castles where she was
residing.

"She useth to arise at seven of the clock, and hath readye her
chapleyne to say with her mattins of the daye (that is, morning
prayers), and when she is fully readye, she hath a lowe mass in
her chamber. After mass she taketh something to recreate nature,
and soe goeth to the chapelle, hearinge the divine service and two
lowe masses. From thence to dynner, during the tyme of whih she
hath a lecture of holy matter (that is, reading from a religious
book), either Hilton of Contemplative and Active Life, or some
other spiritual and instructive work. After dynner she giveth
audyence to all such as hath any matter to shrive unto her, by the
space of one hower, and then sleepeth one quarter of an hower, and
after she hath slept she contynueth in prayer until the first
peale of even songe.

"In the tyme of supper she reciteth the lecture that was had at
dynner to those that be in her presence. After supper she
disposeth herself to be famyliare with her gentlewomen to the
seasoning of honest myrthe, and one hower before her going to bed
she taketh a cup of wine, and after that goeth to her pryvie
closette, and taketh her leave of God for all nighte, makinge end
of her prayers for that daye, and by eighte of the clocke is in
bedde."

The going to bed at eight o'clock was in keeping with the other
arrangements of the day, for we find by a record of the rules and
orders of the duchess's household that the dinner-hour was eleven, and
the supper was at four.

This lady, Richard's mother, during her married life, had no less than
twelve children. Their names were Anne, Henry, Edward, Edmund,
Elizabeth, Margaret, William, John, George, Thomas, Richard, and
Ursula. Thus Richard, the subject of this volume, was the eleventh,
that is, the last but one. A great many of these, Richard's brothers
and sisters, died while they were children. All the boys died thus
except four, namely, Edward, Edmund, George, and Richard. Of course,
it is only with those four that we have any thing to do in the present
narrative.

Several of the other children, however, besides these three, lived for
some time. They resided generally with their mother while they were
young, but as they grew up they were often separated both from her and
from their father--the duke, their father, being often called away
from home, in the course of the va