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I'

DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT

VARIOUS PALACES

S^c, Sfc, S^c,

London : Printed hj R. Edward,,
Crane Court, fleet Street,

DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT

VAKIOUS PALACES,

AND

PUBLIC BUILDINGS,

..... WITH

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THEIR FOUNDERS OR BUILDERS,
AND OTHER EMINENT PERSONS.

^-'- BY JAMES NORRIS BREWER.

LONDON :

PEINTED FOR W. H. AVYATT, PICKET STREET, TEMPLE BAR.

1810.

AHTS

IK NA

DEDICATION.

- GENERAL J. LEVESON GOWER,

BILL-HILL, BERKSHIRE.

Sir,

xXS the following pages were written in the immediate
neighborhood of your family seat, there appears a natural propriety in
my wishing to address my volume to your notice.

Many writers assert, that it is impossible to produce any thing new in
the form of a dedication. I really believe that they are mistaken, and
that simple unadorned truth, is a perfect novelty in this species of
composition.

And would it not be equally new, if plain and unvarnished truth,
attracted the admiration of the world ? The prejudices and passions of
mankind, demand mental aliment, of a more highly-seasoned description.

VI DEDICATION.

Might I be allowed to expatiate on the materials which truth supplies,
I should find sufficient subject for genuine unmixed encomium. I might
talk of mihtary excellence; of strength of judgment; and (which is more
closely connected with my present undertaking) of the correctness of
taste, shown in the alterations effected in your country seat, and its
dependencies. On these heads I forbear; but allow me. Sir, thus pub-
licly to offer you the sincere commendation of an obscure neighbor, in re-
gard to the good taste you exhibit, by deriving your chief private enjoy-
ments from the fulfilment of the duties of husband, father, and benefactor,
— while the elevated and affluent, are so frequently seen corrupting the
world by extravagance, or wounding it by inhumanity.

T have the honor to be.

With high respect,
Sir,
Your most obedient, humble Servant,
James Norris Brewer.

Hurst, Berks,
February, 1810.

PREFACE

AT appears that few circumstances of discussion can be more interesting than an
analysis of eminent buildings ; especially, if the examiner, at the same time, direct
his attention to the history and fortunes of those peisons who are connected with
each structure that comes under consideration. The temper, the genius, the pursuits
of an historical era stand delineated in the features of remarkable edifices. And
yet it is believed that no work, either English or foreign, professing to treat of great
public buildings, or of superb private mansions, goes beyond a mere cursory
account of their prominent and obvious characteristics.

Impressed with these convictions, the present writer had long intended to attempt
a work on a similar principle with that now submitted to the public, when he was
enabled to profit by a fortunate opportunity in regard to the furtherance of his
design. The plates contained in the present volume were executed for a work
which it was judged expedient by the proprietors to lay aside in so early a stage,
that the engravings may be said, with a very small license of expression, to have been
consigned to oblivion. The author hopes that he shall not be deemed too partial
when he ventures to assert that they deserved a more favorable destiny.

As it was the great object and ambition of the writer to render his work a desirable
appendage to the library of the man of rank, while it might prove a subject of interest
to the general reader, he has avoided abstruse and laborious dissertations on
architecture as an art ; confining his remarks to such points as involved matters
of general taste, or were united « ith some peculiarity of national manners. AVhere
circumstances admitted, he has endeavored to enter largely on biographical disqui-

Vin PREFACE.

sition, convinced that an account of the founder would frequently tend to elucidate
the character and purposes of a splendid palace ; and confidently presuniing that no
man can possibly contemplate the impressive features of an august edifice, without
experiencing curiosity concerning those who first tenanted the structure, or who
formed the plan, and raised the building, as a monument of private grandeur or of
public spirit;

In the proposals submitted to the public, it was observed that six numbers would
form a volume, and would complete the work, unless the encouragement received
should be sufficient to induce a continuation, comprehending every public building
or palace worthy of observation, and consonant to the plan of the work. It is the
anxious wish of the author to proceed. Many buildings of high interest occur as
worthy of selection : — edifices calculated to convey a correct idea of the genius and
taste of various nations and ages. It remains with the public to determine whether
it be desirable to investigate and illustrate these structures, in the manner adopted in
the present volume. Should public patronage favor a continuation of the work, not
any labor or ex[)ense shall be wanting, to.render a succeeding volume deserving of
notice.

Hurst, Berk*,

March I at, 1810.

*^* The Author regrets that several typographiial errors have arisen, in comequeme of the
distance at n-hich he resides from the Press. One mistake ?5 so injurious to the seme that
it demands especial notice: — at page 12, line 9, the Duke of Somerset is said to have
resided at his Palace in the Strand, in the year 1553. In the Julhors MS. the date
stood 1550: — thus, it is entirely owing to the inadvertence of the Printer that the work is
made apparently to assert that the Duke of Somerset resided in this Strand-mansion, a
twelvemonth after the period at which he is known to have undergone decapitation.

DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT

SOMERSET-HOUSE.

H/VERY European State can boast its palaces and pavilions, the seats of regal
splendor, and national munificence. In tliis respect, the East may vie with the
more favored territories westward; while, in every variation of clime, the mansions
of polite or warlike Nobles emulate the grandeur even of regal splendour. To
England appertains a boast, perhaps still more gratifying — a costly and immense
public Building, in which art and science, on one hand, hold their court ; while the
chief official resorts, connected with the routine of general business, are concentrated
on the other.

The increase of commerce, and the correspondent exaltation of the arts, had
long suggested to many men of power and discernment, the propriety of such an
edifice. The course of those various interchanges, to which property is so peculiarly
subject in a commercial country, had vested in the Crown the possession of the site
on which the palace of die Protector Somerset formerly stood. Time had reduced
that once splendid building to a mere fragmentary, and useless memorial of departed
greatness. The wish of the Monarch moved in unison with the exigencies of the
public ; and the spot, once decorated Avith the proud and massive turrets of Somerset's
Strand residence, was allotted to the service of the aits, and tlie gratification of na-
tional ambition.

2 SOMERSr/r-llOUSK.

In every point, this spot was admirably adapted to those purposes. That part
of the Strand on which Somerset-House stands, may be nearly denominated central,
in regard to the various offices which tlic Building combines. The adjacency of the
Thames must bo considered a prominent advantage, as relating both to the utility
anil beauty of the structure; while the very extensive character of the Protector's
buildings, and the spaciousness of the gardens which a|)pertaincd to iiis mansion,
aft'orded ample room for every architectural effort that splendor or convenience
might suggest.

It was in the year 1774, that an Act of Parliament was obtained for embanking
tlie Kivcr Thames before Somerset-Place, and for building on the ground thereof
various specified public offices.

The liberal countenance bestowed by the Sovereign on the late Master of the
13oard of Works, Sir A\'illiam Chambers, readily accounts for the nomination of
that architect to the superintendence of the projected edifice. After a design of
Sir William's, the building was begun ; and, though never entirely completed, it
must certainly be allowed, in many respects, to redound to the credit of his taste
and ingenuity.

Somerset-House occupies a space of five hundred feet in depth, and nearly eight
hundred in width. This astonishing extension of site is distributed into a quadran-
gular court, three hundred and forty feet long, and two hundred and ten Mide, with
a street on each side, lying parallel w ith the court, four hundred feet in length, and
sixty in breadth, leading to a terrace (fifty feet in width) on the banks of the Tliames.
The terrace is raised fifty feet above the bed of the river, and occupies the entire
length of tlie building. It is to be regretted that the streets on the sides are still in
an unfinished state.

The Strand-front of the building is no more than one hundred and thirty-five feet
long. In so small a compass, no exalted flights of fancy were to be expected from
tlie artist; but all that candor could desire, has been performed. The style is
eminently bold and simple; and may be safely affirmed one of the best modern
attempts to imite the chcistity and order of the Venetian school, with the majesty
and grandeur of the Roman. — This division of the building consists of a Kustic base-
ment, supporting Corinthian columns, crowned in the centre with an attic, and at
the extremities with a balustrade.

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 3

Nine large arclies compose the basement; the tlirec in the centre arc open, and
form the entrance to tlie quadrangle ; the three at eacli end are filled with windows
of the Doric order, and adorned with pilasters, entablatures, and pediments. The
key-stones of the arches are carved, in ulto relievo, with nine Colossal masks,
representing Ocean and the eight cliief rivers of Great Britain; viz. Thames, Ilum-
ber, Mersey, Dee, IMedway, Tweed, Tyne, and Severn ; all decorated with suita-
ble emblems.

Above the basement, rise ten Corinthian columns, on pedestals, with regular
entablatures, correctly executed. Two floors ai-e coniprehended in this order ; the
windows of the inferior, being only surrounded with architraves, while those of the
principal floor have a balustrade before them, and are ornamentcil with Ionic pilas-
ters, entablatures, and pediments. The three central windows have likewise large
tablets, covering part of the architrave and frieze, on which are represented, in
bajiso relievo, medallions of the King, Queen, and Prince of Wales, supported by
lions, and adorned respectively with garlands of laurel, of myrtle, and of oak.

The Attic extends over three intercolumniations, and distinguishes the centre of
the front. It is divided into three parts, by four Colossal statues, placed over the
columns of the order : the centre division being reserved for an inscription, and tlie
sides having oval windows, enriched with festoons of oak and laurel. The four
statues represent venerable men in senatorial habits, each A\earing the Cap of Li-
berty. In one hand, they have a Fasces, composed of reeds firmly bound together,
emblematic of strength derived from unanimity, while the other sustains respectively
the Scales, the Mirror, tlie Sword, and tiie Bridle; symbols of Justice, Truth, Va-
lour, and Moderation. The whole terminates with a group, consisting of the Arms
of the British Empire, supported, on one side, by the Genius of England, and on
the other, by Fame, sounding her trumpet.

The three open arclies form the only entrance. They open to a vestibule, uniting
the street with the back-front, and serving as the general access to the ^^hole edifice,
but more particularly to the Royal Academy, and to the Royal and Antiquarian
Societies ; the entrances to which are under cover.

This vestibule is decorated with columns of the Doric order, whose entablatures
support the vaults, which are ornamented with well-chosen antiques, among which
the cyphers of their Majesties and the Prince of Wales are intermixed.

B 3

4 SOMEllSET-HOUSE.

Over the central doors in this vestibule arc two busts, executed in Portland-stone,
by Mr. ^Vilto^; that, on the Academy side, represents Michael Angelo Bonarotti ;
that, on the side of the learned Societies, Sir Isaac Newton.

The back-front of this part of the buildin?, which faces t!ie quadransrle, the archi-
tect was enabled to make considerably wider than that towards the Strand. It is
near two hundred feet in extent, and is composed of a corps clc logis, with two pro-
jecting wings. The style of decoration is, however, nearly the same ; tlie principal
variations consist in the forms of the doors and windows, and in the use ot pilasters
instead of columns, except in the front of the wings, each of which has four co-
lu\nns, supporting an ornament composed of two sphinxes, with an antique altar
between them, judiciously introduced to screen the cliimnies from view.

The masks on the key-stones of the arches are intended to represent Lares, or
the tutelar deities of the place.

The Attic is ornamented with statues of the four quarters of the globe. America
appears armed, as b.eathing defiance ; the other three are loaded with tributary
fruits and treasure. Like the Strand-front, the termination of the Attic on this side
is formed by the Britisii Arms surrounded by sedges and sea-weeds, and supported
by marine gods, armed v\ ith tridents, and holding a festoon of nets filled with fish
and other marine productions.

The other three sides of the quadrangle are formed by massy buildings of Rustic
work, correspondhig with the interior of the principal front. The centre of the
South side is ornamented witli an arcade of four columns, having two pilasters
on each side, witliin which the windows of the front are thrown a little back. On
these columns rests a jjediment ; in the tpnpanum of which is a basso relievo
representing the Arms of the Navy of Great Britain, supported by a sea-nymph,
riding on sea-horses, and guided by tritons blowing conchs. On the corners of the
pediments are military trophies, and the whole is terminated by elegant vases placed
above the columns.

The East and West fronts are nearly similar, but less copiously ornamented. In
the centre of each of these fronts is a small black tower, and in that of the South
front a dome.

All round the quadrangle is a story, sunk below the ground, in which are many
of the offices subordinate to those in the basement and upper stories.

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 5

Directly in the front of the entrance, and in the great quadrangle, is a bronze cast
of the Thames, by Bacon, lying at the foot of a pedestal, on which is placed an
elegant statue of his present JMajesty, also in bronze.

The front next the Thames corresponds Avith the South front of the quadrangle,
and is ornamented in the same manner. Before it is a spacious terrace, supported
by arches resting on the artificial embankment of the Thames. These arches are
of massy Rustic work, and the centre, or water-gate, is ornamented with a Colossal
mask of the Thames, in alto relievo. There are eleven arches on each side of the
centre, the eighth of which, on both sides, is considerably more lofty than the others,
and serves as a landing-place to the warehouses under the terrace. Above these
landing-places, upon the balustrade which runs along the terrace, are figures of lions
couchant, larger than life, and well executed.

The principal offices held in Somerset-House are those of the Privy Seal, and
Signet; the Navy; Navy Pay; Victualling, and sick and wounded Seamens'; the
Stamp ; Tax ; and Lottery, and Hawkers' and Pedlars' ; the Surveyor General of
Crown Lands; the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster; the Auditors of Imprests;
the Pipe; the Comptroller of the Pipe; and the Treasurer's Remembrancer. When
the streets on the two sides are finished, there will be dwelling-houses for the Trea-
surer, Paymaster, and six Commissioners of the Navy; three Commissioners of
the Victualling office, and their secretary ; a Commissioner of Stamps, and one of
sick and wounded ; several of whom already reside here. There are, also, commo-
dious apartments in each office for a secretary, or some confidential officer, and for
a porter.

It appears, from the papers laid before the House of Commons, that the archi-
tect's estimate of the probable expense of the projected structure was comparatively
trifling: on Somerset-House, however, has already been expended half a million of
money ! This very considerable difference between conjecture and reality is not to
be entirely attributed to the natural disdain of restraint invariable with the practitioner
of the finer arts. — The building was commenced when the nation was plunged
in its destructive war with the Colonies. AMien it is recollected that Portland-stone
is brought by sea, upwards of 250 miles, from the island of that name in Dorset-
shire ; that Purbeck-stone is likewise conveyed by water upwards of 220 miles, from
Sandwich ; and Moor-stone upwards of 330 miles, from Devonshire, or Cornwall ;

a SOMERSET-HOUSE.

the effect that a state ol national liostility must have on the charge and convenience
of removing so many hundred tons as were required for Somerset- House, must he
allowed to operate materially in producing the alleged disproportion.

In many respects, Sir W. Chambers was called to the performance of a novel
tusk in his dci^ign for Sonierset-lfouse. The Temple, the Palace, the Theatre, had
long exerci-scd the ingenuity of architectural talent. A building destined as a
national Emporium for the equal resort of art and commerce, demanded fresh exer-
tions, and invited the fancy of the artist to a path, which self-dependence alone
could enable him to tread.

it is not our design to trace, under any particular article in this work, the direct
progress of architectural skill in England. The various subjects which we shall
attempt to illustrate, uill necessarily call for discussion respecting the peculiar ta.ste
of precise periods ; and these casual explanations it would be impolitic to antedate
by any resemblance of a regular essay. From the present topic naturally arises a
recollection of the alternate prevalence of the Grecian and Roman styles in this
country, after the introduction of classic architecture : an oscillation in taste which
can scarcely fail to surprise the artist of the present day.

" The art of building,"' says Leon Baptista Alberti, " sprang up and spent its
adolescent state in Asia; after a certain time, it flowered in Greece; and, finally,
acquired |)erfect maturity in Italy, among the Romans." This statement of Alberti
must, on investigation, be allowed perfectly correct. — We read of roofs supported
by Colossal men and animals in the works of the Egvptians, several ages before the
introduction of Persians or Caryatides in the structures of Greece; and of temples
adorned witli porticos, columns, and sculpture, before a single temple enriched the
city of Athens. Though the Grecians cannot be deemed the inventors of ornamen-
tal architecture, it must be confessed that tliey improved on their Egyptian and
Phoenician models w iih much sublimity of genius. But their architectural efforts
Mere entirely diverted to one focus — the construction of popular edifices. The sole
aim of every refinement on Egyptian architecture, introduced by Grecian artists,
was the more appropriate decoration of a temple, or a theatre. For this circumscribed
study of one of the noblest arts, sufficient causes may be readily ascribed.

Greece, a country far from large in itself, was divided into a number of petty
states, neither populous, nor rich. This injudicious division of a limited territory

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 7

induced that spirit of frugality in the breast of the government, that is ever the bane
of any art, a step beyond the useful. " It must be owned," says Monsieur D' AL-
lancourt, " that Greece, even in the zenith of her greatness, had more ambition
than })o\ver. We find Athens tiattering herself with tiic conquest of the universe,
yet unable to defend her own territories against the incursions of her neighbours."
This paucity of population occasioned so great a dread of luxury, that the sump-
tuary laws of the Grecian states were of the most severe nature. — One of the laws
of Lycurgus ordained, " that the ceilings of houses should only be wrought by an
ax; and their gates and doors be left rough from the saw."* So strict a system of
equality prevailed among the Grecian States, and so entire a reverence was enter-
tained for the edicts of Lycurgus, that, even in their best time, domestic decoration
they accounted folly and effeminacy. — " All the States of Greece," says Plutarch,
" clamoured loudly against Pericles for ornamenting Athens like a vain, fantastic
woman ; and adorning it with statues and temples, which cost a thousand talents."
— Even Alcibiades, the most luxurious Greek of his time (who was accused of -weaT-
ing a purple cloak, and of sleeping upon a bed with a canvass bottom), does not seem
to have excelled his neighbours in splendor of habitation, except in the single cir-
cumstance of his house being painted !

For wealth, splendor, and power, the Romans are ackno\vledged to stand dis-
tinguished as the first people of their era. No rugged and iron necessity compelled
repulsive parsimony in the spirit of their laws ; and the genius of tlie nation failed
not to take ad\'antage of the liberality of fortune. The Romans began, at an early
period, to cultivate domestic architecture. .According to Suetonius, Julius Caesar
not only embellished Rome with various costly palaces, but raised considerable
structures in Italy, France, Spain, Asia, and Greece. Augustus is well known to
have boasted on his death-bed that he had couverted Rome into a city of marble.
From Carthage, Sicily, Egypt, and Greece, were transmitted to Rome the rarest
productions of the art of design ; and the brightest intelligence of tlie Roman people
was employed, through many centuries, in endeavours to perfect each indistinct con-
ception of foreign genius, and to reduce to practice each glittering theory that acci-

* This law was so scrupulously observed among the Lacedaemonians, tiiat when King Leotychidas
«aw at Corinth a ceiling of which the timbers were neatly wrought, it is said to have been a sight so
new to him, that he asked his host if trees grew square in that country ?"

8 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

dent had prevented neighbouring talent from carrying beyond mere visionarv-
existence.

Vespasian not only erected the temple of Peace, and that dedicated to Minerva,
(two of the richest and largest covered buildings of anticjuity), but encouraged the
construction of various superb palaces; and obliged the proprietors of ruined houses
to rebuild them w ith an attention to symmetry and taste. Tlie palaces of Caligula
and Nero were, in extent, like towns ; and Domitian had so great a love for building,
that he is said to have wished he were another Midas, that he might indulge his
propensity without controul.*

Thus considering that the Grecians only studied architecture as accessaiy to
s]ilendor of religious worship, while the Romans carried the art through every
avenue of taste, grandeur, and domestic convenience, is it not surprising that when
the Gothic mode began to decline in England, and lettered fervour looked for em-
bellishment to the antique, that the Grecian, and not the Roman style was adopted
as tlie standard of imitation? Yet such was indi^^putably the case.

The first building produced in this country in attention to the modes of classical
antiquity, w as the sumptuous palace presented by Cardinal "W'olsey as a peace-offer-
ing to the active apprehensions of an irritable monarch : and this primary recurrence
of improved taste to the style of lettered pi cdecessors w as a monument of the mode
and character of Grecian architecture. The second, in point of s[)lenilor and emi-
nence, was the original palace denominated Somerset- House: and this was an
awkward and incongruous mixture of the Gothic and Grecian. In the time of
Elizabeth, a species of architecture prevailed, to w hich, it appears, English eccen-
tricity may lay a positive claim, as it militates against all established character, and
seems little other than the feeble effort of convenience to modify the Gothic and

* We wish not to insinuate that every production of the Romans was deserving of imitation. We
know that their remains are extremely unequal. " At Rome, as in London or Paris," says Sir W.
Chambers, " there were few great architects, but many very indifferent ones j and the Romans had
their connoisseurs, as we have ours, who sometimes would dictate to the artist, and cramp the fortunate
sallies of his genius, force upon him and the world their own whiniiical productions, promote ignorant
flatterers, and discourage, even oppress, honest merit.

Vitruvius, (supposed to have lived in the Augustan age) complains loudly of this hardship; and there
is a remarkable instance of the vindictive spirit of an ancient connoisseur, in Adrian, who put to death
the celebrated ApoUodorus, for having ventured a shrewd remark upon a temple designed by that em»
peror, and built under his direction.

SOMERSET-HOUSE. g

castellated style used in the earlier and more barbarous ages ; but if ever, in this
period, the classical ancients Mere called to the builder's aid, Greece was the point
to which his infatuated search was directed.*

Inigo Jones stood in solitary opposition to the prevalent absurdities of architecture.
To the active and judicious genius of Jones is to be ascribed the improved taste of
architectural design that has gradually spread over the whole face of our country.
Vet Jones sometimes descended to the incongruities of his period. Witness, his
giving to the west end of the Gothic Cathedral of St. Paul, (after the fire of 1561)
a portico of the Corinthian order; while, at the ends of the two transepts, lie placed
Gothic fronts in a miserably inappropriate style !

It is to be regretted that Sir Christopher W' ren's talents were chiefly called, by
the exigency of the times, to sacred architecture. His plan of rebuilding London,
after the fire of 1666, was worthy of ancient Rome in its most exalted day. Had
his genius been devoted to domestic structures, the noblest effects might have been
expected. Sir Christopher was conversant with the stores of Italy, and tlie cor-
rectness of his taste could not have done otherwise than transplant their more eligible
portions to his native soil.

Vanburgh's imagination was so incumbered with Grecian relics, that his genius
never moved without the drawback of ponderous shackles. He mistook houses for
temples, and stands forth a memorable instance, that though painting and architec-
ture may most hap[)ily unite in the same professor, architecture and poetry cannot
readily assimilate in one bosom.f

It remained for Sir William Chambers first to construct a great national edifice,
chiefly appropriated to domestic uses, after the best models of the Roman school.
And this, whatever defects may be ascertained in his structure, he certainly has
achieved. Free from the servility of mere imitation. Chambers availed himself of
the brightest emanations of Roman talent, and, while tlie building in question re-
mains in support of the assertion, we may be sanctioned in affirming that, "' not un-
til the time of the architect of Somerset-House were the genuine proportions of all

* A perspicuous specimen of the motley attempts at classical correctness in this age, tnay be seen at
Dean in Wiltshire, where the chief entrance anil lateral divisions of the building are in the non-descript
manner of Elizabeth's period, while the garden-front is Grecian, highly embellished.

t Candor demands our observing that Sir Joshua Reynolds was a strenuous admirer of Vanburgh'f
genius. Sir Joshua contended that there was more picturesque effect in his designs than in those of any
other architect, ancient ornodern.

10 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

tJie orders correctly ascertained, and the ornaments and style of construction peculiar
to each, accurately distinj^uished.'"

Wiiile we allow Sir M'illiam the full praise of establishing the Roman style as a
model, we readily grant that faults of no trivial import occur in his great undertak-
ing—The terrace on the facade to the Thames, which projects sixty, and is designed
to extend liom east to west eleven hundred feet, is supported by a lofty arcade, with
columns of the Tuscan order. What was designed to impart dignity, it has been
truly objected, " deprives the building of that chastity on which real grandeur so
materially depends. When seen from the river, or the opposite bank, this ponde-
rous sub- basement is a component part of the facade, and is never lost, except on
the terrace itself. Sir W. Chambers has laid it down as a rule, that the basement
ou<'ht never to become a principal part of the fabric, for the order being the richest
portion of the composition ought to be predoininant ; and all the variations admitted
into the works of Palladio will not justify this resignation. — But the deformity was
never so egregious as at Somerset-House: the superstructure, with its paltry cupola,
is utterly contemptible, crowning the unwieldy and complex basement."

In the same facade, columns introduced in the upper section, standing on nothing,
and supporting nothing, betray a lamentable puerility of conceit. Pedestals are
most unnecessarily introduced at the small eastern arch; and the composite order is
employed in the columniated projections on three sides of the quadrangle, in direct
violation of every rule of simplicity and regularity. Considering the Strand-front as
a mere introductory elevation, we do not hesitate to say that, without the least in-
iui"y to the general design of his building. Sir AVllliam might have rendered the
entrance to the quadrangle more respectable and spacious. Nor can it be without
i«ore solid arguments than we have yet heard adduced, that we admit the peculiarity
of site as a sufficient apology for the interment of such a huge quarry of stone as is
contained in the long subterranean ranges of inferior offices.

The palace that formerly occupied the ground plan of this great national building,
belonged, as. we have stated, to Edward Duke of Somerset, Protector in the reign
of Edward VI. On receiving a grant from his royal nephew of certain lands and
buildings situated on the border of the Thames, Somerset demolished the mansions
(or inns as they \\ ere termed) of the Bishops of Chester and Worcester. The church
of St. I\Iary Ic Strand stood near the inn of the latter Prelate. This church was
extremely ancient, and had probably become superfluous from the junction of the

SOMERSET-HOUSE. H

parish of St. Mary le Strand v;\\h that of St. Mary le Savoy. The church, therefore,
shared the fate of the episcopal palaces, and was removed in favour of the Protector's
intended edifice. — The building was formed from materials that had formerly com-
posed the church of St. John of Jerusalem,* and the cloisters on the north side of
St. Paul's.

This palace consisted of several courts, and had a garden behind it, situated on
the banks of the Thames. The front next the Strand was adorned with columns,
and other decorations affecting the Grecian style ; and in the centre was an enriched
gate opening to the quadrangle. On the south side of this quadrangle was a piazza
before the great hall or guard-room ; beyond which were other courts that lay on a
descent towards the garden. — The back-front (ne.xt to the Thames) was added to the
original structure by King Charles II. and was a magnificent elevation of free-stone,
with a noble piazza built by Inigo Jones. In this new building a selection of apart-
ments was dedicated to the use of Royalty. These rooms commanded a beautiful
prospect of the river and the adjacent country. The garden was ornamented with
statues, shady walks, and a bowling-green.(' After the removal of Queen Catha-
rine, Dowager of Charles II. several officers belonging to the court were permitted
to lodge in the royal apartments, and a great part of the building was, for some time,
used as barracks for soldiers.

Somerset-yard, on the west side of the palace, extended as far as the end of Ca-
therine-street. Latterly, in this yard were built coach-houses, stables, and a spa-
cious guard-room.

The architect of old Somerset-House is supposed to have been John of Padua,
who had a salary in the preceding reign, under the title of Devizor of his Majesty's
Buildings.

* This church was famous for the beauty of its tower, which was " graven, gilt, and enamelled."
The tower was blown up, when the materials were wanted by the Protector.

t Bowls appear to have afforded, formerly, a much more fashionable arau»ement than at present.—
*' Mr. Hyde," says Lord Clarendon, alluding to himself, " going to a house called Piccadilly, which
was a fair house for entertainment and gaming, with handsome gravel walks, and where were an upper
and lower bowling-green, whither many of the best nobility and gentry resorted for exercise," Sec.

Mr. Garrard, likewise, in his letter to the Earl of Stafford, mentions " two bowling-greens made
to entertain gamesters, and others, at an excessive rate, for he believes they have cost the proprietor
abore four thousand pounds." (Dated June, 1635.)

C 2

\n SOMERSET-HOUSE.

The building was coinmcnced in 1549, and was completed with great expedition.
Mr. Pennant,* into '' the north of whose displeasure" the Protector seems to have
innocently sailed, observes, that " possibly the founder never enjoyed the use of this
palace, for in 155'2 he fell a just victim on the scaftbhl." In this, as is the casein
most instances -where prejudice anticipates the result of disquisition, Mr. Pennant is
wrong: — The Duke did reside at his palace in the Strand; for his recommendatory
preface to the " Spiritual Pearle," is concluded in these words: — " From ourc house
at Somerset- Place, the vith day of JNIay, anno 1553."

Short, however, vas the term for w hich he enjoyed his residence. The Duchess
after his death, a()pears to have resided chicUy at Ilanworth, \\here she died, at the
age of ninety, in the year 1587.

To this palace Queen Elizabeth was in the habit of resorting, as a visitor to her
kinsman. Lord Hunsdon ; to whom, \\\i\\ characteristic frugality, her Majesty lent,
not sctve, Somerset-Place.

Anne of Denmark, (consort of King James I.) kept her court here, ^\'ilson
says, " that the Queen's court was a continued viascarado, where she and her
ladies, like so many sea-nymphs, or nereides, appeared in various dresses, to the
ravishment of the beholders."'f

Through the shady, sequestered recesses of Somerset gardens, a more luckless
Queen wandered, and struggled to hide the chagrin that fed on the best virtues of
her bosom — virtues, tliat all its silent asperity, through a long succession of years,
could not have tlie triumph of consuming ! — Catiiarine, the amiable, but neglected,
wife of the only genius of the house of Stuart, dwelt in the palace of the once-
potent Protector. The extent of insult to w hich this exemplary character was sub-
jected by the profligacy of her ingenious consort, the " airy" Charles, was not cor-
rectly knoMU till Mr. Peggc:j; ascertained tiiat she ^^as obliged to receive Eleanor
G Wynne as a lady of her privy chamber!

* Vide some Account of London, p. 129.

■\ During the occupancy of this ttiieen, the building was called Denmark-Place.

% " I am ashamed to confess that I find Mrs. Eleanor Gwynne, (better known by the name of
Nell Gwynne) among the ladies of the privy chamber to Queen Catharine. This was bare-faced
enough to be sure! Had the King made a momentary connexion with a lady of that denomination,
the offence might have been connived at by the Queen ; but the placing one of the meanest of his
creatures so near the Queen's person was an insult that nothing could palliate, but the licentiousness
the age, and the abandoned character of the lascivious Mouarch/' Pegge's Curialia, part 1. p. 58.

