Duke of Buckingham, and afterwards in the third Year of King Charles I. ftabbed by Felton, because he had by his Measures brought upon himself the public Hatred. This is that Sir George Villars, of whofe Appearance, in order to forewarn his Son of his approaching Fate, Lord Clarendon relates the following Story:

There was, fays he, an Officer in the King's Wardrobe in Windfor Caftle, of a good Reputation for Honesty and Discretion, and then about the Age of fifty Years or more: This Man had, in hist Youth, been bred in a School in the Parish where Sir George Villars the Father of the Duke lived; and had been much cherished and obliged, in that Seafon of his Age, by that Gentleman, whom afterwards he never faw. About fix Months before the miferable End of the Duke of Buckingham, about Midnight, this Man being in his Bed at Windfor, where his Office was, and in very good Health, there appeared to him on the Side of his Bed, a Man of a venerable Afpect, who drew the Curtains of his Bed, and fixing his Eyes upon him, afked him, if he knew him? The poor Man, half dead with Fear and Apprehenfion; being asked the fecond Time, Whether he remembered him? And having in that Time called to his Memory the Prefence of Sir George Villars, and the very Cloaths he used to wear, in which he then feemed to be habited, he answered him, That he thought him to be that Perfon. He replied, "he was in the "Right; that he was the fame, and that he ex"pected a Service from him; which was, that he "hould go from him to his Son the Duke of "Buckingham, and tell him, if he did not fome"what to ingratiate himself to the People, or, at "leaft, to abate the extreme Malice they had "against him, he would be fuffered to live but a "fhort Time." After this Discourse he difap

peared;

peared; and the poor Man, if he had been at all waking, flept very well till Morning, when he believed all this to be a Dream, and confidered it no otherwife.

The next Night, or fhortly after, the fame Perfon appeared to him again in the fame Place, and about the fame Time of the Night, with an Afpect a little more fevere than before; and asked him, Whether he had done as he had required him? and perceiving he had not, gave him very fevere Reprehenfions; told him, "He expected more Com"pliance from him; and that if he did not per"form his Commands, he should enjoy no Peace ❝ of Mind, but should be always purfued by him :" Upon which, he promised to obey him. But the next Morning waking out of a good Sleep, though he was exceedingly perplexed with the lively Representation of all Particulars to his Memory, he was willing ftill to perfuade himself that he had only dreamed: And confidered, that he was a Perfon at fuch a Distance from the Duke, that he knew not how to find any Admiffion to his Prefence; much lefs had any Hope to be believed in what he should fay. So with great Trouble and Unquietness, he spent fome Time in thinking what he should do; and in the End refolved to do nothing in the Matter.

The fame Perfon appeared to him the third Time with a terrible Countenance, and bitterly reproached him for not performing what he had promised to do. The poor Man had by this Time recovered the Courage to tell him, "That in Truth he had "deferred the Execution of his Commands, upon "confidering how difficult a Thing it would be "for him to get any Access to the Duke, having "Acquaintance with no Perfon about him; and if "he could obtain Admiffion to him, he should "never be able to perfuade him that he was fent

" in

"in fuch a Manner; but he fhould, at beft, be "thought to be mad, or to be fet on and employ"ed by his own, or the Malice of other Men, to "abuse the Duke, and fo he fhould be fure to be *" undone." The Perfon reply'd, as he had done before, "That he should never find Reft, till he

had performed what he required; and therefore "" he were better to dispatch it: That the Access to "his Son was known to be very easy; and that few

Men waited long for him; and for the gaining him Credit, he would tell him two or three Par"ticulars, which he charged him never to mention "to any Perfon living, but to the Duke himself; " and he should no fooner hear them, but he would "believe all the rest he fhould fay:" And fo repeating his Threats he left him.

