THE DISPENSER OF CHARI1 Y. convenient opportunity, she would take subjects of discourse from these papers, and descant thereon, " So that, though she had not many books in her chamber, yet it was dressed up with the flowers of a library." Two ladies, " of superior accomplishments," con- stantly resided with the Countess, and afforded her the advantages of their society and conversation. A large retinue of servants generally filled her castles ; for with her usual princely liberality, she desired to give a livelihood to the children of many of her tenants, and therefore retained them in her service, although she was so averse to parade of any kind. Anticipating, with the calmness of a trusting Christian, her approaching death, when she was about eighty-five, the Countess of Pembroke built for herself .a monument of black and white marble in Appleby Church. This church, with six others, she had rescued from decay and ruin ; she had almost entirely rebuilt it, and had purchased lands at Sowerby, in Westmoreland, of eight pounds per annum value, for the repairing the church, school- house, town-hall, and bridge at Appleby. On re- building a great part of the church at Skepton-in- Craven, she had erected a fine monument to her father's memory. She had also raised a monument to her mother's memory,, by the side of the road between Penrith and Appleby ; a pillar, which was known in the county as " The Countess's Pillar," 43
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=