INTRODUCTION. S OME Authors think, they cannot pay an higher compliment to a great Man, than by tracing out his pedigree for many ages backward. I am informed by a Gentleman, who has refided for many years among the Spaniards, and is well acquainted both with their language and hiftories, that a certain Hiftorian, who dedicated his work to the Emperor Charles, in order to prove that that Prince was the most antient, and confequently the most refpectable Monarch in the world, drew out a long genealogical table, wherein his origin was drawn in a direct line from Adam. This, he told me, was looked upon, by the common people, as a moft admirable performance, tho' it afforded matter of ridicule enough to every one who reflected, that, if Nobility be owing to nothing else but antient defcent, the meaneft beggar upon earth has as good a title to it as the greatest Prince *. * So true it is, what our late excellent Poet, Pope, obferves: "Boaft the pure blood of an illuftrious race, But by your father's worth if your's you rate, To dwell no longer, therefore, on a point, which will admit of no difpute, it may fuffice juft to intimate, that nothing can truly ennoble a man but virtue. The loftieft titles only ferve to render more infamous and contemptible, the man who fhews, by his deportment, that he is unworthy of them. Every one (according to the significant Spanish proverb,) is the fon of his own actions *: And who would not look with more veneration on one, who has proved a bleffing to mankind, though perhaps of fo obfcure an original that he never knew his own father, than on one who has nothing elfe to boast of, except a Coronet inherited from his ancestors. I was not led into these reflections from the leaft disrespect to antient Nobility. On the contrary, I am firmly perfuaded, that a Nobleman, distinguished no lefs for his virtues than his titles, may do infinitely more good in the world than a common Plebeian, fuppofing him to be of equal merit. Of this we cannot defire a stronger inftance, than the truly illuftrious Family we have here undertaken to give an account of, which can vie with the nobleft in this Kingdom for antiquity; and, what is far more to their honour, can be paralleled by few, for thofe virtues which dignify human nature. To enter on our fubject, without any farther preamble. It appears, with fufficient evidence, that, notwithstanding the violences committed by William the Norman, commonly, though falfly ftiled the Conqueror, in ftripping most of the English Gentry of their antient demefnes, yet many of them were fuffered to keep poffeffion, having not only recognized his title, and conformed to his Feudal Laws, but intermarried with his principal followers. Of this number, the House of CAVENDISH feems to have been, who, on the female fide, were the an * Cada uno es hijo de fus obras. cestors cestors of the noble Family we are now treating of; but on the male fide defcended from the Gernons, who took their name from Gernon Castle, being lineally defcended from Robert de Gernon, who came over in the Norman invafion, and for his good fervices had feveral Lordfhips beftowed upon him. This brave adventurer was no lefs diftinguished for his piety than his courage; for we find in old Records, that, befides the church of St. Peter in Gloucefter, he endowed two others with the revenues of certain lands, which he gave in perpetuity, for the better fupport of those who attended divine fervice. His fon married a daughter of Sir William Sackville, lineal ancestor of his Grace the Duke of Dorfet; which fhews the early affinity between two of the noblest families we have now in England. By this Lady he had iffue Ralph de Gernon, who left one fon, from whom defcended Sir Ralph and Geoffrey. Before we proceed any farther, it may not be improper juft to intimate, that, in the foregoing fhort geneological account, which we have endeavoured to trace back for near feven hundred years, it cannot be expected that we should be able to ascertain the dates, or give a minute detail of every particular perfon therein mentioned; nor intleed does our prefent defign require any fuch exactnefs. But as we are now come to that period, wherein the name of GERNON was loft in that of CAVENDISH, which it has ever fince retained, and fome interefting matters offer themfelves, which do great honour to this noble Race, we fhall be fomewhat more circumftantial. With regard to the two last persons we mentioned, to wit, Sir Ralph and Geoffrey; the former, having left no iffue, was fucceeded by his brother, who, about the year 1300, in the reign of Edward I. had his refidence at Moor-ball, in the Peak of Derbyshire. This Gentleman was fucceeded by his fon Roger, who married the daughter and heirefs of John Potton, b 2 Lord Lord of Cavendish, a village in Suffolk; which family feems, at that time, to have had larger poffeffions, and to be of more confequence in the county, than that of the Gernons: And this, we may prefume, was the reason why Roger took the name of Cavendish. He died in the year 1318, and left four fons, who were feated at Grinfton-ball in Suffolk, an eftate belonging to their mother. Sir John Cavendish, the eldest of these four fons, was bred to the Law, and held in fuch repute for his great learning and skill in his profeffion, that, in the forty-fixth year of Edward III, he was preferred to the high Office of Lord Chief Juftice of England; wherein he behaved with fuch ftrict honour and integrity, as to be continued in the fame poft when Richard II. fucceeded to the Throne. It unfortunately happened, that this worthy Magiftrate was in the country at the time when Wat Tyler's rebellion broke out, wherein fuch horrible outrages were committed, as will stand an eternal record, that no tyranny is fo dreadful, nor fo infupportable, as that of the rabble. These lawless mifcreants, (who had firft ftruck off the heads of several great perfonages, and then, with a wanton barbarity, fixed them on poles near to one another, that they might, as they scoffingly termed it, whisper each other in the ear,) having heard where the Chief Juftice was, against him their malice was doubly enraged, on account of the inflexible integrity wherewith he executed his office, and because he was a learned and an able Lawyer. But what rouzed their vengeance most of all, was, the news they had heard of his gallant fon, John Cavendish, having lately killed, in Smithfield, the Arch-rebel, Wat Tyler, whom they fo much idolized; of which incident we shall speak in the next paragraph. They rushed like a torrent into the house where the venerable Judge lodged, dragged him from thence into the Market-place of Bury, Bury, where they had dragged before the Prior of St. Edmund's, out of his Monaftery, and there cruelly murdered both, by ftriking off their heads. John Cavendish, Efq; eldest fon of the Chief Juftice, who thus fell a facrifice to the fworn enemies of learning and virtue, had the honour of being bred up at Court, and was one of the Gentlemen of the Chamber to King Richard II, when Wat Tyler entered London, at the head of his tumultuous defperadoes, who were now got as far as Smithfield. The King, on hearing of this infurrection, fet out from his palace at Weftminster, in order to quell this infolent Rebel, attended by a proper guard, and part of his Court, among whom was Mr. Cavendish. His Majefty, being arrived at Smithfield, had the pleasure to fee that he had ftill many loyal fubjects left; for here he found Sir John Walworth, Lord Mayor of London, accompanied by a large body of Citizens compleatly armed, and ready to venture their lives in his fervice. Upon this, the Sword-Bearer, by his Royal Master's command, rode up to Tyler, attended by the Lord Mayor, and others, to demand the cause of this Rebellion; but the infolent Rebel, not thinking himfelf treated with reverence enough, received this mesfage with a difdainful air; which fo irritated the Mayor, that he first arrested him of High Treafon, and, meeting with fome resistance, ftruck him with his dagger; but being too old and too feeble to repeat the blow, Mr. Cavendish advanced, with his fword drawn, juft as Wat was going to return it, and gave him his death's wound. It is to be regretted, that one who deferved to die by the hands of the hangman, fhould have fallen by such noble hands; but it was happy for the nation to get rid of fuch an incendiary by any means, as we find that the rabble, having loft their leader, were foon difperfed. One |