, Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1857-01-07 in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.
Tory Member of Parliament and celebrated collector of books, art, and antiquities. Born at Bill Hill, an estate in Wokingham, Berkshire rented by his father. He owned and extensively renovated the house and grounds of the Whiteknights estate from 1798 to 1819, when bankuptcy forced the auctioning of the estate and all its contents. The auction created much excitement amongst book collectors, since his library contained works of early works printed in English by Caxton, Pynson, and deWorde; the catalogs of the auction remain an important record of book history and collecting. In 1819, he had commissioned Thomas and Barbara Hofland to produce the lavish publication A Descriptive Account of the Mansion and Gardens of White-Knights: A Seat of His Grace the Duke of Marlborough. By Mrs. Hofland. Illustrated with twenty-three engravings, from pictures taken on the spot by T.C. Hofland. They were never paid for their work because of the bankruptcy. Mitford discusses the Duke's penuriousness and his treatment of the Hoflands in her letters of 1819.—lmw
left the house at the same time—taking with him the contents of the larder—half a cold turkey & three quarters of a ham—after he had driven off he remembered that he had left behind some scraps of a loin of mutton & actually came back to fetch them—the servants are not at board wages observe & the Housekeeper knowing they could not get even a twopenny loaf without twopence & naturally alarmed at this clearance of eatables ventured to ask him for money—after much stuttering he gave her ten pounds—which being perceived by his son Lord CharlesCharles Spencer-Churchill, Lieutenant-Colonel | Born: 1794-12-03. Died: 1840-04-28.
Second son of George Spencer-Churchill. Army officer and Member of Parliament for St. Albans and New Woodstock. —mco, lmw
—he lingered behind & borrowed five of it—All this time for him & his Son there were three carriages [del: .] with four post horses ^each—one of them empty. Is this not stopping one hole in a cullendercolander? Mrs. HoflandBarbara Wreaks Hofland | Born: 1770 in Yorkshire, England. Died: 1844-11-04 in Richmond-on-Thames.
Frequent correspondent of Mitford's, mentioned often in her Journal of 1819-1823. Novelist and writer of children’s books popular in England and America, Barbara Hofland was a native of Sheffield, Yorkshire, where she published poems from July 1794 in the local newspaper, The Sheffield Iris. Her first marriage to Thomas Bradshawe Hoole left her widowed and in poverty, raising a son, Frederic, on her own, and she supported herself by publishing poems and children’s books, and by running a girl’s school in Harrogate. Her second marriage was to the artist Thomas Christopher Hofland. (Source: ODNB)—ebb, hjb saw the whole transaction with her own eyes—You should hear her tell the story—with the DukeGeorge Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough, Marquess of Blandford, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, or: 6th Duke of Marlborough Marquess of Blandford Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire | Born: 1793-12-27 in Bill Hill, Wokingham, Berkshire, England. Died: 1857-01-07 in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England.
Tory Member of Parliament and celebrated collector of books, art, and antiquities. Born at Bill Hill, an estate in Wokingham, Berkshire rented by his father. He owned and extensively renovated the house and grounds of the Whiteknights estate from 1798 to 1819, when bankuptcy forced the auctioning of the estate and all its contents. The auction created much excitement amongst book collectors, since his library contained works of early works printed in English by Caxton, Pynson, and deWorde; the catalogs of the auction remain an important record of book history and collecting. In 1819, he had commissioned Thomas and Barbara Hofland to produce the lavish publication A Descriptive Account of the Mansion and Gardens of White-Knights: A Seat of His Grace the Duke of Marlborough. By Mrs. Hofland. Illustrated with twenty-three engravings, from pictures taken on the spot by T.C. Hofland. They were never paid for their work because of the bankruptcy. Mitford discusses the Duke's penuriousness and his treatment of the Hoflands in her letters of 1819.—lmw
's stuttering—Lord CharlesCharles Spencer-Churchill, Lieutenant-Colonel | Born: 1794-12-03. Died: 1840-04-28.
