that by far the most lasting and intimate of his connexions of this latter kind was with the Bridgewater branch of the Countess-Dowager of Derby's family. As late as 1653, when Lawes published the first part of perhaps his chief musical work, called Ayres and Dialogues for one, two, and three voices, he dedicated the volume "to the Right Honourable the two most excellent sisters, Alice, Countess of Carbery, and Mary, Lady Herbert of Cherbury and Castle-island, daughters to the Right Honourable John, Earl of Bridgewater." The dedication runs thus: "No sooner had I thought of making "these public than of inscribing them to your Ladyships, most of "them being composed when I was employed by your ever-honoured "parents to attend your Ladyships' education in music; who (as in "other accomplishments fit for persons of your quality) excelled "most ladies, especially in vocal music, wherein you were so "absolute that you gave life and honour to all I set and taught you, "and that with more understanding than a new generation, pretend"ing to skill, (I dare say) are capable of." Now, the two ladies thus addressed are no other than two of those enumerated above as constituting the third group of the Countess - Dowager of Derby's relatives and descendants, surrounding her, or occasionally visiting her, at Harefield, about 1633. They were (Mary) the fourth and (Alice) the eighth of her granddaughters of the Bridgewater branch, young and unmarried in 1633, but, when Lawes wrote the dedication, married and matronly. The dedication certifies that Lawes was a teacher of music in the Bridgewater family when these two ladies were unmarried girls. How far back does that carry the connexion of Lawes with the Bridgewater family? Not to mention documentary evidence showing that in 1642 the relationship of the musician to the family was already peculiarly intimate and of old standing, we have positive proof in Comus that it was fully established in 1634. The songs in that masque were set to music by Lawes; he was one of the actors in it, and the manager of the affair generally; and, besides the above-mentioned Lady Alice Egerton, he had for his fellowperformers in the masque two other pupils of his in the Bridgewater family: viz., her brothers and juniors, young Lord Brackley and young Mr. Thomas Egerton. (For farther particulars, see Introduction to Comus.) As early as 1634, therefore, Lawes was on the friendliest professional footing with the Bridgewater family, much in their society, and superintending not only their musical studies, but all their tasteful relaxations. All that is farther necessary for our present purpose is the supposition that the connexion had then lasted a year or two. And this is sufficiently likely. Not only in Lawes's dedication of Comus by itself to Lord Brackley in 1637 do we hear of the " many favours" with which he had been "long obliged" by Lord Brackley's parents, the Earl and Countess of Bridgewater (see the Dedication, prefixed to Comus); but it seems fair to assume that he who in 1634 was the successful and respected musical teacher of the three youngest of the family (Lady Alice, Lord Brackley, and Mr. Thomas Egerton), and who is known to have been the teacher of at least one of the family who was considerably older (Lady Mary), had been already for some time before 1634 connected with the family, and may have taught other members of it besides the four mentioned. In short, if we throw all the known facts into the strictest likelihood, it takes this form :-In 1633, Henry Lawes, then about thirty-three years of age, and already of distinction in the English musical world, though with much of his reputation still to make, reckoned among his chief patrons and employers the Earl and Countess of Bridgewater, who were the stepson and own daughter of the Countess - Dowager of Derby; and among his most hopeful pupils were several of the children of the Earl and Countess, grandchildren of the Countess-Dowager. Others of the Countess-Dowager's grandchildren may have been pupils of Lawes; but those of the Bridgewater branch were the most musical in their tastes, and it was to them, in their town-house in the Barbican, or in their country-seat at Ashridge, that Lawes's visits were most frequent. Quite possibly, it was they, the most numerous group of the Countess - Dowager of Derby's grandchildren, that originated the notion of a masque in her honour. But, even if some of her relatives of the other groups were concerned in the plan, or admitted into it, the singing parts would fall to the Bridgewaters, and the arrangement of the music, and the general management, to their instructor, Lawes. Business of this kind was part of the profession of musical composers in those days, and Lawes, as we shall find (Introd. to Comus), was an expert in it. An additional argument in favour of the idea that Lawes was the manager of the entertainment and arranged its music is found in the fact that the poetry for it was furnished by Milton. It has been imagined, indeed, that there may have been some bond of acquaint anceship between Milton and the Bridgewater family, or between Milton and others of the Countess-Dowager of Derby's numerous progeny, independently of Lawes. Might not such a bond have arisen from business-relations of Milton's father, the scrivener, with the noble house? All that we can say is that such may have been the case, for every life has minute ramifications not recoverable by biography. But it is mere conjecture, whereas Milton's intimacy with Lawes is a known fact. The friendship between the two, of which many interesting proofs remain, may have begun even in Milton's boyhood. As Milton's own father was a noted musician, there can have been few musical artists in London that were not occasional visitors in the house in Bread Street; and there were many things in Lawes, when once he and the younger Milton were brought together, to rivet an attachment to him. Often, when in London from