Stand back, and let the King go by.--OLD PLAY.
"Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers."
When we approach the subject of royal entertainments, we cannot but
feel that the best of us are at a disadvantage. Princes have palaces
and retainers furnished for them. They have a purse which knows no
end. They are either by the divine right, or by lucky chance, the
personages of the hour! It is only when one of them loses his head, or
is forced to abdicate, or falls by the assassin's dagger, that they
approach at all our common humanity.
Doubtless to them, entertaining, being a perfunctory affair, becomes
very tedious. Pomp is not an amusing circumstance and they get so
tired of it all that when off duty kings and queens are usually the
most plainly dressed and the most simple of mortals. The "age of
strut" has passed away. No one cares to assume the puffiness of Louis
XIV. or George IV.
Royal entertainments, however, have this advantage, they open to the
observer the historical palace, and the pictures, gems of art, and
interesting collections of which palaces are the great conservators.
It would seem that Louis XIV., called _le Grand Monarque_, Louis the
Magnificent, was a master of the art of entertaining. Under him the
science of giving banquets received, in common with the other
sciences, a great progressive impulse. There still remains some memory
of those festivals, which all Europe went to see, and those
tournaments, where for the last time shone lances and knightly suits
of armour. The festivals always ended with a sumptuous banquet, where
were displayed huge centre-pieces of gold and silver, painting,
sculpture, and enamel, all laudatory of the hero of the occasion.
This fashion made the fame of Benvenuto Cellini in the previous
century. To-day, monarchs content themselves with having these
centre-pieces made of cake, sugar, or ices. There will be no record of
their great feasts for future ages.
Toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV., the cook, the _cordon
bleu_, received favourable notice; his name was written beside that of
his patron; he was called in after dinner. It is mentioned in some of
the English memoirs that this fashion was not unknown so lately as
fifty years ago in great houses in England, where the cook was called
in, in his white cap and apron, publicly thanked for his efforts, and
a glass of wine offered him by his master, all the company drinking
his health. This must have had an excellent effect on the art of
gastronomy.
Madame de Maintenon, whose gloomy sway over the old king reduced the
gay court to the loneliness of an empty cathedral, threw a wet napkin
on the science of good eating, and put out the kitchen fires for a
season.
Queen Anne, however, was fond of good cheer, and consulted with her
cook. Many cookery books have the qualification "after Queen Anne's
fashion."
Under the Regent Orléans, a princely prince in spite of his faults,
the art of good eating and entertaining was revived; and he has left a
reputation for _piqués_ of superlative delicacy, _matelots_ of
tempting quality, and turkeys superbly stuffed.
The reign of Louis XV. was equally favourable to the art of
entertaining. Eighteen years of peace had made France rich, and a
spirit of conviviality was diffused amongst all classes. The proper
setting of the table, and order, neatness, and elegance, as essentials
of a well-appointed meal, date from this reign. It is from this period
that the history of the _petit soupers de Choisy_ begins. We need
hardly go in to that history of all that was reckless, witty, gay, and
dissolute in the art of entertaining; but as one item, a floor was
constructed so that the table and sideboard sank into the lower story
after each course, to be immediately replaced by others which rose
covered with a fresh course. From this we may imagine its luxury and
detail.
Louis XV. was a proficient in the art of cookery; he also worked
tapestry with his own hand. We should linger over his feasts with more
pleasure had they not led on to the French Revolution, as a horrible
dessert. His carving-knives later on became the guillotine.
Under Louis XVI. there was a constant improvement in all the
"occupations which are required in the preparation of food" by cooks,
_traiteurs_, pastry cooks, and confectioners. The art of preserving
food, so that one could have the fruits of summer in the midst of
winter, really began then, although the art of canning may safely be
said to belong to our own much later time.
In the year 1740 a dinner was served in this order: Soup, followed by
the _bouilli_, an _entrée_ of veal cooked in its own gravy, as a side
dish. Second course: A turkey, a dish of vegetables, a salad, and
sometimes a cream. Dessert: Cheese, fruit and sweets. Plates were
changed only thrice: after the soup, at the second course, and at
dessert. Coffee was rarely served, but cherry brandy or some liqueur
was passed.
Louis XVIII., who grew to be an immensely fat man, was a remarkable
gastronome. Let any one read Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," and an
account of his reign, to get an idea of this magnificent entertainer.
