214 



The Litllccote Legend. (No. 4.) 



exclaims our friend, " filtered through the traditions of centuries 

 ever failed to acquire supplementary and varying embellishments ? " 

 Very true, but then why filter away the fiction, hitherto received as 

 a fact on Aubrey's authority, that Mrs. Barnes recognized the 

 " gentleman in black velvet" to be Darell, and still stick stoutly 

 to the assertion that Darell was the criminal because some person 

 or persons whispered an insinuation which Mistress Barnes did not ? 

 Why again, may I ask, with this fondness for the application of the 

 filter, and this contemptuous carting away of what our friend seems 

 now to admit to be the rubbish of the edifice, why was this filtering 

 process not thought of when the self-same hand penned, in its 

 enlivening manner, the following passage in the Quarterly Review? 1 

 " The long rambling galleries of the neighbouring Littlecote 

 Hall " writes our County Chronicler, " still present a fit scene for the 

 traditionary tale of Wild DarelFs deed of darkness, which, in spite 

 of the doubts raised by sceptical archaeologists " (meaning, amongst 

 others, more particularly, your humble servant) "will find believers 

 to the end of time on the faith of Walter Scott's ' Rokeby * note. 

 Besides, the bed-curtain still shows the fatal patch ; the grate is to 

 be seen in the bed-room ; the stone stile still exists on which the 

 hero of the tale broke his neck after it had by luck or favour 

 escaped the gallows. These," (says our " Credulous Archaeologist," 

 waxing warmer in his credulity) " are material proofs such as no 

 lover of the marvellous will discredit — in spite of Lord Campbell." 

 Now this is well, and prettily, and picturesquely worked up to the 

 fever heat of faith, but where was the " filter " then ? and where 

 are the " material proofs " now ? ! Why Lord Campbell is dragged 

 into court as a sceptic I cannot distinctly see. As far as I read 

 his biography of Popham he seems simply to take upon trust this 

 Littlecote story as regards Darell, while he, not unnaturally 

 rejects that portion of it which, on what he rightly calls " such 

 unsatisfactory testimony," casts a calumny upon his brother Judge. 

 Our faith then, according to the Reviewer, is first and foremost 

 to hang on Sir Walter Scott, who without, I suspect, having himself 

 any faith at all, but merely, as all his works show, " loYing the 



1 Q. R. vol. ciii. p. 125. 



