she pressing me again, I sat down; and then she made her discourse of
England, and asked questions of the Queen's health and liking of our
country, with some little hints of her own and her family's condition,
which having continued better than half an hour, I took my leave.
During my stay at Court I several times waited on the Queen-Mother;
truly she was a very honourable, wise woman, and I believe had been
very handsome. She was magnificent in her discourse and nature, but in
the prudentest manner; she was ambitious, but not vain; she loved
government, and I do believe the quitting of it did shorten her life.

After saluting the ladies and noblemen of the Court, I went home as I
came. The next day the Secretary of State and his Lady came to visit
me: she had, at my arrival, sent me a present of sweetmeats. My
husband had left in this person's family one of his pages to improve
himself in writing and reading the Spanish tongue, until his return
again to that Court, when he went the last year to England, in
consideration of which we presented his Lady with a piece of India
plate, of about two hundred pounds sterling. They were both very
civil, worthy persons, and had formerly been in England, where the
King, Charles the First, had made his son an English Baron.[Footnote:
No record is known to exist of any foreigner having been created a
Peer by Charles the First: nor does it appear likely from the names of
persons created Baronets by Charles the First, that Lady Fanshawe
could mean Baronet. The splendid and elaborate work entitled the
"Memorias Genealogicas da Casa de Sousa," does not advert to the
circumstance.] She told me in discourse one day this of a French
Ambassador, that had lately been in that Court, and lodged next to
her:--

There was a numerous sort of people about the Ambassador's door, as is