BRAMPTON-A)TIONG-THE-ROSt*.

hlisory, together with the roses which still abound in
the neighbourhood, but more especially in what had
been the pleasance or garden of the roofless manor
house. The descendants have been famous for more
than a century for their fine flocks of sheep and rare
breed of rams, and were renowned farmers when
George III. was a good judge of a leg of mutton, and
stocked his royal pastures from the flocks they bred;
and never since have the family aspired to be anything
more.
 The grandson of the knight who so bravely de-
fended Brampton against the Roundheads, saw how
his father was only fed upon promises through the
loose reign of Charles II.; for it had afforded no
pleasure to him when his father, after he returned
from London filled with empty promises, to sit and
hear tell of the gay doings at the Merry Monarch's ex-
travagant Court in the patched-up apartments of what
remained of the old Manor House. Having his health
drank by Charles II., and clapped on the back when
the kind-hearted but unprincipled king was merry
with wine," and being toasted as the son of the brave
old knight who had so long defended Brampton against
a strong besieging force; neither helped to build up
the old family residence, nor bring back the many
hundreds of gold Jacobuses nor Caroluses which the
grandfather had been compelled to raise on his lands,
to pay the troops who aided him in the defence. As
little did the grandson take pleasure in hearing of the
brazen beauties who infested the royal court, many of
whose portraits are still in existence. For although
his dress appeared shabbier every time he returned
from London, he still loved to sit with the old silver
wine-cup before him, and talk about Lady Castle-
maine's lips, that looked like ripe cherries on a tree in