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the celebrated book, written by Parsons the Jesuit, entitled
“Leicester’s Commonwealth;” but “he has omitted,” says Warner, “several
curious circumstances respecting the attempt to poison the unhappy lady,
which throw some light on the practices of the time, and the diabolical
character of the Earl.” The book consists of a dialogue between a
scholar, a gentleman, and a lawyer:--“_Lawyer._ Here the lawyer began to
laugh a-pace, both at the device and at the minister; and said, ‘Now,
truly, if my Lord’s contracts hold no better, but hath so many
infirmities with subtleties, and by places besides, I would be loth that
he were married to my daughter, mean as she is.’ ‘But yet,’ quoth the
gentleman, ‘I had rather of the two be his wife, for the time, than his
_guest_, especially if the Italian chirurgeon, or physician,[206] be at
hand.’ ‘True it is,’ saith the lawyer; ‘for he doth not poison his
wives, whereof I somewhat marvel at his first wife: I muse why he chose
rather to make her away by open violence than by some Italian
comfortive.’ ‘Hereof,’ said the gentleman, ‘may be divers reasons
alleged. First: that he was not at that time so skilful in those Italian
wares, nor had about him so fit physicians and chirurgeons for the
purpose; nor yet do I think that his mind was so settled then in
mischief, as it hath been since; for you know that men are not desperate
the first day, but do enter into mischief by degrees, and with some
doubt, or staggering of conscience, at the beginning; and so he, at that
time, might be desirous to have his wife made away with, for that she
letted him in his designments, but yet not so strong-hearted as to
appoint out the particular manner of her death, but rather to leave that
to the discretion of the murderer. Secondly: it is not, also, unlike
that he perscribed to Sir Richard Varney, at his going thither, that he
should first attempt to kill her by poison, and if that took not place,
then by any other way howsoever to despatch her. This I prove by the
report of old Dr. Bayly, who then lived in Oxford--another manner of man
than he who now liveth about my lord of the same name--and was professor
of the physic lecture in the same university. This learned grave man
reported for most certain, that there was a practice in Cumnor, among
the conspirators, to have poisoned the poor lady a little before she was
killed, which was attempted in this order: they, seeing the good lady
sad and heavy--as one that well knew, by her other handling, that her
death was not far off--began to persuade her that her disease was
abundance of melancholy and other humours, and therefore would needs
counsel her to take some potion; which she absolutely refusing to do, as
suspecting still the worst, they sent one day--unawares to her--for Dr.
Bayly, and desired him to persuade her to take some little potion at his
hands, and they would send to fetch the same at Oxford, upon his
prescription, meaning to have added, also, somewhat of their own for her
comfort, as the doctor, upon just cause, suspected. Seeing their great
importunity, and the small need which the good lady had of physic,
therefore he flatly denied their request; misdoubting, as he afterwards
reported, lest, if they had poisoned her under the name of _his_ potion,
he might have been hanged for a colour of _their_ sin. Marry, the said
doctor remained well assured that this way taking no place, she should
not long escape violence, as after ensued.”--Sec. Mem.
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<g>In taking</g> leave of <g>Kenilworth</g>, one cannot but regret with Fuller that so
splendid a structure should have passed so rapidly into a mass of ruins;
and that, not by the slow waste of time--not by the frequency of siege,
nor the severity of tempests,--but by the wanton hand of aggression. “I
am not stocked with charity,” says this quaint writer, “to pity the
miners thereof, if the materials of this castle answered not their
expectation who destroyed it. Some castles,” he adds, “have been
demolished for security, which I behold destroyed, ‘se defendendo,’
without offence; others demolished in the heat of wars, which I look
upon as Castle Slaughter: but I cannot excuse the destruction of this
<g>Castle</g> from wilful murder, being done in cold blood since the end of the
wars.”
“Hark! ’twas a stone that from yon turret top
Dropp’d heavily upon the sod below.
These falling fragments of departed strength,
These mouldering masses, make one feel ashamed
That earthly grandeur has so little power
To hand her greatness down to future times.”
