" (7)
We have spoken of the mother of Napoleon Buonaparte as a woman of
great force of character. Not less so was the mother of the Duke
of Wellington, whom her son strikingly resembled in features,
person, and character; while his father was principally
distinguished as a musical composer and performer. (8) But,
strange to say, Wellington's mother mistook him for a dunce; and,
for some reason or other, he was not such a favourite as her other
children, until his great deeds in after-life constrained her to
be proud of him.
The Napiers were blessed in both parents, but especially in their
mother, Lady Sarah Lennox, who early sought to inspire her sons'
minds with elevating thoughts, admiration of noble deeds, and a
chivalrous spirit, which became embodied in their lives, and
continued to sustain them, until death, in the path of duty
and of honour.
Among statesmen, lawyers, and divines, we find marked mention made
of the mothers of Lord Chancellors Bacon, Erskine, and Brougham--
all women of great ability, and, in the case of the first, of
great learning; as well as of the mothers of Canning, Curran, and
President Adams--of Herbert, Paley, and Wesley. Lord Brougham
speaks in terms almost approaching reverence of his grandmother,
the sister of Professor Robertson, as having been mainly
instrumental in instilling into his mind a strong desire for
information, and the first principles of that persevering energy
in the pursuit of every kind of knowledge which formed his
prominent characteristic throughout life.
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