KING JAMES OF SCOTLAND AND
THE LADY JANE BEAUFORT.
One of the pleasantest excursions which a traveller can make from
London is to Windsor, with its parks and grounds so wonderfully
luxuriant and beautiful, and so vast in extent, and its royal old
castle--certainly one of the noblest sights in all England.
This is finely situated on the Thames; it overlooks a rich and lovely
country, and is seen from great distances--a grand, crowning object in
the landscape.
I visited Windsor with a party of Americans, some of whom I had never
seen before, and have not met since; but I always think of them with
kindly interest, because I shared with them so great a pleasure. I
wonder if they remember it as well as I do!
'Twas on a bright, but not unpleasantly warm day in midsummer, when the
parks and gardens were in all the glory of their greenness and bloom,
when fountains sparkled in the sun and birds warbled in the shade, and
the sky above was clear and blue enough to make up for all the clouds
and fogs I had seen since I came to England.
We went directly from the station to the Castle, a grand mass of
ancient and modern buildings, towers, and turrets, and parapets--all
solidly but elegantly built, of dark gray stone.
We entered through a lofty gateway, into the court-yard, from thence
into a sort of guardroom, where we recorded our names in a book; and
then were conducted up a great marble staircase, to the state
apartments. These are somewhat jumbled up in my mind with the hosts of
magnificent rooms which I have since seen in many other royal palaces;
but I remember that they were all very handsome, richly furnished, and
hung with fine pictures and gorgeous tapestry. I recollect most
distinctly "The Vandyke Room," called so because of its containing
several great pictures by that famous painter--principally portraits of
Charles I. and his family. Then there is "The Waterloo Chamber," hung
round with portraits of heroes and great men, and "St. George's Hall,"
a grand banqueting room, two hundred feet in length, and the beautiful
ball-room, as brilliant as rich carving and gilding and delicate
painting can make it.
Our party had permission to see not only the state, but the private
apartments of the palace. These are less splendid than those great
show rooms, but more tasteful, beautiful, and comfortable. Yes,
_comfortable_--for the English, even in their grandest palaces, manage
to have the dear, cosy home look and feeling about them. The Queen's
breakfast parlor, looking out on a pleasant terrace, simply though
richly furnished, and hung with portraits of herself, Prince Albert,
and the royal children, is a very charming apartment indeed. We came
to this through a long, bright corridor, lined with beautiful pictures,
bronzes, graceful statuettes, and elegant curiosities, so that one
could but be charmed to linger by the way. Several of the pictures
represented scenes in her Majesty's life--her first council--her
coronation--her marriage--the christening of the princess royal, etc.
Many palaces have such a vast, cold, awfully grand look that one
fancies kings and queens must have very dull, stiff, dreary times,
living in them, and must often long for a simple, snug little
cottage-home, somewhere away from all their pomp and splendor. But it
is not so at Windsor; I did not pity the Queen at all. I even fancied
that I could be very comfortable myself, living at the palace, after
getting a little used to it. Her Majesty never gave me an opportunity
to test this, however.
Attached to the Castle is the beautiful chapel of St. George, in which
the court, when at Windsor, attend service. Here, a place is
partitioned off for the royal family, something like a box at the
opera, only enclosed by a fine lattice work screen, to prevent the
people, I suppose, from gazing at the Queen and Prince Albert, when
they should be minding their devotions.
From the chapel we went to the royal stables, where we were shown some
very fine horses and elegant equipages. There were the Queen's
carriages of all varieties, and little pony phaetons, and Canadian
sleighs and Russian sledges; and there were her carriage and riding
horses, and Prince Albert's hunters, and the children's ponies. The
stables are handsome and comfortable buildings, and are kept with the
utmost care, order, and neatness. Thousands of poor people might envy
the high-blooded brutes such a home as this. Some of the horses were
very beautiful and graceful animals, and all were groomed so carefully
it seemed no one hair was longer than the others. In almost every
stall was a sleek, lazy, high-bred looking cat, either perched upon the
back of the horse, dozing and blinking, or curled up in the straw at
his feet, fast asleep. The grooms told us that the horses were really
very fond of their feline companions, and treated them tenderly and
protectingly.