SOMERSET-HOLSE. 13

Charles I. appears to have been considerably attached to Somerset-House. He
prepared it for the reception of the Infantd of Spain, when a marriage vith that
Princess occupied his ronuuitic fancy. — Queen Henrietta Maria shared the partiality
of her consort,- in regard to this residence. In 1(^62, the old palace was repaired
and beautified by Queen Henrietta, «lio then tlattered herself with the soothing hope
of passing the remainder of her life in England. — Two of our most eminent poets,
(Cowley and ^\'aller) have complimented her Majesty's attention to Somerset- House.
AA'aller, (wlio never wanted a simile, m hen adulation was his theme) thus expresses'
himself;

" Constant to England in your love,

" As birds are lo their wonted grove,

" Though by rude hands their nests are spoil'd,

" There the next spring again they build."

Tew objects can be more dissimilar than the neighboinhood of Somerset- House in
the days of the Protector, and the same neighbourhood in our own time. In no
respect docs custom seem more entirely to have varied in the course of a verv few
centuries, than in the situation chosen by English noljility tor their town-mansions.
— Thomas Lord Cromwell built a palace in Tluogmorton-strcet. .John of Gaimt,
Duke of Lancaster, lived in the Savoy. In 1410, a magnificent building in Cold
Herbcrgh (Cold Harbour) lane, Thames-street, was granted to the Prince of ^Vales,
(afterwards Henry V.) The Marquis of Dorchester, and the f'arl of Westmoreland,
lived in ^Vldersgate-street ; and Edward the Black Prince could find no more eliiji-
ble a place of abode than Fish-street-hiil !

This strange distribution of noble seats is to be explained only by one circum-
stance : —till the accession of Elizabeth, the Tower of London afibrded an occasional
residence to our Monarchs, and was uniformly the theatre of their first deliberations
on coming to tlie crown. The power of attraction, therefore, oscillated between
East and M'est, and the majority of noble families chose the site of tlieir castellated.
inm as nearly ccjuidistant, in regard to the tower and w estern-court, as possible ; —
Mith this special observance — that the vicinage of the Thames was ever a primary
consideration; for, before the use of close carriages, Mater conveyance was the most
luxurious appendage possible to the dignity of baronial splendor.*

* James I. in a capricious mood, threatened the Lord Mayor with removing theseat of Royalty, the

14 SOMERSET-HOUSK.

In consequence of tlie very considerable additions to elegance and convenience de-
rived frotn its waters, the bank of the Thames, on tlie Middlesex side, was, wlien
Somerset- House was originally built, in a much more desirable state than at present.
A description of this embankment at the existing period would (with the exceptions
of the Adelplii and the building under consideration) consist of little but circum-
stances of filth, beggary, and dilapidation. In the time of Edward VI. elegant gar-
dens, protected by lofty walls, embellished the margin of our great river, from
Privy-bridge to Pjaynard's-hall. These gardens appended to the sumptuous buildings
of the Savoy, and York, Paget, and 7\rundel Places. Each intervening spot was
still tjuarded by a wall, and frequently laid out in decorative Avalks. A most pleas-
ing contrast to the present horrible state of the same district !

But, on the Strand-side of the original Somerset-Place, the lapse of two centuries
has worked wonders in improvement. — There ^vas no continued street here till about
the year 1533.* The side next the Thames then consisted entirely of distinct man-
sions, skreened from the vulgar eye by cheerless extensions of massive brick wall.
The north side was formed by a thin row of detached houses, each of which pos-
sessed a garden; and all beyontl was country. St. Giles's was a distant country
hamlet.

Opposite to Chester inn, stood an ancient cross. On this cross, in the year
1294, the judges sat to adinijiister justice, without the city. The Strand, from
Charing-cross to Chester-cross, was so ruinous in the reign of Henry ^'III. that an
act was made for its rejjair.

Near the cross stood a maypole, whicli remained till the year 1717, when it fell
to decay, and the remainder \i as obtained by Sir Isaac Newton. By that great
philosopher it was conveyed to W'anstead Park, in Essex, then the seat of Sir
Richard Child, and afterwards that of Lord Castlemain. The pole was found to be
one hundred feet in length; and was placed in the park, under the direction of the
Rev. Mr. Pound, where it assisted in supporting a telescope (given to the Royal

meetings of Parliament, Sec. from the capital. " Your Majesty at least," replied the Mayor, " will
be graciously pleased to leave us the river Thames?"

* In the reign of Edward III. the Strand was an open highway. A solitary house occasionally occurred ;
but in 1353, the ruggedness of the highway was such, that Edward appropriated a tax on wool, leather,
&c. to its improvement.

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 15

Society by .Moiis. Hugon) one hundred and twenty-five feet long, the largest telescope
then in the world.*

At the end of Drury-lane (in the immediate vicinity of the maypole) stood Drury-
house, a Gothic building, ornamented with spacious gardens. — This mansion is de-
serving of recollection as the asylum of Dr. Donne, the first of English satirists,
and as the scene of those impolitic machinations which terminated in the death of the
favourite Earl of Essex.

It was not till the year 1670, that the Strand was divided from Fleet-street, by
Temple-bar. In the Duke of Somerset's day, the site of this bar was occupied sim-
ply by posts, rails, and chains.

At no great distance from the Savoy, a bridge (denominated Ivy-bridge) crossed
the road. The convent garden, (granted, after the dissolution, to the Protector)
bordered on the highway.

At the commencement of the last century, the Strand was lighted only by lanthorns,
huns gratuitously by the inhabitants, ■« ithout any resemblance of parochial unifor-
mity. Ignorant of the advantages of regular pavement, both road and foot-path
boasted, in their improved day, only the pointed misery of fortuitous flints. Indeed,
the Sti'and in the time of Edward VI. does not appear to have been a thoroughfare
of great resort. At any rate, barrows and broad'-wheeled carts v\ere the only car-
riages of passage.- — Access to the court, whether held at the Tovver, "Whitehall, or
Westminster, was most readily found by means of the Thames. Modern elegance
has discovered a more refined (but not more eligible) method of approacliing St.
James's :— the Tower, has happily ceased to be a place of resort with our nobility.

Two personages readily occur as deserving of selection for the biographical depart-
ment of our undertaking : — the founder of the ancient edifice, and the architect
connected « ith that great national building that has risen from the ashes of private
magnificence. The family of the Scvmours, it will be recollected, was of great
respectability before the notice of the reigning monarch (Henry VIII.) elicited all its

* Pope has mentioned the naaypole in the following niemorable lines:

" Amidst the area wide they took tlieir stand,

" Where tiie tall maypole once o'erlook'd the Strand j

" But now, so Anne and Piety ordain,

" A church collects the saints of Drury-lane !'*

1(5 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

talents, and placed it as a mark fur the envy of the great, and the admiration of the
obscure. Shortly after the nuptials of Henry with Jane Seymour, he created tiiat
lady's brother. Sir Edwaixl (the celebrated subject of our present inquiry). Lord
Ikauchamp ;* and, six days after the birth of Henry's son by Queen Jane, the
Earldom of Hertford was added to the baronial title before mentioned. During the
whole reign of the fickle Henry, the Earl enjoyed a considerable portion of his
confidence. In regard to the disclosure to the King of the presumed profligacy ot
Queen Catharine Howard, Hertford appears to iiave acted merely at the suggestion
of Archbisiiop Cranmer ; at least it is creditaljlc to his memory to form that suppo
sition, for the guilt of the unfortunate Catliarine must needs appear (juitc problema
tical to dis[)assionate inquiry.

Hertford served in Scotland, in 1J42, under the Duke of Norfolk, and shared
in the glory obtained by the English force at the battle of Solway — a day of fatality
to Scotland, that entirely overcame the spirit of James V. In 1545, the Earl was
likewise engaged in the Scottish war. At the head of a considerable body of troops
he committetl ravages on " the middle and west marches," but appears to have had
no particular opportunity of signalizing his prowess. In the ensuing twelvemonth,
Hertford, in conjunction with Lord Lisle, entered France; but a peace (concluded
on the 7th of June) occasioned the return of the commanders, after engaging in some
skirmishes of small moment.

In some degree, the fortunes of Hertford Mere connected with the fall of the Earl
of Surrey; — a name dear to every Englishman who possesses the slightest veneration
for literary attainment. — Surrey had been appointed Governor of Boulogne ; and,
though his personal bravery was undoubted, had been unfortunate in some skir-
mishes with the French. The King, in consequence, displaced him in favour of the
Earl of Hertford. A substitution the more mortifying to Surrey, as he had a short
time before declined marrying Lord Hertford's daughter. The subsequent fate of

* Beanchamp was a revival of the family name, as far as regarded the honour of intermarriage.

Of which circumstance we remind the curious in genealogy by the following quotation from Camden :
" As to the Beauchamps, otherwise called de bello campo, they have flourished in great honour from
the time of Henry II. especially since Cecil de Fortibus married into this family. But, in the reign of
Edward IH the estate was divided, by sisters, between Roger de S. Mauro, or Seimore, and J. Meriet;
both of them sprung from honourable and ancient ancestors." The noble builder of Somerset- House
was designated, in legal proceedings, " Edward de Sanclo Mauro, commonly called Seimor," &c.

SOMERSET-HOUSE. if

the accomplished Surrey will occur to the reader, without tiie painful circumstance
of repetition.

It was in the reign of Edward VI. that Hertford rose above the utmost darings of
his former ambition ; but rose as abruptly to fall. Henry fixed the majority of the
Prince at the completion of his eighteenth year, and appointed sixteen executors,
to whom, during the minority, he entrusted the government of the kingdom. Among
these, the Earl of Hertford was placed conspicuous in the office of Chamberlain.
The obvious inconveniences that must arise from the want of some head to represent
the dignified attributes of majesty, suggested the propriety of nominating a Protector.
fFi'iothesli/,* the Chancellor, stood alone in opposition to this measure. A solitary
dissenting voice was, of course, over-ruled ; and on Hertford the nomination rested,
as a man interested in the pros[)erity of the minor Sovereign, from the circum-
stance of a tie of blood unconnected w ith any personal pretensions to the crown.

According to the intention of the late Monarch (as was proved by sufficient wit-
nesses) Hertford was now created Duke of Somerset, and appointed IVIareschal and
Lord Treasurei". His brother, at the same time, Mas created Lord Seymour, of
Sudley, and appointed Admiral. In addition to his title, the Protector was endowed
with several spiritual preferments, deaneries, and prebends. A mode of encouracre-
ment by no means unfrequent in periods immediately subsequent to the dissolution
of monasteries.

The dangers arising fi'om party rivalry, during the minority of a crowned head,
are too evident to need delineation. And these dangers were peculiarly fearful
during the minority of Edward \^I.: a period in which the bitterness of religious
contention Mas mingled Avith the inevitable struggles of interest and ambition.

The constant aim of the Protector evidently appears to have been the increase of
his individual authority in the Council. ^Vriothesly, (now Earl of Southampton)
had, from his own autliority, put the Great Seal in commission. This act, decidedly
illegal, caused Somerset to remove the Chancellor. It may, however, be safely af-

* Wriotbesly was a.man of a violent and sanguinary temper. If Fox, Speed, and Baker may be
depended on (a dependance, perhaps, not altogether secure) when Anne Ascue, in the preceding
reign, was put to torture, on a religious question, Wriothesly, with pitiless, unmanly zeal, ordered the
Lieutenant of the Tower to stretch the r^ck still farther; and on that officer refusing, the Chancellor
performed the operation with his own hand!

18 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

firmed that the removal ofaiieneinj, both poHtical and reUgious, ^vas Somerset's
primary motive for stigmatizing the conduct of the Earl of Southampton. It remains
to be ascertained whether his demeanor in this and similar instances was occasioned
by a narrow and despicable spirit of private animosity, or that expansive and liberal
ambition that studies, through individual advancement, the good of the public at
large.

Not satisfied with the degradation of the Wriothesly faction, Somerset procured a
patent, by which he was named Protector, with such an extent of power as enabled
him to appoint a council and exercise all the privileges of sovereignty.

Seldom has individual man (not invested with the ermine and purple of a throne)
occupied a station of more responsibility. Let us sec how the Protector conducted
himself — Somerset was inclined to what was called the Reformation of religion, at
this juncture so critical in regard to ecclesiastical affairs. The former reign afforded
an ample excuse for severity; but Somerset chiefly employed the means of argument
and mercy. He appointed a general visitation to be made of all the dioceses of
England; but the visitors were enjoined to retain, for the present, all images which
had not been abused to idolatry, and to instruct the people not to treat with con-
tumely such ceremonies as were not yet abrogated, but only to beware of such ridi-
culous superstitions as " the sprinkling of their beds with holy water, and the ring-
ing of bells, or using of consecrated candles, in order to drive away the devil."*

Gardiner was the chief opposer of the Protector's innovations ; for which opposi-
tion he was confined for a time in the Fleet ; but no faggot was lighted to settle the
religious sentiments of the vehement Bishop. And the only injury that Gardiner
appears to have received, except the disgrace of confinement, is the epithet affixed
to him by that argumentative martyi'ologist, Fox ; who, in the true spirit of Chris-
tian meekness, and \\ ith all the liberality expected to mark a man of letters, terms
the steady Catholic " an insensible ass !" for the perseverance with which he insisted
on his opinions.

A very dear object, in the views of the Protector, was a marriage between his
royal nephew and the young Queen of Scots. The harshness of the age can only
account for the strange manner in which Somerset endeavoured to urge the propriety
of this union : in order to persuade tlie Scots to enter into an amicable intermar-
riage with this country, he went to war with them ! The conflict was supported, for

* See Hume, 291. Burnet, 28, &c.

SOMERSET-HOUSE.

a considerable time, with alternate success and perplexity ; but, in the issue, it
redounded to the honour of English prowess, though the junction formed between
France and Scotland wrested from the hopes of Somerset all prospect of an alliance
between the two neighbouring crow ns.

Of the battle of Pinke}-, (so called from the neighbourhood of a nobleman's man-
sion), we must be allowed to give some account, as a due appreciation of Somerset's
military talents appears connected with that event. — The English, with the Protec-
tor at their head, came in sight of the whole assembled force of Scotland, at Faside,
a spot within a short distance of Edinburgh. The position of the Scots appeared so
formidable, tliat Somei'set (with the advice of Lord Warwick) changed the ground
of which he had first taken possession, and moved nearer the sea. Apprehensive
that the English meant to embark in the fleet, which rode at that time in tlie bay,
the Scottish forces quitted their camp, and advanced into the plain, divided into
three bodies.

Encouraged by the rashness of his adversary, Somerset ranged his van on the
left, farthest from tlie sea, and ordered them to remain on the high grounds till the
enemy should approach. He placed his main battle and his rear towards the right;
and beyond the van, he stationed the men at arms, with orders to take the Scottish
van in flank, but not till they should be engaged in close fight \\\\h the ^'an of the
English.

The Scots were much galled on their advance by the artillery from the English
ships. The Irish archers attached to their army were thrown into disorder, and
even the other troops began to stagger. Lord Grey, (who commanded the English
men at arms) perceiving the situation of the enemy, now pressed forward, in con-
tempt of orders, and made an attack on the Scottish infantry; but, from accidents of
situation, the men at arms were repelled, and the whole English power thus placed
in most perilous circumstances.

At this juncture, the Protector shewed that self-command which constitutes a true
general, and rallied the cavalry with diligence and success. He caused the foot
harquebusiers to advance and ply the Scottish infantry with their shot. The ships,
the artillery, ^[)lanted on a height) and the English archers, united their powers in
the same awful moment, and the Scotch fled. Few victories, says Hume, have
been more decisive. There fell not two hundred of the English, while of the Scots,
according to the most moderate computation, above ten tliousand perished.

D 2

20 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

A war with France succeeded the Scottish contest. Aw'are of the disordered state
of the national financies, and disappointed in liis hope of assistance from the Empe-
ror, Somerset attempted all tlie palliative arts of negotiation. In these attempts lie
appears to have been, in no small degree, actuated by a genuine conviction that not
any real cause of hostihty existed between the two powers. So liberal a motive must
certiiinly do him honour as a man, though his forbearance provoked many aspersions
of his character as a politician.

The laws enacted during the plenitude of Somerset's authority were characterised
by mildness and urbanity. He expunged the offensive rigour of Henry's most
formidable statutes, and seemed more anxious to prevent error, than to punish crime.

But the bane of a minor government — ceaseless faction — perplexed and retarded
every struggle of the Protector for the benefit of the common-weal. At the head of
the cabals formed against Somerset was seen, to the disgrace of every social feeling,
his brother Thomas Lord Seymour, the Admiral. This nobleman, notoriously un-
principled and ambitious,* was perpetually engaged in intrigues, the avowed purpose
of which was to separate the office of governor of the King's person, from that of
Protector of the kingdom. He tampered with the young King's servants, and suc-
ceeded in gaining a considerable ascendancy over the mind of Edward. He even
provided arms for ten thousand men ; and gave every indication of the most dange-
rous and turbulent spirit of illicit enterprise. Somerset, well apprised of the Ad-
miral's daring designs, endeavoured " by the mo.st friendly expedients, by intreaty,
reason, and even by heaping new favours on him, to make hiin desist from his per-
nicious counsels ;'" but in vain. The Earl of Warwick, who had equal ambition,
and superior art to either the one brother or the other, laboured to ^^ iden the breach
in order to effect the ruin of both. With Thomas Lord Seymour he easily succeeded.
The intemperate resolves of that nobleman seemed indeed prophetic of abrupt ruin.
He was committed to the ToAver, tried, and condemned. The warrant under which
he suffered was necessarily signed by the Duke of Somerset! To such severities of

* Thomas Lord Seymour married the Queen Dowager of Henry VIII. His illustrious wife soon
died; and her suspicions, when dying, have given rise to the most dreadful surmises. It is certain,
that, during the life of Catherine, her husband entertained designs on the Princess Elizabeth. He was
favourably received by the object of his ambition. Their chief place of meeting was Bath's inn, in the
Strand. In Burghley's State Papers, from page 95 to 103, may be seen a detail of Lord Seymour's
cooduct,

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 21

circumstance are those subjected, who act officially for others, while they cannot
avoid feeling for themselves !

The Protector, on every public occasion, stood forward as the champion of the
people. His chief attention appears to have been ever directed to the relief of the
lower classes. The commonalty of England experienced very severe afflictions at
this period from the suppression of monasteries (the superfluities of which were uni-
formly distributed in charity) and the frequent inclosures, which drove the cottager
even from the bare-worn^ heath, and robbed hiui at once of fuel, sustenance, and
freedom. Somerset, A\ho had " a heart open as day to melting charity," caused
such of the commons as were most eligible to the poor and least calculated for tlie
purposes of tillage, to be thrown again into general use. The wealthy land-holder
remonstrated; but there occurs this one instance in English history of the voice of
the abject and forlorn outweighing, in the estimation of government, that of the
potent and disdainful. — In so much Avas this the case with the Protector, that he
instituted a Court of Requests in his own house, for the purpose of hearing (as
Htyrpe informs us) " the petitions and suits oi poor men ; and upon the compassion
he took of their oppressions, if he ended not their business, he would send his letters
to chancery in their favour !"

A conduct so favourable to the great (but at that time despised) bulk of the com-
monwealth, must be supposed to have given high offence to a majority of the gentrj'
and nobility ; but we unwillingly remind the reader of what must once have given
him surprise — the frequent insurrections among the commotialty of Edward VI.
reign. Without so far imputing malignity to human nature, as to affirm that gentle-
ness and mercy can never effectually govern a mass of people, we would point at
the gloomy ignorance of the age as the cause of such thankless and insensible turbu-
lence.— That gloomy ignorance, that rendered the lower throngs of society lighter
than the feather before the wind, that moves to either point, as fluctuating breezes
stimulate.— Tiie insurgents, however, were mistaken when they deemed lenity weak-
ness. Prompt and vigorous measures were taken by the Protector on the first alarm
and each insurrection was effectually quelled.

The embarrassments occasioned to government by the French war gave opportu-
nity to the faction inimical to Somerset, to effect his downfal. The youthful Edward
(notwithstanding his boasted precocity of talent anil dejith of learning) appears to
have been the easy dupe of every artful man that could gain access to him. He

22 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

nou withdrew his shelter from his uncle, and Somerset was comniittcd to theTowei.
So great was the humiliation of the Duke, that he submitted to confess on his knees,
before the Council, all the articles of charge exhiUitctl against him. On this confes-
sion, his enemies were, for tiie present, satisfied witii dcj)riving him of all his offices,
and fining him two thousand pounds a year in land. But the jealous ambition of
M'arwick (shortly dignified with the title of Duke of Northumberland) caused him
to look \vith dislike on the popularity Somerset still possessed, in spite of comparative
poverty and degradation. Even the alliance that existed between the families,
(Northumberland's son had married the former Protector's daughter) availed nothing.
Northumberland gained, by sinister means, the confidence of Somersets principal
servants. The unguarded Duke often " broke out into menacing expressions against
his enemy. At other times, he formed rash projects, which he immediately aban-
doned, and his treacherous confidents carried to their employer every passionate
M-ord ^vhich dropped from him." — At length these very betrayers suggested to So-
merset a plan for murdering Northuujberland, Northampton, and Pembroke, at a
banquet to be given by Lord Paget. , An insurrection in the North was to second
this enterprise; the Tower was to be secured; and a rebellion excited in London
This suggestion was made the instrument of his utter ruin. In one night, the Duke
of Somerset, and nearly the whole of his small residue of friends, were committed
to custody ; and next day, the Duchess, with her favourite attendants, were thrown
into prison.

Somerset was tried on the double charges of high treason and felony. With in-
decent malignity, Northumberland, Pembroke, and Northampton composed three
of the jury. Still the treasonable part of the charge was so weakly-supported that
a majority of the Peers gave a verdict in favour of the accused.

The intention of assaulting privy-counsellors was, however, so far established by
evidence, that he was convicted of felony, and received sentence accordingly. The
crowds without, who waited with deep anxiety the issue of this important trial,
expressed their of)inion of the question by loud and reiterated shouts when the j)riso-
ner was exonerated from the first part of his accusation, and the grief occasioned by
his conviction of felony was denoted in terms no less sincere, and scarcely less
boisterous.

This once-potent and magnificent Duke met his fate on the scaffold of Tower-hill.
He was attended by immense throngs of spectators, whose clamorous friendship

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 23

broke forth in demands for his pardon, even to tlie last moment. Many of them
" rushed forward to dip their handkerchiefs in his blood, which they long preserved
as a precious relique ; and some of them, soon after, when Northumberland met with
a like doom, upbraided him with this cruelty, and displayed to liim these symbols
of his crime.

The character of the Protector Somerset, we are decidedly of opinion, has been
much misrepresented by many historians. A cool spirit of impartiality is, indeed, a
quality of rare attainment to the biographer. Indulging the too frequent propensity
to detraction, he joins the virulence of every satirist with indiscriminate acrimony ;
or (like tlie painter who decks with studious beauty each face that employs his pen-
cil, and, from a love of symmetry, alloMs to no feature its real want of proportion)
our biographer becomes enamoured of the character he has laboured to develope,
and makes a. favoured hero of him who should afford a subject of comparative praise
and reprehension.

Endeavouring to avoid both these extremes, we pronounce opposite qualities of
the most marked character to have existed in the mind of Somerset, but deny am-
bition to have been the leading principle of his conduct. A much more simple was
of solving his actions is at the same time grateful to feeling, and probably congenial
to truth. — A genuine love of country, and concern for the welfare of his royal nephew
appear quite sufficient to warrant nearly all the assumptions objected to tlie Duke of
Somerset. — The illegality of those first steps of the Protector, which overturned the
will of Henry VIII. and conveyed to himself a power little short of despotic, is cer-
tainly undeniable, but for a usurpation so bloodlessly achieved, and exercised with
so much meekness, surely the necessity of the times furnish an excuse? A contrarietj'
of ambitious projects animated the chief members of the council. With this conflict
of interests, the minor nephew of the Protector m ould never be able to combat.
His own existence, the safety of the royal person, and the general tranquillity de-
pended on the absorption of these increasing factions in one great and unequivocal
authority. Somerset seized the right moment ; and the conduct of those members,
whose power lie thus curtailed, when they gained strength to assert their wishes,
proves the propriety of his anticipations.

The idle splendor with which the Protector %\as accustomed to move, and his
arrogance in placing himself at the Kings right hand (when on the throne) seated on
a stool, or bench, is to be attributed entirely to an influence from which the brave

24 SOMERSET-MOUSE.

and accomplished are seldom quite exempt. — An idle contention in point of prece-
dence prevailed in the fan)ily. The wife of Thomas Lord Seymour (as Dowager
Queen) took place of the Duchess of Somerset, tliougli wife of the elder brother.
— Trifles no more weighty than this have been known to produce more formidable
events than a nobleman's placing a stool at his sovereign's right hand. And the
pomp of Somerset's official establishment was, after all, insignificant compared with
the costly voluptuousness of Wolsey.

Somerset's brotlicr, all, but the prejudiced, nnist admit to liave solicited his own
fate. And the tardiness with \\ hicii tlie Protector punisiicd the dangerous machina-
tions of the unprincijjled Seymour proves that he thorou^ lily knew the value of those
fraternal feelings, of which he was making a sacrifice to the good of his sovereign, and
the safety of the public peace.

Mr. Pennant,* who, as far as regards his biographical delineations, appears to
have travelled with a post-haste expedition through the realms of literature that al-
lowed h.im time only to take a superficial view of the objects that occurred, brings a
charge of a curious nature against the Protector Somerset — Alluding to the eccle-
siastical buildings destroyed by Somerset for the purpose of using their materials in
his new mansion, Mr. Pennant says, " The crime of sacrilege is never mentioned
among the nuDicroi/i- artic/c.s brought against him. Mortals should be very delicate
in pronouncing the vengeance of heaven on their fellow-creatures, yet in this instance
without presumption, without siipemtition!!! one may suppose his fall to have been
marked out by the Almighty as a warning to impious men ! He fell lamented only
because his end was effected by a man more xvickcd, more ambitious, and more de-
tested than himself" — The name of Pennant has obtained, in many points, a deserved
respectability in letters. How nuich is it to be lamented that a conceit of fanciful
piety should have betrayed liim into the use of such undue epithets as the above !
Did not Mr. Pennant know " that in those days every great man, Protestant and
Papist, shewed equal rapacity after the goods of the church ?" — These are his own
words ; and, " if it were common, why seemed it so particular" in Somerset ? —
Tlrat it was common in the times w hich immediately followed the dissolution wc can
easily substantiate. — " On the east of the ciiurch-yard of St. Paul," says Lambert,
" was a clocliier, or bell-tower, wherein were four great bells, called Jesus bells,
from their belonging to Jesus chapel, in St. Faith's church ; but these, together \\ ith

* Vide pages Q7 and 129 of " Some Account of London."

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 25

a fine image of St. Paul, on the top of the spire, being xeon by Sir Miles Partridge,
of Henry VIII. at one cast of the, dice, were by that gentleman taken down and
soldr '

We extract these lines, not in consideration of the importance of the property
wrested in this instance from sacred hands, but to sheM- in what a trivial light the
act called, by Mr. Pennant, sacrilege, was held in the age concerning which he
writes. — Mr. Pennant's notice of Somerset is all declamation, and as such we must
affirm a species df moral sacrilege of quite as criminal a character as tliat he would
wish to impute to the injured subject of his reflections,

The weakness of Somerset is indignantly mentioned by most of his historians.
As a politician, we really do not perceive that he betrayed any peculiar weakness.
He certainly seems to have acted under the controul of his turbulent and imperious
Duchess ; but, on adverting to the numerous great characters subject to the same
predominancy, conjecture such a submissiveness of temper rather to be indicative of
indolence than mental imbecility.

The public life of Somerset may be divided into two eras, tliat prior to his expul-
sion from office, and the period subsequent. — After his disgrace, he assuredly ap-
pears never to have behaved Avith the dignity of self-possession before observable.
His retaining a seat as a private member in that council, over which he had been ac-
customed to preside, may be attributed to the ardour with which he wished to w atch
over the interests of his Prince, even in opposition to personal tieelings; but the tame-
ness with which he condescended to kneel before his accusers, and acknowledge the
errors of his judgment, can never be reconciled to the consistency required in a
great mind, even in the utmost humility of situation.

Perfection is well known to be too much to expect. Let historians term him
weak, and let Mr. Pennant proclaim him wicked,* still let us remember that Somer-
set was ever the FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE, while supporting the just dignity
of the crown ; and that he retained popular applause through the whole of an admini-

* Poof Mr. Pennant tells us that Somerset had an intention of pulling clown Westminster Abbey for
the benefit of his building in the Strand. In the extremity of his alarm, Mr. Pennant has taken hold
of the wrong pile. It was the church of St. Margaret's, Westminster, and not" the second mitred
Abbey in the kingdom" on which Somerset had fixed his wishes.

26 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

stration, peculiar in its circumstances of responsibility, and which afl'orded ample
scope for the exercise of the most tyrannous propensities.

Adverting from ancient baronial contention to the annals of modern art and science,
it remains to take notice of tlie life of Sir William Chambers. Of this memorable
architect we believe there is no biographical account extant. Hints for the limited
memoir subjoined, we have had the honour of receiving from the condescension of
one of the most illustrious characters connected with the science and letters of this
kinjjdom.

Sir William Chambers (Knight of the Polar Star, Surveyor General of hi.s Ma-
jesty's Board of Works, Treasurer of the Royal Academy, and Fellow of the Royal
and Antiquarian Societies) was of Scotch extraction, though a native of Gottenburgh
in Sweden. The family of Chaluiers is of considerable antiquity in Scotland, and
formerly possessed the Barony of Tartas in France. Concerning his family deriva-
tion, however, Sir William appears not to have entertained any pride. He probably
never inquired into the situation of his Scottish coimexions, and certainly never used
the nominal orthography to which he was by birth entitled.

His grandfather was a merchant of some enjinence, who suffered materially by
supplying Charles XH. of Sweden with goods, for which he was in part paid with
the adulterated coin of that warlike Monarch. The important claims possessed bv
the family on that country, induced Sir William's father to repair to Sweden, where
he resided for many years.

The first entrance into life of the subject of our memoirs was in quality of super-
cargo to a Sv\ edish East India ship. A situation which he occupied to the full satis-
faction of his employers. At a very early age, he, however, quitted the Company's
service, and devoted his attention to the art in which he afterwards attained so con-
siderable an eminence.

Shortly after his application to architectural studies, he visited England, and ven-
tured to appear before the public in capacity of author. His first work was a " Dis-
sertation on Oriental Gardening." A second edition soon appeared, to which was
annexed an explanatory discourse by a Chinese writer. This discourse was so skil-
fully burlesqued in the " Heroic Epistle," that Chambers would gladly, at a subse-
quent period, have suppressed his Oriental speculations, though they certainly
appear to have laid the ground-work of his future fortunes, for it was this publication
that recommended him to the notice of Lord Bute, at the instance of whose advice

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 37

Chambers was employed to erect the brick Pagoda ^\hich stands in the south-east
corner of the royal gardens of Kew, at which place her Royal liighness the Princess
Dowager of Wales then resided.

