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III.

CHARLES BLOUNT, LORD MOUNTJOY.

Described by Fynes Moryson in his "History of Ireland from 1599 to 1603."

ERE I take my pencil in hand to figure this noble lord's person, I must acknowledge my weakness such as I cannot fully apprehend his complete worthiness, and therefore desire that those of greater judgment to discern the same will impute all defects to the unskilfulness of the workman, and that with others to whom his lordship was less known my rude pen may not derogate anything from his due praise. Again, give me leave to remember that which I received from his mouth, that in his childhood, when his parents would have his picture, he chose to be drawn with a trowel in his hand, and this motto, Ad reædificandum antiquam domum, To Rebuild the Ancient House. For this noble and ancient barony was decayed, not so much by his progenitors' prodigality, as his father's obstinate addiction to the study and practice of alchemy, by which he so long laboured to increase his revenues, till he had almost fully consumed them. Now to the purpose, let us observe how he fulfilled this ominous presage, in rebuilding that noble House, till by his untimely death the same was fatally eclipsed again.

He was of stature tall, and of very comely proportion, his skin fair, with little hair on his body, which hair was of colour blackish, or inclining to black, and thin on his head, where he wore it short, except a lock under his left ear which he nourished the time of this war, and being woven up, hid it in his neck under

his ruff. The crown of his head was in his latter days something bald, as the forepart naturally curled. He only used the barber for his head, for the hair on his chin growing slowly, and that on his cheeks and throat, he used almost daily to cut it with his scissors, keeping it so low with his own hand that it could scarce be discerned, as likewise himself kept the hair of his upper lip something short, only suffering that under his nether lip to grow at length and full; yet some two or three years before his death he nourished a sharp and short piquedevant on his chin. His forehead was broad and high; his eyes great, black, and lovely ; his nose something low and short, and a little blunt in the end; his chin round; his cheeks full, round, and ruddy; his countenance cheerful, and as amiable as ever I beheld of any man; only some two years before his death, upon discontentment, his face grew thin, his ruddy colour failed, growing somewhat swarthy, and his countenance was sad and dejected. His arms were long, and of proportionable bigness; his hands long and white; his fingers great in the end, and his legs somewhat little, which he gartered ever above the knee, wearing the garter of St. George's Order under the left knee, except when he was booted, and so wore not that garter, but a blue ribbon instead thereof above his knee, and hanging over his boot.

The description of his apparel may be thought a needless curiosity, yet I must add some few words thereof, because, having promised the lively portraiture of his body as well as his mind, the same cannot otherwise be so lively represented to the imagination; besides that by his clothes some disabilities of his body to undertake this hard war may be conjectured, and especially the temper of his mind may be lively shadowed, since the wise man hath taught us that the apparel in some sort shows the man. His apparel in court and cities was commonly of white or black taffatas or satins, and he wore two, yea, sometimes three, pairs of silk stockings, with black silk grogram clocks, guarded, and ruffs

of comely depth and thickness, never wearing any falling band; black beaver hats with plain black bands; a taffata quilted waistcoat in summer, a scarlet waistcoat, and sometimes both, in winter. But in the country, and specially keeping the field in Ireland (yea, sometimes in the cities) he wore jerkins and round hose, for he never wore other fashion than round, with laced panes of russet cloth, and cloaks of the same cloth, lined with velvet, and white beaver hats with plain bands. And besides his ordinary stockings of silk, he wore under boots another pair of woollen or worsted, with a pair of high linen boot-hose; yea, three waistcoats in cold weather, and a thick ruff, besides a russet scarf about his neck thrice folded under it, so as I never observed any of his age or strength to keep his body so warm. He was very comely in all his apparel, but the robes of St. George's Order became him extraordinarily well.

For his diet, he used to fare plentifully and of the best, and as his means increased, so his table was better served, so that in his latter time no lord in England might compare with him in that kind of bounty. Before these wars he used to have nourishing breakfasts, as panadas and broths; but in the time of the war he used commonly to break his fast with a dry crust of bread, and in the spring-time with butter and sage, with a cup of stale beer, wherewith in winter he would have sugar and nutmeg mixed. He fed plentifully both at dinner and supper, having the choicest and most nourishing meats with the best wines, which he drunk plentifully, but never in great excess; and in his latter years (especially in the time of the war, as well when his night sleeps were broken as at other times upon full diet) he used to sleep in the afternoons, and that long, upon his bed. He took tobacco abundantly and of the best, which I think preserved him from sickness, especially in Ireland, where the foggy air of the bogs and waterish fowl, plenty of fish, and generally all meats, with the common sort always unsalted and green roasted, do most prejudice the health.

For he was very seldom sick, only he was troubled with the headache, which duly and constantly, like an ague, for many years till his death, took him once every three months and vehemently held him some three days; and himself in good part attributed as well the reducing of this pain to these certain and distant times as the ease he found therein to the virtue of this herb. He was very neat, loving cleanliness both in apparel and diet, and was so modest in the necessities of nature as myself being at all hours but time of sleep admitted into his chamber, and I think his most familiar friends, never saw him use any liberty therein out of the privilege of his private chamber, except perhaps in Irish journeys where he had no withdrawing room.

The tender using of his body, and his dainty fare before the wars, gave Tyrone occasion, upon hearing of his coming over, to jest at him, as if all occasions of doing service would be past ere he could be made ready and have his breakfast. But by woful experience he found this jesting to be the laughter of Solomon's fool. His behaviour was courtly, grave, and exceeding comely, especially in actions of solemn pomps. In his nature he loved private retiredness, with good fare and some few choice friends. He delighted in study, in gardens, an house richly furnished and delectable for rooms of retreat, in riding on a pad to take the air, in playing at shuffle-board or at cards, in reading play-books for recreation, and especially in fishing and fish-ponds, seldom using any other exercises, and using these rightly as pastimes only for a short and convenient time, and with great variety and change from one to the other. He was undoubtedly valiant and wise. He much affected glory and honour, and had a great desire to raise his House, being also frugal in gathering and saving, which in his latter days declined to vice, rather in greedy gathering than in restraining his former bounties of expense. So that howsoever his retiredness did alienate his mind from all action, yet his desire of honour and hope of reward and advancement by the wars,—

yea, of returning to this retiredness after the wars ended,-made him hotly embrace the forced course of the war; to which he was so fitted by his wisdom, valour, and frugality, that in short time he became a captain no less wise, wary, and deliberate in counsel than cheerful and bold in execution, and more covetous in issuing the public treasure than frugal in spending his own revenues.

Touching his affecting honour and glory, I may not omit that his most familiar friends must needs observe the discourses of his Irish actions to have been extraordinarily pleasing to him; so that, howsoever he was not prone to hold discourses with ladies, yet I have observed him more willingly drawn to those of this nature, with which the Irish ladies entertained him, than into any other. And as he had that commendable, yea, necessary, ability of a good captain, not only to fight and manage the war well abroad, but to write and set forth his actions to the full at home, so I have seldom observed any omission of like narrations in him, whereof he used to dilate the more weighty seriously, and to mention the smallest, at least by way of jest.

Of a layman he was the best divine I ever heard argue, especially for disputing against the papists out of the Fathers, Schoolmen, and above all out of the written Word, whereof some chapters were each night read to him, besides his never-intermitted prayers at morning and night. He never used swearing, but rather hated it, which I have often seen him control at his table with a frowning brow, and an angry cast of his black eye.

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