The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20
HREWSBUR
by STANLEY j. wEYMAN.
Copyright 1897 BY stanisy ,. Wsvman.
PART 4.
CHAPTER I.

that great prince, Charles, Duke Of Shrews-
bury, my most noble and generous patron, has
afflicted mo with a sorrow which I may truly
call acerbus ct in0ens, is nothing to tho world;
which from one In my situation could expect no
other. and, on tho briefest relation Of tho bono
fits I had Mt his hands, might look for more.
Were this all, therefore, or my task confined to
such n relation, / should supererogate indeed In
making this appearance. But i am informed
that my lord Dukes death has revived in GER
tain quarters those rumors to his prejudice
which wcre so industriously put about Mt tho
time of his first retirement, and which, rcfuted as
they wero at the time by the express declaration
Of his sovereign, and at leisure by his own bo-
havior, and the support which at two great
crises no gave to tho Protestant succession,
formed always a proof of the malice, an now Of
tho persistence. Of his enemies.
Still. such as they are. and though not these
circumstances only, but q thousand others,
have time after time exposed them, I am In
structed that they are again afoat and find
favor in circles where TO think Ill Of public men
is held the first test of experience. And this
being the case, and my affection for my lord
such as is natural, ! perceive a clear duty. I
do not, indeed, suppose that any one can at this
time Of day effect that which the sense Of all
good mon failed to effect while he lived-I
mean tho final killing of these rumors; nor Is
a plain tale likely to persuade those with whom
idle reports, constantly furnished up, Of letters
seen In Franco, weigh moro than q consistent
life. But my lords case is now, rs I take 1t,
removed to tho appeal court Of posterity, which
nevertheless a lie constantly tteratod may mis-
lead. To provide somewhat to correct this, and
wherefrom future historians may draw, !, who
knew him well and was deep in his confidence
and business at the time Of Sir John Fenwick's
conspiracy-of which these calumnies were al
ways co~mpact-propose to set down my evil
dence here, shrinking from no fulness, at times
even venturing on-prolidty. and always re-
membering a saying Of Lord Somers, that the
most material part Of testimony is often that In
which the witness values himself least To
adventure on this fulness. which in tho case Of
many and perhaps the bulk of writers might
issue in the surfeit of their readers, / feel my
self emboldened by the possession of q brief
and concise manner Of writing, which, acquired
In the first place in the circumstances presently
to appear, was later improved by constant prac-
tice in the composition Of my lords papers.
And here some will expect me to proceed at
once to the events of the year 1896, In which
Sir John suffered, or at least 1895. But soft
ly, and a little, IL you please, alb ORC; mas
much as the particulars. which enabled my
lords enemies to place a sinister Interpretation
on his conduct in those years had somewhat to
do with me. Therefore, before I can clear the
matter up from every point of view. I am first
to say who l am and how ! came to fall in the
way Of that great man and gain his approba-
ton; with other preliminary matters relating
to myself, whereof some do not please at this
distance, and yet must be set down, II with q
wry face.
OF which, I am glad to say, the worst comes
first, or, at least, early. And with that, to pro-
coed, promising always that, a. In all that fol-
lows, ! am no one and the tale Is my lords, I
ohan daa1 yery gI,ccipctly with NV NUN RIM
Germs and chancings, and where I must state
them for clearness of narration, will do SO cur
rcnte cdldmo, as the ~ancients were wont to say,
and 30 forthwith to those more important mat
tiers with which my readers desire to DO made
acquainted.
Suflce it. then. that I was born near Bishops
Stortford, on the borders Of Hertfordshire, in
that year 80 truly called the Annus Mirabihs,
1866; my father, q small yeoman, my mother Of
no better stock, she being the daughter of q poor
parson in that neighborhood. In such q station
she was not likely to boast much learning, yet
she could read, and having served two years in
q great mans still-room, had acquired notions
Of g~entility that went as i'll with her station as
they were little calculated to increase her con-
tentment. Our house lay not far from the high
road between Ware and Bishops Stortford,
which furnished US with frequent opportunities
Of viewing the King and court, who were in
INC Null VI pdbolnB tHdt way t"O VI tuIto
times In the year to Newmarket to see the
horse races. On these occasions we crowded
with our neighbors to the side Of the road and
capped on the pageant, which lacked no show of
ladies, both masked and unmasked. and gentle.
MEN in all kinds of fripperies, and mettlesome
horses that hit the taste Of some among us bet.
ter than either. My mother was ever the fore
most and the most ready on these excursions;
yet 1t was not long before 1 learned to beware
- I--L l--- a. 49,.
gloomy looks and fretful answers, while my
father dared no more.spell duty for as much as
. week than refuse the Kings taxes.
Nevertheless, and whatever she was as a
wife-and it is true she could ding my father'i
ears, and, for as handsome as she was. there
were times when he would have been happier
with q palmer woman-I am far from saying
that she was a bad mother. Indeed, she was g
kind IL tickle and passionate one, wiser al
large and in intention than in practice ant
in small matters. Yet II for one thing only
and putting aside natural affection, in which
trust / am not defcient-she deserved to b,
named by ME with undying gratitude. For
having learned to read but never to write. be
yond, that is. tho triae Of her maiden name, sh'
valued scholarship both by that she had and tina
part. good man, never advanced beyond thu
SscshOel at Bishops stortford. then kept by
I believe that there were some who though
this as much. beyond our pretensions as oul
small farm fell below tho homestead of q man o
substance; and for certain, the first lesson
learned at that school was to behave mysel
trounccd on arrival by three squires' sons, ant
afterward. in due order and graduation, by al
this, ! found that 4: had the advantage OF m.
masters favor, and that for no greater n thin
than the tinge of my fathers opinions. For
whereas the commonalty in that county, as II
ment In the late troubles, and still loved a pa
triot. my father was q Kings man, whicl
had been displaced by the Rump and hated al
Of that sido, and not for that only, but. and II
o greater degree. for II thing which befell hin
later. after he had withdrawn to Oxford. For
rioh and loyal foundation at stake, he entere'
himsolf in a body of horse which was raise'
among the younger collcgians and servants
and doubtless II he had been SO lucky rs 10 los
an eye. or an arm In the field OF honor, he Youl!
have forgiven Oliver all. and not the King
spfferings only. but his own; But IN place o
that IL was his Ill chance to be one of the troo
that. marching at night by tho river near Wa