Page:A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country (1804).djvu/326

312 had a learned education, and was married to Sir John Davies, the king's first serjeant-at-law in England, and attorney-general in Ireland, by whom she was the mother of one son, a perfect ideot, who died young, and of one daughter. Three months after the death of Sir John, she was married to Archibald Douglas, but was not happy with either of her husbands, on account of her pretences to inspiration, and the offence her publications gave, one of which at least was burnt by each of them. The first of her works which appeared had this fantastic title: ''The Lady Eleanor, her Appeal. Present this to Mr. Mace, the Prophet of the Most High, his Messenger, Printed in the Year'' 1646. It contains forty pages, and concludes with this anagram:

She became acquainted, in 1625, with a Scotch lad, about the age of thirteen, who was called the Dumb Boy, or Fortune Teller, who, in a sort of whistling voice, like a bird, was supposed to foretel events, and to whom the Lady Davies shewed great favour. A great outcry was, however, soon raised against him as a witch or wizard, and he was obliged to leave the place, when, to confound his persecutors (says the lady), the spirit of prophecy fell upon me; then were all vexed worse than ever, ready to turn the house upside down, laying this to his charge.

On this, she laid aside all household cares, and versation