It was here, no doubt, while employed in this work, that he profited by the con-
tinual opportunities he possessed of soliciting the notice of our gracious sovereign,
whose practice through life it has invariably been never to relax in good offices to the
merit that has once happily gained his esteem.

To the uniform protection of his royal master. Sir William was entirely indebted
for his appointment to the Surveyorship of the Board of Works.* Before that ap-
pointment, Sir William \mderwent all the pecuniary difficulties inevitably usual with
a junior student in the finer arts. But the immense emoluments derived from the
fees and perquisites of his vast office (then in the zenith of its opportunities) immedi-
ately out him in receipt of a considerable income.

In all Sir William's architectural undertakings, he appears to have had in view
the general establishment of a taste for the Roman style of building. Respecting the
propriety of his conduct in this particular, we have before ventured to give our
opinion. He certainly had reason to be highly gratified with the success of his
endeavours.

In a still more essential point are the arts indebted to the friendly exertions of Sir
William Chambers. We consider it as an eulogy of the most flattering description to
name the architect of Somerset-House as the most active person concerned in found-
ing the Royal Academy.

The first effort towards any resemblance of an association of the artists of this
country occu<rred in the year 1724. Sir James Tliornhill then proposed to Lord
Halifax such an institution, and named the upper end of the Mews as a suitable
spot for the erection of a building. On finding all his endeavours to obtain patron-
age inefficient, Sir James opened an Academy for Drawing at his house in Covent-
garden.

* As " Surveyor of the Works done about the King's Houses," Inigo Jones received 8s- 4d. per
diem, and 46'. per ann for house-rent, a clerk, and other incidental expences. At the same period,
Rubens was paid, for painting the ceiling of the banqueting-house at Whitehall, the sum of 3,000^
Of such comparative insignificance was the art of architecture then held.

c o

28 SOMERSET-HOUSE.

In the year 1750, the painters of Great Britiiin entered into terms of annual sub-
scription, and rented a House in St. Martin's lane, where they assembled for the
purpose of painting from liv ing models. It was not till ten years subsequent to the
commencement of this association that any public exhibition of their works took
place. The advantages resulting from such a custom were, as might be expected,
so considerable, that, on January 26, 176.5, the associated artists obtained a royal
charter of incorporation. The jealousy of those persons who, from various motives,
were not included in this charter of incorporation, broke forth shortly after ; and they
not only withdrew their contributions from the Society's annual collection, but insti-
tuted an exhibition of their own. This, however, after lingering for a very few
years, was heard of no more.

To compose the ferment which thus operated to the injury of the arts, his Majesty
was pleased, in the year 1 769, to institute a Royal Academy of Painting, Sculpture,
and architecture. The expenses of this institution, it was conjectured, might be
amply defrayed by the produce of an annual exhibition ; but should any deficiency
arise, his Majesty graciously undertook to supply it from the privy purse. For a
few years there was occasion to exercise the liberality of the Monarch. At different
times his Majesty advanced about of 5,000. But the exhibitions becoming annually
more profitable, the Academy was enabled to purchase property in the stocks, and
create a fund for the relief of decayed artists.

The readiness of access to his Majesty, possessed officially by Sir William Cham-
bers enabled him to render the embryo society the most important services. — Wilson,
West, Sandby, and Stubbs were the principal artists ivith whom the scheme origi-
nated ; but Sir William joined efficiency to inclination, and every lover of the arts
must unite in honouring the memory of the man to whose exertions, in a conside-
rable degree, is owing that freedom of public competition that is the foster-nurse of
merit, and the best stimulant of youthful perseverance and ambition.

Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his discourse delivered at the opening of the Royal
Academy (October 16, 17 80) pays the talents of Sir W. Chambers a marked compli-
ment: " This building in which we are now assembled, will remain to many future
ages an illustrious specimen of the architect's abilities. It is our duty to endeavour
that those w ho gaze with wonder at the structure, may not be disappointed when they
visit the apartments."*

** * Works of Reynolds, discourse ix, &c.

SOMERSET-HOUSE. 29

Sir William Chambers does not appear to have been misled by any of those eccen-
tricities that too often sully the brilliancy of genius. He pursued his studies with
undeviating regularity, and his success was naturally proportioned to his exertions.

As an author, Sir William certainly is not entitled to exalted commendation. Be-
sides the work already mentioned, he published " Designs for Chinese buildings,"
fol. " Plans, elevations, sections, and perspective views of the gardens and build-
ings at Kew." And a " Treatise on civil architecture," fol. All of these works were
in 1769, incorporated into one folio volume. The treatise on civil architecture is
the mo^t useful of his performances; but there his plagiarisms are continual, and
his style of composition the most uncouth imaginable. Of the art of punctuation, he
seems to have been entirely ignorant.

This most useful architect and warm friend of the fine arts died on the 8th of
March, 1796. His remains were interred in Westminster Abbey, ^^•hither they were
attended by many members of those dignified societies to which Sir William had be-
longed. In the Abbey, the procession was joined by the principal tradesmen con-
cerned with the Board of Works, Avho voluntarily paid this last mark of attention
to a man whose upright conduct and habitual courtesy they did not fail to proclaim
with many affecting denotations of esteem and regret.

Sir William left a son and two daughters. The former married a daughter of
Lord Southampton ; and one of the latter became the wife of a Mr. Innes of the
island of Jamaica, and is since dead.

( 30 )

LINLITHGOW PALACE.

JLtNLITHGOW is a royal Scottish borough, and contains between three and
four thousand inhabitants. The precise period of its creation cannot be readily
ascertained, but it is known to have existed in the reign of David I. It was for-
merly a place of great consideration, and had first the harbour of Blackness, and
afterwards that of Queensferry, assigned it as a port.

On the site of a Roman fortification, the English Edward I. built here a formi-
dable castle. But its ponderous walls and threatening turrets struggled in vain to
command forbearance from the haughtiness of Scottish valour. Edward resided in
his castle during one winter. His absence was the signal for demolition, and all
the laboured pomp of his structure was shortly humbled with the dust. On the
same site the Scottish monarclis erected a palace, destined to be the theatre of many
a shifting scene of gaiety and anguish.

Scotland, during the middle ages, was particularly backward in nearly all the
dignified arts that embellish human life. Trained to the necessity of continual war-
fare, the Scot of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries looked with habitual disdain
on every pursuit unconnected with the hardihood of the embattled field, or the rude
grandeur of the tilt and tournament.

Among the neglected arts, to the injury of national taste and splendor, orna-
mental architecture held a place. Of so little consequence was this noble art es-
teemed, that it was formally objected to Janjes III. that too much of his time was
devoted to poetry, music, architecture, and such light toys.

LINLITHGOW PALACE.

The revenues of the chieftains of those periods were expended in the politic hos-
pitahty familiar to a feudal age. Each baron was a petty monarch, superior in
almost all points, save those of form and ceremony, to the jurisdiction of the sove-
reign. Not only was he agitated by a dread of the regal vengeance too often pro-
voked by his arrogant assumptions, but perpetually engaged in domestic broils with
the adjacent heads of clans. The ceaseless contests with England likewise retarded
materially the progress of architectural refinement. Those parts of Scotland not
harassed by the vicinage of England were, in a majority of instances, rendered in-
secure in periods of turbulence by an exposure to the sea. The nobles, therefore,
would have been evidently impolitic (even had taste suggested the measure) to vest
a large portion of their wealth in the seductive magnificence of family mansions.
From these, and other equally imperative causes, ancient Scotland abounded with
massive fortresses and moated places of retreat, but refined beauty of structure
was a stranger both to the rough tenant of the highland recesses and the more
courtly baron of the cultivated plain. Circumstances unconnected with art still
favored a captivating magnificence of residence. Nature lent an abundance of her
florid charms to the chieftains' gloomy pile of unshaped stone. Down the tremen-
dous precipice that frowned derision on the assailant's utmost boldness, a confluence
of streams rolled an awful cascade; the birch, the cypress, the heath, the arbutus,
tinted the mountain-side with the choicest of autumn's fluctuating hues ; while the
towering flight of the eagle and the falcon added to the majesty of the scene.

It cannot be concealed that the Scottish chief had another motive to prefer
strength to elegance in the form of his dwelling. Tempted by the frequent com-
motions of his neighbourhood, the baron was himself ever ready to head predatory
excursions, during which the property of all unconnected with his immediate clan
seized, witliout apprehension or remorse. The marriage-articles of the daughter
of a highland chieftain are said still to exist, in which the father promises, as a
portion, two hundred Scots marks, and half a mkhcelmas moon, or, in plainer lan-
guage, half the plunder for a month when the nights grew dark enough for the
purpose of robbery.

In consequence of the enmities necessarily engendered by such a lawless devas-
tation, the chief never ventuied abroad, unless attended by an armed band, while
his castle was constantly stored with the arms and provision requisite in a state of

LIXLTTHGOW PALACE.

siece. * Locked in the self-imprisonment of liis own Donjoti,-\ the Baron was
insensible to every thing partaking of mental refinement, and strove to varnish
his pseudo-dignities with the emblazoned scroll of a long line of martial ancestry.
After the love of rapine, a barbarous pride of progeniture appears, indeed, to have
been the most active princinle in the antient Cliieltain's breast. To so absurd an
extent was this retrograile species of self-exaltation carried, that, in one instance,
it met «ith the discountenancing rebuke of James L — W hen that nKjnarch, in
one of his progresses, stopped at a castle belonging to the Lumleys, the proprietor
was anxious to impress his Majesty with the high antiquity of the family, and was
carrying his legend back to a |)eriod far too distant for the accompaniment of credi-
bility, when James interrupted him-with " AJon, gang )ia furtlier ! let mu digest the
kncrultdge I ha gained ; J or, by my satil ! I did ita bejore ken that Adam's name
ivas Lumley.''

Amonor a nobility so locally insecure, so ferocious in inclination, and so prone
to substitute hereditary grandeur for personal merit and reputation, little splendor
in domestic architecture was to be expected ; and, on examination, it must be equally
evident, that that art was not likely to meet witli much greater encouragement,
even from the Sovereigns themselves.

The rude temper of the Scottish people repelled every hint towards refinement
casually introduced by tlie throne. " Man and steel, the soldier and liis sword,"
were the articles rendered most dearly in request by public exigency; and the
brave, but untutored, native derived every accomplishment in his monarch, that
had not martial achievement for its ultimate object. 'Ihe condition of the country
did not allow the Scottish kings to possess opulence. The severities of the feudal
system naturally impeded the progress of comnjerce. No fixed tax was even levied
on land, since property of that description was usually given, as the reward of

* A curious paper in the British Museum describes the provision of a Scottish family to consist, in
1532j of three great vats of s.ih eels ; forty four kine ; three hogsheads of salted salmon ; foriy quartes
(quarters) of grain i besides many cows, sheep, &c. In this enumeration, the particular o( salt eels
appears somewhat curious Undoubtedly thev were conger eels ; but it is singular to find such an
article salted for preservation among the ancient Scots, while those of the present day are known to
hold it in national dislike.

t The Keep, or chief residence of the castle, was so entitled.

UNLITHGOW PALACE. 33

valor, to men who considered their services in the field, a full return for the bounty
of their Sovereign. Thus, when Robert Bruce formed a design for checking the
growing wealth of the barons, he summoned them to appear, and show by what
rights they held their lands. They assembled accordingly, but, on the question
being formerly put, they unanimously started up and drew their swords ; " By these,"
said they, " we acquired our lands, and with these we will defend them." Devoid
of mercenary troops, and aware of the military power of these petty monarchs,
Robert was obliged to desist from all farther efforts.

In point of domestic elegance and architectural grandeur of residence, the king,
in fact, aspired only to the dignity of the first land-holder, in a steril and harassed
countiy. Little pomp, among the early monarchs, attended the seat of regal
power. The nobles were not in the habit of frequent visits at court. Wrapped
in the martial seclusion of their castellated recesses, they labored to rival the ap-
pearance of the sovereign, rather than obsequiously sought to be admitted into the
dignity of his train. The early mansions of the Scottish kings were, in consequence,
strong holds of defence, not embellished ornaments of royalty. — Still, by degrees,
even during the prevalence of tlie feudal system, the harshness of the Scottish
character became sensible of some amelioration; and this pleasing improvement
may be accurately noted both in the character of building, and circumstances of
locality adopted by tlie monarchs in regard to their chief places of residence.
" As the Scottish kings extended their authority southward, (observes Newte) " the
usual places of their abode became more and more southerly also. Dunstafthage
was exchanged for Scone ; Scone for Dunfermline, and Falkland ; Falkland for
Stirling ; Stirling for Linlithgow, and Edinburgh ; and, at last, Edinburgh for
London. But, amidst these changes, after the establishment of the monarchy of
Scotland, the national boundaries which marked the land, confined, on the whole,
the choice of a place of abode to that track which is bounded by the courses of
tlie Forth and the Tay, on the south and the north; on the west by the mountains;
and on the east by the ocean. From tlie lofty battlements of Stirling Castle, the
royal eye surveyed, with pride, the bold outlines of an unconquered kingdom. The
Grampians, the Ochills, and the Pentland Hills, conveyed a just idea of its natural
strength; and the wliole course of the Forth, with its tributary stieams, exhibited a

34 LINLITHGOW PALACE.

pleasing prospect of its natural resourses in fishing, and in a soil which would rcpa^
the hand of judicious industry."

Nor, in point of situation, was the palace of Linlithgow inferior to the castle

of Stirling :

" Of all the Palaces so fair.
Built for the Royal dwelling.
In Scotland, far beyond compare
Linlithgow is excellency,"

Says the romantic Bard of Chivalric Scotia. The country, through many miles
round, smiles in luxuriant fertility. Tlie waters of the Avon meander among the
distant scenery, while Linlithgow lake (an expanse possessing an excjuisite variety
of picturesque points) reposes in the immediate vicinity of the Palace. Of the
buildinjf itself, a magnificent ruin alone remains. From that relic we learn that
convenience, as well as safety, was studied by the Founder. In whatever point
this union of objects fails to be attained, the censure must rest with the architect^
or, rather, with tlie crude taste of the age, that sacrificed in the most costly
buildings, every propriety of internal arrangement to tlie obtention of a picturesque
display of wild genius on the exterior. Linlithgow was a castellated mansion ; noli,
as was the case with the royal dwellings farther northward, a mere habitable castle
of defence. It was of a square form, with a turret at each corner. Within, was
a spacious area, round which were galleries leading to the principal bowers, or
chambers. Three sides of the great square still remain. The turrets, however,
have fallen from the pride of their elevation. Over an outward gate are carved in
stone the four orders of knighthood worn by James V. ; the garter, thistle, holy-ghost,
and golden tleece.

The eminence on which the palace was seated may be supposed to have rendered
many circumstances of artificial security superfluous ; yet it is impossible to note,
without a considerable degree of pleasure, that increase of civilization near the
ca[)ital that warranted the absence of the donjon-keep, the yawning moat, and ap-
prehensive drawbridge.

The interior of the three divisions yet remaining are marked by gloomy giandeur.
Long halls and peissages communicate witli the different ranges of rooms. The

LINLITHGOW PALACE. ^5

windows are very numerous and large, but the massive thickness of the walls in
which they are placed, must have considerably diminished the eftlct of the rays
which struggled to gain a passage through each half-transparent section of stained
glass. In computing the dulncss of the state-rooms of an antient Scottish palace,
we must recollect, however, that little use was made of them during the day. Tlie
hardy courtiers of the middle ages spent nearly every hour, till the approach of
dsu-kness in the open air. The chase, the joust, or manly games of gymnastic
recreation, were the regular employments of the most illustrious princes, when not
engaged in war-like undertakings. It was for the revelry of night that the stately
halls of the palace were constructed. The cresset,* pending from the rudely-carved
ceiling, then shed a gaudy lustre on the banquet. Flaming lamps illumined the
galleries, where minstrels sang romantic legends to the strain of the harp. Dances
to the merriest measure succeeded, or haply, the " masking quaint and pageant bright."
— The revelry was ended ere the tapers were extinguished, and no eye discovered
the want of windows in the princely hall to admit the " garish light" of day.

" The buildings of the Moor while he yet retained Granada, or tiie round Tower
and Cross of antient Ireland," observes an intelligent tourist, " excite ideas which
cannot fail to possess the mind of a classical reader, as well as spectator : nor do
the ruined castles and houses of the feudal ages less engage our attention, by recal-
ling images of past grandeur, of names once illustrious, and of deeds that still adorn
the historic page." — The truth of this remark must find an echo in every bosouK
Perhaps there is no mental association productive of so much melancholy pleasure,
as that which unites the idea of those who tenanted an ancient edifice, in its pros'-
perous day, with the contemplation of the solitude and decay to which the pile has
since become subject. Who can view the sculptured shield, now o'ergrown with
moss, in a venerable hall, and not pant to know the history of the mighty per-
sonage whose bearings it announces r But, if that long-vanished hero should boast
a name and title distmguished in the historic tales that first engaged our fancy, how-
peculiar is the delight with which we hang over the spot consecrated by his domestic
habits? — In a very strong degree must these sensations be excited by the mournful
and picturesque fragments of Linlithgow.

* Antique Chandelier,
r H

36 LINLITHGOW PALACE.

In respect lu a subject, indeed, tl)at presents little other than a majestic ruin,
we are necessarily debarred from all resemblance of lengthened architectural dis-
quisition. The object chiefly interests, as the decayed theatre of former acts of
alternate contention and magniticcnce. Each tottering stone arrests tlic fancy, as
the venerable appendage to some tale of a far-gone day. — The fairy charms of
antique legend let us then summon round us; charms which art and science may
contemn, but of whose influence none can be insensible that have gazed on the
romantic ruins of Linlithgow.

King James IV. was accustomed to pass much time in the palace " so far
beyond compare" with all others built for the " royal d\\elling" in Scotland. The
leading features of this monarch's destiny will readily occur to the reader: his
youthful assumption of the crown, through the persuasion of the baron's; his remorse
when that assumption produced the death of his regal parent ; and the belt of iron
that he ever wore as a token of penitence for a deed so irreverent, and catastrophe
so terrible. — James was brave and generous, but his courage was rendered dan-
gerous by the impetuosity of his temper, and the liberality of his sentiments was
sullied by frequent fits of dissipation. — During a paroxysm of thoughtless anger,
he determined on that fatal war with England, from the consequences of which, his
kingdom never entirely recovered. On Flodden Field, where the rival armies met,
shortly after the declaration of hostilities, twelve Scottish earls, thirteen lords, five
eldest sons of noblemen, and an incredible number of barons, met their doom. The
council did not scruple to give advice directly contrary to the wishes of the King;
and the nation at large, though it prepared to obey the royal mandate, entertained
gloomy presentiments as to the result of the contest. While his troops were col-
lecting, James retired to Linlithgow; and here while immersed in the temporary
despondence to which his mind was liable, and engaged in holy orisons for the
success of his perilous undertaking, he is described as having beheld a vision that
warned him of the ill consequences of prosecuting any further his war-like inten-
tions.— Prostrate beside that throne which he had constructed for himself in St.
Catharine's Aisle, with twelve stalls for the knights companions of the order of the
thistle, the monarch lay resigned to superstitious thoughts, hallowed in his mind by
the name of piety; when, but for the narration of a tale so wild and extra-

LINLITHGOW PALACE. 37

ordinary, we may be permitted to call the minstrel to our aid ... . the minstrel
whose native strains redound to the credit of modern Scottish talent, and ancient
chivalry :* —

" When in Linlithgow's holy dome
The King, as wont, was praying j
While, for his royal father's soul.
The chaunters sung, the bells did toll.

The Bishop Mass was sayings
For now the year brought round again
The day the luckless King was slain —
In Katharine's aisle the monarch knelt.
With sackcloth shirt, and iron belt.

And eyes with sorrow streaming ;

Around him, in their stalls of state.

The thistle's knight-companions sate,

Their banners o'er them beaming.

******

Stepped from Ihe crowd a ghostly wight.
In azure gown with cincture white ;
His forehead bald, his head was bare,
Down hung at length his yellow hair. —
Now mock me not, when, good, my Lord,
1 pledge to you my knightly word
That, when I saw his placid grace.
His simple majesty of face.
His solemn bearing, and his pace

So stately gliding on, —
Seem'd to me ne'er did Limner paint
So just an image of the saint.
Who propp'd the virgin in her faintj—

The lov'd Apostle John.
He stepped before the monarch's chair.
And stood with rustic plainness there.

And little reverence made ;
Nor head, nor body bow'd nor bent,
But on the desk his arm he leant.

And words like these he said,

* Walter Scott, — a writer whose strength of genius (though debased by some puerilities) cannot fail
to outlive the aspersions of illiberality and envy.

P'3 '5 '^ '"^ J.

38 LINLITHGOW PALACE.

In a low voice, — but never tone
So tlirill'd through vein, and nerve, and bone :—
' My mother sent me from afar.
Sir King ! to warn thee not to war,—

Woe wails on tl)ine array ;
If war thou wilt, of woman fair.
Her witching wiles, and wanton snare,
James Stuart, doubly-warn'U, beware :

God keep thee as he may !' —
The wondering monarch seem'd to seek

For answer, and found none.
And, when he rais'd his head to speak,

The monitor was gone.

Tlie real appeaiancc of a neglected adviser of the kind described in tlie above
rerses, is so well attested, that, the author of Mannion observes, " we have only the
choice between a miracle, or an imposture."' Mr. Pinkerton argues, from the caution
against incontinence said to have been delivered by the pretended spirit, that the
Queen was privy to the scheme of those who had recourse to so ghostly an expedient.
To elucidate this latter observation, the reader must be reminded of the connubial in-
constancies of James. He maintained an open course of gallantry with " the Lady
Heron of Ford. Tiie Queen of France, likewise, sent him, at the commencement of
the war " a turquois ring, and fourteen thousand French crowns, as tokens of her
love.

According to the romantic tenor of poetical legend, James shared the banquet of
Holy-rood Palace, v\ ith the Lady Heron, the night preceding the march of his army
southward. IVIore sober history assures us that Margaret, his neglected Queen,
passed the anxious hours of his last calamitous expedition in the retirement of Lin-
lithgow. It was here, M'hile casting an apprehensive glance over the tract between
her lonely palace and Edinburgh, that the Queen was informed of the death of her
consort, and the heavy injury sustained by Scotland. The tasteless inconstancy of
the King, and the chaste merits of Queen Margaret, are so exquisitely described by
the Bard of Flodden Field, that no gravity of subject could warrant the exclusion of
liis verse; —

LINLITHGOW PALACE. 3<)

" And thus for France's Queen he ditst
His manly limbs in mailed vest :
And thus admitted English fair
His inmost counsels still to share ;
And thus for both he madly plann'd
The ruin of kimselt afid land !

And yet, the sooth to tell,
Nor England's fair, nor France's Queen,
Were wortii one peari-drop bright and sheen

From Margaret's eyes that fell,—
His own Queen Margaret, who, in Lilkgow's Bower,
All lonely sat and wept the weary hour !"

A fellow-suiferer, but one unconscious of calamity, shared with Margaret the recesses
of Linlithgow at this juncture: a baby-son, scarce a twelvemonth old, was strained
in the Queen's arms wJien news arrived of the death of James at Flodden Field.
The imagination cannot readily paint a situation of greater distress. Equally aftect-
ed by the noble blood shed on either contending side; bereft of a royal husband,
valued in spite of neglect and inconstancy ; and the subject to a thousand fears con-
cerning the destiny of her defenceless child ; the afflicted Margaret now shed the bit-
terest tears to Avhich Linlithgow ever was a witness.

The Queen's apprehensions, respecting her son, were, unhappily, prophetic.
Doomed to the adverse fortunes of his race,* James found little, save misery, within
the golden circle of the Crown that " galled" his youthful brow. Condemned to the
usual fate of a minor Sovereign, his education was politically neglected by those, to
whom the delegation of his authority was entrusted. Flattery was the invariable sub-
stitute for lessons of ornamental point, or more homely utility, and the seeds of that
inveterate poison did not fail to take early and deep root in his fallow bosom. The

* Though the enumeratioa possesses little novelty to recommend it, we cannot refrain from attending
the House of Stuart through the long list of its misfortunes. — The first James fell by the hands of assas-
sinsat Perth, — the same place proved the destruction of the second, — the murder of the third by his re-
bellious subjects was sanctioned by the presence of his own son, — that ill-starred son fell at the battle of
Flodden, — and the fiftli Sovereign of tbe mournful House, died forlorn and broken-hearted. The suf-
ferings of Mary, Charles I. and James II. are most unparalleled iu history. — No wonder that tbe last
" Pretender" to the sable honours of this disastrous House threw down the play of Mackbeth, and la-
mented that Banquo's issue was permitted to escape !

40 LINLITHGOW PALACE.

sculptur'd stone that yet retains the memorial of the orders worn by this monarch,
speaks incontestsibly the atfection with \\hicli lie ever regarded Linlithgow, the scene
of his infantile days. It was here, in fact, that his hours of happiest relaxation were
passed. Through all the litful changes his life of sccptered care underwent, Linlith-
gow was still regarded as tlie home of dear enjoyment! For the banquet luxurious
and uncontroulled; the humourous masque and festive dance; or the more exquisite
felicity of domestic affection, he never failed to direct his exhiliratcd steps to the well-
knowii portals of Linlithgow palace.

The end of this prince is, ui every shape, unpleashig to recollection. His constant
aim, it will be remembered, was to lessen the exorbitant power of the Scottish
barons. Notwithstanding the loss their numbers had sustained at Flodden, they re-
sisted all his endeavours, and their obstinacy proved too mighty for his resolution. As
an unequivocal instance of the suspicions with which he regarded his nobles, he en-
trusted the command of the army that came in opposition to the English at Solway
Moss, to Oliver Sinclair.* Indignant at this supposed affront, the barons refused to
obey the favourite, and surrendered their forces (ten thousand strong) to five liundred
English, the advanced guard of King Henry's army. This blow entirely overcame
James, who had for some time, betrayed marks of mental dejection. The most
gloomy despair succeeded the transport of fury, with which he heard the disgraceful
conduct of the barons. He resigned himself to the influence of this enervating
torpor, and died a victim.

" The death of James," says Drummond, " proveth his mind to have been raised
to an high strain, and above mediocrity ; he could die, but could not digest a
disaster." — This 'is, assuredly, a most unjust conclusion. A " mind above medi-
ocrity" would have risen superior to misfortune, and have esteemed no disaster too
potent for its strength to combat. Druimnond would have exhibited more candor,
and have inculcated a much more useful lesson, if he had ackno\\ledged the imbe-
cility betrayed in this instance by the hero of his legend, while he endeavoured to
palliate the error, by a mention of the numerous disappointments that had long
oppressed the mind of the harassed sufferer.

It may not occur to the readers of Scottish political history, that Oliver Sinclair,
tlie contemned General of Solway Moss, made, at a subsequent period, a second

* Oneofthe Shiclairs of Roslyn Castle.

LINLITHGOW PALACE. 41

appearance in the great drama of public life. — Neglected by all, or noticed but to
be oppressed, Sinclair descended to extreme poverty, 'yet lived to sustain the accu-
mulated burthen of misei"y and old age. Pale, and overwhelmed with sorro\\-, he
presented himself to Arran, tiie worthless minion of James VI : disclosing the mat-
ted locks of his grey hair, and revealing the tattered penury of his scanty cloak, he ad-
dressed the gaudy favourite (rich in the spoils of power and flattery) in these impres-
sive words, " / a?n Oliver Sine/air .'"

It would be unjust to quit James V. without observing, that his humanity was so
great that he «as entitled " Tlie Poor Man's King." His eagerness to curtail the
poM'er of the predatory Barons, sometimes caused him to spend whole days on horse-
back; and his exertions produced so much internal security, that it was a saying
among the peasants, during his reign, " t/ie rush-buah keeps the cow.''

While James was engaged in the English war, he placed his Queen in the favourite
retirement of Linlithgow, and here, even in the palace, where his own infant hours
had found security, was liis royal consort delivered of a daughter. The intelliiience
reached James a few days before his death, while he lay languishing on the bed of
care and disappointment. He betrayed no symptom of parental delight, but shook
his head, and exclaimed, " The kingdom came with a lassie, and it will be lost with
one!" A proof, however, that the interest of his country occupied the latest fragment
of his disordered thoughts.

The room in which this ill omcn'd daughter (destined to be the heroine of many an
historic tale, under the name oi Alary, Queeti 0/ Scots) was born, is still to be seen
at Linlithgow, situated in one of the more ruinous sides of the square. Without any
affectation of refined feeling, it certainly is impossible to contemplate this deserted
apartment with indifference. It inevitably recals the checquered circumstances of
Queen Mary's fortune; --lier beauty, her accoinplisijed tenderness, her unshaken for-
titude .... and her errors. The outlines of her story are too generally familiar tor
repetition; yet we may be excused for bestowing a cursory glance on some parts of
her eventful life, while particularizing tlie spot on which she first engaged tlie hopes
and fears of a royal parent, who derived consolation for the melanclioly deatli of a
husband, in flattering presentiments regarding her or[)lian child.

There appears little room to doubt that the origin of Mary's misfortunes may be

42 LINLITHGOW PALACE.

ascertained in the mode of her education. No court in ilurope was of so dissipated a
character as that of France. Nursed in the school of gallantry, and flattered into an
early notion of the supremacy of beauty, JMary rose to the world well qualified to
fchine as a woman, but ticvoid of every adventitious circumstance that could recom-
mend her as a Queen. With every tliought refined to the subtlety of love, and very
lax notions respecting the necessity of domestic duties, slic was, indeed, little qualified
to rule a court so unused to coquetry as that of Scotland. The tenor of her early
habits led her to despise tliose reserves which the Scottish dames had been tutored to
consider virtues.

From her education in a country so rigidly catholic as France, ^Mary derived an
error more fatal to her government, even than tlie perversion of morals too obvious in
her conduct, — bigotted opinions concerning religion. It was the great object of her
holy instructors to render Mary what they were pleased to term, a pious princess..
They effected their purpose, and plunged her country in calamity and bloodshed.

If by the term i)iety these priests had merely understood that reverential regard of
the Deity, which induces Imbits of moral decorum ; tliat perfect respect for the
established religion of a nation which compels, on principle, an attention to the
ordinances of its church , we would readily admit the propriety of instilling tlie senti-
ment into the bosom of a prince. But ^Mary's instructors placed the merit of piety
in an unlimited attention to the rituals of religion. 'J'heir advice, therefore, might
have admirably suited the expectant of an archbishopric, but was little calculated for
the destined possessor of a throne.

