INTRODUCTION 



with great fury in Herefordshire, a most 

 obstinate stronghold of the Royalists. What 

 side the Vaughan's took, I know not; the 

 Parry's were stout Roundheads. 



The fact, too, that Rowland's son-in-law 

 exchanged properties with another branch 

 of the Parrys, thus bringing New Court into 

 the hands of those who had no personal 

 interest in his experiments, may have begun 

 the end which the civil wars undoubtedly 

 finished ; but we can have little doubt that 

 2000 " Mechanicalls " could not be allowed 

 to spin and weave when stout men were 

 wanted for the fight, and who knows but that 

 these members of the "Common-wealth" were 

 all the more acceptable from the discipline 

 they had already gone through under our 

 Rowland. I must hope that they helped 

 the cause of the son of their " deare master," 

 who is spoken of with such affectionate 

 respect, and considered the embodiment of 

 human virtues, not that of the Puritan, who 

 would no more have sworn on the cross of 

 his sword than would that "tailour," who 

 behaved so " scurvily," upon his shears, and 

 whose whole conduct would have filled 

 Rowland with deep disgust. 

 xxxi 



