Abstract

In 1601 Bess of Hardwick, the wealthiest woman in Elizabethan England (second only to the Queen herself), began her final will and testament. The precision with which Bess bequeathed her monetary and material wealth is striking: her executors and beneficiaries were left little room for interpretation and no excuse for error. This article explores the language and rhetoric of inheritance, alongside specific bequests of money, jewels, property, and clothing present in the will of Bess of Hardwick in order to understand the document as an autobiographical expression of personal and dynastic achievement, status, and ambition.

中文翻译：

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“Twoo Muche Vayne 和 Idle Charge”：哈德威克贝丝 1601 年遗嘱中继承的精确性

摘要

1601 年，伊丽莎白时代英国最富有的女性哈德威克的贝丝（仅次于女王本人）开始了她最后的遗嘱和遗嘱。贝丝遗赠她的金钱和物质财富的精确程度令人震惊：她的遗嘱执行人和受益人几乎没有解释的余地​​，也没有任何错误的借口。本文探讨了继承的语言和修辞，以及哈德威克的贝丝遗嘱中出现的金钱、珠宝、财产和衣物的具体遗赠，以便将该文件理解为个人和王朝成就、地位和野心的自传表达.