No one sect (however plausible its arguments, or highly -stationed its power)
sho\ild be permitted to engraft iminoveably its set of opinions on the master-spring
of the political machine. A judicious administration, in regard to ecclesiastical af-
fairs, is only to be expected fuom the sovereign, whose expanded bosom compre-
hends the M hole interests of a thousand jarring branches,- with the tutelai- eye of an
impartial father.

Princes emment for that species of piety conspicuous in Mai'y, have, indeed,
generally been found injurious to the nation over wliich they presided. The luiglish
monarciis Henry W-, Mary, and James II. are memorable instances in point. Nor
does it appear that the accidental bias of these Sovereigns to tlie Roman catholic
faith was, from the nature of that persuasion, the sole cause of tlie evils they have ere-

LINLITHGOW PALACE. 43

ated; a fervid exclusive attachment to any peculiarity of sect, would probably be as
pernicious to the political interests of a common-Mcal.

From the unliappy pertinacity with which she adhered to her religious sentiments,
]Mary derived iier first misfortunes as a Queen ; but it is to her misconduct as a
moinuji, that the most severe of her personal calamities must be ascribed. In vain is
all the sophisticated labour of her defenders ; in vain the idolatrous elegance with
which they hang over the picture of her charms, (like the enthusiastic novelist, who
becomes enamoured of the beauty of his heroine, as he weaves the web of her
destiny) a frightful catalogue of errors still remains, and pity must be unavoidably
blended with disgust.

Her love for Darnly was a mere gust of passion. This Lord was in the first bloom
of youth, and master of every courtly art that adds ease and elegance to beauty of
exterior form. The Queen was enraptured at first sight, and without much delicacy
promoted, in spite of every obstacle, the consummation of a hasty union. A curious
account of the ceremony of her nuptials exists in an original letter of Randolph to the
Earl of Leicester, dated July, 1565. This detail so strongly characterizes the man-
ners of the period, while, in many points, it is illustrative of the character of Mary,
that a transcript from it in this place demands little apology. — " Upon Sunday, in the
morning, between five and six, the Queen was conveyed, by divers of her nobles, to
the chapel. She had upon her back the great mourning gown of black, with tlie
great wide mourning hood, not unlike unto that which she wore the doleful day of
the burial of her husband. She \vas led into the chapel by the Earls of Lenox and
Athol, and there she was left until her husband came, who also was conveyed by the
same Lords. The Minister Priests, two, do there receive them ; the Bansare asked
the third time ; and an instrument taken by a notour that no man said against then!,
oi- alleged any cause why the marriage might not proceed. The words were spoken,
the ring.s, which were thr<?e, the middle a rich diamond, were put upon her finger;
they kneel together, and many prayers are said over them ; she tarrieth out the mass,
and he taketh a kiss and leaveth her there, and ^\ent to her chamber, ^^•hither, within
a short space, she followeth ; and being required, according to the solemnity, to cast
oif her cares, and leave aside those sorrowful garments, and give herself to a more
pleasant life, after some pretty refusal, more, I believe, for manner-sake than grief
of heart, she suffered them that stood by, every man that could approach, to take out

G 2

44 LINLITHGOW PALACE.

a pin, and so being committed to her ladies, changed her garments. To their dinner
they were conveyed by the whole nobility; the trumpets sound ; a ' largess' cried;
money thrown about the house, in great abundance. They dine both at one table,
she upon the upper hand. After dinner they danced awhile, and then retired thcm-
.selves till the hour of supper."'

The tragical tale of Damly is well known. Whether tiie Queen were privy to the
assassination or not, the indifterence with which she shortly treated him is beyond
dispute,* and that her affection for Bothwell was the cause is equally evident.

During die first frenzy of her passion, no Court was more gay than that of Queen
Marv, and I lenrj' Daniley. At Cruick.ston-castle they passed several v\ ceks of love
and splendor. The lofty hall in which they regaled is still e.xempt from tlie ruin
that has befallen the other parts of the castle ; and there, to this hour, thrives the
Queen's favourite yew, which she has so often impressed on her copper coins. — Lin-
lithgow, likewise, witnessed their festivities; and in the same palace, Mary practised
some part of the hypocrisy with which she affected to nurse the sickness of a man,
whose peace she was wounding through every accessible pore.

Another act of dissimulation in which Mary bore a share, was performed at Lin-
lithgow. — When determined on a marriage with Bothwell, the Queen, conversant in
all the intriguing wiles of the French court, surrendered herself at Linlithgow a volun-
tary prisoner, in order to evade the censures of the world by an appearance of con-
straint.

Abandoned by Bothwell,f and opposed in the field by a combination of the Scot-

• '' The Queen and her husband agree after the old manner, or rather worse," says the Earl of
Bedford, in a letter, dated 156S. " One Hickman, an English merchant at Edinburgh, having a wa-
ter-spaniel which was very good, gave him to Mr. James Melvil, who afterwards, for the pleasure which
he saw the King have in such dogs, gave him to the King. The Queen thereupon fell marvellously
out with Melvil, and called him dissembler and flatterer, and said she could not trust one who would
give any thing to such as she loved not."

t Few men have experienced so complete a reverse of fortune as this ambitious Earl. After his
flight from Pinkey, he lurked, for some time, among his vassab at Dunbar; and, driven thence, he
retired to the Orkney Isles. Hunted from place to place, accompanied by a few retainers as desperate
as himself, he suffered at once the miseries of infamy and of want. — He shortly armed some small
shipt, and, attacking every vessel that came in bis way, endeavoured to procure subsistence for himself
and his followers by piracy. His little fleet was surprised while lying at anchor. A part of it was
taken, and himself obliged to fly, with a single ship, towards Norway. On that coast, befell in witk

LINLITHGOW PALACE. 45

tish nobles, Mary soon experienced all the miseries of a real confinement. Tlie com-
mon people of Scotland appear to have been peculiarly inveterate in their dislike of
the Queen's conduct. In an original letter of the time, the extreme virulence with
which the lower orders of uomen rei)roached her, whenever she made a public ap-
pearance, is mentioned. When Mary entered the camp of her o\\n nobles, aban-
doned and a prisoner, the soldiers " poured upon her all the opprobrious names
which are bestowed only on the lowest criminals. Wherever she turned her eyes,
they held up before her a standard, on which was painted the dead body of the late
King, stretched on the ground, and the young prince kneeling before it, and utterin"
these words, ' Judge and revenge my cause, O Lord!'- — It was now that Mary felt
the woe of real captivity .... she melted into tears, and was Avith difficulty kept from,
sinking on the ground.

The unjust severities of Queen Elizabeth were, at first, combatted by Mary with
considerable spirit; and even with her supplicatory manner a portion of covert taunt
is blended: " Good sister, says the Scottish Queen, in a letter dated from Carlisle,
July 1568, " be of another mind ; win the heart, and all shall be your's and at your
commandment. I thought to have satisfied you wholly if I might have seen you.
Alas ! do not as« the serpent that stoppeth his hearing, for I am no enchanter, but
your sister, and natural cousin. If Cassar had not disdained to hear, or read, the
complaint of an advertiser, he had not so died. "Why should princes' ears be stopt,
seeing that they are painted so long? Meaning by which, that they should hear all,
and be well advised before they answer. I am not of the nature of the basilic, and
less of the camelion, to tm-n you to my likeness ; and, though I should be so
dangerous and curst, as men say, you are sufficiently armed with constancy and witli
justice, which I require of God, who give you grace to use it well, with long and happy
life."

There is no period of history more popular in this island than that which compri-
ses the adventures of Mary, Queen of Scots. This does not appear to result from any

a vessel richly laden, and immediately engaged it. After a desperate fight, Botlnvell and all his crew
were taken prisoners. His name and quality preserved him from the infamous de.ith to which his as-
iociates were consigned, but did not mitigate the hardships of his imprisonment. He languished ten
years in this unhappy condition. Melancholy and despair deprived him of reason, and at last he ended,
his days in a Norwegian dungeon, unpiiied by all, and detested by many.

46 LINLITHGOW PALACE.

peculiar point of interest contained in the political events of her reign, but from the
picturesque situations in vhich tlie historian is enabled to place his heroine. Few
romances can boast a more florid detail than the page of Mary's legend. A series of
unusual circumstances, all connected with the more romantic propensities of the
mind, attended her footsteps fi'om the moment she lost sight of the French coast, when
reluctantly sailing to take possession of the Scottish Crown . . . that mournful moment
in which she lingered on the deck, and, wiping a big tear from her eye, exclaimed,
" Farewel, France! Farewel, beloved country which I shall never more behold !"

The person of Mary, though undoubtedly beautiful, gains fi-esh charms, in imagina-
tion, from the contrast presented by Elizabeth. Those writers m ho describe her as
ascending the scaffold (in her last awful hour) \\ith " alacrity," forget that she grew
extremely fat as she advanced in years, and tliat, for some time previous to lier death,
she had been aflhcted with a rheumatism which deprived her of the use of her limbs.
One remaining histoiical circumstance connected with Linlidigow, cannot properly
be omitted, though the story may be said to apjjertain to the town rather than the
castle ; — the assassination of Regent ^Murray.

No man acted a more conspicuous character during the minority of James VI. : to
which monarch he was attached by a tie of blood, as natural brother to Queen
]\Iary. Just and penetrating; courageous and unjjolished; Murray possessed the
chief qualifications requisite in a ruler of the Scots at this juncture. The two rival
parties in religion, now maintained tiieir dispute with the most zealous acrimony.
This contest was the touchstone of legislative ability. ^Murray was decidedly in fa-
vour of the Protestants ; but seems to have been perfectly aware of the political cool-
ness necessary in a governor during every period disgraced by violent religious dis-
sentions.

This nobleman, w ho had retired to France after the murder of Darnley, was pro-
moted to the regency, during the confinement of the Queen at Lochlevin. Immedi-
ately on his return, he waited on ]VIary in her solitude. " This visit," says Dr. Ro-
bertson; " to a sister and a Queen, in a prison from which he had not any intention
to relieve her, may be mentioned among the circumstances which discover the great
want of delicacy and refinement in that age. Murray expostulated so warmly witli
the Queen concerning her past conduct, and charged her faults so home upon her,

LINLITHGOW PALACE. 47

that Mary, who had flattered herself with more gentle and brotherly treatment, mel-
ted into tears, and abandoned herself entirely to despair.'

The escape of Mary (through the means of her keeper's brother, a youth whom she
encouraged to hope that he might become her husband) gave the regent an opportu-
nity of tiying his strength and his talents, ^lary soon collected an army of six
thousand men; while the regent, on whom these events suddenly burst as he was
holding a court of justice at Glasgow, was provided with no greater a train than was
usual to times of peace. In this exigency the superiority of Murray s genius aj)-
peared. His friends warmly prest him to retire; but he firmly stood his gi-ound,
and amused tlie Queen with pretended terms of negotiation, while he drew together
hiS^ adherents from every part of the kingdom. With these he took the field. The
Queen was spectatress of the conflict, from a hill no great distance ; and from this
eminence she witnessed the destruction of her last hope, and the complete triumph of
the )-eifent.

In a conference held at York, during which Elizabeth wished him to prefer an ac-
cusation against Mary as a party concerned in the murder of her husband ; Murray
evinced solid compassion for his royal sister by declining the task. So many political
intrigues, however, darken this period of Scottish history, that it is plausibly conten-
ded, his forbeai'ance was caused by the influence of the Duke of Norfolk, who enter-
tained designs on the Crown of Scotland. By the ceaseless arts of Elizabeth, Murray
was, subsequently, compelled either to prefer his accusation, or acknowledge himself
guilty of rebellion. Nature readily dictated the course to be pursued, and thus he
became, through too great a part of his administration, the inevitable tool of the En-
glish sovereign.

In his conflict with the Duke of Chatclherault, Murray shewed his accustomed
promptitude. The Duke, with the high dignity of the Queen's Lieutenant-General
in Scotland, and the fantastic appellation of her adopted father, endeavoured to exhi-
lirate Mary's party to activity ; but the regent watched his opportunity, seized tlic
Duke in his own house, and conveyed him prisoner to the castle of Edinburgh. The
subordinate members of the faction readily subscribed to the regent's superiority.

Murray had now attained power beyond the utmost hopes of his ambition. As
was usually the case with persons of liis character of birth, lie had, at the commence-
ment of life, obtained provision in tlie church. The perturbed events tliat succeeded

4.y LINLITHGOW PALACE.

the improvident inaiTia<;es of his sister, called his abilities into full display ; and it
may be confidently alHrmed that no administration but his own, was likely to aftbrd
any semblance of tran(|uillity to Scotland at this period. Many failings detestable
in a tranquil era, candor may pass over as venial in the man possessing a plenitude
of power that has been snatched from the ruins of an adverse faction. 'Ihc dignified
austerity of tiie prior of St. Andrews certainly degenerated to pride in the person of
the Lord Regent of Scotland, and the pity of the brother was absorbed in the indig-
nation to which conscious superiority of rectitude is liable when a monarch forgets all
the duties that are due to the subject. Still, the regent's ambition did not betray
him to anv of those gloomy murders to which the age was addicted; and, all circum-
stances duly weiiihed, it is probable that his harsh treatment of Mary was stimulated
by a conviction that her absence from power was necessary to the internal peace
of her country.

Willie beset with numberless anxieties, and replete w ith schemes of high national
import, the regent «as assassinated in tlie street of Linlithgow . This murder was
effected by Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, who had been condemned to death, soon
after the battle of Langside, and who owed liis life to the clemency of Murray. A
part of his estate, however, had been bestowed on a favourite of the regent, and this
miscreant seized Hamilton's house, and " turned out his wife, naked, in a cold night,
into the open fields ; wliere, before next morning, she became furiously mad. Tliis
injury made a deeper impression on him than the benefit he had received, and from
that moment he vo«ed to be revenged on his presumed oppressor. Party-rage
strenffthened and inflamed his private resentment. His kinsmen, the Hamiltons,
applauded the enterprize. The maxims of that age* justified the most desperate
course he could take to obtain vengeance. He followed the regent for some time,
and watched for an opportunity to strike tlie blow. He resolved, at last, to wait till

* The crime of assassination was held in an iniignificant light at thii period, both by the French and
the Scots, between wiiotn there was a remarkable affinity of manners. It was not before thero)al
authority acquired additional vigor, from the accession of James VI. that a stop was put to the practice
in Scotland. In 1417 't required all the eloquence and authority of the famous Gerson to prevail on the
Council of Constance to condemn this proposition, " that there are some cases in which assassination it
a virtue more meritorious in a knight than in a squire, and more meritorious in a king than in a knight."
The tenor of this fact should ever be borne in remembrance by the reader who forms a judgment of the
human character, from the representations of history.

LINLITHGOW PALACE. 49

his enemy should arrive at Linlithgow, through which he was to pass in his way from
Stirling to Edinburgh, he took his stand in a wooden gallery which had a window to-
wards the street ; spread a feather-bed on the floor, to hinder the noise of his feet
from being heard ; hung up a black clotli beliind him tliat his shadow might not be
observed from without; and after all this preparation, calmly expected the regent's
approach, who had lodged during the night, in a house not far distant. Some indis-
tinct information of the danger « hich threatened him had been conveyed to the re-
gent, and he paid so much regard to it, that he resolved to return, by the same gate
through which he had entered, and to fetch a compass round the town. But as the
crowd about the gate M'as great, and he unacquainted with fear, lie proceeded directly
along the street; and the throng of people by obliging him to move slowly, gave the
assassin time to take so true an aim, that he shot him with a single bullet through the
lower part of his belly, and killed the horse of a gentleman who rode on his utlier
side. His followers instantly endeavoured to break into the house whence the blow
had come, but they found the door strongly barricaded, and before it could be forced
open, Hamilton had mounted a fleet horse, which stood ready for him at a back pas-
sage, and was got far beyond their reach. The regent died the same night of his
wound.'"*

Hamilton effected his escape to France, where he was solicited to destroy the
Admiral Coligne. His answer is to the credit of liis character: — " Injured affec-
tion compelled me to commit one murder, but an emperor's ransom should not
induce me to prostitute my sword by a venal assassination."

Such are the principal occurrences connected with the royal building of Linlithgow.
Though the palace has, for so considerable a period, ceased to be habitable, it still
retains a noble keeper. The family of Livingstone formerly held the office, by
hereditary tenure. Tlje rebellion of 17 16 transferred that honor to the house of
Hamilton ; — a lucrative trust which it still possesses.

* Robertson, vol. i. p. 435.

DESCRIPTION

INDIA-HOUSE,

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE FOUNDATION AND PROGRESS

EAST INDIA COMPANY.

W ITH the extension of the commerce appertaining to the great City of London,
it would be flagrantly injudicious iftlie magnificence of the buildings, connected with
mercantile pursuits, did not keep pace. Indeed to the credit of civic liberality, tlie
striking improvement in all commercial edifices ascertains, with sufficient accuracy,
the increase of national traffic which has taken place within the two last centuries.
Our merchants, it is true, have not yet been seen emulous of the example set by
those of Florence and Venice, who (with less than half the profits of a London trader,)
adorned their respective cities with palaces of stone ; the pride of architecture, and
the admiration of the world ! But, still, the very serious improvement in tlie character
of City buildbgs, deserves abundant commendation.

INDIA-HOUSE.

A justifiable sensation of pride is created by a comparison of what the city once
was with what it now is. — Even in the year 1200, tiles and slates were not in use.
The houses were built with wood, and thatched with straw or reeds. — That edict
of Richard I. in the year 1189, which specified that houses should be formed of
stone to a certain height, and covered \\ ith slate or burnt tile, was not treated with
attention by the builders of London till a period considerably distant. Even in
1606", James I. first deemed it necessary to propose a law of a similar tendency.*

The buildings in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, casually scattered about
the city, and which composed its chief ornaments in the eyes of strangers, were
erected by courtiers, and used as their town-dwellings of policy or pleasure. Trade,
or the offices connected with it, possessed scarcely any edifice within the districts
of the city to arrest the attention of the foreigner, and compel liim to admit the
supremacy of British commerce, f

The reverse presented by modern days is happily obvious. Traffic, superior to
the first frugal drudgery of industry, calls the arts to the emblazonment of her
importance. Architecture, the natural attendant on wealth, obeys the summons;
and the massive piles of London attest to every visitor the extent of commerce and
resource possessed by the present inhabitants of that city. Among the buildings
which reflect dignity on the mercantile interest of England, the East India House,,
and its immense appendages, hold a distinguished place.

Betore the year 1726, the East India Company rented, for the purpose of official
business, an ancient house formerly the seat of the Craven family. This mansion^
appears to have been much more splendid and convenient, as a family residence,
than «as common witli the London ifim of noblemen at the time it was built.
" The rooms of the house noA\' owned by Sir William Craven" (says a contem-
porary of Sir \\ illiam's) are noble monuments of tlie taste of the last century. This
house is so ancient, that I cannot discover when it was built; — it has often been re-

* The foot-paihs of London were first paved with broad free-stone in l6l5. Stow sajs that io
1246 no street in London was paved. Two hundred years after that period there were only two,
(Thames-street, and the highway between Ludgate-hill and Charing-cross.

t Even the first magistrate of the city, it will be recollected, had no stated residence till 1753. Be-
fore thai year, the Lord Mayor was accustomed to perform the duties of his office at one of the halls be-
longing to the city companies.

H 2

52 INDIA-HOUSE.

paired ; but the divisions and ornaments of tlie present apartments are evidently
those of the last century. The original dimensions of the rooms appear to have
been double what they are at present."' — But, hov\ever convenient might be the
original arrangement, and however numerous the apartments, an antiquated family-
mansion was found to be very inapplicable to the uses of a great commercial Com-
pany. Accordingly, in the year ]7~6, a regular official building was erected on
the site of Craven-House. But even this edifice m as of too contracted a character
for the business and dignity of so powerful an association. In the year 1799,
therefore, a very considerable enlargement took place, in regard to the internal
departments, and a new front was constructed under tlie direction of Mr. Richard
Jupp.

The East India House is situated on the South side of Leadenhall-street, and is
entered through a portico consisting of six fluted columns of the Ionic order. A
long passage leads from the vestibule to a court surrounded by the chief oflices con-
nected with India concerns. In this court are triumphantly placed two of Tippoo's
long tyger guns (the muzzles of which are moulded to represent the extended jaws
of that destructive animal) — thus evincing, while surrounded by merchants whose
most potent arms are quills and accompt-books, the inevitable success of policy
over mere ferocious strength. The court-room is on the right of the entrance, and
is lighted by two rows of windows on the left hand side. The chimney-piece is of
white marble. Two caryatides of statuary marble, on veined pilasters, support the
cornice. Above this is an emblematical design, in white marble, representing Bri-
tannia seated on a Globe under a rock by the sea-side, with a Trident in her left
hand, and her right arm on a Shield bearing the Union Cross. Behind are two
boys; one leaning on a cornucopia, the other playing with its contents. Before,
are three female figures ; the first, representing India, offers her a casket of jewels,
from which a string of diamonds carelessly hangs down. Next her is Asia, holding
an Incense-pot in one hand and the Bridle of a Camel in the other. The third
figure represents Africa, decorated w ith the Spoils of an Elephant, and one hand
resting on the head of a Lion. On the shore is a personification of the Thames, a
Rudder in the right hand, and a Cornucopia in the left. At the summit of the whole
are the Company's Arms, fancifully decorated. — The court-room, likewise, con-

INDIA-HOUSE. 55

tains good paintings of Fort St. George, Bombay, Fort William, Tellicherry, the
Cape of Good Hope, and St. Helena.

In other apartments there is collected a considerable number of pictures, on sub-
jects interesting to those engaged in Asiatic undertakings. Among these may be par-
ticularised an excellent portrait of Air. Hastings, bequeathed to the company by
William Larkin, Esq.

In the upper department of the building, a room is fitted up as a library, in
which is carefully forming a collection of books in all the oriental languages. It
already contains specimens of manuscripts and printed works from Hindoostan,
Persia, and China, and a set of materials for printing a book in the Cliinese lan-
guage. A museum of natural curiosities is also constructing.

The fiont of the India House is not uniformly superb. The decorations of the
main entrance comprise its chief pretensions to architectural magnificence. — The por-
tico we have described as containing six fluted Ionic columns. These support a
frieze, enriched with various antique ornaments, surmounted by a pediment, in the
tympanum of which is a groupe of emblematical figures. The principal figure ia
this groupe represents his Majesty leaning on his sword (which is in his left hand)
and extending the Shield of Protection, with his right arm, over Britannia, who is
embracing Liberty. On one side Mercury, attended by Navigation, introduces
Asia to Britannia, at whose feet she pours out her rich productions. On the other
side is Order, accompanied by Religion and Justice. Behind these appear the City
Barge and other emblems of London, near which are Integrity and Industry. The
western angle is filled by the Thames, and the eastern by the Ganges, indicative of
their respective positions. On the apex of the Pediment is a pedestal, on which is
Britannia, holding in her left hand a Spear with a Cap of Liberty on it. Above
one extremity of the portico is Europe, seated on a Horse ; and above the other is
Asia on a Camel.

The front of the India House has been a subject of satirical observation with every
architect who has taken occasion to speak of it, and some of their objections are not
to be controverted.^It is said to be too long and too heavy for the building of which
it forms a part. One of the first rules in architecture, say these critical observers,
ordains that tlie parts should not only bear a relation to the whole but that every
part should have a relation, peculiarly its own : — the fi-ont of the India House is ob-
jectionable in both points of this rule. Its ornaments and designs are likewise mucb

54 INDIA-HOUSE.

too general. The figures arc too tliickly grouped, and the mob of deities is very ill-
placed.

The most important accusation in this catalogue, is that touching the common-
place character of tlie design at large. As to the apparent gravity or weight of the
edifice, it does not strike us in the light of a defect. We certainly do not altogetlier
accord with the assertion of a late eminent wit, that city mansions were in a correct
architectural taste when a heap of bricks was so arranged as to convey the idea of a
heap of guineas having been raised there before ; — but we really do think that a
building devoted to commercial uses has little occasion for the refined polish of Pal-
ladio or the majestic graces of lionarotti. Substantial respectability, devoid of all
factitious art or ostentation, is the characteristic of commercial pursuits ; and the
edifice of congregated merchants is best suited to its object m hen it is grave, weighty,
and simple.

But the want of general allusion to the Asiatic possessions of tlie company, cen-
sured in the design of the India House, is, certainly, an error of no trivial conse-
quence. It was the pride of a philosopher " that his house should be known by him,
rather than himself by his house." In an individual this ambition might be laudable,
but the rule cannot be deemed worthy of imitation by a national company trading
exclusively to a particular quarter of tlie globe. "Where ornament was introduced,
the costume of Hindoostan should invariably have prevailed. With Greece or
Rome the architect of an East India House had no manner of concern.

Still, we cannot admit, as some have asserted, that the decorations and design of
this building are as applicaWe to any other trading house as to the India House : —
the sculptured groupe in the tympanum, and the figures on the extremities of the
portico, have evidently a poetical allusion to the species of traffic in which the com-
pany is engaged ; — but then, unfortunately, these emblematical productions are so
situated that none but the very inquisitive can decipher their meaning. There is
nothing relative to the eastern world t)[\?A presents itself to observation.

The warehouses belonging to the Company are extremely spacious, and situated
in dift'erent streets bordering on tlie India House. The extent of these may be es-
timated from the particulars of one range. The great Repository of the Teas* is

* Pennant mentions, in an indeterininate way, that lie has heard the Searchers, who have frequent-
ly occasion to thrust their arms deep in the chests of tea, often feel a numbness in that limb, and are
jubject to paralytic aftectious. A circumstance worthy of investigation,

INDIA-HOUSE. 55

erected on the site of the old Navy-oflSce, and is a regular oblong of about 250 feet
by 160, inclosing a court of 150 by 60, which is entered by aui arched gateway.
The multitude of \vindows, and great number of persons employed, convey some
idea of the prodigious concern in which the Company is engaged.

Many warehouses of equal consequence are already in use, and others are con-
tinually forming; each of which, by supplemting an assemblage of miserable tenements
(the nidus of penury and vice) presents a pleasing picture of the good effects of
successful commerce.

The rise and progressive extension of a trade possessing such magnificent appen-
dages cannot fail to prove an object of curiosity ; and it is a subject on which we
are tempted to amplify, from tlie consideration of the present article precluding that
attention to biographical inquiry which we are so desirous of maintaining in the other
parts of our work.

The luxurious productions of Asia excited the desu'es of the most distant parts of
the globe at a very early period of history. The Arabs were the first navigators who
skirted the coasts of India ; and this crafty people, for a considerable time, imposed
the produce of India on their neighbours as that of their own country. That the
Arabians (tho' the perfumes and riches of Arabia shine with such conspicuous lustre
in ancient legend) were, in fact, only the carriers during the early ages of commerce
is evident ; for Arabia itself is found to produce neither aromatic nor spice, frankin-
cence excepted. Nor does it afford mines either of gold or silver.

The Egyptians and the Persians owed their early splendor to a traffic with India ;
Phoenicia was long considered the grand depot of Eastern wealth. From its connec-
tion with India, Greece continued, through three centuries, to increase in wealth and
elegance of national attainment.

The Romans, triumphant over every opponent at arms, contrived likewise to
maintain an ascendancy in the tamer speculations of commerce. Their ti'ade with
India was chiefly carried on by the way of Egypt, and from that important branch of
traffic was derived the many jewels, tine clothes, pearls, perfumes and rich silks, « ith
which the Roman Empire formerly abounded. Of the luxury introduced to Rome
by meems of her Asiatic connexions, some notion may be formed firom the mention
of one female, — Lollia Paulina. This lady, who was merely the niece of a Roman

56 INDIA-HOUSE.

.•

governor of a province, is said to have worn, in her ordinai^y dress, jewels valued at
upwards of ^£^00,000.*

When Rome sank to rise no more, Eastern commerce assumed her seat at Con-
stantinople. With the assistance of so auspicious un inmate, that city soon acquired
prtilij^ious opulence and splendor, and from thence the northern parts of Europe were
in the habit of procuring the estimable gems and luxurious spices of the East.

A trade bet« een England and India has been traced through the pages of our an-
nals to a very remote period. Tiie writings of William of Malmsbury, and the de-
tails contained in Rymer's Fcedera, are the chief sources from which modern histo-
rians derive their information. Alfred the Great, it is said, sent a mission to St.
Thomas's, on the coast of Coromandel, about the year 883, the object of which was
confined to pious and charitable pui"poses. Sighelmus, to whom the trust was com-
mitted, having executed his pious intentions, returned to England, after an absence
of several years, and brought with him a considerable number of precious stones,
which he deposited in the treasury of the Church of Sherbournc, in Dorsetshire.

In consequence of the splendid account given by Sighelmus, of the trade, opulence,
and luxuries of the East, we are told that Alfred caused several ships to be built and
equipped for the special purpose of embarking in the India trade ; and that having
lent these ships to certain adventurous merchants, whom he also assisted with money,
they performed divers successful voyages to the ports of Syria and Egypt. It, how-
ever, does not appear that a commercial intercourse, commenced under such favour-
able auspices, was continued with regularity, during the most favourable periods of
Alfred's reign ; a surprising circumstance, considering the patriotic and enterprising
disposition ascribed to that monarch. — After the death of Alfred, it is allowed, that no
attempts were made for many centuries to revive a trade with Egypt. From that time
until the reign of Henry VIII. England was certainly supplied with Eastern commo-
dities by the Venetians ; who, for a considerable period, were enabled by their mari-

* The riches, likewise, derived by Egypt from its interchanges with India were very considerable.
Ptolemy and his vifife Cleopatra had attained such immense wealth by trading with that country, that
the appearance of their treasure astonished both Anthony and Caesar, though accustomed to the pomp
and riches of Asia. — ^The Oriental pearls of the Queen were exquisite of their kind. Two of those
which served to decorate her ears cost upwards of £1 60,000 sterling. It may be necessary to observt
(hat pearls, at the time of Cleopatra's reign, were universally preferred to diamonds.

INDIA-HOUSE. 57

time supremacy, to monopolize the extensive trade of India. After the Norman
conquest had enlarged the prospects and multiplied the resources of England, a ship
of considerable burthen was sent annually from Venice to the port of Southampton,
laden with the most desirable products of the East. So much had the demand for
these articles augmented, that, in the reign of Edward III. the Venetian merchants
employed five ships in the English trade. The chief articles then imported by this
country, were sugar, spices, and aromatics. — When tlie discovery of the passage
round the Cape of Good Hope threw the Indian trade into the hands of the Portu-
gueze, Lisbon became the great mart for the productions of the East. The merchants
of London now imported Indian goods from that city on then* own account ; and
conveyed them to the Thames in their own ships. '

The supine and impolitic conduct of the mercantile interest of England, through
so many centuries, reflects much discredit on the government that prevailed during
those periods. The want of a trading capital might certainly operate materially to-
wards suppressing all spirit of enterprize among individuals, but the example held
out by foreign powers should have taught the sovereigns of a maritime country Hke
England, that the encouragement of a Court, may often stimulate weak resources to
the achievement of great national advantages. Chivalry, to the detriment of every
solid good that society holds dear, had hitherto possessed that place in tlie royal es-
teem, which was due to a spirit of commercial speculation : Chivalry, with its Red
Cross Knights and futile Tournaments, had now disappeared, and trade, too long
neglected for the interest of domestic comfort and national art, assumed the station
formerly occupied by that gaudy shadow.