Second son of George Spencer-Churchill. Army officer and Member of Parliament for St. Albans and New Woodstock. —mco, lmw
's Dandyism—& the poor Housekeeper's dismal whine—She cannot help laughing now in the midst of her troubles. You will say that Mr. HoflandThomas Christopher Hofland | Born: 1777-12-25 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England. Died: 1843-01-03 in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.
Landscape painter, and second husband of the author Barbara Hofland.—ebb was mad to engage in such an undertaking—& I shall say I think so too—

The lozenges are excellent. I have not got a cough, but page 3
I must make some after your recipe & then get a cough on purpose to be cured by them—I do not think though that I shall prove so neat handed a confectioner as you—truly my dear friend an universal genius—your jujubie (is that the proper name?) may vie with those cream tarts by which a certain PrincePrince Bedreddin Hassan
A character in Arabian aTles (also known as One Thousand and One Nights) who appears in the story variously titled Noureddin Ali of Cairo or Noureddin and his Son.—lmw in the Arabian TalesArabian Tales; or, A Continuation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, consisting of stories related by the Sultana of the Indies, newly tr[anslated] from the original Arabic into French by Dom Chavis and Cazotte; and tr[anslated] from the French into English, by Robert Heron. Robert Heron. Edinburgh London: Bell & Bradfute G. G. J. & J. Robinson. 1792.
Mitford was likely familiar with this 1792 English translation of the Thousand and One Nights; the earliest English translations of the work were titled The Arabian Nights Entertainment and appeared around 1706.—lmw (the Prince Bedreddin HassanPrince Bedreddin Hassan
A character in Arabian aTles (also known as One Thousand and One Nights) who appears in the story variously titled Noureddin Ali of Cairo or Noureddin and his Son.—lmw I think) recovered his birthright. I must catch cold on purpose to try them, being unluckily quite recovered (by the help of treacle posset) of the one I had when I wrote last. But catching cold will be a very easy exploit in this weather—it freezes, snows, hails & rains every day regularly—demolishes my primrosesName: primrose or English primrose or common primrose or true primrose | Genus: Primula | Family: Primulaceae | Species: Primula vulgaris.
One of Mitford’s favorite flowers, can bloom with creamy yellow flowers from late December through May in Berkshire. Native to western and southern Europe. It is not to be confused with evening primrose (Oenothera), a genus of 100+ species of herbaceous flowering plants native to the Americas. Mitford also mentions the evening primroses, which have been cultivated in Eurasia since the early seventeenth century and are now naturalized in some areas.—lmw

, cuts off my violetsName: violet or wood violet or Common dog-violet | Genus: Viola | Family: Violaceae | Species: Viola riviniana.
One of Mitford’s favorite flowers (as it was of many of her contemporaries). Native to Eurasia, including the UK, it blooms from April to June in Berkshire. he terms viola and violet are used for small-flowered annuals or perennials, including the species. Mentioned in the 1811 Poems as well as in Our Village. Mitford likely refers to wild forms of the Viola such as the common dog-violet. Field pansies (Viola arvensis) are also native to the UK and are wild relatives of the multi-coloured, large-flowered cultivars used as bedding plants. T—lmw

, souses poor MirandaMiranda
A greyhound owned by Mitford, described by her as blue all sprinkled with little white spots just like a starry night in her 13 February 1819 letter to Haydon.—lmw & dirties the white catSelim
Mitford's ferocious long-haired white cat. The cat may have been a Turkish angora, a breed that became fashionable in the early 19th century.—lmw, ncl—All this tornado too is come after an absolute Spring—a fortnight ago PapaGeorge Mitford, Esq., or: George Midford | Born: . Died: .
