The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-06-11
ROMANCE OF THE PEERAGE.
Why .EngIishmen are Fond OF Then
Nobility.

Why EngIIshmen are Fond OF Their
Nobility.
Much in England that has the SEM
blance of mere snobbery and servility is
due to q sort of reverence for the histo-
~ and romance of the country. Nearly
all the titles in England are full of sug-
gestiveness, as linking the present with
grand eras and scenes which shaped the
country to its present civilization. The
peerage still represents the romance of
every school-boy and schoolgirl, and
hardly a week passes but some item APP
pears in the papers calculated to awaken
their interest and curiosity concerning
the old families by which they are sur
rounded. For example, the VIII of the
late Countess of Loudon has been pub
lished, in which she directs that her
right hand shall be cut of and buried
in bennington park, with a stone cross
over it, bearing the family motto: 6"
hyde my TYNE. The story behind this
singuInr provision is as follows In
early days a usurper seized Downing
ton, the seat of the Loudon family, and
held possession. But once, on the COCA
sion of a banquet of the usurper and
his retainers, the lawful owner of the
castle gained admission In the disguise
of a server, and with him some faithful
comrades. The serving of the banquet
being impatiently demanded by the
usurper, this lawful owner and disguised
lord cried out, HI bide my time" and
at the same moment bulls head-the
ancient symbol of death-was thrown
upon the table. Then the usurper and his
friends were attacked and killed. The
family is now poor, and the once great
house on its last legs. It eliminated in
a It'll r
and first Marquis of Hastings, the cele-
brated governor general of India. It
reached its lowest ebb with its last male
heir, and the castle, with the old motto
on it, is supposed to have indicated
hope for the restoration of it's ancient
greatness.
Last month, also, died Lord Kingsale,
and the announcement is accompanied
| by the reminder that his is the only
family which has the privilege of re-
naming covered in the presence of the
sovereign. He was the premier baron of
! Ireland, and, as he died unmarried, his
! title passes to his cousin, John Almeri-
Gus FitzrOy De COurcy, who will be
thirty-frst of the title. Now follows in
innumerable homes a rehearsal of the
story of I" the fearless De Courcy :"
how false King John ca. D. 1199-1216)
threw him in prison how, when the
king, accused of the death of Arthur of
Brittany by the king of France, and
| with demand for satisfaction on his
hands, could get no warrior to cross the
channel for a single combat how his
fair queen advised that De Courcy
should be brought from his dungeon,
and how when the knight was asked he
said, 81 will fight for the honor OF
England, but not for false King John -
how the knights of France bit the dust,
and De Courcy returned, with the fol
lowing results:
'In the ears of the craven monarch
Of5 must this burthen ring
Tho the crown be thine and the royal line,
He is in thought thy king!'
So they gave this graceful honor
To the bold De COurcy's race,
That they ever should dare their helms to
wear
Before the kings own face;
And the sons of that line of heroes
To this day their right assume,
For, when every head is unbonneted,
They walk in cap and plumer
And so, when the new Lord Kingsdale
appears the youth of England will not
behold a mere mediocre man, as he no
doubt Is, but a nine-huudred .years-old
bit of the age of chivalry.
That is but one among the nobility
particularly in Ireland-which once had
a meaning. One of these is the Gus.
tom at the castle of the Earl of Kove OF
letting down the draw bridge before the
portal whenever the family takes 6
meal. The legend connected with this
custom is that when the fair Gwendo
line (Grace) was queen of the Hebrides
more than Thousand years ago, sht
once visited the rival kingdom in tn,
= west of Ireland, of which the Earl O
Kove was the chief. She was weary anC
, hungry, and sent her attendants to Kov,
castle to ask for hospitality. It was re
, fused. La going away she met littlt
boy IN rich attire, the young heir of tn,
Earl OF KOYe, whom she seized and Dor
away to the Hebrides. For years tn
proud earl and his lords and soldier
tried to get back this captive youth b.
> force, but failed. At last they were re
duced to appeal to Gwendoline to re
J store him on her own condition s. Sh
replied that she had been refused hos
pitality by an Earl of Kove, and sh
n would surrender his son and heir onl,
on condition that, if anyo of her subjects
or of their descendants, should ever ap
proaeh Kove castle and ask for food
S they should be entertained with tn
o best that the castle could afford for tn
i proudest guest. At that time all tn
J northwest of Ireland paid allegiance t,
S Queen Gwendoline. The Earl of Koy,
9 agreed to these terms, and to thi
day not only is the draw let down anC
: the gate kept open during every meal
: but, if any person from Dublin or tn,
$ northwest chooses to enter, a plate is a
s once laid for him, and he is invited t,
partake, even though the earl may a
the time be giving fine dinner-party
Whether anybody ever avails himsel
e now of the privilege is doubtful. Blu
it is in good part the maintenance o
such old Legendary customs, and thei
D celebration in village ballads, which
: preserves that atmosphere of romano,
: around the nobility which continues t,
8 impress the mind of each generation
and which renders it possible for evel
5 educated people to echo the sentimen
of Lord John Manners famous distich
: Let laws and learning, wealth and commerce
] die,
| But leave us still our old nobiiitv