JOHN MARKHAM, the eldest, was seated at Sireston in the county of Nottingham, and died in his father's life time, leaving issue by Katharine his wife, daughter of Sir Anthony Babington, one son, Robert, who succeeded him, and two daughters: Sanchia, who married William de Hardwicke, and Anne, who died unmarried.* *"I, Dame Anthony Babington, wife of Sir Anthony Babington, Knight, bequethe to my daughter Markham a rynge, and to her daughter Anne Markham a tablet of gold. 24 Sept. 1587." - Dodsworth MSS. Sir John's second wife was Margery, daughter of Sir Ralf Langford of Langford, who bore him many children. His last wife was Anne, relict of Sir Richard Stanhope, daughter and coheir of Sir John Strelly, who was descended from Walter de Stradlegh in the time of Henry I. By her he had William Markham of Okely, who served as Member for the Borough of Nottingham in parliament held at Westminster, in the lst and 2nd of Philip and Mary. Thomas was the second son of Sir John by his third wife, and founder of the Ollerton branch of Markhams, of whom hereafter. Frances, the eldest daughter, married Henry Babington, and was mother of the unfortunate Anthony Babington, who was attainted in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, for conspiring to set at liberty Mary Queen of Scots, condemned and executed. Isabella Markham, the youngest, was maid of honour to Elizabeth, and one of the devoted ladies who, at the instigation of Bishop Gardiner, in Mary's reign, were seized and confined in the Tower. She seems to have been in high favour with her royal mistress, and was possessed of personal charms, which are thus celebrated in a sonnet from the pen of Sir John Harrington, when "he firste thoghte her fayre as she stode at the Princesse's windowe in goodlye attyre, and talkede to dyvers in the courte yarde." I Whence comes my love, O hearte! disclose. T'was from cheeks that shamed the rose, From lips that spoyle the rubie's prayse, From eyes that mocke the diamond's blayze. Whence comes my woe, as freely owne, Ah me! Twas from a hearte lyke stone. II The blushynge cheek speakes modeste mynde, The lips beffittinge wordes most kynde, The eye does tempte to love's desyre, And seems to saye, tis Cupid's fire, Yet all soe fayer, but speake my moane, Syth noghte dothe saye the hearte of stone. III Why thus, my love, so kynde bespeake, Sweete lyppe, sweete eye, sweet blushynge cheek, Yet not a hearte to save my paine, O Venus! Take thy gifts againe; Make not so faire to cause our moane, Or make a hearte that's lyke our owne. We find the same devoted admiration also in the following lines, to which there is no date, but they are thus entitled. JOHN HARRINGTON TO SWEETE ISABELLA MARKHAM. Marvellouse by thy matchles gyftes of mynde, And for thy shape, Erithnia rightlie growen; Recklese of prayse, a prayse rare in thy kinde. Great in desert, small in desyre, well knowen; A mansion meete, where chastitie doth dwell. Rype in all goode, of evill the sede unsowen, Endewed with thewse that do the rest excell, Temp'raunce hathe wonne and constancye doth holde; Wisdom hath taughte that myldness mastereth might.* * Nugæ Antiquæ, vol. Iv. p.256. sonnet xvi. So again in a sonnet which he heads "The Prayse of Six Gentlewomen attending on the Ladie Elizabeth her Grace, Hatfield House," he speaks of Isabella in these inflated terms. "To Markham's modest mynde, That Phœnix bird most rare, So have the gods assygnde, With Gryfylde to compare. Oh happie twice is hee, Whom Jove shall do the grace, To lynke in unitie, Such beautie to embrace!" Hitherto Sir John had only at a distance wooed the fair Isabel, by praising her beauty and modesty indirectly: he now takes a bolder step, and addresses her personally in good set terms. TO ISABELLA MARKHAM Lyke as the rage of rayne Fylls ryvers with excesse. And as the drowghte a gayne Doth make them lesse and lesse So I both fall and clyme, With no and yea somtyme. As they ryse hye and hye So doth encreace my state; As they fall drye and drye, So doth my wealthe abate As yea is match'd with no, My wealth is myxt with wo. As nothing can endure, That lyves and lacks relief; So no state may stand sure, Where change dothe rayne as chief Wherefore I must extend, To bow when others bend. And when they laugh, to smyle; And when they weepe, to wayle; And when they crafte, begyle, And when they fight, assayle: And thynck there is no chaunge, Can make them seeme so straunge. Oh! Most unhappie state, What wight may keepe such coorsse, To love that he shuld hate, Or ellse to do moche worsse; Theise be rewardes for suche, As lyve and love to moche.