Father of Mary Rusell Mitford, George Mitford was the son of Francis Midford, surgeon, and Jane Graham. The family name is sometimes recorded as Midford. Immediate family called him by nicknames including Drum, Tod, and Dodo. He was a member of a minor branch of the Mitfords of Mitford Castle in Northumberland. Although later sources would suggest that he was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh medical school, there is no evidence that he obtained a medical degree and he did not generally refer to himself as Dr. Mitford, preferring to style himself Esq.. In 1784, he is listed in a Hampshire directory as surgeon (medicine) of Alresford. His father and grandfather worked as apothecary-surgeons and it seems likely that he served a medical apprenticeship with family members.
He married Mary Russell on October 17, 1785 at New Alresford, Hampshire. On the marriage allegation papers, both gave their addresses as Old Alresford; they later came to live at Broad Street in New Alresford. Their only child to live to adulthood, Mary Russell Mitford, was born two years later on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire. He assisted Mitford's literary career by representing her interests in London and elsewhere with theater owners and publishers. He was active in Whig politics and later served as a local magistrate. He coursed greyhounds with his friend James Webb.
—lmw found a pheasant's nest with 4 eggs in Lord BraybrookeRichard Griffin, 2nd Baron Braybrooke, Lord Braybrooke, or: Richard Aldworth-Neville , Richard Aldworth Griffin-Neville , 2nd Baron Braybrooke Lord Braybrooke
Until 1797, known as Richard Aldworth-Neville or Richard Aldworth Griffin-Neville. As 2nd Baron Braybrooke, he came into possession of the estates Billingbear Park in Berkshire and Audley End in Essex.—lmw
's parkBillingbear Park, Berkshire, England | Billingbear Park Berkshire England | 51.4438638 -0.8182454000000234 During Mitford’s life, the Berkshire estate of Richard Griffin, second Baron Braybrooke. Billingbear House was destroyed by fire in 1924 and no longer stands.—lmw—Grass was springing—flowers were blowing & the elder leaves coming out—now we have winter in its worst & dreariest form—a white world every morning—a black one every night—Nothing will be easier than to catch cold.

I am happy to say the Persian Princesswhite kitten
Female white kitten belonging to Mitford that she proposes to give to Elford. Mitford variously proposes to name the kitten Selima (after the kitten's father Selim) or Grizzy (after the character in Ferrier's novel Marriage). Unknown whether Elford eventually takes the kitten. Dates unknown.—lmw is still unkilled, though the brute her fatherSelim
Mitford's ferocious long-haired white cat. The cat may have been a Turkish angora, a breed that became fashionable in the early 19th century.—lmw, ncl has lost nothing of his legitimate fury—He is a most perfect representative of the Sultans of the old metrical romances, the bloody followers of "Mahound and Termagaunt" [1] Mitford paraphrases a line from Percy's Reliques introducing "King Estmere," in which Percy states, "The Mahometans are spoken of in ver. 49, &c, just in the same terms as in all other old Romances. The author of the ancient Legend of Sir Bevis represents his hero, upon all occasions, breathing out fire against 'Mahound and Termagaunte.'" "Mahound" is another name for Mahomet; Termagaunte was believed to be a violent Islamic god. One aspect of the stereotype of evil Saracen characters was to show them swearing on "Mahound and Termagaunte."—wnb, lmw who made nothing of striking off fifty heads at a blow, or eating an enemy for supper, or murdering their own daughters, or any other enormity—He is likewise a strong resemblance of the ranting Sultans of DrydenJohn Dryden | Born: 1631-08-09 in Aldwincle, Northamptonshire, England. Died: 1700-05-01 in London, England.
