112 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book II. 



Lord Darcy at a hunting party. After enjoying the chase for 

 two days, Markham was about to leave, when he was entreated 

 by Lord Darcy to stay another day. Having accepted the 

 invitation, Markham, in the course of the chase upon this 

 occasion, was requested by Beckwith, one of Lord Darcy's 

 followers, not to ride "too neere one of the hounds called 

 Bowser, whereupon he said to him, that if that hound's tail 

 were cut off, it were but a curtailed cur. Beckwith replied : 

 It were better his horse's head were off; and so riding on in 

 the chase, Beckwith again said that though he loved hunting 

 well he had more mind to fight with him than to hunt ; 

 whereupon he (Markham) said Beckwith was a base fellow," 

 — a remark the latter resented by " switching of him, and in 

 the switching Markham's saddle winding off his horse, and 

 his foot hitching in his stirrup, Beckwith still switching him, 

 my Lord Darcy came in [up], and took [up] Markham thus 

 hanging from his horse." It seems that Markham was very 

 indignant with the horse-whipping he received from Beckwith, 

 and complained to Lord Darcy for allowing his follower to 

 have acted as he did. " My lord replied : What would you 

 have me to do ; had not I been [to your assistance] he would 

 have beaten you to rags ; and that Beckwith was as good a 

 gentleman as he." The next day Markham sent two of his 

 kinsmen to Lord Darcy to desire his lordship to explain 

 himself concerning those words; "whereunto my lord answered 

 that he would not give such a fellow as he any other satisfaction 

 than this, that he did not say his man Beckwith was as good 

 a gent as he, but that he was a gent as well as he ; and that 

 his meaning of beating to rags was this, that he had ever held, 

 that a child of five years old having a sword in his hand might 

 be revenged of his enemy." This " respectless answer " 

 provoked Markham to write a letter saying that, " he knew 

 my lord was a peer of the realm, but that he had no privilege 

 to abuse any gentleman ; and that my Lord Darcy, in saying 

 that his man Beckwith would have beaten him to rags, had 

 lied, and should lie as often as he should say so, and that if 

 he listed to send his boy unto him he would meet him where- 

 sever he would and make good what he said with his life ; 



