182 THE WILD-FLOWERS OF SELBORNE 



Nurse. Ah, mocker ! that's the dog's name. R. is for the 

 dog. No ; I know it begins with some other letter; and she 

 hath the prettiest sententious of it, of you and rosemary, that 

 it would do you good to hear it. 



Romeo. Commend me to thy lady." 



The "some other letter," which Juliet plays with 

 to the confusion of the garrulous old lady, is evidently 

 if our theory be correct W., and the "name" is 

 Wriothesley. And these allusions, like those in the 

 sonnets, would be at once understood and appreciated 

 among the "private friends" of the " hony-tongued 

 Shakespeare." 



These considerations cannot but give lasting in- 

 terest, not only to the magnificent shrine in^ which the 

 ashes of Romeo and Juliet repose, but also to the 

 remains of the " right statelie house " to which, after 

 so many vicissitudes, the young Earl brought his 

 beautiful bride. Across the ancient bridge the caval- 

 cade must have wended its way in single file, and up 

 the noble avenue till it entered the precincts of the 

 old monastic garden, and passed under the "goodly 

 gate " into the " court " beyond, where the " conducte 

 castelid " stood ; above, over the mullioned window of 

 the gateway, the grinning face of a corbel (still re- 

 maining) looked approvingly down, while the " faire 

 Elizabeth " was led by Southampton into her stately 

 home, which was to be to her, alas ! the scene of 

 many sorrows. 



For the Countess was not destined to "feed on the 

 roses and to lie in the lilies of life." Within three 

 years of her marriage the Earl was arrested and flung 

 into the Tower on the charge of high treason in con- 

 nection with the rising of Essex. He was even con- 

 demned to death, and for some weeks his head was in 