Named Poet Laureate in 1668 , Dryden authored Annus mirabilis: the Year of Wonders, MDCLXVI in 1667 , reflecting on climactic events of the previous year, the Great Fire of London and the second Anglo-Dutch War. Dryden supported a revival of drama in Restoration England, and in 1668 he wrote Of Dramatick Poesie , which contained critiques of William Shakespeare's and Ben Jonson's plays and reflection on English and French theater and playwrights from the Renaissance to the Restoration in England. Several of his plays were staged in London in the 1670s, including his treatment of the Antony and Cleopatra narrative, in All for Love, or, The World Well Lost, performed in December 1677 and published in 1678 . His satirical poem Absalom and Achitophel, published in 1681, presents Restoration politicians and government figures in Old Testament roles, casting King Charles II in flattering terms as a merciful and benevolent David.—ebb
& LeeNathaniel Lee | Born: 1653. Died: 1692-05-06 in London, England.
Lee’s best-known work is his 1677 tragedy The Rival Queens, or the Death of Alexander the Great, which was a theatrical staple well into the nineteenth century for its portrayal of powerful female protagonists. In 1681, he adapted de La Fayette’s 1678 novel La Princesse de Clèves for the stage.—lmw
who dragged people about by the hair of their head—talked (or MiowedMeowed)them to death—clawed them & burnt them alive. In short he is the wickedest person that ever walked on four feet. I have a vast inclination to whip this Sultan SelimSelim
Mitford's ferocious long-haired white cat. The cat may have been a Turkish angora, a breed that became fashionable in the early 19th century.—lmw, ncl—but the beast is too formidable when he takes these fits, that really I page 4
am afraid. So we keep the poor dear little gentle thing in a safe quiet room & only bring her out when we can make sure of her PapaSelim
Mitford's ferocious long-haired white cat. The cat may have been a Turkish angora, a breed that became fashionable in the early 19th century.—lmw, ncl's prowling elsewhere. She is exceedingly pretty—much too pretty to be caged—you must come & fetch her—Do pray—And let me know when you are likely to be in TownLondon, England | London | England | 51.5073509 -0.12775829999998223 Capital city of England and the United Kingdom; one the oldest cities in Western Europe. Major seaport and global trading center at the mouth of the Thames. From 1831 to 1925, the largest city in the world.—lmw. I shall pass a few days there myself sometime about the end of April or the beginning of May.

You need not at all be alarmed at the too great virtue of any of Lady Morgan'sSydney Morgan Owenson, Lady Morgan, or: Lady Morgan | Born: 1781-12-25 in Dublin, Ireland. Died: 1859-04-14 in London, England.
Irish author, amateur performer, and Romantic-era literary celebrity.—lmw
heroes or heroines—she is not single minded enough—has not sufficient moral taste to draw a really excellent man—Her virtues are all of the exaggerated melodramatic sort—grand—fine—magnanimous—all claptraps & stage tricks. The want of invention is really astonishing—her three principal personages all come in under borrowed names. And yet there is a good deal of talent among all this—a Miss CrawleyMiss Crawley
A character in Lady Morgan’s novel Florence Macarthy.—lmwfor instance who is almost as good as Mr. DexterMr. Dexter
A character in Lady Morgan’s novel The O’Donnel’s.—lmw, & some other under [del: .] personages who show quick perception of character & considerable power of humour.—I understand that the very best novel that has been published for a long time is "Marriage"Marriage: A Novel. Susan Ferrier. Edinburgh London: William Blackwood John Murray. 1818.
Mitford records that she liked it very much; she also says that it made me laugh. In journal entry Saturday 13 March 1819. .—lmw—I have not seen it—but a friend whose taste can be trusted tells me it is equal to any of Miss AustenJane Austen | Born: 1775-12-16 in Steventon, Hampshire, England. Died: 1817-07-18 in Winchester, Hampshire, England.