Cambridge in vacation-time, Milton would see Lawes, to talk with him on musical and poetical matters (for Lawes could write verse as well as compose airs), and to learn what songs of Herrick, Carew, or other living or dead English poets he had been last setting to music. Possibly already he had done that honour to some little pieces of Milton's own; and, at all events, Milton's poetical powers were known to him. Accordingly, when the notion of the entertainment at Harefield had been started, and when Lawes and his Bridgewater pupils, if our idea is correct, were busy over the project, it was to Milton that Lawes applied for the necessary words or libretto. We can see what happened. Lawes explained to Milton the circumstances of the proposed entertainment and the kind of thing that was wanted, a speech and a song or two, to form the poetical core of some larger pageant or show; and Milton, having meditated the affair for a few days, produced Arcades or The Arcadians. Let the reader now go back in imagination to Harefield on a spring or summer evening two centuries and a half ago. Certain revels or pageants in the grounds have perhaps preceded, and the time, we say, seems now to be evening. Harefield House is lit up; and in front of it, on a throne of state, arranged so as to glitter in the light, is seated the aged Countess, with the seniors of the assembled party around her as spectators. Suddenly torches are seen flickering among the trees in the park, and out from among those trees, towards where the Countess is sitting, there bursts a band of nymphs and shepherds. They are, in fact, "some noble persons of her family, who appear on the scene in pastoral habit, moving toward the seat of state." When they have approached near enough, they pause, as if overcome by the splendour of the vision before them; and then one voice breaks out from the rest in recognition of the Countess. This is the first Song: "Look, Nymphs and Shepherds, look! What sudden blaze of majesty Is that" etc. This song ended, the nymphs and shepherds renew their approach to the object of their wonder; but, "as they come forward, the Genius of the Wood [Lawes ?] appears, and turning toward them speaks." The speech of this Genius of the Wood is in eighty-three lines of blank verse. In it the Genius first addresses the shepherds, or male performers in the masque, and tells them he recognises them, through their disguise, as noble Arcadians; then he addresses the nymphs in a similar strain; then, after introducing himself as the Genius of the Wood, describing his occupations in that capacity, and descanting on his particular affection for music, and his desire to do his best in that art in praise of her whom he has often admired in secret as the Queen of the place, and whom his auditory have come to gaze upon, he offers to lead them to her. Accordingly, lute or other instrument in hand, he advances, with this song, probably in solo : "O'er the smooth enamelled green, Where no print of step hath been, Following him, the masquers do obeisance to the Lady, and range themselves round her; whereupon there is a third and concluding song, probably by many voices, madrigal-wise, and ending with a repetition of the final words of the previous song: The entertainment was probably not yet over; but whatever more of it there was, out-of-doors or within-doors, was not of Milton's composition. Had Milton gone to Harefield to see his Arcades performed? It would be interesting to think that he had, and that the eyes of the venerable lady who, in her youth, had known Spenser and seen Shakespeare, may have rested with liking on this, their successor among English poets. There is one piece of evidence, however, which seems to debar the pleasure of any such romance. The original draft of the poem in Milton's own hand among the Cambridge MSS. was entitled at first simply "Part of a Maske"; and the title ARCADES is an after-insertion with his pen, in what can be proved to be his later handwriting, some time between 1639 and 1645. Now that insertion takes this form: "ARCADES: Part of an Entertainment at -"; a blank being left for the name of the place, as if Milton had forgotten it, or had never ascertained it. Before he could complete the title, as it now stands, for the edition of his Poems in 1645, he had probably to apply to Lawes. Of course, however, he cannot have forgotten that it was in honour of the venerable Countess-Dowager of Derby, Spenser's Amaryllis in her youth, that he had written the poem. And in this fact alone there is romance enough for us now. It brings Spenser and Milton picturesquely together within.one length of Time's outstretched hand. "Vouchsafe, noble Lady," Spenser had said to Lady Strange in 1591, when dedicating to her his Teares of the Muses, "to accept this simple "remembrance, though not worthy of yourself, yet such as perhaps, "by your acceptance thereof, you may hereafter cull out a more "meet and memorable evidence of your own excellent deserts." May we not fondly construe these words into a prophecy in 1591 of Milton's Arcades in the same lady's honour in 1633? The Countess-Dowager of Derby survived the entertainment only a year or two. She died at Harefield, Jan. 26, 1636-7, at the age of about seventy-five. After her death the estate of Harefield descended to Lady Chandos, then her only remaining daughter; at whose death, in 1647, it came to her son, Lord Chandos. He bequeathed it, at his death in 1655, to his wife Jane, Lady Chandos, who married, for her second husband, Sir William Sedley, Bart., and for her third, George Pitt, Esq., of Strathfieldsaye, Hampshire. In 1673 she vested her estates in her third husband and his heir; and, in 1675, she being still alive, Harefield was sold to Sir Richard Newdegate, Bart., of Arbury, Warwickshire. By this purchase Sir Richard Newdegate only re-acquired property which had formerly been in the possession of his family. They had parted with it in 1585 to a Chief |
