University of Virginia Library

4. IV.
I GO WITH LORD FALKLAND TO HIS HOUSE OF GREAT TEW.

As Lord Falkland spoke, he approached the king,
and, inclining his head with profound respect, presented
a letter.

“From Mr. Hampden?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The king perused the letter, and then, looking up,
said,—

“'Tis a forlorn hope, Falkland: nevertheless, you
must accept Mr. Hampden's proposal. Meet him,
therefore, with one attendant, as he requests. 'Twere
well to be private; and as these gentlemen present are
in the secret, take one of them.”

Lord Falkland, who had already saluted, with his air
of sweet courtesy, my brother and myself, turned now,
and said to me,—

“You have heard his majesty, Mr. Cecil. If it please
you, I should be glad to have you go with me.”

I bowed low, no little gratified to have my Lord
Falkland recall my face and name so long after our
chance meeting in Prince Rupert's tent near Nottingham.

“Your lordship does me very great honor,” I said,
“and may dispose of me now and always.”

“The speech of a gallant young cavalier!” was the
reply of the nobleman, with his air of smiling courtesy.

“Be good enough to await me in an hour, sir: we will
then report.”

A moment afterwards, Harry and myself were in the
antechamber; and an hour afterwards, I was riding
beside Lord Falkland, who was attended only by an
ordinary groom, towards his palace of Great Tew, not
far from Oxford.

I shall always recall that ride with one whose great
figure illustrated the epoch. His converse riveted
me, and was inexpressibly charming. They say now,
in this new age, that all men are equal. Is that true?
Were there many human beings the equals of this one?
Friend, that doctrine of equality is a chimera. Some
men are born to command, as to draw all hearts. This
was one such, and the mere rank had naught to do
with it at all. Edmund Cecil was not the equal of
Lucius Cary; and a thousand demagogues cannot persuade
him to the contrary!

“It is needless to make a mystery of our errand,
Mr. Cecil,” he said. “The worthy Mr. Hampden, of
the parliament cause, requests a private interview with
me. He is pleased to say that my well-known moderation,
and his own sincere desire for peace, may unite
to effect something; and there is this satisfaction in
dealing with Mr. Hampden, that one may be confident
throughout all of his irreproachable honor.”

“I think of him as you do, my lord; and I once met
and conversed with him upon public affairs,” I said.

I narrated then my encounter with Mr. Hampden
on the high-road in Buckinghamshire; and when I had
finished, Lord Falkland said,—

“I recognize the worthy gentleman there, sir; and

would to Heaven we could agree upon some terms, and
so end this terrible war. `Peace! peace!' is all my
lips seem able to utter in these dark days. Our poor,
bleeding country!”

He uttered the words slowly, his head drooping, and
a deep sigh issuing from his lips; and we rode on in
silence.

At last the magnificent grounds of Lord Falkland's
mansion of Great Tew opened before us; and, riding
through a great park full of deer, and dotted with century
oaks, towering above us in the sunset, we drew
near the stately edifice. I have seen in my time the
admired palaces of the noblemen of France, Holland,
and other lands; but sure the houses of the lords of
England surpass those of all other countries. In this
new land I pine sometimes for another sight of those
great old houses,—centuries old, built of massive material,
adorned with lavish splendor,—the abodes of a
race who have struck their roots deep into the soil of
Old England throughout ages,—who raise their heads
like great oaks in the sunshine and the storm, and who
will stand or fall, I think, with the strength and glory
of England.

The broad front of Great Tew, with its mullions,
armorial devices in stone, and battlements, rose fair in
the sunset; and Lord Falkland ushered me in, with
his smile of gracious courtesy, between a double line
of domestic servants, who seemed to crave some mark
of recognition from their master. It was not withheld.
For each he seemed to have a word; and I think he
addressed almost every one by name. 'Twas plain to
me that the master of the mansion was beloved by all

who served him; and I can scarce convey an idea of
the atmosphere, so to speak, of kindness and affection,
throughout the stately old house.

An hour afterwards, dinner was served, and I had the
pleasure of being presented to Lady Alice Cary, his
lordship's niece,—a charming maiden of twenty,—
whose sparkling eyes seemed to be seeking on all sides
food for mirth or satire. It was the Beatrice of Will
Shakspeare. After an hour with her, I thought he
must have known her!

The interview with Mr. Hampden was to take place
at sunrise on the next morning, at a point designated,
a league or two distant; and Lord Falkland had just
summoned his head-groom to give him an order, when
a message from the king was announced, and Harry
entered the great reception-room.

“Welcome, Mr. Cecil,” said Lord Falkland,—one
of whose winning traits was to know the name of every
one. He extended his hand as he spoke,—the model
of a gracious host,—and then, turning towards Lady
Alice, presented Harry, who bowed low.

“A note from his majesty, my lord,” Harry said,
presenting a package, which Lord Falkland opened
and read. Finishing its perusal, he allowed the hand
holding the royal letter to fall over the red velvet arm
of his chair, and, looking down, murmured,—

“'Twas unnecessary.”

I afterwards ascertained that the king had written
to say that in the interview with Mr. Hampden there
must be no manner of discussion on the subject of surrendering
any of his friends to parliament. They had
heretofore demanded that he should give up his aiders

and advisers. He wrote now to say, once for all, that
he would die, sword in hand, before adding another
name to that of Strafford.

“I will reply at once to his majesty, Mr. Cecil,”
said the nobleman. And, going to his library, he was
absent for half an hour, during which time Lady Alice
Cary did the honors with excellent grace and ease.
What trait is more rare? With two young gentlemen,
strangers but now, she was not stiff, but gracious and
even mirthful; and when Lord Falkland returned, he
interrupted something resembling a wit-combat between
Harry and our fair hostess.

But I linger upon this charming evening, the first
and last I ever spent with the great Lord Falkland.
'Tis one of the sweetest and saddest memories I have
treasured up. You remember the august orb of the
sun, slowly sinking in pensive splendor, when you are
never to see him rise more on earth.

Harry returned with Lord Falkland's reply; and by
midnight I was asleep in one of the great old chambers,
full of antique furniture, rich, massive, and used, perchance,
by kings in their day. At sunrise I was in
the saddle, and riding beside Lord Falkland. The
dewy morning smiled upon us; the air was fresh and
bracing; the March winds were chill, but the fields
were growing green; the first flowers seemed about to
peep out from the budding grass.

“See,” Lord Falkland said, “the face of nature
wears a peaceful smile! What a pity, Mr. Cecil, that
men should frown and cut each other's throats!”

“The most piteous of all piteous things, my dear
lord,” I replied.

“And yet that is what we are doing in Old England
now. Men who but yesterday clasped hands, and sat
as brothers around the hearthstone, can find no better
means of composing their differences than to blow each
other to pieces with musketry and cannon!”

“Yonder is one who deprecates that as much as
you do, my lord,” I said; and I pointed to a mounted
gentleman who sat his horse motionless at a spot where
the road we traveled was crossed by another at right
angles. Behind this figure was another,—apparently
an atendant.

“'Tis Mr. Hampden,” said his lordship: “he
awaits us.”