“Hic jacet in tumbâ Rosamundi non Rosamunda,
Non redolet sed olet, quæ redolere solet.”
Returning from hence to Oxford, after dinner we proceeded on our journey,
and passed through Ewhelme, a royal palace, in which some alms-people are
supported by an allowance from the Crown.
Nettlebed, a village.
We went through the little town of Henley; from hence the Chiltern Hills
bear north in a continued ridge, and divide the counties of Oxford and
Buckingham.
We passed Maidenhead.
Windsor, a royal castle, supposed to have been begun by King Arthur, its
buildings much increased by Edward III. The situation is entirely worthy
of being a royal residence, a more beautiful being scarce to be found;
for, from the brow of a gentle rising, it enjoys the prospect of an even
and green country; its front commands a valley extended every way, and
chequered with arable lands and pasturage, clothed up and down with
groves, and watered by that gentlest of rivers, the Thames; behind rise
several hills, but neither steep nor very high, crowned with woods, and
seeming designed by Nature herself for the purpose of hunting.
The Kings of England, invited by the deliciousness of the place, very
often retire hither; and here was born the conqueror of France, the
glorious King Edward III., who built the castle new from the ground, and
thoroughly fortified it with trenches, and towers of square stone, and,
having soon after subdued in battle John, King of France, and David, King
of Scotland, he detained them both prisoners here at the same time. This
castle, besides being the Royal Palace, and having some magnificent tombs
of the Kings of England, is famous for the ceremonies belonging to the
Knights of the Garter. This Order was instituted by Edward III., the
same who triumphed so illustriously over John, King of France. The
Knights of the Garter are strictly chosen for their military virtues, and
antiquity of family; they are bound by solemn oath and vow to mutual and
perpetual friendship among themselves, and to the not avoiding any danger
whatever, or even death itself, to support, by their joint endeavours,
the honour of the Society; they are styled Companions of the Garter, from
their wearing below the left knee a purple garter, inscribed in letters
of gold with “_Honi soit qui mal y pense_,” _i.e._, “Evil to him that
evil thinks.” This they wear upon the left leg, in memory of one which,
happening to untie, was let fall by a great lady, passionately beloved by
Edward, while she was dancing, and was immediately snatched up by the
King, who, to do honour to the lady, not out of any trifling gallantry,
but with a most serious and honourable purpose, dedicated it to the legs
of the most distinguished nobility. The ceremonies of this Society are
celebrated every year at Windsor on St. George’s Day, the tutelar saint
of the Order, the King presiding; and the custom is that the Knights
Companions should hang up their helmet and shield, with their arms
blazoned on it, in some conspicuous part of the church.
There are three principal and very large courts in Windsor Castle, which
give great pleasure to the beholders: the first is enclosed with most
elegant buildings of white stone, flat-roofed, and covered with lead;
here the Knights of the Garter are lodged; in the middle is a detached
house, remarkable for its high tower, which the governor inhabits. In
this is the public kitchen, well furnished with proper utensils, besides
a spacious dining-room, where all the poor Knights eat at the same table,
for into this Society of the Garter, the King and Sovereign elects, at
his own choice, certain persons, who must be gentlemen of three descents,
and such as, for their age and the straitness of their fortunes, are
fitter for saying their prayers than for the service of war; to each of
them is assigned a pension of eighteen pounds per annum and clothes. The
chief institution of so magnificent a foundation is, that they should say
their daily prayers to God for the King’s safety, and the happy
administration for the kingdom, to which purpose they attend the service,
meeting twice every day at chapel. The left side of this court is
ornamented by a most magnificent chapel of one hundred and thirty-four
paces in length, and sixteen in breadth; in this are eighteen seats
fitted up in the time of Edward III. for an equal number of Knights: this
venerable building is decorated with the noble monuments of Edward IV.,
Henry VI., and VIII., and of his wife Queen Jane. It receives from royal
liberality the annual income of two thousand pounds, and that still much
increased by the munificence of Edward III. and Henry VII. The greatest
princes in Christendom have taken it for the highest honour to be
admitted into the Order of the Garter; and since its first institution
about twenty kings, besides those of England, who are the sovereigns of
it, not to mention dukes and persons of the greatest figure, have been of
it. It consists of twenty-six Companions.
In the inward choir of the chapel are hung up sixteen coats-of-arms,
swords, and banners; among which are those of Charles V. and Rodolphus
II., Emperors; of Philip of Spain; Henry III. of France; Frederic II. of
Denmark, &c.; of Casimir, Count Palatine of the Rhine; and other
Christian princes who have been chosen into this Order.
