Page:Poems of Anne Countess of Winchilsea 1903.djvu/52

 xlviii INTRODUCTION ���Most of the antiquarian research of which we find definite record occurred in the years 1720-1726, or after Lady Win- chilsea's death, but inasmuch as Lord Winchilsea was elected president of the Society of Antiquaries as early as 1717, and was recognized as early as 1703 as the natural judge and custodian of antiquarian treasures found in that region, we cannot escape the conclusion that Roman roads, Roman ruins, mortuary urns, ancient brasses and coins, and worm- eaten manuscripts loomed large among the interests of this Eastwell life. �From Lord Winchilsea' s antiquarian labors and letters we get more than a hint of his character. He shows him- self capable of strong enthusiasms, and he is prompt, ener- getic, and optimistic in carrying them out. He is, withal, gay in spirit, and with a sense of humor that turns even his failures into fun. He lives an easy, genial, unambitious life. His interests are varied and dilletante. If Durolenum remains elusive, why there are still manuscripts to be illumi- nated. If the "blew and carmine" fail, the rabbit burrows still hold out possibilities in the way of urns and rings and bones. He has no occupation so strenuous or important as to interrupt the peaceful tenor of his days. �But antiquarian research was far from being his only interest. From a leather-bound, silver-clasped duodecimo copy of Rider's Almanac, on the blank pages of which Lord Winchilsea recorded important domestic incidents, we gain many suggestive hints concerning life at Eastwell. The Almanac is for 1723, but the events recorded are not merely of that year. He apparently made the little book a repository for any family dates or happenings that seemed interesting to him. The dates from 1713 to 1719 have chiefly to do with "my several Try alls in Chan- cery," and there are dates of important deeds of sale, showing that after the death of Charles there were many ��� �