88 ECHOES OF OLD COUNTY LIFE. 



grandfather, who had stood as one of the senthiels at the 

 execution of Charles L, had told him ! I myself there- 

 fore have seen a man who wanted only one link to connect 

 him with the reign of Charles I., a period of over two 

 hundred and forty years ! To instance another case. 

 In the year 1837 my father became tenant of Broughton 

 Farm, which then belonged to Mr. Richard Lowndes, 

 who had been at one time a barrister on circuit, and 

 from his manner of cross-examining witnesses, nick- 

 named " Bother 'em Lowndes." This old gentleman 

 granted my father a lease of the farm for fourteen years, 

 and after signing it, said, '^ Now, Mr. Fowler, I am only 

 granting you this lease for your own protection, for I am 

 beyond the age of a man " (he was over eighty years of 

 age), " and I hope you will enjoy the tenancy after I am 

 gone." He lived to grant my father another lease for 

 fourteen years. I recollect old ]\Ir. Lowndes taking a 

 great-nephew of his upon his knee, and saying to him, 

 " 1 have many a time had your father on my knee, and 

 your grandfather and I were brothers. Ah !" he con- 

 tinued, " and I can remember well my grandfather, and 

 he was Chancellor of the Exchequer to Queen Anne ! " 

 To this Chancellor of the Exchequer is attributed one of 

 the most popular axioms in the English language. He 

 was looking over the shoulders of one of the junior 

 clerks in the Treasury, and saw by his casting up of 

 some accounts that he was wrong. " Oh," said the clerk, 

 *' it is only a few pence ! " " Never you mind that," said 

 the astute Chancellor; ''you take care of the pence, 

 the pounds will take care of themselves." 