Novelist celebrated for her wit and style, whose works investigated women's social and economic vulnerabilities in English society. During her lifetime she published anonymously. Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815), all anonymously. Northanger Abbey, the first written of her novels (composed in 1798-1799) was published posthumously in 1818 (the title was chosen by surviving family) along with her final completed novel, Persuasion. Mitford claims in a letter to Sir William Elford of 3 April 1815 that she has recently discovered Austen is my countrywoman,, that is, a neighbor. Later in a letter of 2 July 1816 praised Emma in particular among Austen's novels. She and Elford evidently knew the identity of Austen as the author long before the information was public knowledge, and she claims in the April 3 letter that her mother remembered Jane Austen in her youth as the prettiest, silliest, most affected, husband-hunting butterfly she ever remembers, but that Jane was by the 1810s extremely quiet, which impressed Mitford: till Pride and Prejudice showed what a precious gem was hidden in that unbending case, she was no more regarded in society than a poker or a fire-screen, or any other thin upright piece of wood or iron that fills its corner in peace and quietness. The case is very different now; she is still a poker—but a poker of whom every one is afraid. It must be confessed that this silent observation from such an observer is rather formidable. Most writers are good-humoured chatterers—neither very wise nor very witty:—but nine times out of ten (at least in the few that I have known) unaffected and pleasant, and quite removing by their conversation any awe that may have been excited by their works. But a wit, a delineator of character, who does not talk, is terrific indeed! Source: L’Estrange.—ebb, rnes
's. This to me is the very highest recommendation that can be given, & I believe it will be to you. Miss AustenJane Austen | Born: 1775-12-16 in Steventon, Hampshire, England. Died: 1817-07-18 in Winchester, Hampshire, England.
Novelist celebrated for her wit and style, whose works investigated women's social and economic vulnerabilities in English society. During her lifetime she published anonymously. Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815), all anonymously. Northanger Abbey, the first written of her novels (composed in 1798-1799) was published posthumously in 1818 (the title was chosen by surviving family) along with her final completed novel, Persuasion. Mitford claims in a letter to Sir William Elford of 3 April 1815 that she has recently discovered Austen is my countrywoman,, that is, a neighbor. Later in a letter of 2 July 1816 praised Emma in particular among Austen's novels. She and Elford evidently knew the identity of Austen as the author long before the information was public knowledge, and she claims in the April 3 letter that her mother remembered Jane Austen in her youth as the prettiest, silliest, most affected, husband-hunting butterfly she ever remembers, but that Jane was by the 1810s extremely quiet, which impressed Mitford: till Pride and Prejudice showed what a precious gem was hidden in that unbending case, she was no more regarded in society than a poker or a fire-screen, or any other thin upright piece of wood or iron that fills its corner in peace and quietness. The case is very different now; she is still a poker—but a poker of whom every one is afraid. It must be confessed that this silent observation from such an observer is rather formidable. Most writers are good-humoured chatterers—neither very wise nor very witty:—but nine times out of ten (at least in the few that I have known) unaffected and pleasant, and quite removing by their conversation any awe that may have been excited by their works. But a wit, a delineator of character, who does not talk, is terrific indeed! Source: L’Estrange.—ebb, rnes
's books were so true to Nature, that [del: .] facts theselves—history or Biography looked false by the side of her fictions.—I cannot tell you whether AubreyJohn Aubrey | Born: 1626-12-03 in Kington St. Michael, Wiltshire, Malmesbury, England. Died: 1897-07-06 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.
