and death, intending, probably, had he not been prevented, by a fever, which proved fatal to him, to subjoin, at some future period, such other particulars as he could collect: but Mr. Davies, who appears to have possessed none of the sagacity and erudition of his friend, has added to Fulman's notes, respecting our poet, that "he was much given to all unluckinesse, in stealing venison and rabbits; particularly from Sir Lucy [for he did not even know the knight's Christian name], who had him oft whipt, and sometimes imprisoned, and at last made him fly his native country, to his great advancement. But his reveng was so great, that he is his Justice Clodpate; and calls him a great man, and that, in allusion to his name, bore three lowses rampant for his arms "." This addition to Fulman's notes, I believe, was made about the year 1690.

9

8

Sir Thomas Lucy was certainly a man of great consideration in the county of Warwick, where his family had been settled for several generations. He was born early in the year 1532', the son of Sir

8 This omission of the personal pronoun was not uncommon in the last age. See the Essay on the Metre and Phraseology of Shakspeare and his Contemporaries.

9 Fulman's MSS. vol. xv. article, Shakspeare.

The register of Charlecote, not commencing till after the birth of Sir Thomas Lucy, gives no information on this subject; and his tomb is equally silent; but it appears, from an inquisition taken at Warwick, September 23, 1551, on the death of his father, William Lucy, that he was of the age of nineteen years, two months, and upwards, at the time of his father's death, which happened June 24, 1551. He was, therefore, born in or before April, 1532. Esc. 5 Ed. VI. p. 2, n. 89.

William Lucy, knight, and the eldest of ten children, of whom five were daughters2; and he put "his unhoused free condition" into that "circumscription and confine," which every man, of any sensibility, must prefer to cheerless celibacy, at a still earlier period than our poet; having married a rich heiress, Joice, the daughter of Thomas Acton, of Sutton, in Gloucestershire, Esq. when he was not fifteen years old. In 1558, about seven years after his father's

2

They are all enumerated in the will of his father, William Lucy; which was made June 23, 1551, the day before his death.

3 Et predict. Willus Lucye sic de et in predictis maneriis, advocaconibus, messuagiis terris, tenementis et cæteris premissis cum suis pertinent. seisitus existens, in consideracōne cujusdam maritagii inter Thomam Lucye, armigerum, tunc filium et heredem apparentem dicti Willielmi Lucye et Jocosam adhunc et modo uxorem ejusdem Thomæ, filiam et hæredem Thome Acton nuper de Sutton in com. Wigorn. armigeri defuncti, tunc habit. et solemnizat. (quæ quidem Jocosa in plena vita et ætatis sexdecem annorum et amplius modo existit apud Charlecotte predict.) Ac etiam pro diversis promissis et agreament. ex parte dicti Thome Acton cum prefato Willo Lucye fact. tunc vere observat.; Necnon in consideracōne et per implement. quorundam agreament. et C******* prefat. Willm. Lucye cum prefat. Thome Acton perantea fact. et habit. idem Willus Lucye per cartam suam indentat. juratoribus predictis super capcōnem hujus Jnquisitionis in evidens. ostentatam cujus dat. primo die mensis Augusti anno regni nuper regis Angliæ Henrici Octavi tricesimo octavo [1546] dedit, concessit, &c. Esc. 5 Ed. VI. p. 2. n. 89.

It is remarkable that Sir Thomas Lucy, in an elaborate epitaph, which he wrote for his wife, and which I shall hereafter have occasion to quote, says that she was sixty-three when she died, Feb. 10, 1595-6. If the words relative to her in this inquisition are cited from the deed of 1546, then she must have been born in the year 1530, and consequently must have been sixty-six

death, he rebuilt the family mansion-house, at Charlecote; and, in honour of his royal mistress, Elizabeth, it may be observed, that it is constructed in the form of the letter E; a species of gallantry, in which Henry the Second, of France, had set him an illustrious example, not long before. To repay him for this testimony of his attachment and loyalty, she knighted him, in 1565, and honoured him with a visit, in August, 1572.