* * Nugæ Antiquæ, vol. iii, p.290,1, A.D. 1549. The consequence of these love passages, was a union between Sir John Harrington and "sweete Isabella Markham," which took place under the auspices of the Princess Elizabeth, not long before her committal to the Tower, in the year 1554. The misfortunes of Elizabeth fell with equal weight on those who were about her person, and Lady Harrington with her husband had their full share of them; for she was sequestered from the service of the princess, on account of her so called heretical opinions, and committed to a prison lodging in the Tower with her husband, whose offence was having carried a letter to Elizabeth. This indiscretion, if such it can be called, occurred some time before, as appears by a letter he sent to Gardiner, in which he complains of his own, as well as his wife's imprisonment, in these undaunted terms - "My Lord, "This mine humble prayer doth come with much sorrowe, for anie deede of evil that I have done to your lordshippe: but alas! I know of none, save such dutie to the Ladie Elizabeth as I am bounden to pay her at all times. And if this matter breedeth in you wrath toward her and me, I shall not in this my imprisonment repent thereof. My wife is her servant, and doth but rejoice in this our misery when we looke with whom we are holden in bondage. Our gracious King Henry did ever advance our families good estate, as did his pious father aforetime; wherefore our service is in remembrance of such good kindness, albeit there needeth none other cause to render our tendance, sith the Lady Elizabeth beareth such piety and godly affection to all virtue." The letter continues in the same strain, and thus ends. "If you should give ear to my complaint, it will bind me to thankfully repay this kindness, but if not, we will continue to suffer, and rest ourselves in God, whose mercy is sure and safe; and in all true love to her, the Princess Elizabeth, who doth honour us in tender sort, and scorneth not to shed her blood with ours. I commend your Lordshipp to God's appointment, and rest sorely afflicted, "JOHN HARRINGTON. "From the Tower, 1554." In the history of the Bishop of Winchester, written in the Nugæ Antiquæ by the son of Isabella Harrington, he bitterly complains of that prelate's cruelty, and thus concludes a philippic against him. "Lastly the plots he laid to entrap the Ladie Elizabeth, his terrible hard usage of all her followers, I cannot yet scarce think of with charity, nor write of with patience. My father, only for carrying a letter to the Ladie Elizabeth, and professing to wish her well, he kept in the Tower twelve moneths, and made him spend a thousand pounds ere he could be free of that trouble. My mother, that then served the said Ladie Elizabeth, he caused to be sequestered from her as an heretick, and she was glad to sojourn with one Mr. Topcliff; so I may say, in some sort, this bishop persecuted me before I was born." Elizabeth, when she came to the throne, did not forget the faithful and devoted conduct of her attached servants, or the sufferings they underwent for her sake. She distinguished them by many expressive tokens of her regard; amongst others by standing godmother to their son, and was little less intimate with them than with the best beloved of her own relations. The print of the Princess Elizabeth which fronts the second volume of the Nugæ Antiquæ, is taken from an original plate given by herself to her attendant Isabella Harrington, soon after her enlargement from the Tower. The poetical effusions of Sir John Harrington did not cease with the change of Isabella from the maiden to the marriage state. She still seems to have inspired his muse; and as a specimen of what was considered valuable in a wife of those times, and would be no bad hint to the ladies of the present day, I transcribe the following. JOHN HARRINGTON TO HIS WIFE, 1564. Yf dutye, wyfe, lead thee to deeme That trade most fytt I hold most deere, Fyrst God regard, next me esteeme, Our children then respect thou neare. Our house both sweet and cleanlie see, Order our fayre, thy maydes kepe short, Thy mirth with mean well myxed be, Thy courtesse partes in chaste wyse sorte, In sober weede thee cleanly dress; When joyes me rayse, thy cares downe cast, When grieves me grieve, thy solace cease; Who so me frynds, frynd them as fast. In peace gyve place, whatso I saye; A parte complayne, if cause thou fynde, Let lybrall lypps no trust bewray, Nor jelous humour payne thye mynd. If I thee wronge, thie greifes unfolde, If thou me vex, thine errour grant; To seek strange toyles be not too bold, The stryflesse bed no jarres may haunt. Small sleape and early prayer extend; The idle lyfe, as poison, hate; No credyte lyght nor moche speache spend; In open place no cawse debate. No thawarts, no frownes, no grudge, no stryfe; Eschew the badd, embrace the best; To throthe of worde joyne honest lyfe, And in my bosom buyld thye nest. How long the loving pair lived together, I have not ascertained; they resided however for the most part at Kelston, near Bath, and brought up a considerable family, of which John the eldest was as great a favourite with his godmother Queen Elizabeth, as his father had been. ...