Earls of Middleton, Lords of Clermont and of Fettercairn

290 The Earls of Middleton.
" The two Messieurs Caryl, uncle and nephew,"
he writes, " have made much progress with the ladies
lately : the former possessed himself of Mamzell's
affections with two turns of the bowl, and the
nephew, surnamed Cupid, has conquered the countess
with a basket of strawberries. I think this affair will
go on very well, in her present state of anger against
you ; for Cupid has an air of wisdom, and will think
twice before speaking of letters she writes to him."
July 15th, the ladies, supposing Berwick might
very likely have committed suicide, in despair at the
disgrace into which he had fallen with them, deter-
mined to erect a monument to his memory. Mamzell
and the countess fixed on a haycock as the most
suitable, and sent out a melancholy-looking footman,
named St. Jean, to collect sufficient hay for the
purpose. While they were waiting, the two put
their heads together to invent a suitable epitaph.
After biting the nails of her left hand a little,
the countess wrote one beginning — " Here lies the
most tender pike that ever burned the water," etc.,
pike 1 being the nickname by which Berwick was
called.
The following sonnet was probably composed in
honour of Lady Mary Middleton, who must after-
wards have married Michael Comte de la Roche,
1 Brochet.