From:  A Life of Anthony Ashley Cooper.  First Earl of Shaftesbury.  Vol. I.
“To the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury . . . This Life of His Celebrated and Much Maligned Ancestor Is Inscribed, In Acknowledgement of Aid Kindly Given For The Work, and As A Mark of Personal Respect.

APPENDIX I.  
Fragment of Autobiography, from birth (1621) to 1639.

[Footnote]:  
“1.  This fragment is printed from a copy at St. Gile’s.  With the copy are two pages of the original in Shaftesbury’s handwriting, reaching only to the top of p. vi.  So far the copy entirely agrees with the original.  The rest of the original has not been found.  There are possibly a few mistakes in the copy.  
2.	The opening passage of this fragment makes it clear that Shaftesbury composed it in his old age. . . .”

"My birth was at Wimborn St. Gyles in the county of Dorsett, on the 22d day of
July, 1621, early in the morning; my parents on both sides of a noble stock, being the first rank of gentry in those countries where they lived.  My mother's name was Anne, the sole daughter and heir of Sir Anthony Ashley, knight and
baronet, lord of the manor and place which I was born; my father, Sir John
Cooper, knight and baronet, son of Sir John Cooper, of Rockborn in the
county of Hamshyre [Hampshire].  I was christened by the name of Anthony
Ashley, for notwithstanding my grandfather had articled with my father and
his guardians that he should change his name to Ashley, yet, to make all sure
in the eldest, he resolved to add his name, so that it should not be parted
with.
	Sir Anthony Ashley was of a great age, but of strong sense and health; he had been for wisdom, courage, experience, skill in weapon, agility, and strength of body scarce paralleled in his age, of a large mind in all his actions, his person of the lowest.  His daughter was of the same stature, a modest and a virtuous woman, of a weaker mould, and not so stirring a mind as her father.  Sir John Cooper was very lovely and graceful both in face and person, of a moderate stature, neither too high nor too low, of an easy and an affiable nature, fair and just in all affairs.  
	Sir Anthony Ashley, although near fourscore, had married a young lady that was under twenty years of age, near of kin to the then great favourite, the Duke of Buckingham, from who he expected great preferment, and from her children; but he failed of his expectation in the first, and his age, with virtue of the young lady, could not help him to the latter, so that recollecting himself he resolved, and did accordingly settle all his fortunes in his lifetime, that they should com after his decease to my mother and father for their lives, and after that to me, without his own or their power to alter it, for he grew every day more and more fond of me, being a prating boy and very observant of him.  

[Footnote re: Sir Anthony Ashley’s young wife:  The name of this lady was Philippa Sheldon.]

*  *  *  *

	I continued at Wimborn St. Gyles until my grandfather’s death, which was in 1627, January 13th, and so likewise until my mother’s sickness who falling ill of the small-pox, whereof she died in July, 1628, myself, one brother, and one sister, which were all the children my parents had, were removed for some months for fear of the infection to Rockborn and Whichbury; the disease following us causing our change of places.  From thence afterwards we returned to Wimborn St. Gyles, and continued there until my father married a second time the widow of Sir Charles Moryson and daughter and co-heir of the Lord Viscount Camden, a lady beautiful and of great fortune, a discreet woman of a large soul, who, if she had not given some jealousy to both her husbands and continued it after by marrying the person, maught have been numbered amongst the excellent.  [Footnote:  The form maught is always used by Shaftesbury for might.]  This marriage caused our remove to Cashiobury, in Hertfordshyre, the jointure house of this lady by her first husband, living there and at Wimborn St. Gyles by turns, as their business or their fancy required until March 1630, when my father died at Cashiobury, where all his family then was.  [Footnote:  Sir J. Cooper died March 23, 1631.]

*  *  *  *

My father’s debts, which were very great, contracted by his loss at play – his only fault, and a very fatal one to our family – had raised so many suits, and given the then Court of Wards and some near relations and neighbors hopes to advantage themselves in the confusion and disorder of so great an estate, insomuch that my grandfather’s own brother, Sir Francis Ashley, the King’s serjeant-at-law, one of more elocution, learning, and abilities than gratitude or piety to his elder brother’s family; . . . .

*  *  *  *

. . . I chose my uncle Tooker, my surviving trustee, for my guardian, he being most versed in my affairs, my nearest relation, and had the reputation of a worthy man, as indeed he proved; he was a very honest, industrious man, an hospitable, prudent person, much valued and esteemed, dead and alive, by all that knew him.  To his house in Salisbury my brother George, my sister Philippa, and myself removed from Southwick, where, and at Madington, a country house of my uncle’s eight miles form Salisbury, we continued until, in the year 1637, I went to Oxford to Exeter College, under the immediate tuition of Dr. Prideaux.

