Page:The house of Cecil.djvu/78

 58 THE CECILS

Mrs. Anne Cycille, whereunto the Queen hath gyven her consent." The Earl was eccentric, extravagant and dissolute, and the result was such as an affectionate parent might have foreseen. During Oxford's absence on the Continent in 1575 1576, he received some reports which disturbed him, and coming home at Burghley's request, he behaved in a most extraordinary manner, refusing to see his wife, or to formulate any grounds of complaint against her. In April, 1576, he writes to Burghley that :

" Until he can better satisfy himself concerning certain ' mislikes ' he is not determined to accompany her. What these are he will not publish until it shall please him, neither will he weary his life any more with such troubles and molestations as he has endured, nor to please his lordship discontent himself. With regard to his lord- ship's offer to receive her into his own house, it doth very well content him, for there, as his lordship's daughter (or her mother's), rather than as his wife, his lordship may take comfort of her and he himself be well rid of the cumber, whereby he doubts not he will be well eased of many griefs. She hath a sufficient portion for her maintenance."

He expresses his regret that this had not been arranged by private conference without thus becoming " the fable of the world and raising open suspicions, to his wife's disgrace and to his own increased misliking." l

1 Hatfield MSS., II. 375. The same volume contains many docu- ments dealing with this subject, including notes by Burghley of his proposals for the separate maintenance of the Countess, memoranda of the " good offices rendered by him from time to time to the Earl and the latter 's subsequent ingratitude," and notes of the amount of money

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