The iirst Englishman that went to India by the Cape of Good Hope deserves a
grateful memorial in the annals of his country. This was a person of the name of
Steevens, who had resided at Lisbon in the capacity of factor, and whose notions had
become laudably enlarged from the extensive dealings to which he had been a wit-
ness. In 1579 he made a voyage to Goa, in a Portuguese ship. On his return he
published an account of his voyage, and this publication (now entirely lost) first
stimulated the English to adventures in the East.*

* Extensive speculations in fon-ign trade were much promoted at this juncture, by the practice of
insurance. Some assert that tiie Romans used tliis judicioiis plan of mutual preservation. It, certainly.

58 INDIA-HOUSE.

In 1591 three vessels sailed from London, not only with a view of trading with
the natives of Asia, but with an intention of cruizing against the Portuguese ships on
their return to Europe. Their voyage, however, proved disastrous. — One ship only
reached India, and that single relic of the squadron was so disabled by tempests
that the money intended for barter was necessarily expended in repairs. Still this
adventure was useful, bv explaining to die public the facility with which a trade might
be established in Hindoostan. The effects of this conviction soon appeared ^ith
considerable importance. The merchants, aware that they did possess sufficient capital
to atempt a competition w ith the Portuguese by the way of the Cape of Good Hope,
presented (in 1594) a memorial to Queen Elizabeth, praying her majesty to make
overtures to the Turkish government for entering into a treaty of commerce, whereby
her subjects should obtain such privileges as would enable them to open a trade w ith
the merchants of Syria and Egypt. The Queen immediately dispatched letters to
Constantinople, and the Emperor readily accorded the privileges that were requested.
From this period, the commodities of India were brought to England in English ships,
and this interchange with the Turkish empire continued to prevail for many years
after the establishment of the East India Company.

But the number of hands through which the goods thus imported necessarily
passed, before they reached the consumer, caused the price to be so exorbitant tliat
the English merchants were easily undersold by the Dutch (now possessed of consi-
derable strength in India) even at the London markets. The chief merchants of Lon-
don, therefore, resolved to attempt a direct trade with the Continent of Asia ; and
the celebrated George Earl of Cumberland, and a number of gentlemen of indepen-
dent fortune, agreed to lend assistance, provided a charter could be obtained from
government granting to those who engaged in the concern the exclusive privilege of
carrying on the projected commerce.

On application to the throne, it appeared that the Queen was not only agreeable
lo the proposal, but had actually anticipated the measure ; to effectuate which, the
English Consul at Constantinople had directions to proceed over land to Hindoostan,
charged with letters from Elizabeth to the Emperor Akbar. This Emperor, though

was not known to modem Europe till the year 1560, when the first office for the purpose of insurance
was erected in Lombard Street

INDIA-HOUSE. 59

highly, accomplished and urbane, could not be persuaded to grant a freedom of traffic
between the Englisii and his subjects ; but Elizabeth (whose overture was formal
rather than apprehensive) had not waited the Emperor's reply. On the 31st of De-
cember 1600, about six months subsequent to the departure of the Consul from
Constantinople, she instituted the East India Company by royal charter.

The charter was granted to George Earl of Cumberland, and two hundred and
fifteen knights, aldermen, and merchants. They were constituted a body politic
and corporate, with a common seal, which they were permitted to alter at pleasure
under the title of the " Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading to
the East Indies." The first Governor and directors were nominated by the crown,
but the charter specified that they should in future be chosen by the Company. The
power of these representatives was to last only one year. The charter was extremely
advantageous, but the grant of monopoly was limited to fifteen years.

The Company thus Hberally patronised, proceeded in 1601, to raise a sum of mo-
ney in order to commence their trade. It is observable that though their interests were
condensed in a corporate association, the merchants did not raise the first necessary
sum as a joint stock or capital. For some time, indeed the partners appear to have
traded with separate stocks, though only in ships belonging to the company. The first
shares were limited to fifty pounds each, yet the money paid into the Treasurer's hands
shortly amounted to .£721,000. This circumstance would appear to attest the great
popularity of the scheme, but so obstinate is prejudice and so acrimonious is ignorance,
that, in fact, a violent clamour was raised against the novel institution, and a number
of books were written, Mhich proved the Company to possess not the least solid
prospect of success, pei-fectly to the satisfaction of the narrow-minded and the res-
pective authors.

The first fleet equipped for the East India trade consisted of one ship of 600 tons,
one of 300, two of 200, and a victualling vessel of 180. The complement of sea-
men, in all these different ships, amounted to 480. The command of the little
fleet was given to Captain Lancaster, a man of good natural talents, and who pos-
sessed some knowledge of the Indian seas. The cargo consisted chiefly of tin, lead,
iron-cannon, muskets and cutlasses ; and was in value i:27,000 ; a small specula-
tion, but all that was left for adventure after the equipment of the ships.

I 2

ao INDIA-HOUSE.

Before we attend this priinitive expedition (fated to lay the foundation of inipoi'
tant revolutions) through the perils of its undertaking, it may be desirable to give
some account of the internal state of the country to « hicli it was destined. A regu-
lar detail of the calamities to which India was subject, through every fluctuating pe-
riod of its early story, would occui)y, however carefully abridged, very many labo-
rious pages, ant! would, after all, present little beside the accustomed pliantasies of
ambition and devastations of war. Suffice it, tliat when Hindoostan was first pene-
trated by English adventurers, the ]Mogul empire had gained an ascendancy over the
greater part of the country. Some districts, however, denied its authority ; of these
the most powerful were the states of the Deccan, then under the government of the
Sultans of Golconda, Bijapur, Calberga, and Telinga.

At the commencement of the sixteenth century, the Emperor Akbaf sat on the
throne; by whom the empire was divided into fifteen subahs (or districts) each under
the immediate jurisdiction of a viceroy. Akbar ruled with a much more absolute
sway than the ancient Hindoo kings ; for the powerful Hierarchy placed in the an-
cient government, above the Prince in the order of society, was by him degraded
fi-om its precedence in the political code. iJnder the original Hindoo government,
the sovereign was the sole proprietor of the soil, and the land was apportioned in
small allotments to the Husbandman through the agency of perpetual hereditary
leases. Thus, the gross produce of the soil was the revenue of the Prince, though
immemorial Custom lestraincd his demand to one sixth. — A more equitable mode of
administration now prevailed. No tribute was exacted from the farmers, as had
been too frequently the case, in addition to the gross sixth annually remitted to the
King. Agriculture and manufactures were in a state comparatively flourishing in
consequence of the mildness introduced to the modern forms of government. Arti-
cles of merchandise were subject to few taxes, and yet the revenue of the monarch
was thirty-siv million pounds annually !

An unlimited religious toleration prevailed, though in all criminal matters, the en-
tire supremacy of the IMahommedan jurisprudence was insisted on. The civil poli-
ty of Asia was admirably prudent and systematic. Each suhah, or province, was
governed by an officer termed a Subahdah, who was the immediate representative of
the Emperor. To advance the happiness of the people, was the first and most
strenuous of this viceroy's instructions ; and he was taught that the continuance of

INDIA-HOUSE. Qx

his power depended on his " obtaining a knowledge of the dispositions of men," and
persevering in a rigid adherence to the principles of justice.

Under the subahdar was an inferior officer, whose duty it was to see the orders of
the subahdar put in execution by a long train of subordinate characters.

Two judges (the Cazt/ and Meer Adul) presided over the ^lahominedan courts
of civil and criminal law. In the former of these courts were adjusted all disputes
between Mussulmen, or JVlussulmen and Hindoos ; but litigated points between the
Hindoos themselves were discussed by two Pundits, Avho decided according to the
ordinances of tlie ancient Hindoo code.

The police of each province was regulated with so much assiduity and skill that
travellers might pass from one country to another, in the most dangerous seasons,
without fear of molestation. A Cutxcall (or master of the police) took cognizance
of each province. If any theft were committed, this officer was responsible for the
loss sustained, unless he succeeded in apprehending the culprit. The province at
large, however, participated in the penalty incurred by the Cutxcall, if it could be
proved that any remissness occurred in regard to their search after the otFender. The
towns were divided into quarters ; the police of each quarter was superintended by
an officer who transmitted to the Cutwall, a monthly journal of the most minute cir-
cumstances that transpired. Armed patroles ranged the country during night, and
crushed the slightest tendency to disturbance in its origin. By these wise, though
rigid precautions, the most profound security reigned through the whole extent of
Akbar's empire.

The military establishment of Hindoostan was very extensive. The regular army
was large, in addition to which, every district furnished a number of irregular troops
who were chiefly employed in the service of the officers of police. These latter forces
are said to have amounted to upwards of four millions of men, and were composed
almost entirely of Hindoos ; the regular army (700,000 strong) consisted of Mussul-
men. Each Munsub (or regiment) possessed a small train of artillery, and in every
province there was an artillery establishment, which consisted of 100 pieces of iron
ordnance and 5000 men. Twelve thousand men, a body of chosen infantry, were
appointed to guard the regal palaces and the Emperor's person.

But however highly this military establishment may sound, it was, in fact, an
armed multitude detrimental to its own purposes on every principle of calculation.

(52 INDIA-HOUSE.

The cavalry vere twice as numerous as the infantry ; the officers were injudiciously
ranked and disproportionately paid ; and the tactics on which the system of military
evolutions was grounded, were erroneous to absurdity. Yet such was the peaceful
disposition of Asia, that this cumbrous body, which it is justly presumed would not
have been able to withstand the assault of 30,000 Europeans, was sufficient to keep
tlic whole Eastern world in awe. A politician might regard this circumstance as
disgraceful ; a philosopher perhaps might be induced to consider it in the light of a
blessing.

Those craving suggestions of refinement which lead other nations through the perils
of unknown seas in pursuit of new branches of traffic, had little or no power over
the natives of Hindoostan. The practical forbearance inculcated by their civil
and religious institutions rendered external commerce quite superfluous. The inge-
nious industry of the Hindoos furnished them witli every necessary comfort ; and,
from the peculiar benignity of the climate in which they lived, they had no relish for
the productions of any other countiy, and are even described as feeling little curiosity
concerning them. But their soil was too fertile, and their arts too delicate, for per-
manent security. Surrounding nations we have seen, from the earliest periods, so-
liciting an interchange with Asia : commodities either natural or artificial were not
needed in the East : gold and silver therefore were employed in the trade, and thus
Asia, for ages, became the grand depot of all the valuable metals of the known
world. This partial acquisition of wealth did not fail to awaken dormani feelings of
avarice in the simple Hindoos bosom ; but the most powerful fortuitous hint proved
insufficient to stimulate him to the fatigue of exportation. With a tranquil indift'er-
€nce, prejudicial to the welfare of his country by provoking the incursions of Euro-
pean traders (tlie scales of traffic in one hand, the sword of destruction in the other)
he invariably declined becoming the carrier of his own goods, though his natural sa-
gacity must have necessarily displayed to him the great commercial advantages to
be derived from such a custom. One solitary exception, it is true, occurs to this
statement. The cowries (shells used as lower classes of money in Hindoostan) were
procured from the Afaldive Islands by Indian vessels,* Avhich carried thither rice

* The instrument used by Pilots in the Indian seas, for taking the latitude, is in the form of a
cbaplet, the beads of which show the altitude of the stars for the difierent places at which tbej ar«

INDIA-HOUSE. 53

and coarse cottons as articles of barter. The Maldive Islands, however, were not
very distant, and these trivial adventures were tlie greatest, in a maritime way,
ever undertaken by the Asiatics.

The internal trade of the country ^^•as carried on with magnitude and activity.
The productions of one province were securely exchanged for those of another.
The great influx of the precious metals invigorated this traffic, while it lent facility,
to mercantile operations. Goods were conveyed from one province to anotlier in
caravans drawn by oxen. Taverjikr affirms that these caravans were attended by
so great a cavalcade that a traveller, when he met them, was obliged to halt upon
the road and wait with his small retinue until the caravan passed, which frequently
took up the whole of one or two days. An intercourse like this, founded on tlie
broad basis of mutual convenience, gave to the inhabitants of each province of the
Great empire all that their moderate Mishes requested. The gi-eat influx of treasure
produced by the superfluities Hindoostan exported, afforded a large share of the
population leisure to cultivate the arts, and power to adorn their country with
numerous artificial beauties.

Tiie character of the Hindoo dealer appears to have been a fit model for mer-
chants of every clime. According to the Abbe Raynal, bags of money ticketted
and sealed by the bankers would circulate for years widiout being either counted
or weighed. Those Indians devoted entirely to commerce were termed Banians.
With these a few moments were sufficient for the completion of the most important
business. Their evenness of temper and politeness were proverbial. Their children,
who assisted at all bargains, were trained to gentleness of manners. So early was
their proficiency in mercantile knowledge, that it was usual to see a boy of ten or
twelve years of age able to act as substitute for his father in a transaction of con-
sequence.

Such was the state of Hindoostan at the commencement of its connection with
this country. It is evident that the despotic tenor of the government paralyzed tlie
struggling growth of heroic sentiment and military ardor, but the meek urbanity,
the contented temperance, the philosophic love of peace which marked the Hindoo

to touch. The position of the beads, with regard to the eye and the horizon, here sen-es as an indcK.
This peculiar instrument (our account of which is quoted from the Abbe Rouchon) appears most dange-
rously imperfect in construction.

64 INDIA-HOUSE.

character, and spread profound tranquillity over the great majority of the empire,
commanded esteem from more enlightened nations, and rendered the unostentatious
Hindoo the happiest of men.

The Portugueze and the Dutch were the first European inmates admitted by the
natives. Before the voyage of the English, the Portugueze had a settlement (for
purposes of commerce) on the Western, and the Dutch on the Eastern side of India.

It was to the Eastern part of Asia that Lancaster was directed to conduct the Bri-
tish Fleet. On the 15th of June, 1602, he arrived in the road of Acheen, and deliver-
ed to the king of that country a letter from the English Queen, in which her Majesty
offered her friendship and alliance to the monarch, and expressed an earnest hope
that he would not only allow her subjects to trade in his dominions, but agree to
enter into a treaty of conmierce with her Majesty, the terms of which could not fail
to perpetuate amity and confidence between both parties. This flattering letter
was accompanied by several presents, the principal of which was a fan of feathers.*

The king of Acheen, whose innocence and integrity rendered him slow in conceiv-
ing the evils, that it was probable would result to Asia from the different foreign pow-
ers to whom settlements were awarded, approved the terms of the treaty, and invit-
ed the English agent and other chief officers to share the hospitality of his pa-
lace. Here they were regaled with a sumptuous banquet (intended as a sincere earnest
of the sovereign's good will.) The service was of pure gold, and the most beautiful
w omen of the country, richly attired, and ornamented with bracelets and jewels, enli-
vened the party by dancing and music.

When the preliminaries of an English colony at Acheen were completely ar-
ranged, Lancaster proceeded to Bantam, where he was received with the same open
cordiality.

Thus the new Company obtained a footing in India, and were enabled to lay the
ground-work of their future conquests.

* The reader will recollect that this was no insignificant present. Fans constructed of beautiful and
rare feathers curiously intermingled, were the most fashionable and courtly articles of Elizabeth's reign.
The handles were of wrought silver. Some of these fans cost as much as forty pounds at the time they
were invented. An engraved sketch, and lengthened account of these singular ornaments, may be seen
in Nichols's Progresses of Queen Elizabeth.

INDIA-HOUSE. 65

During the remainder of Elizabeth's reign, the infant trade with Asia was not at-
tended with any very eminent success. Tiie Portugueze and Dutch, from the pri-
ority of their connexion with the East, had made themselves masters of the most
advantageous harbours, and had erected fortifications by the side of their warehouses.
These nations naturally entertained great jealousy of the settlements attempted by
the English, and did not fail to throw every possible impediment in the way of
the new adventurers. Limited as were the resources of the Company during the
first years of their existence, they felt themselves unable to cope successfully with
rivals so potent. In 1610, James. I. infused new spirit into this great mercan-
tile institution. By him, their charter was enlarged, and the advancement of their
interests attentively cultivated. Animated by the royal favour, the Company sought a
confirmation of their settlement in India with redoubled ardor. They increased the
number of their expeditions, and augmented to a surprising degree, the size of their
ships. One of these was the largest vessel that had hitherto been built in England.
She was of 1200 tons burthen,* and was launched in the presence of the King, the
Prince of Wales, and a number of other eminent persons connected with the state.
His Majesty named this large ship the " Trade's Increase," and a smaller, which was
launched at the same time, the " Pepper Corn."

Whatever pain may be excited by a retrospective view of the unjust facility with
which merchants moulded themselves into soldiers, and spread the horrors of mili-
tary devastation over a country which had opened its fi-iendly arms to the supposed
blessings of a commercial alliance ; it still must gratify in the dearest point, every
genuine patriot to find that nautical valor, guided by the enterprising disposition of
two gallant marine commanders, first enabled the India Company to profit by the
pacific swishes of the Eastern powers.

To the long list of honorable names that adorn the naval annals of the country, the
grateful remembrance of every Briton should add those of ]\liddleton and Best,
whose skill was able to surmount each destructive obstacle which their temerity ap-
peared to invoke.

* From a treatise published by Sir Dudley Diggs, in the year l6l5, it is learned that the burthen ot
the ships employed by the Company that year, was equal to the largest now in the service. He says
one of their ships was of 12C)3 tons burthen ; one of 1100, one of lOOO, and the rest smaller. The
whole number they had employed from the beginning was 24, of which four had been lost.

66 INDIA-HOUSE.

With the " Trade's Increase" aixl " Pepper-Coni," Sir Henry ^liddleton sailed
from England, instructed to gain, if possible, a settlement on the coasts of Mala-
bar and Guzcrat. Passing the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Babehnan-
del, he proceeded to Moclio, where an unlucky alfair in which he was embroiled
with the government prevented all commercial speculation, and retarded tlie pro-
gress of his voyage. — A quarrel took place in the street between some of !Middleton's
officers and the inhabitants, in which the English were sufferers, and Sir Henry
exposed to imminent danger. Impelled by the indignation with which he reflected
on the loss of several brave officers, Middleton charged the government with a
deliberate intention to murder himself and his people, and threatened to raze the
town to the ground, unless an ample atonement was immediately offered. This
violence both alarmed and exasperated the Arabs. Apprehending that the whole
power of the armament dependetl on the person of the chief, they immediately loaded
IMiddleton with chains and threw him into a dungeon. A deputation from the go-
vernment visited his forlorn and perilous cell, and threatened him with immediate
torture and ultimate death if he refused to give orders for the surrender of his ships.
With an unaltered countenance (or one that changed only from tranquil intrepidity
to the expression of pride and disdain) Middleton, rising as well as the weight of
his chains would permit, exclaimed " my life is in your power : if your thirst for
blood is not yet satiated, take it! But no torments (be you as ingenious in dispensing
agony as you may) shall compel me to tarnish my own honour and disgrace my
countiy."

It is the prerogative of magnanimity to a^ve the cruel. The Arabs had little mo-
tive to inflict j)unishments that were despised ; and contented themselves with keep-
ing Middleton in confinement, under the hope of his proposing a ransom for his de-
liverance. In this, however, they were disappointed. After an imprisonment
that lasted six months he contrived to effect his escape. The ships, during his
captivity, had kept hovering on the coast of Abyssinia. By great exertion he reach-
ed them, and resumed liis command.

He now sent a message to the government of Mocho, intimating that if they did
not immediately give hmi satisfaction for the injury experienced, he would sink all
their sliips in the harbour, and fire upon the town. This threat proved effective.
The prisoners were released, and the Arabs presented Sir Henry with such a sum

INDIA-HOUSE. ^

as he felt disposed to admit equivalent to the grievance sustained by the Company's
servace.

Thus foiled in his projects concerning Arabia, he shaped his course for India ;
and, repassing the Straits of Babehuandel, entered the Gulf of Cambaya, in the
province of Guzerat.*

Upon his arrival there, he was informed that a Portugueze fleet, consisting of six
men of war and twelve galleys, was stationed at the bar of the river of Sural, for the
express purpose of preventing any nation, except their own, from trading to that
valuable mart. Middleton had but two circumstances to revolve: — He must
either abandon the principal object of his voyage, by admitting the supremacy
of the Portugueze arms in the East, or hazard an action with a fleet very
greatly his superior. His resolution was soon taken, and he prepared for hos-
tile measures against the Portugueze armament. At Sually (a place situated within
a few leagues of Surat,) the English Company had established a factory. From that
settlement Sir Henry obtained a reinforcement of six vessels, which had lately ar-
rived from England. With his united squadron, he sailed fearlessly against the Por-
tugueze fleet ; and, when he came within sight of the enemy, crowded all possible
sail, and approached the entrance of the river with such celerity, that he was enabled
to close with the Portugueze before they had time to prepare for action. The ad-
vantage thus gained he followed up with equal ability and courage. Observing the
confusion into which the quickness of his attack had thrown the enemy, and the
considerable damage they had already sustained from the incessant fire of his ships,
he determined on boarding those vessels which most obstinately supported the con-
flict. This plan succeeded ; the Portugueze fought with desperate resolution, but
eventually were compelled to surrender; and the fate of their comrades struck such
terror into the rest, that they cut their cables and put to sea in tlie utmost
ti-epidation.

Tlie victor proceeded up the river in triumph ; but though the glory of this con-
quest commanded the respect of the natives, the Jesuits possessed such poMer over
tlie councils of the Mogul government, that it was found impossible for tlie English
to supplant the Portugueze trading interest in that quarter.

* Guzerat is situated at ihe entrance of the Persian Gulf. The name is derived from the Persian, oi
Arabic word Gexeret, an island, or rather a Peninsula.

K 2

58 INDIA-HOUSE.

Compelled thus to quit, for the present, Surat, with only the wreath of victory as
a recompence for his exertions, Middlcton determined to prosecute the war against
his insiduous foe ; and being informed that two Portugueze vessels, richly laden,
vere lying at Dainaun, he proceeded thither, and captured them without difficulty.
On his return to the Red Sea, he met with a valuable Arab fleet, of seventeen sail,
bound to ]\lnc/io, on their return from India. This fleet Sir Henry seized, without
hesitation, and detained until the inhabitants of Mocho paid him a considerable
sum for its redemption.

Middleton has been pointedly censured for his conduct on this occasion by most
writers on the early stages of Indian aftairs. The detainure of the Arab vessels tliey
term an act of flagrant piracy, and the exaction of the ransom equally ferocious and
impolitic. " This," say they, " casts a shade over his character that even the brilliancy
of his preceding actions cannot dispel." But surely (if the English statement of tlie
provocation and subsequent act of vengeance be correct) impropriety of conduct is
imputed to him on unjust grounds? — The Arab government had seized, in times of
profound peace, the Commander of a fleet ; had thrown him into prison, and in-
sisted on a ransom for his enlargement. That this forfeit A\'as not received by
them, was not owing, in the least, to their lenity, but entirely to the adroitness witli
which the captive effected his escape. It appears that policy suggested the pro-
priety of reprisal ; as nothing but a firm conviction of the necessity of mutual recti-
tude of conduct could be likely to preserve a lasting friendship between two quarters
so remote and dissimilar as England and the East. It is not asserted that the Arab
fleet was despoiled of any part of its valuable freight. It is certain that no act of se-
verity was inflicted on its crews. It was held by the aggrieved Englishman, as a
proof that his nation was not to be insulted with impunity, till just such a ransom
was paid for it as had been demanded for his own person.

Shortly after teaching the Arabs this harsh but salutary lesson, Sir Henry
Middleton proceeded to Bantam, where he died.

The restless jealousies of the Dutch and Portugueze still continued materially to
obstruct the pennanent arrangement of English colonies in Asia. It, therefore,
was judged expedient to oppose to these industrious rivals, such a naval armament
as would at least preserve an equality of power in the Indian seas. In order to meet
the vast additional expense attending an alteration in the mode of equipping their

INDIA-HOUSE. (5^

ships, tlic Company formed (in 1612) their individual shares into one general capi-
tal, or joint stock, which amounted to «£■ 1,500,000.

In conformity with this design, the Directors, in 1613, fitted for sea an arma-
ment consisting of four ships which mounted 30 guns each. Captain Thomas
Best was appointed to the command — a man worthy to bear the flag of a British
fleet in the briahtest day of naval glory. Persons skilled in political and commer-
cial agency were instructed to accompany him, for the purpose of promoting an
eftectual negociation with the ^logul Emperor. On arriving at Surat, it was found
that the present ^^'as a favorable juncture for pushing the English interest, owing to
the disgust with which the Chief Oflicers of the Mogul empire beheld the encroach-
ments of the Portugueze priests. These artful and interested men * scrupled not
to treat with mockei^ the religious persuasions of a people more virtuous than
themselves, while the first lesson of christian wisdom they would have wished to in-
culcate was connected w ith unprovoked warfare and deliberate bloodshed ! The
English endeavoured to prove the mistakes of the Portugueze mode of faith, as an
antidote to the insinuations of the Jesuits ; but, while the commercial ascendancy
thus seemed dependant on skill in polemic argument, an event took place which
settled the question in a much more brief and decisive manner : — This was an ac-
tion between the English and Portugueze fleets.

The Portugueze Viceroy at Goa, not confiding entirely in his Jesuitical coadjutors,
dispatched such an armament for the purpose of annoying the English as was sup-
posed quite suificiently powerful for then* entire destruction. It consisted of four
large galleons and tvventy-six frigates, having on board 5,000 men and 130 pieces
of heavy 'ordnance. The English Admiral (who possessed only the four ships of 30
guns each which he had brought from England) wciglied anchor the moment he
descried the enemy, and heroically stood out to sea to give them battle. It was
deep evening when the conflict commenced. After a partial action, therefore, the
decision of the struggle was postponed till the ensuing day. The awful night that
was, by mutual consent, to pass between the beginning and completion of havoc
was spent by the adverse parties in methods not more dissimilar tlian characteristi-
cal. The Portugueze passed the night in prayer, amid various superstitious rites

* The poet informs us that no Jessit ever undertook to " plant a church on barren land." The.
plains of Hindoostan, indeed, would have afforded a division to several very snug bishoprics.

70 INDIA-HOUSE.

which their priests thought likely to flatter the Divinity into an accordance witli
their cause ; the English, during the hours of darkness, were actively engaged in
such preparations as appeared necessary to a hope of success in the dreadful opera-
tions of the succeeding morning. Captain Best personally examined the different
ships of his squadron, and gave judicious directions to each respective Captain. He
addressed the crews in a popular, yet commanding, strain, and explained to them
that their own safety entirely dejiended on the issue of the contest. He expatiated
on the disgrace as well as the personal misery, that would result from discomfiture ;
and, on the other hand, painted in florid colours the glory and wealth that must
accrue from victory.

The flattering prospects thus held out by their politic Commander elevated the
seamen to a pitch of useful enthusiasm. — At break of day they recommenced the
action with incredible fury, and persevered in their energies with the resolution of
men determined to conquer or fall. The Portugueze received the attack without
shrinking, and returned it with much courage, but with a conspicuous want of skill.
Relying too confidently on the advantage they possessed in point of numbers, they
surrounded the English ships for the purpose of boarding ; but this manoeuvre was
so ill-performed that it occasioned the utmost confusion among their whole
fleet. Best did not fail to take advantage of this circumstance, and poured in his
broadsides with fresh ardour and redoubled effect. The Portugueze found their
position precluded the possibility of vigorous defence ; and, thus situated, the slaugh-
ter became so great that the spirit of the sailors began to droop. Exhausted by
the severe fatigue of eight hours incessant firing (and that chiefly on the defensive
side) they were not able longer to withstand the unabated impetuosity of the English.
The Portugueze Admiral, sensible of the inefiicacy of further exertion, made sail and
steered for Goa, in the greatest disorder. The English fleet had sustained so much
damage, that Best, who united prudence with courage in an eminent degree, thought
pursuit too hazardous, and returned to Surat, in triumph.

Most fortunately for the English interest, the engagement took place within sight
of shore, where the natives were assembled in great numbers. Among the specta-
tors was Seidcd Khan, an Omrah of high rank, who commanded the Mogul troops
in the district of Surat. From the sympathy that naturally exists between men of
real bravery, tlie Omrah became instantly the friend of the English captain. He in-

INDIA-HOUSE.

vited him to his camp ; caused the soldiers to treat him with those honors which it
was customary to bestow only on the most distuiguished mihtary characters ; and
presented him with a great number of costly and warUl<e presents.

Wliile Best was employed in repairing his fleet, the Portugueze government of
Goa, enraged at tlie inglorious fate of their formidable armament, equipped with all
possible celerity, another of still greater force, convinced of the importance of at-
tempting to retrieve their character lor naval prowess. — Best was still at Sural wljea
this second armament made its appearance. It was now that his diligence reaped its
reward. No huny, no confusion, was evinced at the sight of so formidable a foe.
His industry had been excessive. His ships \^ere refitted, and he was prepared at
every point.

With that daring confidence which his former success was calculated to inspire,
he weighed anchor, and threw out the signal for action. The English pursued the
same plan that had proved triumphant in the late action : — They broke tlirough the
centre of the enemy's line, and profited by the disorder that circumstance occa-
sioned in regard to the choice of their respective adversaries. A desperate conflict
ensued, in which, after various changes of fortune during the space of five hours,
Best was at length successful. The carnage was immense, and the shattered rem-
nants of the Portugueze fleet reached their harbour with difficulty, leaving the En-
glish flag possessed of undoubted supremacy in the Indian seas.

After visiting Acheen, Captain Best returned to England with a valuable cargo of
spices. The Company conferred on him substantial marks of their approbation,
while all ranks united iu the applauses due to his distinguished gallantry.

It Avas clearly perceived by the East India directors, that a combination of favour-
able circumstances rendered the present the most auspicious moment for a gi'and
eftbrt at estabhshing the authority of the company in Asia, on a footing at once ele-
vated and permanent. Acting on this conviction with talent and promptitude, they
presented a memorial to the King, in which they earnestly intreated him to appoint
a man of rank and abilities embassador from the court of England to the Emperor
of Hindoostan. James entered completely into their views, and named Sir Thomas
Roe as the head of the embassy, whom he entrusted with a special commission for
concluding a tieaty of commerce and amity between the two countries.