In the back choir, or additional chapel, are shown preparations made by
Cardinal Wolsey, who was afterwards capitally punished, {68} for his own
tomb; consisting of eight large brazen columns placed round it, and
nearer the tomb four others in the shape of candlesticks; the tomb itself
is of white and black marble; all which are reserved, according to
report, for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth; the expenses already made for
that purpose are estimated at upwards of £60,000. In the same chapel is
the surcoat {69} of Edward III., and the tomb of Edward Fynes, Earl of
Lincoln, Baron Clinton and Say, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the
Garter, and formerly Lord High Admiral of England.
The second court of Windsor Castle stands upon higher ground, and is
enclosed with walls of great strength, and beautified with fine buildings
and a tower; it was an ancient castle, of which old annals speak in this
manner: King Edward, A.D. 1359, began a new building in that part of the
Castle of Windsor where he was born; for which reason he took care it
should be decorated with larger and finer edifices than the rest. In
this part were kept prisoners John, King of France, and David, King of
Scots, over whom Edward triumphed at one and the same time: it was by
their advice, struck with the advantage of its situation, and with the
sums paid for their ransom, that by degrees this castle stretched to such
magnificence, as to appear no longer a fortress, but a town of proper
extent, and inexpugnable to any human force. This particular part of the
castle was built at the sole expense of the King of Scotland, except one
tower, which, from its having been erected by the Bishop of Winchester,
Prelate of the Order, is called Winchester Tower; {70} there are a
hundred steps to it, so ingeniously contrived that horses can easily
ascend them; it is a hundred and fifty paces in circuit; within it are
preserved all manner of arms necessary for the defence of the place.
The third court is much the largest of any, built at the expense of the
captive King of France; as it stands higher, so it greatly excels the two
former in splendour and elegance; it has one hundred and forty-eight
paces in length, and ninety-seven in breadth; in the middle of it is a
fountain of very clear water, brought under ground, at an excessive
expense, from the distance of four miles. Towards the east are
magnificent apartments destined for the royal household; towards the west
is a tennis-court for the amusement of the Court; on the north side are
the royal apartments, consisting of magnificent chambers, halls, and
bathing-rooms, {71} and a private chapel, the roof of which is
embellished with golden roses and _fleurs-de-lis_: in this, too, is that
very large banqueting-room, seventy-eight paces long, and thirty wide, in
which the Knights of the Garter annually celebrate the memory of their
tutelar saint, St. George, with a solemn and most pompous service.
From hence runs a walk of incredible beauty, three hundred and eighty
paces in length, set round on every side with supporters of wood, which
sustain a balcony, from whence the nobility and persons of distinction
can take the pleasure of seeing hunting and hawking in a lawn of
sufficient space; for the fields and meadows, clad with variety of plants
and flowers, swell gradually into hills of perpetual verdure quite up to
the castle, and at bottom stretch out in an extended plain, that strikes
the beholders with delight.
Besides what has been already mentioned, there are worthy of notice here
two bathing-rooms, ceiled and wainscoted with looking-glass; the chamber
in which Henry VI. was born; Queen Elizabeth’s bedchamber, where is a
table of red marble with white streaks; a gallery everywhere ornamented
with emblems and figures; a chamber in which are the royal beds of Henry
VII. and his Queen, of Edward VI., of Henry VIII., and of Anne Boleyn,
all of them eleven feet square, and covered with quilts shining with gold
and silver; Queen Elizabeth’s bed, with curious coverings of embroidery,
but not quite so long or large as the others; a piece of tapestry, in
which is represented Clovis, King of France, with an angel presenting to
him the _fleurs-de-lis_ to be borne in his arms; for before his time the
Kings of France bore three toads in their shield, instead of which they
afterwards placed three _fleurs-de-lis_ on a blue field; this antique
tapestry is said to have been taken from a King of France, while the
English were masters there. We were shown here, among other things, the
horn of a unicorn, of above eight spans and a half in length, valued at
above £10,000; the bird of paradise, three spans long, three fingers
broad, having a blue bill of the length of half an inch, the upper part
of its head yellow, the nether part of a . . . colour; {73} a little
lower from either side of its throat stick out some reddish feathers, as
well as from its back and the rest of its body; its wings, of a yellow
colour, are twice as long as the bird itself; from its back grow out
lengthways two fibres or nerves, bigger at their ends, but like a pretty
strong thread, of a leaden colour, inclining to black, with which, as it
has not feet, it is said to fasten itself to trees when it wants to rest;
a cushion most curiously wrought by Queen Elizabeth’s own hands.
In the precincts of Windsor, on the other side the Thames, both whose
banks are joined by a bridge of wood, is Eton, a well-built College, and
famous school for polite letters, founded by Henry VI.; where, besides a
master, eight fellows and chanters, sixty boys are maintained gratis.