From the castle we drove to the delightful pleasure-grounds of Virginia
Water. Passing up a magnificent avenue, more than three miles long, we
came to a height, on which stands a large equestrian statue of George
III., in the dress of an ancient Roman. This is the king we rebelled
against, you know. He was a domineering, stubborn, crack-brained old
gentleman, but, for all that, honest and good-humored. I should not
think him particularly like an ancient Roman, except in his obstinacy.
Next we came to Virginia Water, which is just the loveliest place I
ever saw. Here are luxuriant plantations and gardens, summer-houses,
temples, fountains, cascades, woods, walks, and drives. Here is a
shining, winding little lake, with fairy-like pleasure-boats upon it,
and graceful swans slowly sailing over the clear, blue waves, and
looking like the reflection of small white clouds, floating in the sky
above.
Virginia Water is the play-ground of royalty. The celebrated Duke of
Cumberland, George IV., and William IV., amused themselves here a great
deal, at an enormous and very foolish expense, sometimes. The duke
built an absurd Chinese temple and a useless clock-tower. George had
ruins brought from Greece and Egypt, and set up in the wood; while
William, who had been a sailor, had a little vessel of war built to
defend the miniature sea.
The Duke of Cumberland's clock-tower was sold to a rich country
gentleman, who soon tired of it, and wished to sell it back to the
crown. But King George objected to his price, and refused to buy. The
owner, who was a shrewd fellow, a sort of English Barnum, said, "Very
well," but immediately took means to render himself a very
uncomfortable neighbor, by mounting a large telescope on the top of the
tower, and coolly watching the king in all his loyal recreations. This
quite enraged his Majesty; but he bought the tower on the owner's
terms, who, I am sorry to say, was disloyal enough to make him pay dear
for the telescope.
When Queen Victoria is at Windsor, the royal standard is seen floating
from the highest tower, and strangers are not admitted to the castle.
But the great park is always open to the people. Here they sometimes
meet the Queen and Prince Albert walking or riding, without an escort,
and so plainly dressed that those who expect to see sovereigns and
princes always surrounded by pomp and show, might pass them by
unnoticed. The little princes and princesses are often seen walking
and playing in the grounds, also very simply dressed. They are fine,
healthy, natural children, and are admirably governed and cared for.
Their good mother sees that especial attention is paid to their health,
and has established a wise and strict system of exercise and diet. She
keeps them in the country and on the sea-shore as much as possible; she
overlooks their studies, reading, and sports; she is very careful that
they go early to bed, and rise in time to hear the good-morning song of
the lark. As for their diet, many an American farmer's or shopkeeper's
children would think it very hard if they were restricted to such
simple food as these sons and daughters of a great queen are content
with and thrive on; oatmeal porridge, butterless bread, a very little
meat, no rich gravies,--water, milk, a limited amount of fruit, and no
sweetmeats.
The Prince of Wales, who, if he lives, will be the next king of
England, is an amiable and gallant young lad, but is a little too apt,
I heard it said, to take kingly airs upon himself before his time. I
was told of an instance of this very natural fault, in which he was
taught a good lesson.
It happened some two or three summers ago, that he invited one of the
boys from Eton College, which is near Windsor, to spend a day with him
at the castle. This boy, though the son of a nobleman, was untitled, I
believe, but perhaps all the more sturdy and manly for that, and not to
be put upon, even by a prince.
All went well for a time, but at last, the prince took offence at some
bit of sport, and did not restrain his temper or his tongue. The
Etonian resented the insult, I am sorry to say, in the usual school-boy
fashion, by a resort to blows; and being stronger than the prince, soon
got the advantage of him. The attendants raised an alarm, and Prince
Albert himself came to the field of battle. The Etonian, having let
the little prince up, stood bravely facing his royal father.
"Why, what is the matter, boys?" asked Prince Albert.
"The matter is, your royal highness, that I have beaten your son. It
was because he insulted me, and I won't stand an insult from any boy."
The prince, after inquiring into the matter, reproved young Albert; and
being a soldier, did not blame the Eton boy for his want of peace
principles, as you or I would doubtless have done.
There are many stories in English history connected with Windsor
Castle, but none I think so pretty as that of