FISHES AND flSHING. 239 



and ostensibly the owner of it. An anecdote is told> 

 and I believe it of him, that Mr. Scott, when Attor- 

 ney-General, wrote a note to Mr. Gee : — " Mr. Attor- 

 ney-General presents his compliments to Mr. Gee, 

 and will feel obliged to Mr. Gee, if he will gire Mr. 

 Attorney-General a day's fishing in Beddington 

 Park.'* To which the following answer was re- 

 turned : " Mr. Gee's compliments to Mr. Attorney- 

 General, and if he was Lord Chancellor, he would 

 not give him a day's fishing in Beddington Park." 



It is singular that this, and other immense property 

 formerly belonging to the monks, was obtained by a 

 courtier from Henry VIII. ; that this courtier then 

 was detected in conspiring with Cardinal Pole to re- 

 establish the Catholic religion, was punished by 

 decapitation, and forfeiture of his estates. His son 

 proved himself to Mary so good a Catholic, who had 

 not only lost his father by that father's attachment 

 to the " true religion," but also had been reduced to 

 beggary in consequence, that she granted to him 

 above thirty manors in Surrey, and other counties, 

 together with advowsons, &c., a copy of which grant 

 I have. When Elizabeth became queen, he professed 

 himself to her a most zealous protestant^ and by his 

 courtly, insinuating manners, and good personal 

 appearance, induced the virgin queen to honour him 

 with a visit at Beddington, during a day or two at a 



