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 pounds; 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; {16} 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; {17} 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.
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