In the reign of that queen, ten new parliaments were summoned. In her third parliament, which met April 2, 1571 (13 Eliz.), Sir Thomas Lucy, and John Hubaud, esquire (who was afterwards knighted), a friend and favourite of the great Earl of Leicester, represented the county of Warwick. This parliament, having sat not quite two months, was dissolved on the 29th of May. In the following parliament, which met May 8, 1572, Sir Thomas Lucy was not a member; he, and his former colleague, being probably defeated, after a contest, by Mr. William Devereux 4, and Mr. Clement Throckmorton, a gentleman of considerable property in Warwickshire, which he had represented in a preceding parliament, assembled in January, 1562-3. The parliament of 1572 having continued, in a very unusual

when she died: if they relate to the time of taking the inquisition (Sept. 23, 1551), she must have been born some time in the year 1535, and could not have been more than sixty-one when she died. This is not the only instance in which I have found tombstones inaccurate.

4 Mr. Devereux having died soon after his election, Sir John Hubaud was elected in his room.

manner, for nearly eleven years, Sir Thomas Lucy had not an opportunity of again offering his services to the county till the year 1584, when he was a second time elected to represent it, in conjunction with George Digby, Esq. This parliament, after having sat from the 27th of November, 1584, to the 29th of March in the following year, was then prorogued, and never met again; being dissolved September 14, 1586. Sir Thomas Lucy, therefore, was probably invested with the dignity of a county member, at the period when our poet is said to have incurred his displeasure.

From the parliamentary history of those times, he appears to have taken an active part in the House of Commons, in several matters of importance; and to have been one of that puritanical party, who, about

66

5 Mr. Strickland, a zealous puritan, or, in the words of my author, a grave and ancient man of great zeal," April 6, 1571, made a long discourse to induce the house to order the preachers of the gospel to publish a confession of faith, as had been done at Strasburgh, Frankfort, &c. and to take order to purge the common prayer-book, and free it from certain superstitious ceremonies, as using the sign of the cross in baptism, &c. He said Mr. Norton, a member of that house, had a book composed for the purpose of effecting this kind of reformation, a reformation which he contended was "not contrariant, but directly pursuant to our profession, that is, to have all things brought to the purity of the primitive church and institution of Christ."

Mr. Norton said, that he had such a book, but that it was not composed by him, but by virtue of an act of parliament, passed in 1532, by which eight bishops, eight divines, eight civilians, and eight temporal lawyers, were appointed to make ecclesiastical constitutions: in consequence of which the work was undertaken by Dr. Haddon, who composed the scheme or plan of the book, which was penned by Mr. Cheeke. This book, which

the middle of the Queen's reign, while they resisted some unwarrantable extensions of prerogative, began

was printed, was tendered to the house. Whereupon the following persons were appointed for the redress of sundry defections in those matters; viz. all the Privy Council being members of the house, Sir Henry Neville, Sir Thomas Thynne, Sir Thomas Lucy, Mr. Norton, Mr. Strickland, and ten others." Parl. Hist. iv. 105. D'Ewe's Journ. 156.

In the Journals of the House of Commons this matter is thus stated:

Upon a motion for uniformity of religion, and the mention of certain bills drawn for that purpose the last parliament, and for redress of sundry defections in those matters, a Committee is by the House appointed of these following; viz. all the Privy Council that are of this house, Sir Henry Neville, Sir John Thynne, Sir Thomas Lucy, Mr. Strickland," &c.

We again find Sir Thomas Lucy united with Mr. Strickland and Mr. Norton on a subsequent occasion:

"Martis, prima die Maii, 1571.

"Mr. Attorney-General and Mr. Doctor Huyoke do desire, from the Lords, that some of this house may attend upon six of the Lords to-morrow morning at eight of the clock, for conference touching the bill against priests disguising themselves in servingmen's apparel; which is granted; and thereupon Mr. Treasurer, Sir Thomas Scotte, Sir Owen Hopton, Sir Thomas Lucye, Sir Henry Jones, Mr. Servient Manwood, Mr. Clare, Mr. Thomas Browne, Mr. Norton, Mr. Yelverton, Mr. Strickland, Mr. Mounson, and Mr. Thomas Hussey, are appointed for that purpose." Com. Journ. 1. 87.

"The bill for respite of homage, with the bill for coming to church, and receiving the communion, was sent to the Lords by M'. Treasurer, Mr. Comptroller, M. Chan'. of the Dutchy, M'. Chan'. of the Excheq'. S. Thomas Smith, S'. Thomas Scotte, Sr. Thomas Lucy, Mr. Norton, Mr. Yelverton, M'. Strickland, &c. 6 May. 1571." Com. Journ. 1. 88.

Towards the close of this session, I find Sir Thomas Lucy joined