Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1857-06-04

Ills aneetioh 1or Susan Proddy in the hands Of
her daughter, be returned in peace to his
native village.
But he did not die. He said he would keep
his ears open, but many things passed in those
agltating days Of English h story, which never
reached the Shropshire village where the attic
ted Tom resided. Mr.. Honeydew, who had
marritd Susan the second, was constable,
al d sherff's officer, who made himself very use
full to Henry the Eighth. He ferreted out rich
abbots, and turned nuns out of tn ir houses.
He llarg refractory monks with his own
hands, in enriched himself with the spoils of
the no teries. When cloud came over
his fortunes in Mary's time, he turned it aside
by wearing white Sheet and after penance,
ing received into the Holy Church. He
compensated for past sacr,l gts, 10y presiding
at the Smi,hfeld fires. He broke Latine.'s
head with blow of billet of wood, and pier
ced Cranmer with red-hut Joker He was
servant of his sovereign and his country, and
thought obedience the first duty of ulject
When Elzabtt tn came into power he recanted
o;ice more, and WAS so useful in the dscov ry
of plots and exacting fines from traitors that
he died immensely rich, and was buried in
Westminster Abbey. Of all these changes
Tommy continued ignorant. He had been sur
prised at the visit of certain commissioners to
purify the church of popery, and break all the
crosses and after few years he was again
astonshed by another visit OF other commission
ers, to introduce popcry again, and restore the
crosses.
"Faddlesticks !" he said, to an officer of
the first commission in 1914, "who sent thee
here to break off Bridgcts nose, and take away
the thumb-nailS of St. Jorkstcr of Coventry p
" Who but the great Master Honeydew ?"
replied the man, while he piled the hammer,
and split St. Bridget's shoulder into fifty frag-
ments. He is stout and true hearted Prot
estant, and high in favor with our lord the king"
And in 1855. he said Try cross and pie !!
who hath sent the hither with thy new painted
wooden image? The old Bridget was good
enough for we"
Il am sent by Sir Stephen Honeydew,"
replied the man, fixing the saint upon the wall
by long nail through her leg "He is a true
and holy Catholic, aud high in favor with our
lady the qneen."
odds Wigginton p said Tommy" can this
be the husband of Susan Proddys child ~
And he made inquiry. and found that the
daughter of Dodger, the Miller Wakefield, was
Lady Honeydew, one of the grandest ladies
about the court.
Hath she ever son p he inquired of the
workman, who was giving St. Bridget rub
with sand-paper.
"Aye, marry, hath she," he sale, "a goodly
boy of ten years old. He never missed burn
ing of heretics, for already the saints have given
him spirit of the true faith"
&C wish | could look on him afore I die"
said Timothy "but there amt no chance. l
ha' lost my teeth my head be bald my
back be bent ha' no taste in my mouth :
l have singing in my ears Ive congestion of
the spleen I've softening Of the brain I'm
afflicted with dropsy I've got lumbar abscess
and ntermittant fever. l must get NE to bed
and die in day at the farthest"
But Tommy was deceived once more When
the churchyard of the village was filled with
two or three more generations of his cotempo-
raries when Elizabeth was succeeded on the
seat which she had made throne by a Scotch
pedant who made it schoolmaster's stool =;
when all the England of his early days had dis
appeared, and the battle of Bosworth had be-
gun to be considered pretty nearly as ancient
as the battle of Marathon, there came gen.
tIeman to the little Shropshire village, and in
quired his way to Tommy's cottage
"How do, father p he said, jaunty Fitting
his Spanish hat, and letting the feather trail
on the kitchen foo- 1--WE have heard of thee
at court, old gentleman and the king wishes
to see thee. Say. wilt jog Londonward, and
shake hands with King Charles ?"
Iftckcns l will" said the old man for
by'r ladie. began my knowlede of kings pref
ty early, SEE ing saw on one day both King
Richard and King Henry. But, by the crook
O Glaston we must make haste for haven't
long to live now
Have with you then !" said the gallant,
"you shall be guest of my lord Bembcrly, and
shortly shalt thou see his Majesty"
Lord Bcmbtrly received the Shropshire peas
ant very kindly. Lady Bemberly was delight
ed to study such all old put" and with the
tasteful gracionsness of the time amused her
self by putting vinegar into his beer, and filing
bis app'epies with pepper and mustard, and ty-
ing ribbons across his path to make him fall ::
and once succeeded in tripping him at the top
OF the great 81 staircase, and had him token up
lnsensible when he reached the lowest step.
All the gay people in the neighborhood were
enchanted with the infantile playfulncss of the
countess. She Was the most aristocratic of all
the families in the country and so indeed was
her lord between them they constituted the
YER, acme and perfection Of high birth and
noble breeding.
DO you know" she said one day to Tom,
that some of my ancestors came from Shrop:
shlre-tis an immense time ago, before the cru
sades, l bel eve-and even you weren't born
then: Look-this ring and chain-did you
ever see anything more quaint and old?'
Tommy looked at them as he was told, and
stood gazing as if be lad been fascinated by
their sight.
odds filters /" be said, al we seed they
afore. Tell me, fair mistress, what was The
name O thee afore thou vast married to my
lord"
MMu fa4har uuas Earl Of Roshheld she