Seventeenth-century antiquarian, naturalist, and writer. By the nineteenth century, best known as the author of biographical sketches known informally as Brief Lives or Aubrey's Lives. Mitford read Aubrey's Letters Written by Eminent Persons in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: To Which are Added, Hearne's Journeys to Reading, and to Whaddon Hall, the Seat of Browne Willis, Esq., and Lives of Eminent Men, which she admired for its style of biographical writing. —lmw
's Lives had ever been printed before or not—I have seen them quoted in many books—but they might have been quoted from the original M.S. in the Bodleian LibraryOxford University, Bodleian Library
83 letters from MRM to Thomas Noon Talfourd.—ghb. The book where I read them (a borrowed book which I have returned without absolutely copying the title) is I should think not rare. It page 5
was printed at the Clarendon PressClarendon Press
Today refers to an imprint of Oxford University Press that specializes in academic imprints. The name refers to the location of the organization's printing offices: Clarendon Buildings, Broad Street in London, to which their presses moved after 1713.—lmw in 2 Vols—but the 2nd Vol so large that it was perforce divided into two parts—& the title is as I can remember to this effect—Letters of eminent Persons in the Bodleian Library, Hearne's journeys to Reading & Silchester, & Aubrey's LivesLetters Written by Eminent Persons in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: To Which are Added, Hearne’s Journeys to Reading, and to Whaddon Hall, the Seat of Browne Willis, Esq., and Lives of Eminent Men by John Aubrey, Esq., the Whole Now First Published from the Originals. John Aubrey , John Walker , Thomas Hearne . London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. 1813. —I should think the work rather common than scarce. With the Lives I am sure you will be delighted—they are rather portraits than Lives—not longer than a page or two to each person—& very numerous embracing almost all of the distinguished characters of JamesJames I of England and Ireland, and James VI of Scotland King of Scots King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith | Born: 1566-06-19 in Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland. Died: 1625-03-27 in Theobalds House, Hertfordshire, England.
James VI of Scotland from 24 July 1567 and James I of England and Ireland from 24 March 1603, following the union of the Scottish and English crowns. Born in Edinburgh Castle to Mary Stuart, he was the first Stuart king of England. Author of Lepanto , Daemonologie (1597) , The True Law of Free Monarchies (1598) , and Basilikon Doron (1599) ; he also sponsored the translation of the Bible that was named after him, completed in 1611. Buried in Westminster Abbey.—lmw, cmm, rnes
& Charles the FirstCharles Stuart, Charles I, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. | Born: 1600-11-19 in Dunfermline Palace, Dunfermline, Scotland. Died: 1649-01-30 in Whitehall, London, England.
The only English king to have been tried and executed by the British people, Charles’s autocratic rule resulted in the Civil War, his deposition and execution, and the founding of the short-lived English Republic. These events are the subject matter of Mitford's tragedy Charles the First. The second son of James VI of Scotland, who became James I of England when Charles was three years old, the future king became James's heir in 1612, upon the death of his extremely popular brother Henry, Prince of Wales. As king, he was susceptible to the influence of his father's ambitious favourite George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, until Buckingham's assassination by a disturbed veteran in 1628. Charles quarrelled with Parliament over matters ranging from finances to control of religion and cultural observances. He instituted a disastrous policy of personal rule, and in August 1642, declared war on Parliament. After the Parliamentary faction, with its New Model Army, achieved victory, Charles was tried for treason and, declaring himself the martyr of the people, was executed outside the Banqueting House at Whitehall that had been designed by Inigo Jones for James I. A week after his execution, he was quietly buried at Windsor and the monarchy was abolished. Charles I is the apocryphal author of the Eikon Basilike, or Pourctraiture of his Sacred Majesty in his Solitudes and Sufferings (1649), which was probably written substantially by John Gauden.—rnes
's Days & the Commonwealth—full of curious anecdotes, & written in the strongest & raciest English. I am sure of your liking old AubreyJohn Aubrey | Born: 1626-12-03 in Kington St. Michael, Wiltshire, Malmesbury, England. Died: 1897-07-06 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.