His most famous _maître d'hôtel_ was the Duc d'Escars. When he and his
royal master were closeted together to meditate a dish, the ministers
of state were kept waiting in the antechamber, and the next day an
official announcement was made, "Monsieur le Duc d'Escars a travaillé
dans le cabinet."
How strangely would it affect the American people if President
Harrison kept them waiting for his signature because he was discussing
terrapin and Madeira sauce with his _chef_.
The king had invented the _truffles à la purée d'ortolans_, and
invariably prepared it himself, assisted by the duke. On one occasion
they jointly composed a dish of more than ordinary dimensions, and
duly consumed the whole of it. In the night the duke was seized with a
fit of indigestion, and his case was declared hopeless. Loyal to the
last, he ordered an attendant to awake and inform the king, who might
be exposed to a similar attack. His majesty was roused accordingly,
and told that D'Escars was dying of his invention.
"Dying!" exclaimed the king: "well, I always said I had the better
stomach of the two."
So much for the gratitude of kings. The Parisian restaurants, those
world-renowned Edens of the gastronomer, were formed and founded on
the theories of these cookery-loving kings. But political disturbances
were to intervene in the year 1770. After the glorious days of Louis
XIV. and the wild dissipation of the Regency, after the long
tranquillity under the ministry of Fleury, travellers arriving in
Paris found its resources very poor as to good cheer. But that soon
mended itself.
It was not until about 1814 that the parent of Parisian restaurants,
Beauvilliers, made himself a cosmopolitan reputation by feeding the
allied armies. He learned to speak English, and in that way became
most popular. He had a prodigious memory, and would recognize and
welcome men who had dined at his house twenty years before. In this he
was like General Grant and the Prince of Wales. It is a very popular
faculty.
Beauvilliers, Méot, Robert, Rose Legacque, the Brothers Very,
Hennevan, and Baleine, are the noble army of argonauts in discovering
the Parisian restaurant; or rather, they founded it.
The Brothers Very, and the Trois Frères Prevenceaux, both in the
Palais Royal, are still great names to compete with. When the allied
monarchs held Paris, in 1814, the Brothers Very supplied their table
for a daily charge of one hundred and twenty pounds, not including
wine, and in Père-la-Chaise a magnificent monument is erected to one
of them, declaring that his "whole life was consecrated to the useful
arts," as it doubtless was.
From that day until 1890, what an advance there has been. There is now
a restaurant in nearly every street in Paris, where one can get a good
dinner. What a crowd of them in the Champs Élysées and out near the
Bois.
A Parisian dinner is thoroughly cosmopolitan, and the best in the
world, when it is good. Parisian cookery has declined of late in the
matter of meats. They are not as good as they ought to be. But the
sauces are so many and so fine that they have given rise to many
proverbs. "The sauce is the ambassador of a king." "With such a sauce,
a man could eat his grandfather."
Leaving France for other shores, for France has no monarch to
entertain us now, let us see how two reigning monarchs entertain.
A presentation at the Court of St. James is a picturesque affair and
worth seeing, although it is a fatiguing process. A lady must be
dressed at eleven in the morning, in full court dress, which means low
neck and short sleeves, with a train four yards long and three wide.
She must wear a white veil and have three feathers in her hair so that
they can be seen in front. White gloves are also _de rigueur_, and as
they are seldom worn now, except at weddings, a lady must remember to
buy a pair. The carriages approach Buckingham Palace in a long queue,
and the lady waits an hour or more in line, exposed to the jeers of
the populace, who look in at the carriage windows and make comments,
laugh, and amuse themselves. One hopes that this may do these
ragamuffins some good, for they look miserable enough.
Arriving in the noble quadrangle of Buckingham Palace, the music of
the Guard's band enlivens one, and the silent, splendid figures of the
household troops, the handsomest men in the world, sit like statues on
their horses. No matter if the rain is pouring, as it generally is,
neither man nor horse stirs.
Once inside the palace, the card of entrance is taken by one of the
Queen's pages, some other official takes her cloak, and the lady
wends her way up a magnificent staircase into another gallery, out of
which open many fine rooms. Gentlemen of the Household in glittering
uniforms, and with orders, stand about in picturesque groups.