It was in 16 14 that Sir Thomas Roe arrived at Surat. His retinue bespoke his
oilicial consequence, and Jehangeer, the Mogul Emperor, who then resided at

72 INDIA-HOUSE.

Ajinere, sent an envoy to Sural to invite him to court. On his journey thitlicr Sir
Thomas was treated with all imaginable respect. The common people, as usual,
were delighted with any resemblance of a novelty ; and the upper ranks were well
plcEised with the entry of an embassador from that nation which they knew to be
brave, and whicii, therefore, they believed to be generous.

Sir Thomas arrived at Ajmere in a happy season. Sumptuousness and splendor
lavished decorations on every building ; joy and hilarity enlightened every face ; — the
mild and honest natives were celebrating an annual festival, which was conducted
with more than usual gaiety on account of the tranquillity with which the Empire was
universally blessed ! When he waited on the Emperor, Sir Tliomas presented a uiag-
nificent state coach and other costly articles, and was received, not merely with the
pomp and ceremony customary to Asiatic courts, but with an extraordinary degree
of kindness and attention. The gallantry manifested by the fleets of England had
made so vivid an impression on his mind, and the upright conduct of the early mer-
t;hants afforded so flattering a specimen of English principles, that the Emperor of
Hindoostan congratulated himself and his subjects on having, at length, found a
European ally whom brave and undesigning men might venture to take by the hand
with confidence.

After some delays, occasioned by the intrigues of the Portugueze Missionaries, a
treaty was concluded highly advantageous to the interests of this country. It was
definitely agreed that " the leave already given to the English to establish factories at
various ports be confirmed to them by specific grants, and that their agents be al-
lowed to reside at certain advantageous places. That all the subjects of the Mogul
empire should receive those of England in the most friendly manner ; that the English
merchants be protected in the landing of their goods, and, after paying the customs,
be allowed to sell them at their own price, or transport them to any part of the em-
pire, free from any additional duty; and that the property of any English subject
should, in the instance of death, be delivered to the English factors by the officers of
police."

From Ajmere, Sir Thomas proceeded to Surat, and from thence to the court of
Shah Abbas, King of Persia, at which place he succeeded in forming an alliance
equally beneficial to his own nation.

INDIA-HOUSE. 73

Thus did tlie East India Company attain the gratilication of its most sanguine
wishes. By these treaties it was enabled to enter on a secure system of commercial
interchange which has produced, in our own times, that extension of traffic and that
immensity of territorial acquisition which strike the ignorant with amazement and af-
fect the most intelligent ^vith surprise. From the brief analysis which we have pre-
sented the reader of the foundation of this mighty fabric it will be evident that,
though liberality of commercial spirit is entitled to the praise of designating the site
of the elevation, the gallantry of naval enterprize, and the judicious warmth evinced
by Queen Elizabeth and her successor James, must ever be esteemed the active
agents in raising tlie building to a state of durable perfection.

From the pamphlet before mentioned, which was published by Sir Dudley Diggs
in the year \6\5, the extent of the India trade, during the first years of the Company's
existence, is accurately learned. " The gi'eatest value of the exports," we are told,
" in any one year had not exceeded thirty six thousand pounds, while the saving of
the nation, in the prices of pepper, cloves, mace and nutmegs, for home consump-
tion only, was annually seventy thousand pounds ; and the value of the same spices
exported in the year 16 14 amounted to two hundred and eighteen thousand pounds,
besides indigo, calicoes, china silks, drugs, &c." — Though, from the mention of
china silks, a trade had evidently commenced, in an indirect way, with the Chinese ;
neither tea nor porcelain are mentioned among the commodities imported.

The first attempt towards a direct trade with China and Cochin-China was made
in the year I6l9, but it proved unsuccessful.*

The want of paternal attention from the crown, joined to the incapacity of those
who had the immediate conduct of the East India concerns, materially injured the
interests of the Company towards the latter periods of Charles I. reign. In 16'47
East India shares were sold at thirty or forty per cent. loss.

The distracted state of the country during the civil wars was so inimical to all pub-
lic spirit and private adventure that the Company, at length, appeared unable to
support the prerogatives of its charter ; and Cromwell, in the early part of his pro-

* The neglect of this trade induced Charles I. in 1635, to grant a licence to certain persons, which
enabled Ihsm to make a voyage to the coasts of China and Japan. The losses of the adventure, how-
ever, were so heavy tliat the merchants were entirely ruined.

INDIA-HOUSE.

tcctoratc threw tlie trade entirely open. This project proved inerticacioiis, and those
who had speculated in voyages on their own account were among the first to solicit a
renewal of the Company's chartered rights. Accordingly, a re-establishment took
place in 16'57. The joint stock of the re-associated merchants amounted to seven
hundred and thirty nine thousand, seven hundred, and eighty-two pounds. Only
50 per cent, was called tor ; their real capitaJ, therefore, amounted to no more than
half of that sum.

Charles II. granted a new charter to the Company under the former name of
" the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading to the East Indies."
By the rules of this charter, the governor, deputy governor, and directors, were to
be chosen annually. The Company, likewise, " had not, as at present, one trans-
ferable joint stock, but every person who was free of the Company paid a certain sum
on the fitting out of their voyages, for which he bad credit in the Company's books,
and his proportionable dividend on the profits of each respective voyage." The cor-
poration, according to its construction at that time, was liable to dissolution at three
years notice.

From Polexfcn's Discourse on Trade, published in 1670, it appears that no inter-
course then existed with China ; but, in a paper transmitted to the privy council in
1681, the Company state that they had made " many generous, cliargeable and
■successful attempts for obtaining a trade to the north-east parts of India, viz. to Siam,
Cochin-China, China and Japan."

Several disputes had arisen concerning the legality of the Company's monopoly
during the reign of Charles II. In 1()84, it became the subject of inquiry in a court
of justice. The Company brought an action against an individual for equipping a
ship for India, without having obtained their especial licence. The defendant's en-
deavour to prove the illegality of the Company's monopoly, according to the tenor
of Ma^na Charta and subsequent Statutes, was supported by the Lord Chief Justice
Polexfen, but the King issued a prohibition against the sailing of the ship.

In 1692, the House of Commons addressed King William, praying that he would
dissolve the Company at the end of three years, according to tiie power reserved to
the crown by the provisions of their charter. This petition, however, was so contrary
to the views of King William, that in tlie course of the ensuing two years he granted
them three additional charters.

INDIA-HOUSE. 75

The presumed venality of the ministers who had prevailed on his Majesty to grant
these new privileges became the subject of inquiry in the House of Commons in
1694 ; when it appeared that, in the course of the preceding year alone, upwards of
c£80,000 had been expended by the directors in secret service money ; when the go-
vernor and some otliers were committed to the tower, and the House impeached the
Duke of Leeds, president of the council. A prorogation of parliament put an end
to the proceedings.

The popular dislike entertained against the Company, which acquired fresh
strength from the inability of the directors to make any dividends through several
successive years, produced, at length, so serious an interference of the House of
Commons that it was thought expedient to propose advancing seven hundred thou-
sand pounds for the public service, at four per cent., as the price of a legal invest-
ment to the exclusive trade they had thitherto enjoyed.

But the influence of the directors, in regard to the ministry, was defective. A
number of merchants offered to advance the sum of two millions, at eight per cent., no
condition that the trade was perverted from its original channel and exclusively grant-
ed to themselves, with a proviso, however, that the subscribers should not be obliged
to trade on a joint stock, unless they afterwards desired to be incorporated. The
highest bidders were accepted ; and the old Company were prohibited from trading
after Michaelmas, 1701.

Many difficulties necessarily occurred. The old Company were in possession of
the forts, the privileges granted in India by the Moguls, &c. and it was evident that
they were at liberty to dispose of these at their own price, and even to foreigners, if
such were their inclination. This, and other important considerations, induced a
junction of interests in the year 1702, by an indenture tripartite, to which Queen
Anne was the third party. The trade was to be carried on by each Company sepa-
rately for seven years, after which all traffic was to proceed on the joint account.

This arrangement received the sanction of Parliament in 1708. At the same time
an act was passed by which the monopoly of the united Company was permitted to
last, without the necessity of renewal, for the term of fifteen years. By the same
act the capital of the Company was augmented to three millions, two hundred thou-
sand pounds.

r 2

7(5 INDIA-HOUSE.

In consequence of the union of the two Companies, the following regulations took
place :

For every hundred pounds old stock there was given one hundred pounds, eight

shillings, and ten pence of the united Company's stock.
A call of twenty-five and a half per cent, was made on the proprietors of the old

Company's, for enabling them to be joined to the united one.
The remaining effects of the old Company, and the debts owing to tliem, v^ere

vested in trustees for the payment of the outstanding debts : and, afterwards,

for the benefit of the proprietors of the old Company, who were so at the time

of the union.

Since the juiKtion took place, the Company's charter has been repeatedly renewed.
Free fi'om all competitors, and secure in royal patronage, their trade has been
crowned with uniform and unprecedented success. Such, indeed, has been the
splepdor of their progi'css that a great portion of the very domhiions in which they
once humbly requested permission to build a factory has latterly become tributary
to their sway. In the first part of our arrangement of this article we endeavoured to
present to the reader a simplified account of tiie state of Asia, and its relative con-
cerns, at the period of the English East India Comi)any effecting a permanent
settlement in the East. On the circumstances attending that settlement, ue ven-
tured to discuss at some comparative length. The great object of the merchants
once attained, we have confined ourselves to a succinct notice of their conduct as a
national Company, till those recent periods of their annals come under observation
when we can no longer accompany them through the brilliant pages of their achieve-
ments, without intermingling our legend with the history of Great Britain at large.
A very few supplementary remarks, therefore, must conclude our task.

The territorial possessions of the Company, and the consequent necessity of mili-
tary assistance, have experienced such a lapid augmentation, that, since the year
1784, the civil and military government of India has been subject to the superinten-
dance of a board of control, consisting of the Secretary of State, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, and seven other privy-counsellors nominated by his Majesty. Tiie
commercial affairs are managed by a court of twenty-four directors, chosen for four

INDIA-HOUSE. 77

years, six of whom are changed annually. From these dhectors are selected com-
mittees, under whose cognizance is transacted each peculiar branch of the Company's
extensive business.

The shipping employed in the commerce between England and India belong to
persons who build liiem for the purpose of freighting in the Company's service. A
bye-law prevents any person who is a director from being, either directly or indirectly,
concerned in the property of a vessel employed in the East India trade. The num-
ber of tons mentioned in the charter, beyond the bounds of which the Company is
not to speculate, is 80,000.

The capital employed in the East India trade may amount to about of 18,000,000,
The value of goods exported is supposed to average .f 1,500,000 annually, and the
sales of goods imported .£5,000,000. The national revenue derived from India by
Great Britain, is said, on the whole, to exceed eight millions sterling.

We have intentionally avoided every resemblance of argument on the subject of
the India Company's internal construction, or foreign engagements. Sincerely
anxious for the real interests of our country, and impressed with a fervent wish for
the tranquillity of Asia, it is M'ith regret that we close the article with two quotations,
both of which we believe replete with melancholy truth. Speaking of the progress of
Europeans in the East, the Abbe Raynal says, " Their trade will be extensive and
flourishing as long as they continue to be just. But this prosperity must end in some
fatal catastrophe should an inordinate ambition teach them to plunder, ravage, and

oppress." After perusing this denunciation it is peculiarly unpleasing to find the

following sentences occur in a public letter from the Governor of Bengal to the court
of directors : " To us it evidently appears there remained but the alternative to ad-
vance, as we have done, and grasp at the whole power, or shrink back into our pri-
mitive condition of simple merchants ; to abandon our possessions, disband our
forces, and rest our future hopes on the clemency of princes who will not easily for-
get or forgive the superiority we have maintained. — In a word, this last measure was
impracticable ; for we must observe, although with regret, that the misconduct of
individuals kath rendered the English name so odious, that we are no longer secure
than while our hands are armed for the defence of our lives and properties."

DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT

ESCURl AL/

JL EW buildings have attracted more general curiosity than the Escurial. National
vanity and the most bigoted superstition have united, on the one hand, to ascribe
to the turrets of this stupendous palace all tliat is rare in nature and exquisite in art;
while, on the other, the calumniating tongues of envy and misapprehension have
exceeded the limits of their usual acrimony in endeavors to ridicule that real warmth
of admiration which the candid and ingenuous cannot refrain from expressing. But
the major part, even of the writers who wish to detract from the architectural ele-
gance of the Escurial, indulge in most romantic and exaggerated description as to its
magnitude. Ot this the reader must be thoroughly convinced when we observe
that the building is, by many travellers, affirmed to contain fourteen thousand doors,
and eleven thousand square windows ! Assertions so improbable have naturally
raised smiles of incredulity ; and, suspicion once awakened, truth itself failed to
profit by the persuasive dignity of its aspect. — It is a gracious task to disentangle
fact from the injurious mazes of misrepresentation, and thereby reduce those circum-

* This, and other buildings mentioned in the course of the present article, are described precisely as
they appeared before those convulsions which have so fatally disorganised a great part of Spain.

ESCURIAL. 79

stances to the level of rational applause which have been seen tortured into wonders
or distended to absurdities.

That every nation is laudably proud of its public structures, and of the extent and
variety of the decorated piles raised by private affluence, is a truth discoverable on
the slightest investigation. In nothing, indeed, is the progress of refinement so ac-
curately detailed as in the character of national architecture. In the labored edifice
stand recorded the manners, the passions, the avocations, of the period. If astro-
nomy may be ti'uly deemed the thread on \(hich the history of nations depends,
architecture may as justly be pronounced, the popular barometer that precisely ascer-
tains the elevation to which public spirit rises, or the depth of morbid inertion to
which, at a particular era, it is capable of sinking.

The architecture of Spain is possessed of distinct characters, from the circumstance
of different nations (each eminent in the walks of art) maintaining alternate supre-
macy in that country. The existence of this strongly-marked peculiarity enforces
the adoption of a comparative analysis of the genius exhibited by each respective
power, in regard to architectural pursuits, before it will be possible for us to convey
to the reader a just idea of the judgment, or want of taste, evinced by the founder
and designer of the Escurial.

The history of Spain, in regard to the arts and sciences, may be divided into
three eras, or classes. The seven earlier centuries of the christian epoch form one
period; during which the Spaniards were first tributary to the Romans and after-
wards to the Goths. In the year 712, the Saracens and Moors entered Spain, in
great numbers, and eventually subjected the greater part of the country. Their
sway, amidst various distracting circumstances of intestine contention, though
abridged at various periods was not totally eradicated till Ferdinand V^. in the
fifteenth century, completely conquered Ciranada, and expelled the Moorish King,
Abdalla. From that day a new period in the history of Spain commences. Let
the eye of patient examination ascertain whether it is a period more brightly illu-
mined by art, or more perversely degraded by supeistitious indolence, than those
which preceded it.

Of an age so far distant as that in which the Romans maintained supremacy in
antient Spain, it cannot be supposed that there are many relics existing. An
analysis of one mighty ruin may suffice to exhibit the genius of that people, in regard

80 ESCURIAL.

to their architectural operations in Spain. Among the vestiges of ancient Clioiia, are
to be traced the remains of a Roman theatre. Its scite, of semicircular form, was
scooped out of the north-eastern slope of the hill on which the town stood. The
diameter of the open space, or orchestra, is 237 English feet; and its radius 1 18|
feet. The semi-circle for the spectators is divided by five concentric and horizontal
pracinctiones (passages) about 5\ feet broad, into six ranges, of three seats each ;
the seat being 22 inches in height and breadth ; so that the whole horizontal width
of the plan for spectators was about 60 feet ; consequently the diameter of the whole
theatre about 357 feet. Besides these five semicircular passages, there is, at each
end of the semi-circle, a stair ; and in the circular interval are nine others, commu-
nicating from the upper to tlie Io\a er scats, and formed of steps about 1 1 inches high
and broad.

The whole of these scats, passages, and stairs, being excavated in the solid rock,
and the theatre being inaccessible, as well from the ground behind the upper rows of
seats, as from the orchestra below, no stairs, or passages, from behind, to convey
the spectators to their respective places in the theatre, were either necessary or prac-
ticable. The distance from the bottom of the lower rou' of seats to the floor of the
orchestra (which has likewise been dug out of the rock) is about 8 feet ; and the floor
slopes gently away from the seats for about 147 teet, that is 282 feet beyond a dia-
meter joining the two ends of the semicircle, to a wall which formed the scena, and
separated the orchestra and stage from the apartments on the outside destined for the
accommodation of the actors ; of which apartments the walls may still be traced. This
wall which has been ornamented with pilasters, extends parallel to the diameter of
the theatre, about 182 feet ; and therefore falls short of the diameter of the orchestra
by 271 feet at each end. The wall is composed of stone and lime, being about 4^
feet thick, and, in general, about 12 feet high ; at each end is a wall running in 7 or
8 feet towards the theatre. In the middle wall are three doors, the centre one being
28 feet wide, and the two others 14 feet wide each. From the fragments on the
ground it appears that the two side-doors have been arched ; but the centre door
seems to have been either open above, or covered only with long beams.

From the uncertain tenure of their usurped authority, the useful, rather than the
ornainoital, was the object usual with the Roman settlers in their architectural un-
Jertakings ; still that an active refinement of taste prevented their entirely losing sight

ESCURIAL J X

of the magnificent, even in buildings designed for homely purposes, is evident from
every vestige of their former sway in this country.

But the genius of the Romans, in regard to Spain, appears cold and contracted
when compared with that of the Moors. Through nearly eight centuries this people
maintained an ascendancy in arts, arms, and letters. A review of their splendor
and power would strike the reader as exaggerated and romantic, had we not unerring
vouchers for the correctness of historical delineation in the remains of many of their
buildings.

The royal city of Coi'dova is described as containing at one time six hundred
Moschs, nine hundred baths, and two litindred thousand houses. Indeed, this may
readily be apprehended when it is remembered that eighty large cities, and three
hundred of the second order, confessed the authority of tha Caliph. The banks of
the Bcetis (which under the Moors assumed the name oi Guadalquivir) were embel-
lished by twelve thousand villages. The earth swarmed with an industrious race,
equally intent on agriculture and manufactures. Nature and art went hand in
hand^that soil which was ungrateful to the plough, teemed with the most estimable
minerals. Copper, quicksilver, and iron were exported from the Moorish ports of
Spain, to Barbary, Egypt, and the East ; the coast of Andalusia was celebrated for
coral, and tliat of Catalonia for pearJs. In Malaga, Bajar, and Carthagena, ame-
thysts abounded ; while the well known temper of the Spanish steel rendered it an
article eagerly purchased by the Moslems of Africa from their brethren of Spain.
So prolific were the mines, boUi of gold and silver, witli Mhich the country abounded,
that the tribute exacted by the Monarch amounted, according to an Arabian histo-
rian, to the sum of six millions sterling ! A revenue which, probably, in the early,
centuries, surpassed the united possessions of all the monarchs in Christendom.

Under Abdalrahniaii and his successors, Spain was visited by the most illustrious
personages from every part of Europe. In those periods it was the only kingdom of
the West in which the influence of music was acknowledged, and m heic the studies
of geometry, astronomy, and physic were regularly practised. Among the various
arts v;hich adorned the power and affluence of the Caliphs, architecture held a dis-
tinguished place. Hassam himself planned that bridge over the Guadalquivir which
remains a lasting monument of Arabian skill, taste, and ardor of enterprize. — Three
miles from Cordova, the city, the palace, and the gardens of Zthra, or Arizapha,

liSCUIUAL.

were constructed, in honour of Abdalrahuian's favorite Sultana. The most cele-
brated architect of Constantinople Avas invited to draw tlie plan ; the most skilful
sculptors and artists of the age were attracted by the munificence of tlie Caliph to
execute it. The edifice m as supported by near twelve hundred columns of Spanish
and African, of Italian and CJrcck marble: — the latter were the pledges of alliance
and friendship from the Emperor of Constantinople. The walls of the Hall of Au-
dience were uicrusted with gold and pearls ; in the centre was a basin with curious
and costly figures of birds and quadrupeds ; above it hung a pearl of inestimable
price, the tribute of the gratitude, or fears, of the Emperor Ixo. Twenty-five years
and above three millions sterling, were consumed in constructing and adorning this
favorite residence, over the princi[)al entrance of which was placed a statue of the Sultana
Zehra. The statuary A\'orked with grace, loveliness, symmetry, for his model, and
SD exquisite were the charms of the almost breathing marble that the enraptured
Moslems forgot, in the art of the sculptor and the beauty of their Monarch's fa-
vorite, the boldness of the enamored Caliph whose passion had presumed to violate
the express mandate of the Prophet, which provides against the danger of idolatry
by the interdiction of images. When fatigued with the toils of the chase, or the
cares of royalty, the Caliph reposed in a lofty pasilion, situated in the midst of a
garden A\'hich was adorned with a fountain replenished, not with water, but with tlie
purest quicksilver.*

Thou'^h no vestiges of the ancient palace of Zehra remain to silence the scruples of
the sceptical in regard to its former splendor, a faithful notice of two Moorish build-
ings, still in a high state of preservation, will tend to render it probable that the

* It is asserted that wherever a poison appears there is an antidote in the vicinity. As a mouruful
corrective to any luxurious ideas created by the foregoing account, we cannot refrain from introducing
an indisputable proof that Abdalrabman, like Solomon, found little on a throne save " vanity and
vexation of spirit." It is accurately ascertained that a paper was found in the closet of the Caliph,
after his decease, containing a memorial which translated, stands thus :— " I have now reigned above
fifty years, in victory or peace, beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my
allies. Riches and honours, power and pleasure, have waited on my call ; nor does any earthly
blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity. In this situation I have diligently numbered the
days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot; they amount to fourtebn ! — O man !
place not thy confidence in this present world !"

The reader will probably perceive that a great English moralist has profited by the above anecdote in
one of his most instructive essays.

ESCUUIAL. 83

account we have ventured to detail is by no means partial or meretricious. These
are the cathedral of Cordova, and that palace of Granada which is termed the
Alhambra.

The building now dedicated to the pious purposes of a cathedral, in the city of
Cordova, was built by Abdcramo, King of the Moors, in the year 787, and still
retains the name of Mtsijuita. It is unique in its kind ; — very large ; the roof flat
and low. Originally there was no tower, but the piety of the Spaniards has not suf-
fered it to remain devoted to Christian purposes without that customary ornament.
The roof is sustained by a very great number of columns. Mr. Twiss, in his travels
through Spain, informs us that these are placed in so irregular and complex a man-
ner that he spent lialf a day in endeavouring to form some plan for counting them.
He was however unsuccessful ; but is certain their number exceedsy<i;e hundred and
niyiety ! and in the cloisters without the church he particularised upwards of forty
more. These columns are each of a single piece, some of marble, some of jasper ;
others of granite, of porphyry, of Alabaster, of verde antko, Sec. Their height,
from the base to the capital, is ten feet ; and their diameter one and a half. The
capitals have formerly been gilt, though the remains of the gilding are now almost
imperceptible ;* they are not eminently beautiful, but never violate the simplicity of
true taste. Some of the Columns are entirely plain; others are fluted, with one
third of the fluting filled up ; and others are fluted spirally. It is little to the credit
of modern art that a chapel has been built in the middle of this singular church, the
introduction of which has necessarily enforced the removal of many of tlie ancient
columns, and, by that mean, quite destroyed the eff^'cct studied for by the designer.

The royal palace of the Alhambra was built in the year 1280, by tlie second
Moorish King of Granada. Its situation is particularly well chosen. Elevated on
an extensive range of uplands, its towers stand exhibited to peculiar advantage,
while from the windows of the palace are to be viewed the whole fertile plains of
Granada, bounded by mountains proverbially picturesque. The exterior of the
building possesses few architectural merits. There is an evident want of congruity
that precludes all other admiration than that excited by extent and magnitude. The

* This is an instance of decay not very usual amid the dry, warm airs of Spain. The gilding of
several rooms in the castle of Segovia is ilill fresh, ttiough it probably has stood the test of seven
centuries,

il 2.

34 ESCURIAL.

Alhambra presents to the first glance of the traveller a mere mass of houses and
towers, walled round, and built of large stones of different dimensions. Nor has
the hand of innovation at various and distinct times disorganized the original plan of
the founder. — With the exception of one instance (the palace begun by Charles V.)
the Alhambra remains precisely as it was arranged in the year 1280.

But if the exterior of this celebrated building betrays an evident want of taste in
the Moriscan architecture of the thirteenth century, the inside can scarcely fail to
impress exalted ideas respecting the wealth and grandeur of that age. Almost all
the rooms have stucco walls and ceilings, some carved, some painted, and some
gilt ; all have inter-sections of various Arabic sentences.* All the floors are either
marble or tiled ; one, in particular, is paved with two slabs of white marble, each
upwards of thirteen feet long, and about half as broad. The walls are incrus-
tated with fret Avork, in stucco, so minute and intricate that the most patient
draughtsman would find himself unable to follow it, until he had become perfectly
master of the general plan. The first cortile usually entered is an oblong square,
with a fountain at each angle, and in the middle is a canal of running water. Round
this cortile are several baths, the walls, floor, and ceiling of which are of the purest
white marble. In those parts of the Alhambra in which bricks have been employed
in the building, the mortar between the bricks is as thick as the bricks themselves.
Almost all the columns are of white marble, and usually eight times their diameter
(which is one foot) in length. I'he capitals are much diversified, and some very cu-
riously embellished. The square of the lions is paved with virgin marble, and has a
portico quite round it, sustained by one hundred and twenty-six slender alabaster
columns, which are placed by " twos and threes." In the middle is a basin, supported
on the backs of twelve lions, which are represented as large as the life. Out of this basin
rises a pedestal which sustains a smaller basin, from whence issues a.jet </' eau. The
lions likewise spout water out of their mouths. The whole of this fountain is of white
marble. The windows are enriched with mosaic Avork, and the double roof equally
excludes the extremes of heat and cold. From every avenue shady gardens of aroma-
tic trees, beautiful hills, and fertile plains, regale the eye.

* Such as " There is no other than one God," which it repeated several thousands of times.

ESCURIAL. §5

^uch is tlie palace Ironi which Ferdinand of Spain expelled Abdalla, the last
Moorish King, on the second of January, fourteen hundred and ninety-two. The
siege of Granada is well known to have afforded a fruitful subject to the romantic
muse of Dryden. The circumstances on which Dryden founded his play have been
collected hy an ingenious tourist, and the inquisitive reader would discover in them
Hiany particulars illustrative of the spirit and manners of the age. — To such it may
not be unacceptable to observe, in this place, that two large cypress trees are still to
be seen, termed " the cypresses of the Sultana-Queen;" affirmed to be those under
which Zegri maintained that he had discovered the Sultana in familieir conversation
vvith Albin Hamet.

Waving all discussion concerning the strange and chivalric circumstances of the
seige, we cannot finally quit the Alhambra without stating the bitter emotions of
grief experienced by Abdalla, when he turned to take a last view of his splendid and
favorite palace. — Pausing, on a neighbouring hill, he gazed on the scene of all his
former delights with long and portentous silence. Then, bursting into tears, he gave
way to the most passionate exclamations of sorrow and attachment. Nor could ar-
gument induce him to resume his progress, till his mother, the sultaness ayxa, roused
his pride and restored him to the dignity of manhood by observing " that he did well
to weep for that l>eloved residence, and that treasured kingdom, which he knew not
how to die for like a sovereign of the Moors.'

Remains of the Moriscan military architecture abound in Spain. Of these,
Almanza and Abocaca are perhaps the more important. Much judgment is shown
in selection of site, and their massive solidity readily attests the perseverance of the
builders. Beauty is scarce to be expected. Nearly all military fastnesses have the
same oppressive features, the same appalling elevations. If they ever offer grati-
fication to the eye of taste, it is when in their decline. Then, we feel the truth of
the poet's remark :

■■ " Time's gradual touch
Has moulder'd into beauty many a tow'r.
Which, when it frown'd with all its battlements,
Was only terrible." — —

The third era of the division into which we ventured to allot the art of architec-
ture in Spain, commences with the destruction of the Moriscan sovereignty. — Within

S6 KSCURIAL.

the walls of the Alhainbni, Charles V. in 16()8, commenced a new palace, which,
though never entirely completed, is well worthy of note and consideration. He fixed
the building on a hill, which is ascended by a road bordered with hedges of double
or imperial myrtles, and rows of elms. The edifice is composed of yellow stone.
The outside forms a square of one hundred and ninety feet. The inside is a grand
circular court, with a portico of the Tuscan, and a gallery of the Doric, order; each
supported by thirty-two coluuuis, made of as many single pieces of marble. The
diameter of the aiea, wliich is without a roof, is ninety-three feet ; the covered portico
is eighteen feet wide ; cou.iequently the whole diameter of the rotunda is one hun-
dred and twenty-nine feet. Tlie palace has fifteen windows in front, and is two
stories in height. Between the windows are fourteen lions' mouths and eagles' beaks,
alternately ; the whole of bronze, and each sustaining a large bronze ring. On the
fiize is carved, in large letters, on stone, IMP. CJES. CAROLO V. PV. (or
Plus Ultra* ) In several of the rooms the walls are covered with the same de-
vice, in stucco, with French substituted for Latin {Plus Oult>-e.) The grand entrance
is ornamented with columns of jasper, on the pedetsals of which are representations
of battles, in maible baso relievo.

The Alcazar (or royal palace) at Toledo, is a second edifice that owes its origin
to Charles V. It is situated on a steep hill, near five hundred feet above the
Tagus, and commands extensive prospects over the city and the adjacent country.
It has eleven windows in front, and is three stories in height, with a stojie balus-
trade on the top, forming a square of two hundred and si.vty feet. TIjc cortile is
built with porticos, consisting of thirty-two arches of the Corinthian and Conjposite
orders, and was originally two stories in height. The grand staircase is of very
fine architecture; — after a straight ascent on a flight of steps, fifty feet broad, it is
divided to tlie right and left. In one corner of the building is a geometrical stair-
case. The whole edifice is of the Beroquena stone, of the same kind with that of
which the Escurial is built. The grand entrance is by an arched door, having
two Ionic columns on each side. The offices and stables under ground are on the
most liberal scale, and judiciously adapted to their respective purposes. The latter,

• The favorite motto of this Monarch, and a very singular inscription to be chosen by a prince who
meditated for years a retirennent fron\ that world which his own anabition bad plunged in general

warfare !

ESCURIAL. ' 87

when in due preservation, were said to be capable of containing five thousand
horses.* The roof and galleries were destroyed by fire, in the year 1710, and the
palace has very long been hastening to the last stages of decay.

