vi INTRODUCTION. Referring to Collins' " Historical Collections of the noble families of Cavendish, Holles, Vere, Harley and Ogle," (Lond. 1752) for the earlier notices of the distinguished family of Harley, it may be well, for the illustration of these letters, to state that Sir Robert Harley, the husband of the Lady Brilliana, was the son of Thomas Harley, of Brampton Bryan Castle, by Margaret daughter of Sir Andrew Corbet, of Morton Corbet in the county of Salop, and born at Wigmore Re- Wigmore Castle, and baptised there 1st March, 1679.a His father, gister. born about 1548, was sheriff 36° Elizabeth, and again in the last year of that reign and in the first of James, in which year he had the grant from the King of the honour of Wigmore Castle. He was b Collins, p. 197. in frequent state employments,b in the council of William Lord Compton, President of the Marches of Wales, and " very consider- able for his affluence both of fortune and ability, and distinguished himself by the sagacity of his counsels to the King, against the measures then in pursuit, as tending to involve his Majesty or his son in a war with his people." Quitting public employment, he retired to his estate, where he lived in the exercise of a noble hos- pitality, and died at an advanced age, and was buried at Brampton e Brampton Bryan 19th March, 1631.° Bryan Register. The mother of Sir Robert having died when he was young, his early education was entrusted to his uncle Richard Harley, an d The Auditor's accomplished scholar. He afterwards entered Oriel college,d under Notes. the tutorage of the Rev. Cadwallader Owen,e reputed a great dis- Wood's Fasti by Bliss, i. 455. putant, and commonly known as " Sic Doceo ;" at which place he must have been held in high esteem, for on the motion of the Letter in Ap- Provost, 1641,£ his arms were placed in a window 'of the new pendix. hall, built about this time, where they still are to be seen. Having taken the degree of Bachelor of Arts, he removed to the Inner g Collins,p.i98.Temple,g where he associated with men of the first rank and in- fluence in that society, and remained there until the coronation of
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