The last room is filled with chairs, and is soon crowded with ladies
and gentlemen, waiting for the summons to move on. The gentlemen are
all in black velvet suits, with knee breeches and sword, silk
stockings and low shoes.
A slight commotion at the little turnstile tells you to take your
turn; you pass on with the others, your name is loudly called, you
make three little courtesies to her Majesty, the Prince and Princess
of Wales, you see a glittering line of royalties, you hear the words,
"Your train, Madame," it is thrown over your arm by some cavalier
behind, and all is over; except that you are amongst your friends, and
see a glittering room full of people, and realize that nothing is so
bad as you had feared. After about an hour, you find your carriage and
drive home, or to your minister's for a cup of tea.
Then you receive, if you are fortunate, a great card from the Lord
Chamberlain, with the Queen's command that you should be invited to a
ball at Buckingham Palace. This ball is a sight to see, so splendid is
the ball-room, so grand the elevated red sofas, with the duchesses and
their jewels. Royalty enters about eleven o'clock, followed by all the
ambassadors.
Of late years the Queen has relegated her place as hostess to the
Princess of Wales, but during the jubilee year she kept it, and it was
a beautiful sight to see the little woman all covered with jewels,
with her royal brood around her.
The royal family go in to supper through a lane of guests. The
supper-room is adorned with the gold plate bought by George IV., and
many very fine pieces of plate given by other monarchs. The eatables
and drinkables are what they would be at any great ball.
The prettiest entertainment of the jubilee year was, however, the
Queen's garden-party. No one had seen that lovely park behind
Buckingham Palace for eighteen years; then it was used for the
garden-party given to the Khedive of Egypt. Now it was filled by a
most picturesque group. The Indian princes with all their jewels,
their turbans, their robes, their dark, handsome faces, stood at the
foot of a grand staircase which runs from the palace to the green
turf. Every other man was a king, a prince, a nobleman, a great
soldier, a statesman, a diplomate, a somebody.
The women were all, of course, beautifully dressed in summer costume;
and the grounds, full of ancient trees and fountains, artificial lakes
with swans, marquees with refreshments, were as pretty as only a royal
English park can be.
Presently we heard the sound of the bagpipes, and a procession headed
by some dancing Scotchmen came along. It was the Queen, with all her
children and grandchildren, ladies-in-waiting, and many monarchs,
amongst whom marched Queen Kapiolani of the Sandwich Islands. The
Queen walked with a cane, the Prince of Wales by her side. They all
stopped repeatedly and spoke to their guests on either side; then the
younger members of the family led the way to the refreshment tents,
where a truly regal buffet was spread.
There was much talk, much music, much laughter, no stiffness. It was
real hospitality. In one of the windows of the palace stood looking
out the Crown Prince of Germany, later on to be the noble Emperor
Frederic, even then feeling the pressure of that malady which in
another year was to kill him. He who had been, in the procession of
Princes on the great day, so important and so handsome a figure, was
on this day a silent observer. The Queen after this gave an evening
party to all the royalties, and the ambassadors, and many invited
guests.
The hospitality of the Queen is, of course, regal, but her dinners
must of a necessity be formal. General Grant mentioned his
disappointment that he did not sit next her, when she invited him to
Windsor, but she had one of her children on either side, and he came
next to the Princess Beatrice.
The entertainments at Marlborough House are much less formal. The
Prince of Wales, the most genial and hospitable of men, cannot always
pen up his delightful cordiality behind the barriers of rank.
As for the King and Queen of Italy, they do not try to restrain their
cordiality. The Court of Italy is most easy-going, democratic, and
agreeable, in spite of its thousand years of grandeur. The favoured
guest who is to be presented receives a card to the _cercle_, on a
certain Monday evening. The card prescribes low-necked dress, and any
colour but black. To drive to the Quirinal Palace on a moonlight night
in Rome is not unpleasant.
The grand staircase, all covered with scarlet carpet, was lined with
gigantic cuirassiers in scarlet, who stood as motionless as statues.
We entered a grand hall frescoed by Domenichino. How small we felt
under these giant figures. We passed on to another _salon_, frescoed
by Julio Romano, so on to another where a handsome cavalier, the
Prince Vicovara, received our cards, and opening a door, presented us
to the Marchesa Villamarina, the Queen's dearest friend and favourite
lady-in-waiting. We were arranged in rows around a long and handsome
room. Presently a little movement at the door, and the deep courtesies
of the Princess Brancaccio and the Princess Vicovara, both Americans,
told us that the Queen had entered.