Seventeenth-century antiquarian, naturalist, and writer. By the nineteenth century, best known as the author of biographical sketches known informally as Brief Lives or Aubrey's Lives. Mitford read Aubrey's Letters Written by Eminent Persons in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: To Which are Added, Hearne's Journeys to Reading, and to Whaddon Hall, the Seat of Browne Willis, Esq., and Lives of Eminent Men, which she admired for its style of biographical writing. —lmw
. I would not much recommend the letters, some of which are surely antiquarian, & as dull as Antiquarians are privileged [gap: 2 words, reason: torn.][to be]—Pray did you ever see a delightful piece of pleasantry [gap: 1 word, reason: torn.]Old Master FullerMaster Fuller
Old Master Fuller is a figure found in Collectanea Curiosa, where he appears as Mr. Fuller, in no. XXIII: Mr. Fuller’s Observations of the Shires; his name becomes proverbial.—lmw where he makes all the shires quarrel [gap: 2 words, reason: torn.] at the CapitalLondon, England | London | England | 51.5073509 -0.12775829999998223 Capital city of England and the United Kingdom; one the oldest cities in Western Europe. Major seaport and global trading center at the mouth of the Thames. From 1831 to 1925, the largest city in the world.—lmw? I have just met with it in another OxfordOxford, Oxfordshire, England | Oxford | Oxfordshire | England | 51.7520209 -1.2577263000000585 County town of Oxfordshire, in the south east of England about twenty-five miles from Reading. Site of Oxford University.—lmw book—the Collectanea CuriosaCollectanea Curiosa, or Miscellaneous Tracts: Relating to the History and Antiquities of England and Ireland, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and a Variety of Other Subjects. John Gutch. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1781. which well deserves its name. This is a mere pleasantry so gay—so hearty—so healthy—fresh & laughing like Gammer Gurton's NeedleGammer Gurton’s Needle.
Comic play written during the 1550s, considered one of the first comedies in English. Published anonymously, authorship is now likely attributed to William Stevenson (1530–1575).—lmw—Did you never remark how superior old gaiety is to new? There is a critical & comparative spirit about us moderns which dulls the sunshine—they laughed where we sneer—we cannot fire a feu de joie[2] A celebratory firing of rifles, normally with blanks.—lmw without loading with ball cartridges. Well I will not talk any more of books lest you should say like a friend of mine "My dear Miss MitfordMary Russell Mitford | Born: 1787-12-16 in New Alresford, Hampshire, England. Died: 1855-01-10 in Swallowfield, Berkshire, England.
Poet, playwright, writer of prose fiction sketches, Mary Russell Mitford is, of course, the subject of our archive. Mary Russell Mitford was born on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire, the only child of George Mitford (or Midford) and Mary Russell. She was baptized on February 29, 1788. Much of her writing was devoted to supporting herself and her parents. She received a civil list pension in 1837. Census records from 1841 indicate that she is living with her father George, three female servants: Kerenhappuch Taylor (Mary’s ladies maid), two maids of all work, Mary Bramley and Mary Allaway, and a manservant (probably serving also as gardener), Benjamin Embury. The 1851 census lists her occupation as authoress, and lists her as living at Three Mile Cross with Kerenhappuch Taylor (lady’s maid), Sarah Chernk (maid-of-all-work), and Samuel Swetman (gardener), after the death of her father. Mitford’s long life and prolific career ended after injuries from a carriage accident. She is buried in Swallowfield churchyard. The executor of her will and her literary executor was the Rev. William Harness and her lady’s maid, Kerenhappuch Taylor Sweetman, was residuary legatee of her estate. —lmw, ebb
you read so much that you will finish by knowing nothing"—This pretty Speech was made 5 years ago—What would he say now! But reading is my favourite mode of idleness—I like it better than any of my play-works—better than firName: fir or European silver fir | Genus: Abies | Family: Pinaceae | Species: Abies alba.
Evergreen coniferous trees found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Unlike other conifers, firs bear erect cones that are raised above the branches like candles; at maturity, the cones disintegrate to release winged seeds. One of Mitford’s favorite foraging trees; she calls her collecting activity fir topping. Mitford would likely have been familiar with the European silver fir, which was brought to England in the 17th century. Other types of firs such as Douglas firs and noble firs, native to North America and used as Christmas trees, were introduced to the UK in the nineteenth century.—lmw

topping—better than violetName: violet or wood violet or Common dog-violet | Genus: Viola | Family: Violaceae | Species: Viola riviniana.