*  *  *  *

	Being now grown up towards a man, several marriages were proposed . . . But my uncle Tooker, considering the great use I had of powerful friends, advised me to make address to one of my Lord Keeper Coventry’s daughters; which with his assistance I did, and was kindly received by my lord and his lady.  And notwithstanding I as very young and unexperienced in love affairs, yet the prudence and affection of the lady I addressed to overlooked that and made a judgment what I was like to be for a man or a husband rather than how good love-speeches I then made; for I did that very ill, was very talkative and good company to her sisters, but my love to her gave me that desire to seem excellent that I could say nothing, insomuch that her mother and they suspected that I was more inclined to one of them, but, that being cleared, all matters went successfully on, and we were married in February 1638 [1639].  

*  *  *  *

APPENDIX II.
Autobiographical Sketch form birth (1621) to end of 1645, followed by a Diary from January 1, 1646, to July 10, 1650.

[Excerpts from DIARY]
1646.
March 23rd.  I and Mr. Matthew Hopkins signed and sealed interchangeably articles concerning my plantation in the Barbadoes, for which he is my agent.

*  *  *  *
May 27th.  My wife miscarried of a boy.  She had gone twenty weeks; her brother John in jest threw her against a bedstaff, which hurt her so, that it caused this.

*  *  *  *
October 1st.  I went to Shaftesbury to the council of war for Massey’s brigade, and got them removed out of Dorset.  I lay at Shafston.
[Footnote:  Compare Ludlow’s Memoirs, i. 181.  The Parliament had ordered that this brigade should be disbanded, and it was endeavoured to get as many of the men as possible to enlist to serve against the rebels in Ireland.  Ludlow and Alderman Allen, members for Wiltshire, acted in that county to execute the Parliament’s orders.  Ludlow says, “Though many of that brigade were glad of the opportunity to return home to their several callings, having taken up arms and hazarded their lives purely to save the public, yet divers idle and debauched persons, especially the foreigners, amongst them, not knowing how to betake themselves to any honest employment, endeavoured to stir up the brigade to a meeting; but not being able to effect that, some of them listed themselves to serve against the rebels in Ireland under Sir William Fenton and others there present to receive them, for which we had instructions from the Parliament; the rest dispersed themselves and returned home.”

[NOTE FROM RHODA:  This is the only mention found of the name Massey.]

*  *  *  *

1647.

September 27th.  I cam back to Salisbury.  
In July last I settled my brother George’s estate on him, who was some months since married to one of the co-heirs of Mr. Oldfield of London, sugar baker.  I gave my  brother freely 4,000l. for his preferment, and an annuity of 44l. per annum for one life, and cleared it of my sister’s portion.  

[Footnote:  There is very little information to be found about Shaftesbury’s brother and sister, and very few traces in Shaftesbury’s later life, of his intercourse with them.  The sister Philippa, married Sir Adam Brown, Bart., of Betchworth Castle in Surrey, and died at a great age in 1701.  (Aubrey’s Surrey, ii. 307.)  The brother, George, lived at Clarendon Park near Salisbury.  He is probably the George Cooper who was made one of the commissioners of the Admiralty by the Rump Parliament on its second restoration in December 1659, to which his elder brother prominently contributed.  (Kennet’s Chronicle, p. 35.)  He is also probably the George Cooper who was member for Poole in the Convention of Parliament of 1660.  (Willis, Not. Parl. Ii. 411.)  

October 26tb.  My wife was delivered at seven o’clock in the evening of a dead maid child; she was within a fortnight of her time.  

1649

July 10th.  My wife, just as she was sitting down to supper, fell suddenly into an apoplectical convulsion fit.  She recovered that fit after some time, and spake and kissed me, and complained only in her head, but fell again in a quarter of an hour, and then never came to speak again, but continued in fits and slumbers until next day.  At noon she died; she was with child the fourth time, and within six weeks of her time.

She was a lovely beautiful fair woman, a religious devout Christian, of admirable wit and wisdom, beyond any I ever knew, yet the most sweet, affectionate, and observant wife in the world.  Chaste without a suspicion of the most envious to the highest assurance of her husband, of a most noble and bountiful mind, yet very provident in the least things, exceeding all in anything she undertook, housewifery, preserving, works with the needle, cookery, so that her wit and judgment were expressed in all things, free from any pride or forwardness.  She was in discourse and counsel far beyond any woman.

1650.
April 15th.  I was married to Lady Frances Cecil, and removed my lodging to Mr. Blake’s, by Exeter House.  

[Footnote:  Daughter of David, third Earl of Exeter, who had died in 1643, and sister of John, fourth Earl.  Cooper’s connexion with the King’s enemies and adherence to the Commonwealth did not prevent his marrying a noble lady of a Royalist house.  This second marriage was also of short duration; the lady died some time in 1654.  But it was not without issue; two sons were born of this marriage.]

[Footnote:  Here ends the Diary (July 10th) as abruptly as the Fragment of the Autobiography written by Shaftesbury late in life ends.  Nothing more is known of Shaftesbury till he is named by the Parliament nearly two years after a member of a Commission for the reform of the laws, January 17, 1652; and we learn this only by the Journals of Parliament.]