He had such confidence in her
judgment, that he read, and re-read, and corrected with her
assistance all that he wrote. Many of his pieces were first
dedicated to her; and her ready memory often supplied him with
the necessary references and quotations. Thus, in the roll
of noble wives of men of genius, Mrs. Hood will always be
entitled to take a foremost place.
Not less effective as a literary helper was Lady Napier, the wife
of Sir William Napier, historian of the Peninsular War. She
encouraged him to undertake the work, and without her help he
would have experienced great difficulty in completing it. She
translated and epitomized the immense mass of original documents,
many of them in cipher, on which it was in a great measure
founded. When the Duke of Wellington was told of the art and
industry she had displayed in deciphering King Joseph's portfolio,
and the immense mass of correspondence taken at Vittoria, he at
first would hardly believe it, adding--"I would have given
20,000L. to any person who could have done this for me in the
Peninsula." Sir William Napier's handwriting being almost
illegible, Lady Napier made out his rough interlined manuscript,
which he himself could scarcely read, and wrote out a full fair
copy for the printer; and all this vast labour she undertook and
accomplished, according to the testimony of her husband, without
having for a moment neglected the care and education of a large
family.
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