Page:The house of Cecil.djvu/89

 WILLIAM, LORD BURGHLEY 69

In March, 1588, his mother died at Burghley House, at the age of eighty-seven. On her monu- ment in St. Martin's, Stamford, she is described as " a very grave, religious, virtuous and worthy matron," who " delighted exceedingly in the works of piety and charity. She was crowned with much honour and comfort and by God's great blessing she lived to see her children and her children's children to the fourth and fifth generation l and that in a plentiful and honourable succession."

A few weeks later he lost his daughter Ann, the Countess of Oxford, and in the following year (April 4th, 1589) his cup of sorrow was filled to overflowing by the death of his dearly-loved wife, with whom he had lived in uninterrupted happiness for forty- three years. Lady Burghley and her daughter were both buried in Westminster Abbey and Burghley composed a long Latin inscription for their tomb. He also wrote a very interesting Meditation on the Death of his Lady, which is still extant 2 ; much of it is taken up with an account of her various gifts and charities, which she kept secret from her husband during her lifetime. The document concludes with the words : "' written at Colling's Lodge by me in sorrow."

From this great affliction Burghley never entirely recovered, and henceforward a certain

1 This is an exaggeration. Her eldest great-grandson, William, son of Thomas, was not married until January, 1589, so that there were no children of the fourth generation at the time of her death. The monument, which is of white alabaster, 13 feet high, has figures of Richard and Jane Cecil kneeling at a desk, with their three daughters below.

2 Among the Lansdowne MSS. at the British Museum (C. III. 51).

�� �