Brief Lives: Elizabeth Danvers. ^[716]His^[CY] mother, an Italian, prodigious parts for a woman. I have heard my father's mother say that she had Chaucer at her fingers' ends.

A great politician; great witt and spirit, but revengefull^[717].

Knew how to manage her estate as well as any man; understood jewells as well as any jeweller.

Very beautifull, but only short-sighted. To obtain pardons for her sonnes^[718] she maryed Sir Edmund Carey, cosen-german to queen Elizabeth, but kept him to hard meate.

Smyth of Smythcotes-Naboth's vineyard-digitus Dei^[CZ].

The arcanum-'traditio lampadis' in the family of Latimer^[DA] of poysoning king Henry 8-from my lady Purbec.

Notes.

Note 716. MS. Aubr. 8, fol. 25.

Note 717. Aubrey, in the margin, notes 'Anne Bulleyn.'

Note 718. For the murder of Henry Long.

[CY]. i.e. Henry, earl of Danby's. She was Elizabeth, daughter of John Nevill, the last lord Latimer. 'An Italian' may mean that she knew that language, among her other accomplishments. I can make nothing of a note added by Aubrey here, which seems to read '... Cowley, crop-ear'd.'

[CZ]. I do not know to what circumstance, in the history of the Danvers family, Aubrey here applies 1 Kings xxi. 19.

[DA]. Catherine Parr, last consort of Henry VIII, was widow of John, 3rd lord Latimer; and step-mother of John, 4th lord Latimer, the father of this Elizabeth Danvers, whose grand-daughter ('viscountess Purbeck') was Aubrey's informant.