The palace of Araujtiez is, in itself, neither remarkable for size nor beauty. It is
of a square form, and has twenty-one windows in front, and a turret at each end.
Before the palace are three very large walks, each planted with four rows of tall
elms; small canals run between each ro\v, which keep the roots constantly supplied
with water, and cause the trees to grow to an extraordinary size. — On the gardens of
Aranjuez the chief attention of the founder was bestowed. Through these the river
Tagus runs, and its banks acquire so many beauties from the refined cultivation of
the scene, that Don (iomez de Tarpia does not hesitate to say,

Desde a!li a sufueute.

Ni hasta el oceano Lusitans

No se halla en otra parfe mas Ufano.f

The gardens are ornamented with seven fountains. That of the Tritons is deco-
rated with several marble statues, which are thought to be the work of Alfonso
Berruquete. The fountain of Bacchus consists principally in a statue of that god,
bestriding a cask ; both the god and the cask are of bronze ; Bacchus is represented
extremely fat, and larger than the life. The largest fountain is tliat of Hercules ;
the statues which accompany it have little merit. The fountain of Neptune is the
best in the gardens. This is surrounded by seven groups, in bronze. The figures
are nearly as large as life, and represent Jupiter and Juno launching thunderbolts
at the giants ; Ceres in a car drawn by four lions ; and Neptune w itli his trident, in
a shell drawn by Tritons. The other three fountains, which are of inferior elegance,
are those of the harpies ; of the Dolphins ; and of ])on John of Austria. The gar-
dens likewise contain two statues, in bronze, Venus and Antinous, as large as the
life, cast from the antique.

The royal palace of St. Ildefonso is built of brick, plastered and painted. It is
two stories high, and the garden front has thirt}'-one windows, and twelve rooms in a
suit. In the middle is situated a church. The gardens are on a slope, on the top

* This assertion may not appear decidedly improbable, when we recollect the extent of retinue
*hich Spanish monarchs were formerly accustomed to maintain.

t Neither from hence to its source, nor to the I iisitanic ocpan, is it to be found more beautiful

88 ' ESCURIAL

of which is the great reservoir of water known by the appellation of cl mar, (the sea)
wliich supplies the fountivins. This reservoir is furnished from the torrents wliich
pour down the hills. In the gardens are twenty-seven fountains ; the basins are o\
white marble, and the statues (which are particularly fine) are of lead bronzed and
gilt. There are two noble cascades, of ten falls each. The gardens are also orna-
mented with sixty-one marble statues, as large as the life ; with twenty-eight marble
vases ; and with twenty leaden vases, gilt. For the diversion of the younger branches
of the royal family, a mall was constructed, five hundred and eighty paces in length.
Near which (we will presume for the same purpose) was formed a large labyrinth. —
The fountain of Fame, which is the lowest in situation, spouts water to the height of
one hundred and thirty-four feet (precisely the elevation of the church-steeple.)

Some idea of the taste which guided the works of art in this palace, may be
formed from an enumeration of the principal statues in tlie garden. These are : —
the four elements, poetically figured ; four allegorical figures, representing pastoral,
lyric, heroic, and satiric poesy; four fames ; the four seasons; the four quarters of
the world ; Apollo and the nine muses ; groups of Cephalus and Procris, Endymion
and Diana, &c.

All the rooms have their ceilings painted in fresco. The floors are of chequered
stone, and the tables of the finest Spanish marble, of various sorts. A manufactory
of glass in the neighbourhood enabled the builder to place plates of unusual dimen-
sions in the gilt leaden sockets with which the window frames are enriched.

Tlie royal palace of Madrid, begun in the year 1736, is built of white stone. The
form is square, and it is situated on the most elevated extremity of the town. It is
three stories in height ; each story containing t\\enty-one windows. The front is
four hundred feet, in length. On the top of the building is a balustrade, orna-
mented with stone vases. There are five doors in front ; over the middle door is a
gallery, supported by four columns. The back front is ornamented v\ith a grand
flight of steps.

The cortile of state is a square of one hundred and ninety-five feet. The dome of
the chapel is supported by sixteen marble columnsv The gi-and saloon is one hun-
dred and twenty feet, in length, and has five windows in front. The tables are of
Spanish marble, and the ceiling painted in fresco.* The assemblage of pictures is

* By Tiepolo, the Venetian, who died at Madrid about the year 1773.

ESCURIAL. 89

ot" tlie first character, botli as to number and excellence, and inunense looking glasses
from St. Ildefonso crowd the numerous apartments.

Having thus submitted specimens of the three great eras of architecture in Spain,
we proceed to a descriptive account of the Escurial.

The pile of building so termed is situated in 40" 34' latitude, and is six leagues
and a half (thirty miles) distant from JNIadrid. It is seated on an acclivity, which
forms part of the chain of mountains that extend to Segovia, where, taking a direc-
tion north-west, they unite with the Pyreneans, and assist in separating the territo-
ries of France and Spain. In the vicinity of the Escurial, these prodigious elevations
are chiefly devoid of all alleviating circumstances of wood or verdure, though some
few are crowned by forests of pine, or softened by long ranges of firs. This situa-
tion for a royal palace, raised with so mucli perseverance and at a prodigious ex-
pense, would appear unquestionably to be ill-chosen ; and in many respects it cer-
tainly is so. A back ground containing such ponderous natural phenomena as the
frowning army of mountains that look down on tlie Escurial, must necessarily dimi-
niih the seeming consequence of the noblest \\ ork of art ; while the absence of inter-
mingled w^ood and w ater, of gentle slope and fertile valley, cannot be denied to tend
in a painful degree to the communication of gloomy and disgusting ideas. The w ant
of taste betrayed in this particular, will, however, be found not peculiar to the pro-
jector of the Escurial. The Spaniards of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries had
little or no relish for the picturesque in nature. This may be readily supposed far
from implying a nati\'e dulness of perception, or rudeness of feeling, when we recol-
lect that the gloomy spirit of their ecclesiastics virtually forbade any poetical elegance
of rural description by declining to license the more vivid lettered excursions of
fancy ; and those glowing studies of nature \\ hich transplant the charms of the
towering mount or smiling vale to the canvas of the painter, can never be looked for
in a country where the fanaticism of devotees bestows encouragement chiefly on the
artists who labour to illumine the creed of national superstition. — ^^'here poetry and
painting are mute, that feeling which suggests an entliusiastic admiration of natural
beauties will generally lie dormant also. In consequence, very tew of the Spanish
noblesse maintained, in those periods, any mansion in the country ; and when the
Chateau was assumed as an ornamental appendage to affluence and rank, it was
visually placed auiid the uninteresting tameness of the provincial town. — Custom,

qO ESCURIAL.

therefore, might operate materially with the founder, in regard to the cheerless situ-
ation of his palace ; but it is highly probable that convenience might do u)ore. The
Escurial is composed of that species of stone termed beroquena, which resembles a
kind of granite. It is of a grey color, and though not so hard as granite is calcu-
lated to resist all severities of weather, without loss of color. This stone the neigh-
boring quarries produced, in surprising abundance; and when the magnitude of the
building is explained, and the immense sums its elevation required arc stated, it
would appear that neither the treasure nor life of one prince \vould have Ijeen suffi-
cient to mature such an edifice, in a country Uke Spain, where the dithculties of con-
veyance are inconceivably important, if the site had been placed far distant from the
quarry intended to compose the structure.

This building was designed, and nearly completed by King Philip II. It owes
its construction chiefly to superstitious fear. It will be recollected that in the war
which Philip ventured to wage againt the Pope, at the very commencement of his
reign, the holy Father found an ally in the King of France. The result of various
contests placed the respective parties at issue before the walls of St. Quintin. That
town (tlic key, in the sixteenth century, to tlie territories of the Gallic Monarch)
was invested by the Spaniards and English conjointly, under the command of Phili-
bert, Duke of Savoy. St. Quintin was on the point of falling a prey to the united
valor of its besiegers, when timely succour from the side of France suspended its
fate, and produced the horrors of bloody conflict before its v^alls.. On the day con-
secrated by the Roman calendar to the memory of St. Laurence, the arniies of
France and the Allies, the one headed by Montmorency, the other by the Duke of.
Savoy, met in the Held and struggled for the palm of victory with heroic ardor.
Fortune seconded the valor of the allied powers ; and when Philip, who waited the
issue of the contest, at Cambra^f, was informed of the signal success of the Spanish
arms, he fell on his knees, and viadc a vow* to build a church, a monastery, and a
palace, in honor of the Saint and martyr on w/iose day the battle had been won.

* Vota, or vows, were introduced in the thirteenth century, during the pontificate of Boniface the
VIII. — It will be observed that the superstitious apprehensions of Philip were particularly excited by a
war carried on ajfainst the Pope, whose spiritual power he, with great humility, acknowledged, while
he endeavored to despoil him of temporal authority. A curious distinction between. official and personal
veneration !

When the Duke of Braganza (in the time of Philip) was introduced to the Escurial, and told that it

ESCURIAI^ 91

The name of the building that dates its original from so mistaken a notion of piety,
has afforded subject for a controversy equally perplexing and unimportant. One
writer maintains thatt the term Escurial is derived from an Arabic word, signifying
a place full of rocks; and he very justly supports his opinion by local analogy. . .tlie
character of the whole country surrounding the palace being of a rocky description.
— Another observes that Escoria (from tlie Latin Scoria) is the term, in the Spanish
language, for metallic dross; and that Escurial is the topographic deri\ative signifying
the place of reception for this dross. — And this second opinionist is equally sup-
ported by local circumstance. . .for there certainly are abundance of ferruginous ores
in the neighboring mountains. — Whei'e the arguments are so equal, and the result so
inconsequential, we rest contented Mith merely observing that the village called El
Escurial, directly adjacent to Philip's palace, was in existence before that edifice
raised its towers, and thence, undoubtedly, is the name of the structure immediately
derived.

The whole building consists of a palace, a church, a convent, and a burial-place.
It was begun in the year 1 563, and was not completed till the expiration qf twenty-
two years. The expense to Philip the second is said to have been six millions of gold,
though many additions have been made since the time of tlie founder. The principal
architect was John Bat Monegro, of Toledo, a disciple of Berrugete, and one of the
architects concerned in the church of St. Peter, at Rome. He had for an assistant
his former pupil, John de Herrera. Some subsequent improvements were made
under the direction of Antonio de Villaccstro.

There can be no circumstance more mortifying to an architect of vivid imagination
and excursive powers than such a prescriptive outline, fiom the taste of his employer,
as forbids the bolder creations of professional enthusiasm, and deprives the artist of
one great stimulus to exertion. . . .the suggestions of a laudable vanity. Under this

was built in consequence of a vow, he pointedly observed, *' that he who made so great a vow must
needs have had a violent terror on him !" — But the bigotry of the King rendered him at all limes ex-
tremely fond of these religious vola. On escaping from imminent danger at sea, on his return from
Zealand, he solemnly dedicated his reign to the defence of the Roman Catholic faith, and the extirpa-
tion of heresy. — The rigid punctuality with which he fulfilled his holy engagement was cause of la-
'luentation -to many of his subjects.

K 5

i)-^ ESCURIAL.

very serious inconvenience Monegro appears to have labored. — St. Laurence, tlie
tutelary Saint of the Escurial, is said to have been broiled alive on a gridiron, in
some year (no matter which) of the third century. Philip, in all the zeal of fanciful
gratitude and most decided bigotry, determined to copy the probable shape of the
gridiron on which good St. Laurence was so inhumanly martyred, in the ponderous
edifice necessary to the fulfilment of his vow. — A vagary so strange perplexed the
architect to the extreme ; but remonstrance was out of the question. He took a
gridiron for his model ; and thus (mirabile dictu !) the most stupendous palace in the
known world is positively built in the precise form of one of the meanest articles in
culinary use ! Constrained to uniformity by this absurd restriction, Monegro formed
various courts from the bars ; and, in compliment to regal splendor, he placed the
King's apartments in the handle. Determined, if possible, to wear his Sovereigns
fancy thread- bare, the artist proceeded on the broiling system even beyond the ne-
cessity of obedience, and introduced sculptured gridirons, painted gridirons, iron
gridirons, marble gridirons, wooden gridirons, and stucco gridirons. He placed
gridirons over the doors, gridirons in the yards, gridirons in the windows, and grid-
irons in the galleries. Never was instrument of martyrdom so multiplied, so cele-
brated, so highly honored !

But whatever tendency to the risible this mode of construction may now excite in
the spectator, it was far different with tlie amateurs of Pliilip's reign. Fanaticism
forbade the existence of ridicule when the veriest tritie superstitiously reverend was
implicated : — the people who could bow before the paring of St. Peter's nail, may
be easily supposed ready to applaud the distinction paid to the culinary appendage
of St. Laurence ! If the idea of so insignificant a model can be kept from the fancy
of the beholder, no spectacle of art can be more strikingly superb to the first glances
of approach than the Escurial. By some it has been said, in this instance, to as-
sume the aspect of an immense quarry of stone, thrown into these fantastic shapes
which only nature can form, and the complexion of which is varied with a thousand
tints of brilliancy and beauty.*

The chief front of the palace has tliirty-seven windows in breadth ; and measures,
from end to end, exactly six hundred and fifty-seven feet. It is turned towards the

* The stone is in fact unusually fine. Jts surface has a polish that would appear the result of laborioui
art, and veins of blue and brown undulate over it in every direction.

fe'

ESCURIAL. 93

mountains, which are only at the distance of a hundred paces, and consequently it
is dari< there half an hour before it is so at the back front, wliich commands a fine
prospect that reaches quite to Madrid. The sides are four hundred and ninety-four
feet in depth. There is a square toM^er at each end of the four corners, near two
hundred feet in height. There are about four thousand windows, and eight thou-
sand doors in this building; — one thousand, one himdred, and ten, of these windows
are on the outside of the four fronts.

The chief front contains three doors. Over the principal entrance are the arms of
Spain, carved upon thunder stone, brought for this occasion from Arabia ; the carv-
ing of which is affirmed to have cost si.vty thousand crowns. In a niche, a little
higher up, guarded by marble columns, stands the statue of St. Laurence, in a dea-
con's habit, a gilt gridiron in his right hand, and a book in his left.. This statue,
which is fifteen feet in height, was executed by John Bat ^Nlonegro,* and is of the
beroqxiena stone, except the head, feet, and hands, which are of marble.

Directly over the door are two enormous gridirons, in stone basso relievo.

Through this door is entered a large court, at the bottom of which is the Church,
which has five doors. Over them are placed six statues, each of seventeen feet in
height. They ^\ere made by Monegro, and, like the figure of the patron Saint, are
of stone, but with heads, hands, and feet of marble. They represent six kings, of
Judah, their crowns and other insignia are of bronze, gilt.

The church is built with a cupola, eminently bold and light, after the model of
St. Peter's at Rome ; and on each side is a tower with chimes. It is to be lamented
that the choir is so obviously ill-placed as to render the internal effect of the church
extremely obscure. — Here are two hundred and sixteei> choral books, in folio, writ-
ten on parchment, with exceedingly fine miniatures. But the circumstance that
chiefly conduces to render the church an object of curiosity is the crucifix placed
over the altar. This is well known to be the finest crucifix extant, and is the pro-
duction of the celebrated Be«we/2z</o Cellini, " ^\hose life is certainly a phenomenon
in biography ; as to the man himself there is not, perhaps, a more singular character
among the race of Adam." |' — The body is of white, and the cross of black, marble. —

♦Architecture, sculpture, and painting, were frequently, al tliis period, united in the. same per«OD
\ Miscell. by Johnson and otliers, vol. iii. page 297,

^4 ESCURIAL.

Cellini, in his book on sculpture, printed at Florence, in 156S, says, " Though I
have many statues of marble, yet I shall only mention one, it bcinj^ one of the most
diflicult parts of the art to represent dead bodies : — this is the image of Christ cruci-
fied ; in carving of which I took great pains, working with all the attention and care
which such a subject requires ; and I knew that I was tiie first who had ever cai'ved
a crucifix in marble. I finished it in a manner that gave great satisfaction to those
who saw it. I placed the body of Christ on a cross of black carrara marble, which
is a stone so extremely liurd that it is very difficult to cut it."

Cellini presented this, the masteriMece of his art, to the duke of Florence. By
the grand Duke, Cosimo, it was sent, as a present, to Philip II. It was landed at
Barcelona, and was carried from thence to the place it now occupies, on mens'
shoulders. At the foot of the cross is inscribed, " Benvenutus zclinus, civis floren-
tinus, faciebat, 156"2." — It is fortunate that Cellini \^'as not living to see the [)ricsts
of the eighteenth century tie, by way of ornament, a gold laced petticoat of j)urple
velvet, round the waist of the statue, the skirts of which were made to descend below
the knees !

Near to this altar, in a niche, is a marble statue of St. Laurence, in a deacon's
habit, as large as the life, with a gilt bronze gridiron in one hand, and a palm branch
in the other. It was found in the ruins of Rome, and sent to Philip II. by his
embassador then residing there. This statue is in the ancient taste, and of good
workmanship.

The church contains forty-eight altars, in forty chapels, the costly magnificence of
which almost defies description. The ornaments are chiefly embroidered « ith pearls
and precious stones ; the candlesticks and lamps are of pure gold. The pyx (or
box in which the host is kept) is made of a single agate. — The great altar is decorated
with fifteen bronze statues, to which is an ascent by .seventeen red jasper steps. On
one side is the monument of Charles V. whose effigies, together v» ith those of his
Empress, daughter, and two sisters, are represented, kneeling, as large as the life,
in gilt bronze. On the other side is the monument of Philip II. who, together with
two of his queens, is repesented in like manner. All these are by Pompty Leoni.

Here are eight organs (one of which is of silver) which are all performed together
on solemn festivals. The chairs, or seats in the choir, are made of fine wood frono
the Indies.

ESCURIAL. ^5

The tabernacle on the great altar is of porphyry, gold, and jewels. It is axteen
eet in height. This glittering fabric may be seen, but not touched, by laymen.

Immediately under the altar is the Pantheon, designed as a repository for the re-
mains of the Spanish Sovereigns. The descent to the last resort of greatness is by
fifty-eight steps, chiefly of Jasper. The building is circular, and was constructed,
in 1654, according to the design of ./o/'y/ ii^// CV'c*ce«.z/o. It is thirty-six feet in
diameter, and thirty-eight feet in heigiit, and is entirely composed of the most valu-
able marbles, highly polished, intermixed with oraaments of gilt bronze. Round
the wall are eight double columns, of the Corinthian order, with their bases and
capitals of bronze gilt. Between these are tlisposed twenty-four urns, or sepulchral
chests of marble, of seven feet in length, in as many niches, four over each other.
Two more urns are placed over the door which fronts the great altar. These chests
are supported by four lions' paws, of gilt bronze ; and are farther adorned with the
same metal. On each of them is a siiield containing the name of the King, or Queen,
whose body is contained within. — The bodies of the royal children, and of those
queens who left no issue, are buried in a chapel near the pantheon.

Over the altar is a crucifix, by some attributed to Julian Fine/i, of carrara, a
disciple o{ Alga rdi, and by others to Pedro Taca. The body is of gilt bronze, the
size of life ; the cross of black marble, and the back grountl of porphyry. The
cupola of the pantheon is of marble, with foliages of gilt bronze. I'rom the middle
is suspended a curious lustre of bronze, gilt, of seven feet and a half in height, made
in Genoa. There are eight other branches for lamps held by bronze-angels, articles
far from superfluous as the day-light only appears through a single uindow.

The arms of Spain are represented over the door, in a kind of mosaic composed
of different colored marbles, gold, silver, and lapis lazuli.

In the sacristy is kept a pectoral cross, worn about the neck of the prfor on so-
lemn days. It consists of five diamonds, eight emeralds, four rubies, and Ave
pearls ; of which the largest is of the size of a pigeon's egg.

In the small chapel dc la santa forma is a very fine cnstodia d' ostia, of silver
filagrana, which was made in China, and presented to Charles II. by the Emperor
Leopold.

The library consists of two rooms, and contains about twenty-one thousand
volumes. About four thousand three hundred of these are in maauscript, of wliich

96 ESCURIAL.

five hundred and seventy-seven are Greek, sixty-seven Hebrew, anil one thousand
eight hundred Arabic*

Tlie largest room is one hundred and ninety-four feet long. Five marble tables
are placed in it. On one of them stands an equestrian statue of Philip 11. four feet
in heitfht, with a slave at each of the four corners of the pedestal : the whole is of
silver. Silver statues likewise decorate the other tables. A loadstone extracted from
one of the neighboring mountains is preserved in this apartment. If properly
mounted, this magnet might be made to suspend an iron weight of seven hundred
and fifty pounds.

In a small room called d camerino is a jjortable golden altar, \\ hich was made
use of by Charles Y. The cross is ornamented with a topaz, as large as a hen's egg,
and with a diamond and ruby, each the size of a common bean.

Two sides of the Escurial are embellished with gardens, in which are numerous
fountains. The park and gardens are about a league in circumference.

The collection of pictures in the l-'scurial is almost unrivalled, both in regard to
number and excellence. — ^There are upAvards of one thousand six hundred, in oil
colours, exclusive of the paintings in fresco, iri wliicii manner ten ceilings are painted
by Luca Giordano. The galleries of the library were rendered invaluable by the
pencil of Titian, which Philip employed in the ornamenting of their pannels. There
was indeed scarcely an artist of taste or celebrity that was overlooked by the founder
of this rare monument of the arts, and the munificence of the encouragement
bestowed on talent invariably attracted men of genius to the court of the Spanish
Monarch. To convey an idea of the magnificence of the Escurial collection, we
cannot avoid a brief notice of some few of the pictures in each a[)artn)ent.

In the old church is the master-piece of Ila])hael, known by the name of La
Madonna del pesce (our Lady of the Fish.) It is painted on five tables of wood,
and is about eight feet high. According to Vasari, Raphael jjainted this picture by

* According to Hotlinger's catalogue, there were in the Escurial near three thousand Arabic manu-
scripts, before the fire of l66l, which consumed a part of the library. — ^These curious works are by
many supposed, with some appearance of justice, to have been plundered from the library of Muley,
King of Fez and Morocco. They were, as it is affirmed, offered for sale at Paris, but not finding a
market among the Parisians of that day were submitted to Philip I[„ who eagerly purchased them for
the situation in which the residue still remains.

ESCURIAL. 97

desire of a community of Nuns, in Naples. The order given to Raphael was pro-
bably that he should paint a piece in which Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Jerom, St.
Raphael the archangel, and his young pupil Tobit, were all to concur. This order
he has obeyed with most skilful precision. The grace, the coloring, the expression,
of this picture might occupy a folio of description.*

In the other church are eight pictures, each representing a pair of saints, by Juan
surnamed El Mudo (the dumb) who was styled the Spanish Titian. El Mudo
died about 1577.

In the choir is a famous Christ carrying the cross, by Sebastian del Piombo.
The ceiling of the choir was painted in fresco by Luca Cambiaso, and is curi-
ous in two particulars. The subject is a large heaven, in which the artist has taken
the liberty of introducing himself! The figures are likewise disposed in as exact
symmetry as the seats in the choir. A most despicable puerility of conceit !

In the anti-sacristy are the works of Titian, Rubens, Tintoret, Vandyke, &c.
The picture most admired is the flight into Egypt, by the first mentioned painter.
The child is eating cherries given him by St. John. An angel pulls them for him.

The Sacristy (which is one hundred and eighty feet long, and thirty-three feet
wide) contains a great number of capital pictures, chiefly by Raphael, Tintoretto,
Paul Veronese, Annibal Carraccio, Guido and Correggio. From these may be
selected, as pre-eminently fine, a holy family by Raphael ; (this piece is called the
Pearl, and was purchased, for two thousand pounds, out of our Charles the I.
collection) and two Magdalens, by Tintoret : — one dressing herself before a looking
glass, and the other in a state of penitence.f

In the refectory is the celebrated supper, by Titian, so well known by the print
called the Table-Cloth, engraven fi-om it by Masson. Titian was seven years em-
ployed about this picture. He received for it, from Philip II. two thousand golden
crowns.

* An engraving from it was made by Mare Antonio.

t Here twice was drawn the am'rous Magdaline,
Whilst beauty was her care, then her neglect.
And brightest thro' her tears she seem'd to shine.

GOMDIB : CANTO VI.

ESCURIAL.

In the Capitulo Prioral, which is a room of eighty feet long, and twenty feet
wide, are treasured many excellent works by Rubeus, Fan Dyke, Spagnoletto, &c.

The Capitulo Vicarial (a room of the same dimensions as the last) boasts, beside
several admirable paintings by Feluiijiicz, Leonard da Vinci, &c. two basso re-
lievos, in porphyry, of Christ and tlie Madonna.

In the Sala Aulilla is the famous piece known by the name of the Glory of Titian.
It was painted for the monastery of St. Juste, and was brought here with the body
of Charles V. It represents the three persons, and the Virgin, in heaven. A
Damsel, allegorically representing the Church, offers to them Charles V., his Em-
press, and Philip II.; who arc introduced by angels between the clouds. Several
saints of the Old Testament are also painted, in heaven. The figures are about half
as large as life.

While some opinion of the value of the Escurial pictures may be formed by the
few foregoing specimens, we feel that we should not communicate a just notion res-
pecting this building and its founder, if we omitted to state that there is another re-
pository w ithin the walls of Philip's palace, not quite so argumentative of good sense
or correctness of taste. — We allude to eleven thousand reliques preserved in the
great Church of the Escurial. Of these we shall also give a specimen, though it is
but candour to notice that the Spanish octavo account of the curiosities of the great
boast of Spain,* observes " as to the reliques wliich are kept here it is better and
more concise to venerate, than to form a catalogue of tliem ;" - — and so says no more
about them. Through European countries, indeed, the light diffused by letters, within
the last century, has uniformly dispelled most of the grosser vapours of superstition
among all classes of society, save the lowest. The Inc|Misition, once so bloody and
terrific, has very long ceased to immolate a victim on the scaffold of its perverted
faith ; and the mysterious influence of reliques has, for a still longer date, been •
a subject of internal ridicule with tliose men who once bowed before it in reverential
horror.

We literally extract from the Spanish folio account our notice of the few following
articles :

* The best digested Spanish account of the Escurial is to be found in Don Antonio de la Puente's
Fiagp. de Espana, But, even there, national vanity has induced several circumstances of {uisrepre-
sentation.

ESCURIAL. 199

" A sacred hair of the most holy head, or beard, of Jesus is preserved here with
the utmost respect, in a precious vase, and opportunity can never offer us a better
hair to obtain glory by !

" Some pieces of the column to which he was bound, and of the manger in which
he was bom (to die for us) which invite hearts to break to pieces in compassion and
gratitude. — Even the whole prodigious edifice of the Escurial is too small for the es-
timation and reverence due to these.

" Three or four pieces of the Virgin Mary's habit, and a piece of the handkerchief
w ith which she wiped her eyes at the foot of the cross.

" Besides these, we possess a hair which may be suspected to be that which, flow-
ing down her neck, enamored her spouse ! The vase which contains these reliques is
of crystal, '^vith a golden cover and ornaments ; two kneeling angels support it, de-
noting the veneration due to these remains of their queen and our lady.

" We possess also a thigh of the glorious martyr, St. Laurence ; it is entire, but
rather singed by the heat to which it had been exposed ; — the holes which were
made in it, by the prongs which turned him on the gridiron, are very visible ! !

" In order to protect the edifice from lightning there are several reliques,* espe-
cially some of St. Laurence, its patron, in metal cases, inserted in the balls and
crosses which are on the tops of the towers."

The Escurial has for some time ceased to be a royal residence. Philip, indeed,
does not appear to have designed his building for a mere pleasurable retreat. The
apartments arranged for the peculiar occupation of the Monarch are most decidedly
the plainest portion of the whole edifice. Seclusion was the taste of the Spanish So-
vereigns of the sixteenth century. Charles sought a selfish and inglorious retirement
in the monastery of St. Justins : Philip planned an embellished cell in his palace of
the Escurial, whither he attracted the brightest graces of the more elegant 2irts to
ameliorate the solemnity of meditation.

With the periodical visits of the Sovereign, the customary resort of men of genius
has also disappeared ; and the Escurial, for many years back, has been chiefly te-

*These reliques have proved deplorably inefficient for the task consigned them. — In 1671 the build-
ing was fired by lightning, and very narrowly escaped entire destruction. Four towers fell victims to
the conflagration, and a great part of the library was destroyed.— The building was restored by
Charles II.

o S

100 ESCITRIAL.

nanted by the brotherhood of a religious order. St. Jerom is the second patron of
this place, and the Monks (to the number of two hundred) are Jeronymites.*

The particulars we have detailed cannot possibly fail to communicate high esteem
for the liberality and taste with which the interior of tlie Escurial is decorated. In
an architectural point of view, prejudice only can deny that the building is liable to
objections. That peculiarity of form prescribed by the caprice of the founder, must
be admitted to have fettered the imagination of the architect. Bold and highly^culti-
vated as was the fancy of Alonegro, we have every reason to suppose that he would
have produced a design far from unworthy of the superb scale on which he was
allowed to act, had not such a system been imperiously delineated as compelled the
dulness of uniformity, and precluded the possibility of striking arcliitcctural effect.

Restrained as were Monegro's powers, he has never glaringly violated the rules of
taste. The proportions are just, the combinations are chaste. From the slight re-
trospective view we have taken of the state of architecture in the kingdom, when
Monegro commenced his task, it is evident that he could borrow few hints for clas-
sical correctness from the buildings of his predecessors. — Tumultuary and imnietho-
dical grandeur was the only aim of Moriscan biiilders. The Spanish artists, who
succeeded the era of Moorish predominancy, were chiefly employed in arranging
niches for statues, and disposing marble fountains through formal, though luxurious,
gardens. — Monegro, despising the one as inartificial, and the other as puerile, raised
an edifice where the utmost refinement of art can discover little to condemn, though
it may readily point the attention to circumstances which might have been carried to
a higher pitch of scientific effect.

As the orders of architecture more peculiarly adapted to the solemnity of a votive
building, the Doric and Ionic prevail in every department of the Escurial. The
chief objection of critical spectators is, that the building, departing from the progres-
sive simplicity of a whole, is too much broken into parts. Admitting the existence

* Though the revenue of the Monks of the Escurial was diminished by the resumption, on Philip's
demise, of an estate in lands, called Campillo, to the yearly amount of eighteen thousand crowns, their
income is still very great. As an instance, the annual value of the wool produced by the flocks belong-
ing to this convent is said to be not less than .£20,000. It is imported into this kingdom, under the
title of the " Escurial pile," and it supplies the raw material for s«me of the most beautiful specimens
Irom the looms of the West of England.

ESCURIAL. 101

of this want of architectural excellence, the ingenuous will perceive that it is a neces-
sity incurred by the oppressive circumstance of restriction, before mentioned.

It was the peculiar fortune of the founder, after employing twenty-two years in
perfecting his edifice, to enjoy its splendor thirteen years. He died here, and lies
buried in the Pantheon.

