_Richard III., Traditional Notice of._--I have an aunt, now eighty-nine
years of age, who in early life knew one who was in the habit of saying:
"I knew a man, who knew a man, who knew a man who danced at court in
the days of Richard III."
Thus there have been but three links between one who knew Richard III. and
one now alive.
My aunt's acquaintance could name his three predecessors, who were members
of his own family: {207} their names have been forgotten, but his name was
Harrison, and he was a member of an old Yorkshire family, and late in life
settled in Bedfordshire.
Richard died in 1484, and thus five persons have sufficed to chronicle an
incident which occurred nearly 370 years since.
Mr. Harrison further stated that there was nothing remarkable about
Richard, that he was not the hunchback "lump of foul deformity" so
generally believed until of late years.
The foregoing anecdote may be of interest as showing that traditions may
come down from remote periods by few links, and thus be but little
differing from the actual occurrences.