THE WARWICKSHIRE 139 



During my visit to Mr. John Lucy, one circumstance was men- 

 tioned as connected with Lord Middleton, which may be properly 

 introduced ; and that was, what is called " the Ditchley run," in the 

 year 1816, in which Mr. John Lucy himself performed so con- 

 spicuous a part. The following is about the pith of the story. 



We found a fox early in the day, and ran him very sharply for 

 about a quarter of an hour. We found again, and the history of 

 this run is curious. Our fox picked the severest country he could 

 find ; and after running some miles over a deep and strong vale, he 

 faced the Oxfordshire hills, and got to ground at Ditchley — ten miles 

 from Oxford, and upwards of seventeen from where he was found — 

 the hounds having only had two momentary checks. The most 

 extraordinary part of this story is yet to come : there were at least 

 one hundred and fifty persons present when the fox was found ; and 

 among them a sprinkling of Meltonians. Every man got a fair 

 start; but, strange to say, Mr. John Lucy ivas the only man ivho 

 went ivith the hounds to the end. The two next best were Lord 

 Molyneux, upon Oxford, and the late Sir Charles Mordaunt, on a 

 horse he had just given four hundred and fifty guineas for, but he 

 died the next day. Not one of Lord Middleton's men — capitally 

 mounted as they generally were — could ever get within reach of 

 their hounds, and they were left in the Duke of Beaufort's kennel 

 for the night. 



The pace Lord Middleton's hounds went through the whole of 

 this run (the severity of the country being also taken into considera- 

 tion) exceeds anything that I had before seen or heard of, or that I 

 have ever seen since ; and which only hounds in the very best 

 condition could have shewn. During the run it hailed and rained, 

 with a cutting north-east wind. 



As Mr. John Lucy has cut so conspicuous a figure in this part of 

 my story, it may not be amiss to say he is the younger and only 

 brother of George Lucy, of Charlecote in the county of Warwick, 

 and M.P. for Fowey, lineally descended from the well-known Sir 

 Thomas Lucy, to whom we are indebted for the treasure of Shak- 

 speare's plays ; and by whom the noble mansion of Charlecote was 

 built in the first year of Elizabeth. This family boasts of great 

 antiquity — going regularly back to William De Lucy, a Knight in 



