204 THE HISTOEY OF THE EOYAL BUCKHOUNDS. 



was afterwards destined to become a Master of the Royal 

 Buckhounds — was at this early date acquainted, and mayhap 

 a little favourite, with the British Solomon. The King was 

 Sir Edward Watson's guest at Rockingham Castle "for the 

 space of six days " in August 1605, when another " dyning- 

 house " was put up for him in Rockingham Forest. Similar 

 royal venatic visits to this forest may be passed over, as they 

 do not directly relate to the subject of this memoir. However, 

 on August 19, 1608, Lewis Watson was knighted by James I. 

 at Grafton. Three years afterwards he obtained a licence to 

 travel with money, horses, servants, etc., beyond the seas, 

 and then did the grand tour characteristic of grand folks in 

 England in those and later times. On the death of his father, 

 in 1619, Sir Lewis Watson succeeded to the family estates ; 

 and during the month of July in this year he had the honour 

 of entertaining, at Rockingham Castle, the King, who there 

 and then knighted his host's eldest son, Edward, who must 

 have been at this time a child of tender years. What a mania 

 James I. had for dubbing ! Barbers, innkeepers, and squires 

 of the lowest degree were indiscriminately knighted, with the 

 best blood in the land, by this prodigal monarch ! But those 

 honours were usually accomplished through the back-door 

 influence of the King's followers, who put money in their 

 pouch by this means. A few years afterwards (June 23, 

 1621) Sir Lewis Watson was created a Baronet — a dignity 

 which cost him a thousand pounds in " lawful money of 

 England." 



For some years after these events we hear little of Sir 

 Lewis Watson. He seems to have devoted himself to the 

 enjoyments of country life, and to have principally lived at 

 home, like many of the old English families, dispensing 

 hospitality, improving his estates, and participating in the 

 enjoyments of the chase and those rural sports in the 

 mysteries of which he was so "well entered." But this 

 pleasant mode of life was soon checked. The unconstitu- 

 tional actions of Charles I. began to be manifested in various 

 ways, that changed " Merry England " into " Melancholy 