Truly she is a royal beauty, a wonder on a throne. An accomplished
scholar, a thoughtful woman, Marguerite of Savoy is the rose of the
nineteenth century; her smile keeps Italy together. She is the
sweetest, the most beautiful of all the queens, and as she walks about
accompanied by her ladies, who introduce every one, she speaks to each
person in his or her own language; she is mistress of ten languages.
After she had said a few gracious words, the Queen disappeared, and
the Marchesa Villamarina asked us to take some refreshments, saying,
"I hope we shall see you on Thursday."
The next day came an invitation to the grand court-ball. This is a
very fine sight. The King and Queen enter and take their places on a
high estrade covered with a crimson velvet baldaquin. Then the ladies
and gentlemen of the household and the ambassadors enter.
The Count Gianotti, a very handsome Piedmontese, the favourite friend
of the King, the prefect of the palace and master of ceremonies,
declared the ball opened, and the Queen danced with the Baron Kendall.
The royal quadrille over, dancing became general. The King stood about
looking soldier-like, bored and silent; a patriot and brave man, he
hates society. The Queen does all the social work, and she does it
admirably.
What a company that was,--all the Roman nobility, the diplomatic
corps, the visitors to Rome, S. P. Q. R., the senate and the Roman
people. After the dancing, supper was announced. Royalty does not sup
in public in Rome, as in England. The difference in etiquette is
curious. The King and Queen retired. We went in as we pleased at ten
o'clock, had seats, and supped gloriously; the excellent Italian
cookery, of which we have spoken previously, was served admirably. The
housekeeping at the Quirinal is excellent.
The Queen of Italy moves about amongst the ambassadors' wives, and
summons any stranger to whom she may wish to speak, to her side. A
presentation to her is more personal and gracious than a like honour
at any other court.
A presentation at court resolves itself into two advantages. One sees
the paraphernalia of royalty, always amusing and interesting to
American eyes. Americans see its poetry, its almost vanished meaning,
better than others. Power, even when it descends for a day on fresh
Republican shoulders, is awe-inspiring. The boy who is a leader at
school is more important than the boy who walks behind him. "A captain
of thousands" was an old Greek term for leadership, dignity, and
honour. Therefore it is not snobbery to desire to see these people on
whom have fallen the ermine of power. It is snobbery to bow down
before some unworthy bearer of a title; but when, as in the case of
Marguerite of Savoy, there is a very good, a very gifted, a very
wonderful woman behind it all, we are glad that she has been born to
wear all these jewels.
We have in our minds one more scene, and a very picturesque one. In
September, 1888, the Duc d'Aosta, brother to King Humbert, married his
niece, Letitia Bonaparte, daughter of the Princess Clotilde and Prince
Jerome Bonaparte. This marriage occurred at Turin. A fine week of
autumn weather was devoted to this ceremony. It was a great gathering
of all the family of Victor Emmanuel. The Pope had granted an especial
dispensation to the nearly related couple. The degree of consanguinity
so repellent to us, is not considered, however, as prejudicial to
marriage in Spain, Italy, or Germany.
The King of Italy made this occasion of his brother's marriage, an
open door for returning to the old Italian customs of past centuries,
in the art of entertaining. The city of Turin was _en fête_ for the
week. At booths, in the open air, strolling companies were playing
opera, tragedy, burlesque, and farce. At the King's charge, the
streets were lined with gay decorations of pink and white silk,
banners and escutcheons; music was heard everywhere, and at evening
brilliant illuminations followed the river.
When the royal cortège appeared on their way to a public square they
were preceded by six hundred young cavaliers in the dress of Prince
Eugene, powdered hair, bright red and blue coats, each detachment
escorting a royal carriage. First came the King and Queen, then the
bridal pair.
They mounted a superb thing, like a basket of flowers, in the Piazza
Vittorio Emmanuel, where all the royalties sat around the bride. Music
and flags saluted them. The vast crowd sat and looked at them for two
hours. A gayly decorated balloon, covered with roses, floated over
the Queen's head, and finally, as the rosy light faded away, a gun
from the fortress sounded the hour of departure. The glittering
cavalcade drove back to the palace, and we foreigners knew that we had
seen a real, mediæval Italian festa.