In the Morning the poor Man, more confirmed by the laft Appearance, made his Journey to London, where the Court then was. He was very well known to Sir Ralph Freeman, one of the Masters of Requests, who had married a Lady nearly allied to the Duke, and who was himself well received by him. To him this Man went; and though he did not acquaint him with all Particulars, he faid enough to him, to let him fee there was fomething extraordinary in it; and the Knowledge he had of the Sobriety and Difcretion, of the Man, made the more Impreffion in him. He defired, that," by his "Means he might be brought to the Duke, to fuch

a Place, and in fuch a Manner, as fhould be thought fit; affirming, "That he had much to fay to him; and of fuch a Nature, as would re"quire Privacy, and fome Time and Patience in "the Hearing." Sir Ralph promifed, "He would

fpeak firft with the Duke of him, and then he "fhould underftand his Pleasure :' And accordingly, the firft Opportunity, he did inform the Duke of the Reputation and Honesty of the Man,

and

4

and then what he defired, and of all he knew of the Matter. The Duke, according to his usual Condefcenfion, told him," That he was the next "Day early to hunt with the King; that his Horfes "fhould attend him at Lambeth-Bridge, where he "would land by five of the Clock in the Morning; "and if the Man attended him there at that Hour, "he would walk, and fpeak with him, as long as "should be neceffary." Sir Ralph carried the Man with him the next Morning, and presented him to the Duke, at his landing, who received him courteously; and walked afide in Conference with him near an Hour, none but his own Servants being then in the Place, and they and Sir Ralph at fuch a Diftance, that they could not hear a Word, tho' the Duke fometimes fpoke with great Commotion; which Sir Ralph the more eafily obferved, becaufe he kept his Eyes always fixed-upon him. And the Man told him in his Return over the Water, “That "when he mentioned thofe Particulars which were to gain him Credit, the Subftance whereof he faid he durft not impart to him, the Duke's Colour changed, and he fwore he could come to that Knowledge only by the Devil; for that those "Particulars were known but to himself and to one "Perfon more, who, he was fure, would never "fpeak of 'em."

This Story, which Clarendon has introduced with much Solemnity, is the more remarkable, as, ever after, the Duke appeared abroad with Omens of Misfortune in his Countenance; his unfteady Mo - tions, his dark Expreffions, his earneftly recommending his Wife and Children to be remembered. by Bishop Laud to his Royal Master; his frequent folitary Interviews with his Mother, and his Reflec-tions upon the tender Ties of Nature, and the Endearments of Life which he was to leave behind him, amount to more than a bare Prefumption, that

from

from the Moment he was made acquainted with the Errand of his deceafed Father, he became ftrongly poffeft with the Apprehenfions of his approaching Fate. Sir George died in 1619, and the Duke was ftabbed in 1628.

Near this Tomb was buried a Son of the Marquis of Hamilton, who died in 1638. The Marquis himfelf, after a Life of ftrange Viciffitude, being engaged in the long and bloody civil Wars during the Reign of Charles I. was at length, after the Murder of his Royal Mafter, cut off by the Ufurper; and, together with the Lords Capel and Holland, fell a Sacrifice to the Policy of thofe unhappy Times, when none were fuffered to live who had Courage to oppofe the prevailing Faction.

Near the forementioned Tomb is interred Elizabeth Countess of Derby, Wife of William Stanley Earl of Derby, eldest Daughter of Edward de Vere Earl of Oxford; Grand Daughter of Lord Burleigh, who died in 1626.

In this Chapel lies interred Algernon Seymour, Duke of Somerset, Earl of Hertford, Northumberland, and Egremont; Viscount Beauchamp of Hacche; Baron Dercy of Alnwick, in the County of Northumberland; Baron Lucy Poynings, Fitz-Payne, Bryan, Latimer, Beauchamp of Hacche; Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, in the County of Wilts; Baron Warkworth of Warkworth Castle, in the County of Northumberland; and Baron of Cockermouth, in the County of Cumberland, Lord of the Honours of Cockermouth and Petworth, General of Horfe, Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Horse-Guards, Governor of the Ifland of Guernfey and Tinmouth Caftle, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Suffex, &c. He died Feb. 7, 1750. His Banners, &c. hang over the Monument of Lady Ross.

Frances, Relict of Algernon Duke of Somerset, eldeft Daughter and Coheirefs of the Honourable Henry Thynne, Efq; died July the 7th, 1754. Her Ban

ners