They are taught grammar, and remain in the school till, upon trial made
of their genius and progress in study, they are sent to the University of
Cambridge.
As we were returning to our inn, we happened to meet some country people
_celebrating their harvest home_; their last load of corn they crown with
flowers, having besides an image richly dressed, by which, perhaps, they
would signify Ceres; this they keep moving about, while men and women,
men and maid servants, riding through the streets in the cart, shout as
loud as they can till they arrive at the barn. The farmers here do not
bind up their corn in sheaves, as they do with us, but directly as they
have reaped or mowed it, put it into carts, and convey it into their
barns.
We went through the town of Staines.
Hampton Court, a Royal Palace, magnificently built with brick by Cardinal
Wolsey in ostentation of his wealth, where he enclosed five very ample
courts, consisting of noble edifices in very beautiful work. Over the
gate in the second area is the Queen’s device, a golden Rose, with this
motto, “DIEU ET MON DROIT:” on the inward side of this gate are the
effigies of the twelve Roman Emperors in plaster. The chief area is
paved with square stone; in its centre is a fountain that throws up
water, covered with a gilt crown, on the top of which is a statue of
Justice, supported by columns of black and white marble. The chapel of
this palace is most splendid, in which the Queen’s closet is quite
transparent, having its window of crystal. We were led into two
chambers, called the presence, or chambers of audience, which shone with
tapestry of gold and silver and silk of different colours: under the
canopy of state are these words embroidered in pearl, “_Vivat Henricus
Octavus_.” Here is besides a small chapel richly hung with tapestry,
where the Queen performs her devotions. In her bedchamber the bed was
covered with very costly coverlids of silk: at no great distance from
this room we were shown a bed, the tester of which was worked by Anne
Boleyn, and presented by her to her husband Henry VIII. All the other
rooms, being very numerous, are adorned with tapestry of gold, silver,
and velvet, in some of which were woven history pieces; in others,
Turkish and American dresses, all extremely natural.
In the hall are these curiosities:
A very clear looking-glass, ornamented with columns and little images of
alabaster; a portrait of Edward VI., brother to Queen Elizabeth; the true
portrait of Lucretia; a picture of the battle of Pavia; the history of
Christ’s passion, carved in mother-of-pearl; the portraits of Mary Queen
of Scots, who was beheaded, and her daughter; {76} the picture of
Ferdinand, Prince of Spain, and of Philip his son; that of Henry
VIII.—under it was placed the Bible curiously written upon parchment; an
artificial sphere; several musical instruments; in the tapestry are
represented negroes riding upon elephants. The bed in which Edward VI.
is said to have been born, and where his mother Jane Seymour died in
child-bed. In one chamber were several excessively rich tapestries,
which are hung up when the Queen gives audience to foreign ambassadors;
there were numbers of cushions ornamented with gold and silver; many
counterpanes and coverlids of beds lined with ermine: in short, all the
walls of the palace shine with gold and silver. Here is besides a
certain cabinet called Paradise, where besides that everything glitters
so with silver, gold, and jewels, as to dazzle one’s eyes, there is a
musical instrument made all of glass, except the strings. Afterwards we
were led into the gardens, which are most pleasant; here we saw rosemary
so planted and nailed to the walls as to cover them entirely, which is a
method exceeding common in England.
Kingston, a market town.
Nonesuch, a royal retreat, in a place formerly called Cuddington, a very
healthful situation, chosen by King Henry VIII. for his pleasure and
retirement, and built by him with an excess of magnificence and elegance,
even to ostentation: one would imagine everything that architecture can
perform to have been employed in this one work. There are everywhere so
many statues that seem to breathe so many miracles of consummate art, so
many casts that rival even the perfection of Roman antiquity, that it may
well claim and justify its name of Nonesuch, being without an equal; or
as the post sung—
“This, which no equal has in art or fame,
Britons deservedly do _Nonesuch_ name.”
The palace itself is so encompassed with parks full of deer, delicious
gardens, groves ornamented with trellis-work, cabinets of verdure, and
walks so embrowned by trees, that it seems to be a place pitched upon by
Pleasure herself, to dwell in along with Health.
In the pleasure and artificial gardens are many columns and pyramids of
marble, two fountains that spout water one round the other like a
pyramid, upon which are perched small birds that stream water out of
their bills. In the Grove of Diana is a very agreeable fountain, with
Actæon turned into a stag, as he was sprinkled by the goddess and her
nymphs, with inscriptions.
There is besides another pyramid of marble full of concealed pipes, which
spurt upon all who come within their reach.
Returned from hence to London.