Edward Herbert, baron Herbert of Chirbury (1583-1648).
[1152]Edward[EX], lord Herbert of Cherbery—vide memorandum[1153], 1672. Vide 8vo booke by ..., ubi his life, and description of a noble monument designed by him. Vide[1154] lib. B, Montgomery, p. 126.—Severall whispering places in Wales, one here at Montgomery:—<so I am told by> Meredith Lloyd.—Prophetick[1155], America—vide lib. B, Montgomery.
<James> Usher, Lord Primate of Ireland, was sent for by him, when in his death-bed, and he would have received the sacrament. He sayd indifferently of it that 'if there was good in any-thing 'twas in that,' or 'if it did no good 'twould doe no hurt.' The primate refused it, for which many blamed him. He dyed at his house in Queen street, very serenely; asked what was a clock, answer so ...: 'then,' sayd he, 'an houre hence I shall depart.' He then turned his head to the other side and expired. In his will he gave speciall order to have his white stone-horse (which he loved) to be well fed and carefully looked after as long as he lived. He had two libraries, one at London, the other at Montgomery; one[EY] wherof he gave to Jesus College, Oxon.
Vide his mother's, the[1156] ..., funerall sermon, preached at Chelsey by Dr. Donne, wherunto are annexed Latin and Greeke verses by her sonne, George Herbert.
Verses. Poemes.
Vide more of this lord in Lloyd's State-Worthies, 8vo. 1679.
Amici:—John Donne, D.D.; Sir John Danvers, etc.
[1157](August, 1648)—St. Giles-in-the-fields: 'August 5th, buried Edward, lord Herbert, baron of Cherbery.'
Mr. <Thomas> Fludd tells me he had constantly prayers twice a day in his howse, and Sundayes would have his chaplayne read one of Smyth's sermons. Vide Mr. Davys, attorney.
[1158]Sir Edward Herbert, afterward lord Cherbery, etc., dyed at his house, in Queen street, in the parish of St. Giles in the fields, London, and lies interred in the chancell, under the lord Stanhope's inscription.
On a black marble grave-stone thus:
Heic inhumatur corpus
Edvardi Herbert, Equitis
Balnei, Baronis de Cherbury
et Castle-Island. Auctoris Libri
cui titulus est De Veritate.
Reddor ut herbae,
Vicessimo die Augusti,
Anno Domini 1648.
I have seem him severall times with Sir John Danvers: he was a black man.
Memorandum:—the castle of Montgomery was a most romancy seate. It stood upon a high promontory, the north side 30+ feete high. From hence is a most delightsome prospect, 4 severall wayes. Southwards, without the castle, is Prim-rose hill: vide Donne's Poems, p. 53.
Where, if Heaven would distill
A showre of raine, each severall drop might goe
To his owne prim-rose, and grow manna so;
And where their forme and their infinitie
Make a terrestriall galaxie,
As the small starres doe in the skie;
I walke to find a true-love, and I see
That 'tis not a meer woman that is shee,
But most, or more, or lesse than woman be, etc.
[LXXXI.] In the parke.
In this pleasant solitude did this noble lord enjoy his muse. Here he wrote his De Veritate. Dr. Coote (a Cambridge scholar and a learned) was one of his chaplains. Mr. Thomas Masters, of New College, Oxon, lived with him till 1642.
This stately castle was demolished since the late warres at the chardge of the countrey.