The Two Duchesses, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, Elizabeth, Duchess of Devonshire (Classic Reprint)

Elizabeth. In early life she married John Thomas Foster, M.P., of Stonehouse, County Louth. They (G eorgiana and Elizabeth) travelled together at different times on the Continent. On one of these occasions, in 1787, they met Edward Gibbon, the historian, at Lausanne. He had then just finished his History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He read to Lady Elizabeth Foster some of the concluding passages, and her admiration was so warmly expressed that Gibbon suddenly surprised her by an offer of his hand. The offer was declined, but Gibbon took the disappointment philosophically, and, while his estimate of her fascinations remained as high as ever, his friendly feelings towards her underwent no change. Comparing her with the first Duchess, he writes: Bess is much nearer the level of a mortal, but a mortal for whom the wisest man, historic or medical, would throw away two or three worlds if he had them in possession .H ealso gave it as his opinion that, if she chose to beckon the Lord Chancellor from his woolsack in full sight of the world, he could not resist obedience .I n1809 sne became the second wife of the fifth Duke of Devonshire, and, after the death of her husband, she took up her residence in Rome, where she enjoyed the friendship of some of the most distinguished Italians and foreign residents, and her house became the great resort of the brilliant society gathered together in Rome from all countries. Ticknor relates that he went to her conversaziones as to a great exchange to see who is in Rome, and to meet what is called the world .. .. She spent large sums in excavations at the Forum, and with considerable success, and she was one of the most liberal patrons of the fine arts.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

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