Lady Cowper's Diaries September 1716

Illustrated London News 1862

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September 1716  

The Prince & Princess din’d in publick every day, in the Princesses appartment. The Lady in waiting serv’d at the table. My ill health prevented my doing that service at all, except one day that the Princess went to Windsor. In the afternoon the Princess saw company or read, or writt, till the evening, & then walked in the garden, sometimes two or three hours together, & then went into the pavillion  at the end of the bowling green & plaid there. This she did very frequently, till one rainy & dark night, the Countess of Buckenburgh fell, & put her foot out of joint; & I think after that accident the Princess went there no more but used to play in the green gallery from nine to about half an hour past ten. The Duchess of Monmouth us’d to be often there. The Princess lov’d her mightily, & certainly no woman of her years ever deserv’d it so well. She had all the life & fire that she could have had in her youth, & it was marvelous to see, that the many afflictions she had suffer’d, had not touched her wit & good nature but at upwards of threescore she injoy’d both in their full perfection.  

When the Princess supt alone, then she us’d to ask company to sup with her, in the Countess of Buckenburgh’s chamber, & I can’t but set down one remarkable instance which happen’d there. At table was the Princess, the Countess of Buckenburgh, myself, Lady Townsend, the Duchess of Shrewsbury & the Duchess of St Albans & all their fortunes together did not make eleven thousand pounds.