<g>Summary.</g>--Consulting the ground-plan of Kenilworth, we find that the
dungeons lay at the western extremity of the castle, the part which is
now most ruinous. They were situated under Mervyn’s Tower--a sallyport
of the castle, and which we apprehend formed, with Cæsar’s Tower, the
substance of the original fortress--probably Saxon. This portion of the
ruins we examined, but found it a mere shapeless heap, with some
indications of strong vaultings, sufficient to justify the belief of
their having been places of confinement in the ruder and more warlike
days of the Barony. Kenilworth, in the absence of additions absolutely
modern, affords specimens of the architecture of more various periods
than most English castles. <g>The Keep</g>, <g>or Cæsar’s Tower</g> (p. 214),
corresponds in some important points with the recognized specimens of
Saxon building extant at Bamborough, showing the same narrow buttresses
traversing the entire elevation; and a window remaining on the eastern
face of the Keep, narrow, with a circular arch, and diminishing inward
to a mere slit, is of a corresponding time. Supposing the body of the
Keep to date before the Norman Conquest, we take the wings to be of
Norman addition, from their being similar to the castle at
Newcastle-on-Tyne, built immediately after the Conquest. Some portions
on the western side indicate additions made about the time of Edward the
Third, by John of Gaunt, and called Lancaster’s Building (p. 224); some
of the windows of the great Hall (p. 220-222) are beautiful examples of
this period. Near this quarter, on the south-western angle of the group,
are some turrets constructed so as to be defended by three archers back
to back, the loopholes extending outwards, and giving them the means of
annoying an invading party under a sufficient cover. In Leicester
Buildings (p. 231) are some elegant remains, particularly a superb
oriel; and in this part are the details of a very delicate and elaborate
style.
The Gate-House (p. 232) is comparatively recent; and some tall gabled
puritanic-looking dwellings patched upon it, in an ungainly fashion, may
from their aspect have been the work of those commissioners of the
Parliament who made such havoc upon the venerable pile committed to
their charge.--MS. Notes, A. May, 1842.
<g>Environs.</g>--The <g>Priory</g> of Kenilworth--of which our notice must be very
brief (p. 215)--originally occupied a considerable space, which is
indicated
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by the remains of foundations, a perfect portion of which--the base of
the Chapter House--was exposed by the sexton while digging in the
churchyard. This has been cleared, and exhibits the base of an octagonal
building with buttresses, adjacent to which is the burialplace of the
Priors, which has probably been a cloister: the graves are marked by
stone slabs bearing a curious variety of sculptured crosses. The
remaining portions of the Priory are all of the early pointed style,
with the exception of the Chapel, which evinces, by the peculiar
construction of the window, a very early period. The roof of the Chapel
has been richly decorated with projecting heads sculptured in a good
style; one of these lies in the interior of the Priory Gate-House. The
parish <g>Church</g> immediately adjacent to the Priory, has a
richly-ornamented circular door, and in the tower a pleasing chime of
bells, one of which, originally belonging to the Priory, retains its
monastic habit of duly chiming the matins and ‘curfew.’ The writer was
much struck with the effect of the former, on waking early on the first
morning of his sojourn in Kenilworth, and making inquiry of the sexton
in the course of the day, was informed that it was one of his functions
to announce the dawn and sunset in this manner daily throughout the
year.--From MS. Notes by an eminent Artist, communicated to the Editor.
The <g>Town</g> of Kenilworth, in addition to the few particulars which will be
found scattered through the preceding pages, has nothing of paramount
interest for the stranger. It extends along the post-road for nearly a
mile, and contains various schools (liberally supported), almshouses,
and other charities, which reflect the greatest credit on their founders
and patrons. The population is considerably upwards of three thousand,
but with very little trade. The parish church contains a splendid window
of modern stained glass, contributed by the late Bishop of Lichfield
when Master of Shrewsbury School, and finished under the direction of
Mr. David Evans of that city. The <g>Bridge</g>, consisting of two spacious
arches, and commanding a fine view of the striking objects around, is
highly ornamental to the place.
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