THE BATH ROAD 47 



ruffian that contemporary opinion made out, are really 

 not conclusive at all. If Darrcll, for instance, is accused 

 of being a wine-bibber, we are confronted with a most 

 interesting collection of meiuis during his last stay in 

 London, fi'om April i6th to July 14th, 1589, in which 

 we find constant entry of a " pynt of clarett " in con- 

 nection with " a legg of mutton," and so forth. But 

 waiving the fact that the wicked squire was at this time 

 playing the courtier, with a suspected reputation to keep 

 up, does this formal entry for the benefit of the steward 

 preclude the possibility of private drinking } I think 

 that many a confirmed drunkard's house books would 

 show as temperate a return. It is that private store of 

 Rhenish which does the business, which remains un- 

 entered in ledgers, or if entered, appears as " dressinge 

 for ye chickens." Then again, and this touches the 

 root of the whole matter, Mr. Hall expressly declares 

 that Darrell did not " keep a brace of painted madams 

 at his own command." But has he heard of a certain 

 letter dated 2 January, 1579, from Sir H. Knyvett of 

 Charlton, to Sir John Thynne of Longleat, which was 

 discovered by the Reverend Canon Jackson of Leigh 

 Delamere, in which the writer asks Sir John Thynne to 

 tell a Mr. Bonham, who was in his employ, " to inquire 

 of his sister touching her usage at Will Darrell's ; the 

 birth of her children ; how many there were and what 

 became of them ; for that the report of the murder of 

 one of them was increasing foully and would touch 

 Will Darrell to the quick " } This surely seems rather 

 grave ! and does not look like " the best years of a life 

 devoted to a Platonic intercourse with a highly culti- 

 vated woman." Nor is Mr. Hall more satisfactory with 

 regard to the alleged bribe to Sir John Popham of the 

 reversion of Littlecote, to which rumour assigns the 

 salvation of Darrell's neck. He looks upon it indeed, 

 so far as I can judge, as a sort of Elizabethan refreshing 

 fee to counsel. Will Mr. Hall tell us next that it was 

 the custom of an afternoon for Elizabethan squires to 



