Today my cousin Jeanne came for a visit. We walked in the garden, in the hedgerow maze, so that we could get away from our governesses! This maze is amazing. ItΓÇÖs made of tall bushes that grow so close together they make solid walls, with passages you can get lost. At the center of the maze is a hidden fountain, where we can talk in private. Jeanne kindly gave me a ribbon from her dress, and said that if I came to London I could stay with her and her family.
Then the governesses called that it was time to go inside, so we found our way out of the maze and walked along the edge of the garden towards the big stone house. We could smell rosemary from the spice garden, and violets were peeping out from the bottom of the hedge. We took off our cloaks and went to my chambers for supper, which was mutton and rosemary cakes.
In the evening we sat next to the fireplace where it was warm. I read Bible verses out loud while Jeanne did her needlework. Her sampler has letters and numbers and ten different flowers, each one with its own colors. She has already finished two of the flowers, and they are so beautiful I almost think I can smell them! My governess makes me read every night. When I finish the Bible, I want to learn about Queen Elizabeth and the politics in London, which always seem so interesting
Mother and Jeanne's mother were also in the room. They played a card game called Gecko. We heard them laughing, and we tried to listen to their gossip, but my governess said it wasnΓÇÖt seemly and sent us to bed. I hope I go to visit London soon.
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From the diary of Anne Clifford, an Elizabethan noblewoman, who was one of the first published women diary writers in England.
May 1617
Upon the 1st I cut the Childs strings off from her coats & made her use to go about so as she had two or three falls at first but had no hurt with them.
A toddler had strings on its coat that the mother would hold to help support its early walking efforts. Cutting the strings off the coat is like taking the training wheels off of a bicycle.
Upon the 8th I spent the day in working the time being very tedious unto me as having neither Comfort nor Company only the Child.
Then, as now, baby-sitting could be wonderful or it could be a little boring.
Excerpted from Acheson, Katherine O., ed. The Diary of Anne Clifford, 1616-1619. New York, London: Garland Publishing, 1995, p. 82.
DollΓÇÖs Diary Source: Acheson, Katherine O., ed. The Diary of Anne Clifford, 1616-1619. New York, London: Garland Publishing, 1995.
