INTRODUCTION 



held in lease for years, and the park of Snod- 

 hill, his inheritance, which he mortgaged." 

 Rowland had lent James Parry 20 on the 

 security of the abovenamed tithes. 



Then comes a Star-Chamber case, and then, 

 crowning misfortune, one in the " Court of 

 Wardes," which, as Rowland pathetically says, 

 " Bredd more white haires in my head in one 

 yeare then all my wetshod water-works in 

 sixteene." This case lasted five years, and 

 during its course Rowland went home to see 

 to his "drownings" (sadly neglected, we hear, 

 during his absence), leaving his "Wanton 

 Warde," as he calls her, in charge of a 

 Puritan tailor, and the next thing he hears 

 is that his " Welsh niece," alias the Wanton 

 Warde, has married the tailor's nephew. 



Rowland's wrath knows no bounds ; he 

 has a stormy interview with the tailor, who 

 declares his ignorance of the intrigue ; but 

 when Rowland wants him to swear on the 

 cross of his shears, he refuses, it being against 

 his principles to swear. It is not, however, 

 against Rowland's, and black surmises about 

 complicity are made, and our poor old squire 

 loses all chance of the customary "tip" over 

 that ward's marriage, and is not that enough 

 xxi 



