Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: who knew the place more than half a century ago, tells me that it had the evil reputation of being haunted by a ghost. It is but fair to the memory of Sir Nicholas Pelham to remark that he was anything but the churlish person that poor Lord Dacre's bad advisers are made to represent him. In fact he was a man of generous and patriotic spirit, and a gallant defender of his native shores against the French. In the year 1545 he succeeded in repulsing from the Sussex coast a hostile armament which had been prepared for its annoyance. He lies buried at St. Michael's, in Lewes, and his epitaph informs posterity that " What time the French sought to have sackt Seafoord, This Pelham did repel 'em back aboord." I have only further to add that Amberstone is the name given to an ancient boundary-stone near Hellingly Park. As ' Amber' is a word often found connected with Druidical remains, it is assumed that the stone referred to in the ballad may have been held sacred by our Celtic ancestors.1 As late I journeyed—on my way, Hard by the Druids' Amber-stone, An ancient man, M'ith locks of grey, Sat silent weeping all alone. ' Why run the tears adown thy face ? What art thou, aged man ?' I said. ' Thy tottering limbs and hoary head Should have some meeter resting-place.' Then slowly rose that ancient man, And, with his sleeve of homely frieze, When nature's flood had brought him ease, Brush'd off his tears and thus began :— 1 Much valuable information respecting ' Herstmonoeux Castle and its Lords' will be found in a recent publication by my friend, the Rev. Edm. Venables, M.A. THE OLD MAN'S TALE. ' Thou art a stranger, Sir, I trow, To all this saddened country side, Or news, that goes so far and wide, Of our good Lord thou sure must know. ' The good Lor...