One of Mitford’s favorite flowers (as it was of many of her contemporaries). Native to Eurasia, including the UK, it blooms from April to June in Berkshire. he terms viola and violet are used for small-flowered annuals or perennials, including the species. Mentioned in the 1811 Poems as well as in Our Village. Mitford likely refers to wild forms of the Viola such as the common dog-violet. Field pansies (Viola arvensis) are also native to the UK and are wild relatives of the multi-coloured, large-flowered cultivars used as bedding plants. T—lmw

ing—better than working page 6
gown tails—better than playing with MirandaMiranda
A greyhound owned by Mitford, described by her as blue all sprinkled with little white spots just like a starry night in her 13 February 1819 letter to Haydon.—lmw—better ^than feeding the white kittenwhite kitten
Female white kitten belonging to Mitford that she proposes to give to Elford. Mitford variously proposes to name the kitten Selima (after the kitten's father Selim) or Grizzy (after the character in Ferrier's novel Marriage). Unknown whether Elford eventually takes the kitten. Dates unknown.—lmw—better than riding in a gig—better than any thing other than that other pet idleness talking (that is to say writing to you.—But it is time to release you. Adieu, my dear Friend—PapaGeorge Mitford, Esq., or: George Midford | Born: . Died: .
Father of Mary Rusell Mitford, George Mitford was the son of Francis Midford, surgeon, and Jane Graham. The family name is sometimes recorded as Midford. Immediate family called him by nicknames including Drum, Tod, and Dodo. He was a member of a minor branch of the Mitfords of Mitford Castle in Northumberland. Although later sources would suggest that he was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh medical school, there is no evidence that he obtained a medical degree and he did not generally refer to himself as Dr. Mitford, preferring to style himself Esq.. In 1784, he is listed in a Hampshire directory as surgeon (medicine) of Alresford. His father and grandfather worked as apothecary-surgeons and it seems likely that he served a medical apprenticeship with family members.
He married Mary Russell on October 17, 1785 at New Alresford, Hampshire. On the marriage allegation papers, both gave their addresses as Old Alresford; they later came to live at Broad Street in New Alresford. Their only child to live to adulthood, Mary Russell Mitford, was born two years later on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire. He assisted Mitford's literary career by representing her interests in London and elsewhere with theater owners and publishers. He was active in Whig politics and later served as a local magistrate. He coursed greyhounds with his friend James Webb.
—lmw & MamaMary Russell Mitford, or: Mrs. Mitford | Born: 1750 in Ashe, Hampshire, England. Died: 1830-01-02 in Three Mile Cross, parish of Shinfield, Berkshire, England.
Mary Russell was the youngest child of the Rev. Dr. Richard Russell and his second wife, Mary Dicker; she was born about 1750 in Ashe, Hampshire. (Her birth date is as yet unverified; period sources indicate that she was ten years older than her husband George, born in 1760.) Through the Russells, she was a distant relation of the Dukes of Bedford (sixth creation, 1694). She had two siblings, Charles William and Frances; both predeceased her and their parents, which resulted in Mary Russell inheriting her family’s entire estate upon her mother’s death in 1785. Her father’s rectory in Ashe was only a short distance from Steventon, and so she was acquainted with the young Jane Austen. She married George Mitford or Midford on October 17, 1785 at New Alresford, Hampshire. On the marriage allegation papers, both gave their addresses as Old Alresford. Their only daughter, Mary Russell Mitford, was born two years later on December 16, 1787 at New Alresford, Hampshire. Mary Russell died on January 2, 1830 at Three Mile Cross in the parish of Shinfield, Berkshire. Her obituary in the 1830 New Monthly Magazine gives New Year’s day as the date of her death.—ajc, lmw
desire their kindest regards—write—& above all—come.

The white kittenwhite kitten
Female white kitten belonging to Mitford that she proposes to give to Elford. Mitford variously proposes to name the kitten Selima (after the kitten's father Selim) or Grizzy (after the character in Ferrier's novel Marriage). Unknown whether Elford eventually takes the kitten. Dates unknown.—lmw sends her duty.