In obedience to our original intention, we subjoin some hints as to the real cha-
racter of Philip II. — The reputation of no man has been more variously reported
than that of this Alonarch. The protestant powers, with our own country at their
head, have exhausted the epithets of acrimony inj stigmatising his alleged cruelty,
duplicity, and unsanctified and peculiar superstition. — Philip stands depictured to
the rtfoi'med part of the religious world, as a gloomy, sullen, and ignorant tyrant,
equally devoid of natural talent and habitual generosity.— The Spaniards, with a
pious resolve not to be out done in exaggeration, elevate him to a height that looks
down on thesublimest pitch of mortal attainment; — with them his wisdom is oracular
his clemency angelic, and his humility. . . .indescribable.* — Anxious to divest interest
and passion of their respective mistakes, we will make it our task to adduce reasons
for leading the reader through a middle course. . . .which, though it is held by states-
men to be unsafe in regard to politics, is still very frequently the preferable path
when human character demands consideration.

Two great Monarchs, Ferdinand and Charles V. divide with Philip the admiration
of Spain. To a shrewd but crooked policy, rather than the bravery usual w ith the
middle ages, Ferdinand appears indebted for celebrity. His mean jealousy of the
talent which supported him, and his base ingratitude to Columbus, materially dimi-
nish the lustre of those successes with which his administration was attended.

Charles built his fame on a more generous basis. Deliberate in the cabinet and
ardent in the field, he stood pre-eminent among the most gallant and enterprising
Monarchs of the sixteenth century. But his virtues were rather gaudy than useful.

* In 1626, an octavo book was printed in Spain, entitled " Sayings and actions of Don Philip II."
It is divided into eighteen chapters, which contain a detailed account of thirty good qualities, or virtues,
which, if they centred in Philip II. were certainly never united in mortal man before !

This book was reprinted at jNIadrid, in 1/48, and was deenaed too precious a treasure to be dedicated
to any mundane personage. — It was accordingly addressed to " the most sacred Empress of Heavtoand
Earth, Mary, Mother of God, Kidy of the Universe, and Queen of the Angek."

102 ESCURIAL.

It is seldom, indeed, tliat the Sovereign whose actions make much noise in record has
done anything truly desirable for his country. Historians, in this instance, partake
of frivolity with ^//e /^eo/'/e, and expend their eloquence in praise of a toy, while all
that is solid and beneficial they set aside as not suflicicntly elevated for a page of so much
fanciful importance. — The bravery of Charles was rendered injvn"ious by the alloy of
unbounded ambition ; and his wisdom was disgraced by the insidious and fraudulent
cast of his political transactions. — His base detention of Francis, and the mean hy-
pocrisy of his conduct in directing prayers to be read for the restoration of the " holy
Father's " liberty, while it was well known that the Pope was held in captivity en-
tirely by the influence of Charles himself, — tiiese and divers similar instances of paltry
dissimulation, detract considerably from the chivalric brilliancy of the Emperor's
military adventures.

Unlike his two rivals for fame, Philip evinced little disposition for the hardships of
the tented field. But it evidently is not in mere circumstances of jiersonal exposure
that intrinsic fortitude is discovered. Philip's equanimity was displayed in many
instances. He was undaunted amidst adversity, and good fortune failed to lift his
spirits to that insolence of pride too frequent with successful greatness.* Let one
example on either hand suffice. — When that formidable armament which Spain
equipped against this country, was so signally defeated by English valor in alliance
with the tremendous turbulence of the waves that girt our shore, Philip received
the intelligence without the slightest emotion, and publicly returned thanks to God
that the calamity had not been greater. He praised the Duke of Medina Sidonia
for tlie zeal he had displayed in the service, and while the voice of envy accused the
Prince of Pai-ma oi negligence, Philip rejected with indignation the unworthy
calumny, and honoured that gallant commander with fresh marks of esteem and
confidence.

A series of events contributed to exalt the power of Philip at the commencement
of his reign. The victory of St. Quintin opened France to his troops, and laid the

* Humanity appears eminently conspicuous in the single minute in which Philip was known to de-
part from the most rigid equality of temperance. — When the Duke of Savoy, immediately subsequent
to the battle of St. Quintin, approached to kiss the King's hands, Philip prevented the compliment by
embracing him with warmth, and exclaiming, " It rather becomes me to kiss yours, which have
gained me such a glorious, and, comparatively, bloodless victory."

ESCURIAL. 103

patrimonial territories of St. Peter entirely at his mercy ! yet he forbore to extend
the horrors of war to the interior of France, and not only granted the Pope an equi-
table peace, but consented that the Duke of Alva should repair, in person, to Rome,
and ask pardon, in the name of his royal master, for having invaded the possessions
of the church.

Even in the last moments of a lengthened life, Philip preserved his wonted equa-
nimity of temper. Through fifty days of almost unprecedented suffering, the King
lay in the arms of deatli. No murmur escaped his lips. Smiles of hope, and ex-
emplary patience, mocked the most unkind attacks of lassitude and pain.

Two days before his dissolution, he summoned to his bedside his son anil daughter.
Me discoursed with them on the vanities of human greatness ; imparted many salutary
counsels respecting the government of their dominions ; and evinced the sincerity of
his religious professions by exhorting them to cultivate and maintain the Catholic
faith. — The interview ended, he gave directions for his funeral, and caused his coffin
to be brought into his chamber, and placed within his view. This solemn object he
continued to contemplate till the last struggle of life resigned him to the futurity he
was not afraid of anticipating.

The pride of Philip is particularly offensive to English writers ; but this pride the
Spaniards never could discover. —In fact, lie possessed not any peculiar dignity of
reserve. His temper and manners were precisely those of the Spanish cavalier of his
own time. His bitterest revilcr describes him as having exhibited pride in maiimr,
not in action. This manner was the popular mode of Spain, in the sixteenth century ;
and therefore the whole country must be implicated, or Philip be relieved from blame.
That open and unostentatious affability which would have gratified the English, must
have rendered Philip an object of contempt to his own subjects.

The bigotry of Philip is the most unpleasing trait in his character ; but if credit
may be given to the Spanish writers (who, at least, ought to know as much about it
as foreign chroniclers) the reports of protestant i)enmen have exaggerated strangely.
Philip reigned at an unfortunate period for a prince of gloomy notions on religious
subjects. Remnants of the Moors still inhabited Granada, though their former ter-
ritories were now annexed to the Spanish throne. The Lutherans, under the Prince
of Orange, protected their new tenets by the sword, in the Netherlands. Political
suspicion was thus joined to religious fervor, as a disavowal of faith was immediately
followed by open acts of insurrection.

104 ESCURIAL.

Bub, waving the plea of political inducement, the writer who would soften the ter-
rific tints with which prejudice has disfigured an individual character, may certainly
affirm that the excesses of superstition have ever tended to persecution and blood.
The same spirit that prompted tlie scandalous invasions termed crusades, may be
safely asserted sufficient to stimulate in the breast of Philip and his English Consort
that asperity of denunciation with which they stigmatised so many of their subjects.
The groans of the butchered thousands in tlie East* who fell martyrs to the fury of
the red cross knights, were heaved at too great a distance to meet, even in fancy, the
ears of the clement Christians of modern times ; but the afflictions of those holy vic-
tims who asserted at the stake the truth of reformed Christianity, are repeated by all
succeeding Protestants with something nearly similar to the talent imputed to certain

local echoes that of multiplying the original sound, in the ratio of ten to one . . .

if the wind is in a particular quarter. While humanity mourns over so degrading a
perversion of religions zeal, it appears no more than charitable to affirm that the bi-
gotry of Philip was the vice of the time, rather tlian that of the man. His sanguinary
mode of exhibiting that bigotry may charitably be deduced from the vices of the time,
also. It was, as far as regards sentimental refinement, a semi-barbarous age, and fire
and sword then invariably, tlnough all Christian countries, occupied the place now
possessed by cool discussion and polemic argument.

The death of Carlos is pointedly injurious to the memory of Philip. The weakness
of this Prince, and his ardent thirst for that power which he would not have been able
to dignify, are circumstances clearly ascertained. But, still, the King, by delivering
him over to the inquisitorial authority, forfeited all claim to delicacy of parental feel-
ing. That step once taken, probably even the power of Pliilip was insufficient to the
speedy enlargement Of the oftender.f The death of the Prince, many writers of op-
posite opinions to the court of Spain, were ingenious enough to find occasioned by

* So great was the terror inspired by the Christian arms in the " holy land," that, even now, mo-
thers who wish to terrify their babes into silence, are in the habit of crying " hush ! or I will call King
Richard to you ! "

t The Inquisitor-General was nominated by the King, but confirmed by the Pope. His power was
such, that, in several instances, the authority of the sovereign was unable to controvert it. — Yet so great
was the dislike of the people of Spain for the Moors and Jews, that they solicited the perpetual rigors of
the inquisition, and respected the Monarch in proportion to the zeal he displayed for the operation* of
that court.

ESCURIAL. 205

poison, administered by a hand whicli nature would recoil to hear mentioned. On
cool investigation, we have reason to suppose that the fears of the unhappy delinquent
hastened that catastrophe, which was certainly brought about by self-destructive
means.

Though severity, in the above instance, assuredly stained the character of Philip,
a jealousy of rival talent was far from a leading feature in his character. His na-
tural brother, Don John of Austria, was intrusted by him with the highest military
commands. Though the popularity of this youthful competitor was not overlooked
by the watchful eye of Philip, he scrupled not to resign to him the conduct of the war
in the Netherlands, ^vhen the public welfare appeared to demand that appointment.

Perseverance pursued by ill-fortune becomes inflexibility : — ■ this species of obsti
nacy may, in many cases, be alleged against Philip. The times increased the pro
pensity to severity ever observable in his temper ; so that pity and urbanity are cer-
tainly not to be numbered among his merits. Perhaps it may be truly said that he
had very few virtues of an attractive cast ; for 'nier e temperance, love of Justice, and
economical activitj/, are qualities of by far too humble a nature to call forth the
plaudits of historians delighting only, in bold achievements and splendid acts of ge-
nerosity. While we regret that the tailings of this Prince should be so bitterly aug-
mented by one party, and his accomplishments so ridiculously elevated by the other,

we will venture to bestow unqualitied praise on one particular of his character • his

systematic patronage of the finer arts. The architect, the sculptor, and the painter,
were ever secure of patronage from his munificent hand. In a letter to the Governor
of Milan, directing the payment of certain arrears to the illustrious Titian, Philip
says, " you know how much I am interested in this, as it concerns Titian.'' Jlofiso
Coello, and Antonio Moro, were not only encouraged by his bounty, but were ad-
mitted by him into habits of the most familiar friendship. Coello's paintino-'room
communicated with the royal apartments at the Escurial. Here Philio was a fre-
(luent visitor, and tasted hours of tranquil enjoyment which the pomp of crowns must
ever strive in vain to communicate.

ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT

WINDSOR CASTLE.

\_yASTLES, or forts of stone, were undoubtedly erected in the earliest ages of English
history. Yet these vvere few and inefficient. According to Dugdale, fortified build-
ings were so rare in the time of the Saxons that all the warlike ardor of the natives
could not atone for the deficiency. When Sweyne, King of Denmark, entered the
realm against King Alfred, he is said to have subdued all before him " by reason
that there were no forts, or castles, to stop iiis progress,"- The facility with which
William I. over-ran the country is ascribed, by early historians, to the same cause.
The period of the " conquest"* is celebrated for giving rise to strongholds of de-
fence in this island. The politic Norman easily perceived the advantages likely to
accrite from massive fortifications, tenanted by his own partizans, among a nation
whose allegiance he retained on the most precarious of all possible tenures. Exer-
cising the unlimited powers of a military despotism, William compelled the English,
by means of various taxes levied for that purpose, themselves to defray the expense
of building those castles intended for the accomplishment of their subjugation. The
perilous exigency of the times enforced the propriety of fortifying these buildings

* Blackstone informs us that this word should be received as a law term, signifying only acquisition.

WINDSOR CASTLE. 107

with such scrupulous caution, that the baron, intrenched in his recess of stone, be-
came virtually superior to tlie jurisdiction of the Monarch for whose safeguard the
fortress M'as erected. Each Baron, chiefly from the circumstance of possessing a
fortified abode, became a petty Monarch. Secure of a retreat, he committed the
most flagrant acts of rapine in the country bordering on his residence, and exercised
both civil and criminal judicature throughout the tract despoiled by his boisterous

mcursions

Not only the Crown, and the Lay-barons, but even Bishops were possessed of
castles. This was contrary to the canons of the church, and was distinctly forbidden
by the Pope, yet the ecclesiastics retained their fortifications, and thundered the
blessings of the faith from frowning parapets of stone.*

In the reign of Stephen, it is computed that there were eleven hundred castles
distributed through the territory of England. If the appointment of authority had
been equally divided, it would have given to each castle a domain of ten miles, on
every side beyond its moat. In consequence of the various intestine troubles caused
by the fortifications of the feudal Lords, it was agreed, in a treaty between Stephen
and Henry II. (^vhen Duke of Normandy) that all the castles erected within a cer-
tam period should be destroyed. Many were accordingly razed ; but the balance of
power was so nicely divided between the king and the nobles, that as many castles
were speedily built in one district as were destroyed in another.

AVhen Henry ascended the throne, several fortresses were dismantled, and all
persons were prohibited from constructing castellated mansions without the King's
especial licence. Few instances of this permission being granted occur, till the
reign of Edward III. Royal castles, however, were erected at the public expense
" for the defence of the country."

Castles which belonged to the crown were committed generally to the charge of
some trusty person, who was styled Governor or Constable. They were sometimes
in possession of the Sherift' of the county, who was responsible at the Exchequer for
the rents of the dependent lands.

* This conduct of the clergy is not to be ascribed altogether to ambition. A new regulation of the
Conqueror compelled all Bishops and Abbots to the service of Castle-guard, though they were permitted
to execute this duty by proxy. When thus forced into a connexion with the military service of the
country, a wish for command was certainly natural and perhaps not illaudable.
J P £

108 WINDSOR CASTLE.

The construction of castles of defence appears to liave been as nearly uniform as
situation would allow. The walls were generally foccd with stone ; the inside Avas
of the same materials. The angles were always coigncd, and the arches were turned
with stone squared. The most advanced part of the building was the barbican, or
watcli tower. This elevation does not appear to have possessed any determinate
place of occupancy. It was, however, always an outwork, and sometimes formed
the entrance into the castle.* Next in order was the moat, or fosse, which Avas
either wet or dry, but generally the former. In dry ditches were sometimes sub-,
terrancan passages, through which the besieged Avere in the habit of sallying. Over
the moat M'as a standing, or a draw-bridge, leading to the bailium. \\'ithin the
moat Mere placed the Malls of the bailium. Tlie entrance was through an embattled
gate, between tAvo toAvers. The porter's lodgings Avere usually over the gateAvay.
The keep, or dungeon, commonly stood on an eminence in the centre, and various
buildings for the reception of soldiery, ike. A\ere placed Avith little icgularity around
it. The keep Avas generally square, and consisted of four or five stories, AA'ith tur-
rets at each angle. Staircases Avere ahvays placed in the turrets, and frequently a
Avell. The Avails AAi^ere of an extraordinary thickness. Instead of AvindoAvs, loop-
holes served to admit light, and aftbrded the besieged convenient space for the dis-
charge of arroAVS. In the days of baronical turbulence little delicacy of feeling pre-
vailed, and all notions of elegance, and even of comfort, Avere necessarily sacrificed
to the one great, needful, object. . . .security. In the keep Avere ahvays placed the
apartments designed for the Baron, or Governor, and his family ; and beneath those
apartments, in the same keep or dungeon, Avere the cells dedicated to the imprison-
ment of the conquered. A melancholy picture of the barbarity of our ancestors !
Since the groans of anguish and apprehension Avere not judged likely to intercept tiie
smile of domestic relaxation.

Before the use of gunpoA\'der, castles constructed in tliis manner Avere so formid-
able that a regular' siege often occupied a very considerable portion of time. That of
Calais may serve as an instance, Avhere the Avorks Avere so extensive, and the labor-
ers so numerous, that a complete toAvn was built near the lines of the offensive

*'ln regard to royal castleSj a tax was levied for the express purpose of keeping the barbican in due
repair.

WINDSOR CASTLlv

10.9

party. Market days were established, and the besiegers entered into all the forma-
lities of domestic arrangement. •

Among the first fortresses of this order erected by the conqnering Norman -was
one at "Windsor. The manor of old AVindsor belonged to the Saxon kings, who are
supposed to have had a palace there, from a very early period. It is certain,* that
King Edward the Confessor sometimes kept his court at "Windsor. He afterwards
gave the manor to the Abbot and Convent of Wcstminster.f William the Conqueror
procured it again from that monastery, by exchange.

The origin of the name is supposed to be found in the winding character of the
Thames in the vicinity. The word is inmiediately derived from the Saxon, and the
conjecture has sufficient probability to support it.

In the reign of ^Villiam I. old Windsor contained " an hundred houses, whereof
22 were exempt from tax ; out of the rest there vent 30 shillings." The site of the
royal palace of old Windsor is not knoA\'n. It continued to be the occasional resi-
dence of the IMonarchs after the erection of the castle, which William appears to
have intended merely for a fortified place of retreat. In the old palace William I.
kept his Whitsuntide, A. D. 1071. A synod Avas held therein 1072. William
Rufus kept there his Whitsuntide in 1095, his Christmas in 1096, and his Christmas
in 1097. It is usual to describe these celebrations as taking place at tlie castle of
new Windsor, but such accounts have little probability of correctness. King Henry I.
certainly kept his Chri-stmas at old Windsor, in 1105, and his Easter in 1107;
but, having enlarged the castle Avith many '• fair buildings," he removed the court
to neM' Windsor ; and, for the first time, kept the festival of Whitsuntide at \\'indsor
Castle, in 1110. Henry II. was frequently at the Castle. Several parliaments
were summoned thither during his reign. The Castle was deemed an object of im-
portance in the romantic and chivalrous days of the first Richard. It passed throusJi
various hands during that ^Monarch's expedition to the Holy Land.

Maud, the Wife of \Villiam de I3raose, was confined in ^\■indsor Castle by King

* Vide Kennel's Parochial Antiquities.

t His bequest is couched in these words, " To tlie praise oT Almighty God, I have granted, as an
endowment and perpetual inheritance, to the use of those that serve the Lord, JVindleshore, with its
appurtenances/' Jtc. Camden.

110 • WINDSOR CASTLE.

John. Historians report that her resolute behavior under circumstances of captivity
incensed the Sovereign ^ highly, that he caused her to be starved to death in the
dungeon — keep of his regal abode. This, of course, is one of those legendary M'on-
ders which tiic considerate must ever regard as apocryphal, at the least.

In 1215, King John retired to Windsor Castle, as a place of security * during the
popular tumult which then prevailed. It was from ^^'indsor that the King issued to
sign Magna Charta at Runneymcdc, the Barons having refused to attend him in his
own castle. He remained at "V^'indsor for some time afterwards.

Shortly after, ^^'indsor was besieged by a large army in the interest of the Barons.
Captain Inglehard de Acliic with a party of only 60 soldiers, defended tlie Castle
so gallantly that every effort of the besiegers was without success. During the re-
mainder of King John's tempestuous reign, Windsor was seldom, for any length of
time, possessed by the baronial party, though it experienced many of the distresses
usual M'ith intestine warfare. Edward 1. and II. frequently resided at Windsor, and
it was here that Edward III. was born.

The English character was now about to undergo an alteration. The jDeriod M'as
arrived when unembossed iron was not judged sufiTicient for knightly armor, nor an
impregnable pile of unshaped stones supposed a fit residence for the "crowned head
of the island. The precise form of King William's fortress cannot be ascertained,
but there is no reason for believing that it possessed much precedence of elegance
over other buildings of the same description. Its chief merit lay in the solidity of
the structure. The ramparts, the turrets, the barbican, were the great objects of
attention with tiie royal builders before the time of Edward of Windsor ; while the
Queens possibly needed less delicacies of accommodation than the rural housewife of
the present day.f Edward III. was happily enabled to lead the English genius to
pursuits beyond the merely useful. As usual, the temper of the age may be ascer-

* It was esteemed the strongest fortress at that time in the kingdom, except the Tower of London.

t Edward I. and Queen Eleanor frequently resided at Windsor. It is stated, as an indication of the
simplicity of the times, that the Queen usually went thither by water, not being a good horsewoman,
and the roads being impassable for her conveyance by waggons. — That the roads were not very desi-
rable may be readily credited. Within ftie last forty years, they were so bad tliat a coach, with four
horses, was usually ten hours in performing a journey to London. The same journey is now generally
completed in four hours.

WINDSOR CASTLE. HI

tained through the medium of its buildings. From a survey of the edifice under con-
sideration, it would be easy to pronounce (without historical erudition) the reign of
Edward marked by a spirit of embellished warfare.

Edward ahvays evinced a decided fondness for the place of his nativity. \A'al-
singham relates that, in 1344, lie built a chamber, which he calls the round table,
200 feet in diameter ; but this appears to have been merely a temporary structure.
A nobler project occupied the Sovereign's mind. In IViliuim de JVi/ckham he found
an able assistant, and by that Architect the plan of the present castle was devised.

It was customary, when royal castles were projected, to impress workmen of
every requisite description.* Such was the manner in which William de Wyckham
proceeded with his majestic undertaking. According to Lysons, it was in the year
1356 that William de Wyckham had a regular appointment as clerk of the M'orks,
with a fee of one shilling a day whilst at Windsor, and two shillings when he went
elsewhere upon business. His clerk had a salary of three shillings a week. In 1 35^
the architect was appointed keeper of the manors of old and new Windsor. The
next year, 360 ■workmen were impressed. The small I'ate in which they were paid
by the King induced some to quit Windsor clandestinely, but writs were immediately
issued to pro'hibit all persons from eniploying them on pain of forfeiting their goods
and chattels. Such of the Morkmen as were apprehended were committed to Xcm--
gate. The plague having carried otf a great number of the King's workmen, in
1 362, writs were issued to the Sheriffs of several counties to impress 302 masons
and diggers of stone. The counties of Yoik, Salop, and Devon, were to furnish
60 men each. Glaziers M'ere impressed, in the year 1363. Very few commissions
were issued after the year 1369, and none after 1373, so that it may be presumed
the building M^as then finished. Thus, it was about seventeen years, iVom the ap-
pointment of the architect, to the probable completion of the building. Xo part of
William the Norman's castle was preserved, except three towers at the west end of

* The revenue of the Sovereign was comparatively so trifling, that no public work could possibly be
undertaken by means of the privy purse alone. In the succeeding century we know tliat the whole in-
come of Henry V. did not exceed fifteen thousand pounds per annum. When William built the ori-
ginal Castle " de Windcsor," the expense was defrayed by equalised ta.xation. It does not appear that
the more refined Edward copied the integrity of this conduct. It is certain that the local oppression
was great.— The private convenience of individuals was disregarded, and the carriages of neighboring
agriculturists were impressed for the conveyance of materials.

112 ^ WINDSOR CASTLE.

the lower ward. The parts constructed by Edward III. comprised the King's
Palace, the Great Hall of St. George, the Lodgings on the East and South sides of
the upper' Ward, the round Tower, the Cliapel of St. George, the Canons Houses
in the \o\vcy Ward, and the ^hole circumference of the walls, witli the Towers and
Gates.

Those progressive improvements which have brought the castle to its present mag-
nificent condition may be thus stated. Edward IV. rebuilt, on a large scale, the
Chapel of St. George. Henry VII. vaulted the roof of the choir of that structure,
and added the stately fabric adjoining to the King's lodgings in the ui)per ward.
Henry VIII. rebuilt the great gate in the lower ward, leading to the town. King
Edward VI. began, and Queen Mary perfected the bringing of water from Black-
moor Park into a fountain in the centre of the upper court. Queen Elizabeth
made a Terrace Walk on the north side of the buildincr.

Under Charles II. the Castle experienced nraterial alterations. The building had
become subject to violence during the civil wars. Not contented with repairing,
Charles strove to show his taste by additions but some of these did not redound
much to the credit of his judginent. The face of the upper court was entirely
changed ; the Gothic windows, which perhaps oflended from their want of regularity,
were enlarged, and rendered certainly more uniform and convenient, but without
the least attention to the general character of the palace. Charles not only enlarged
the Terrace A\'alk, on the north side of the Castle, but carried a like Terrace
round the east, and part of the south side of it, and 'new-faced the whole Terrace
with a rampart of free-stone. Succeeding Monarchs have effected slight alterations,
but none have been so splendid in their attentions to this nol>le pile as his present
Majesty,

The Castle consists of two courts, or wards, between vvhich is the Keep, or
Round Tower, usually termed the Middle Ward. The circumference of the whole
Castle, according to Langley's admeasurement, is 4 1 80 feet ; tlie length from east
to west 1480 feet; and the area, exclusive of the Terrace Walks, about 12 acres.

The upper Ward is a spacious quadrangle, formed on the Avest side by the Hound
Tower ; on the north by the state apartments, St. George's Hall, and the Chapel
Royal ; and on the east and south sides by the private apartments of their Majesties,
and those of the junior branches of the Royal Family. An equestrian statue, in

WINDSOR CASTLE.

113

bronze, of Charles II. ornaments the centre of the square. Tliis statue was erected
in the year 1680, and is dedicated, by one Tobias Rustat, " to his most gracious
master, Charles, the best of Kings."

The Tower (or Middle Ward) is built on a considerable elevation, in the form of
an amphitheatre. The ascent into the upper apartment is by a flight of 1 00 stone
steps, at the top of which is planted a piece of cannon. Seventeen pieces of cannon
are mounted round the curtain of the Tower, which is the only batteiy now in the
Castle. The apartments of this Tower belong to the Constable, or Govenior.*

The lower Ward is far more spacious than the upper, and is divided into two
parts by the collegiate church, or chapel, of St. George. On the north, or inner,
side are the houses and apartments of the dean and canons, minor canons, clerks,
verger, and otlier officers of the foundation ; and, on tlie south and west sides of the
outer parts of this court, are the houses of the alms, or poor, Knights of Windsor.f

The chapel of St. George is built on the site of a chapel founded by Henry III.
Some remains of the ancient building may be seen on the north side of the Dean's
cloisters, and at the east end of the chapel, behind the altar. When King Edward III.
rebuilt the decayed edifice, he dedicated his new structure to the Virgin Mary,
and St. George ; but the building raised by the third Edward sinking in its turn,
King Edward IV. founded the present magnificent pile, the original architect of
which was Richard Beauchamp, bishop of Salisbury. The work was not completed
till the reign of Henry VIII.: the beautiful roof of the choir was put up in the year
1.508. Sir Reginald Bray succeeded bishop Beauchamp in superintendance of this

* The office of Governor is of great antiquity and honor. The first Governor, who was appointed
by William the Conquerer, under the name of Caitellan, was Walter Fitz-other, ancestor of the Earls
of Plymouth, who from that circumstance took the appellation of De Windsor. The Archbishop of
Canterbury was selected for that office by King John. The Earl of Cardigan is Constable at present.

t This charitable institution owes its origin to Edward III. who intended it exclusively for the benefit
of military men fallen to decay. Their number was originally 24, but afterwards increased to 26, to
correspond with the number of the Knights of the Garter. The houses for the poor Knights were built
in the reign of Queen Mary. The present number of Knights is 18. The annual income of each
Knight is about .£50 a year, exclusive of a dwelling-house.

Mr. Samuel Travers, who died in 1728, directed seven decayed naval characters to be added to the
poor Knights of Windsor. A suitable building has been erected for their accomaiodation.

114 WINDSOR CASTLli.

extensive work, and was a liberal contributor to several parts of the fabric. The
rood loft, and lanthorn, were erected in 1516. The present organ gallery, and
skreen at the west end of the choir, have been lately erected. The stalls of the
Knights-companions, which are very richly carved in wood, exhibit the names and
arms of the different personages by whom they have been occupied. The painted
windows are well executed. The stone roof is an excellent piece of ^^■orkmanship.
It is an ellipsis, supported by ancient Gothic pillars, whose ribs and groins sustain
the whole ceiling. Different devices embellish the various parts of this costly roof.

The choir, which is separated from the body of the church by the organ gallery,
is a part of tlie structure raised by Edward III.

Various minor chapels, founded by illustrious persons, occupy different parts of
the building.

At the east end is an edifice called the Tomb House, built by Henry VII. and
intended for his burial place, before he erected that magnificent structure adjoining
Westminster Abbey, w hich goes by his name. This building, being then unai)pro-
priated, was granted by Henry VHI. to Cardinal Wolscy, who began to erect there
a most sumptuous monument for hiu)self. The design of this monument, \\h\di was
never finished, is said to have exceeded in splendor that of Henry VH.* Benedetto
of Florence had received 4250 ducats for what he had executed before the Cardinal's
fall ; and the expense of gilding the part then completed, which was not more tlian
half, is said to have amounted to c£380. King Charles I. is reported to have de-
signed this chapel for the burial-place of himself and family. The civil war, how-
ever, frustrated this intention. The fate of the King is \vell known, and the unfi-
nished monument was demolished by the Puritans.f In the reign of James II. the
building was fitted up as a chapel for the celebration of Divine Worship, according

* The Monument is described, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, as " consisting of white and black
marble. Eight large brazen columns were placed round it, and, nearer the tomb, four others, in the
shape of candlesticks." It was then thought that Queen Elizabeth intended to be buried in Wolsey's
Chapel.

t The depredations committed by the popular party were very extensive at this period. In the year
1642 the ornaments and vessels belonging to the chapel of St. George, and appropriated to the use of
tlie altar, amounting to 3580 ounces of wrought plate, were seized by the parliamentary forces under
Captain Fogg.

WINDSOR CASTLE. 115

to the rites of the Roman CathoUc church. \'errio was employed to paint the ceil-
ing and walls. This chapel remained in ruin and neglect, till the year 1800, when
it was repaired hy order of his Majesty.

A minute descrii)tion of each apartment in this regal Castle is foreign from our
purpose, and would be much too extensive for our limits. Suffice it to say that
many noble productions of the arts, worthy the selection of the Monarch of a great
country, are here assembbd. In addition to numerous specimens of the ancient
schools are to be seen some of the best works of modern masters, the subjects of
which are judiciously expressive of the stories connected with the building. The
celebrated historical pictures of tJie embarkation of King Henry VIII. at Dover; his
interview with Francis I. of France ; and the battle of the Spurs ; together with a
picture of King Henry Vlll. and his family, have lately been removed from Wind-
sor, and graciously deposited by his Majesty in the meeting room of the Society of
Antiquaries. Some of the most valuable pictures from the Queen's house, in St.
James's Park, have been recently removed to Windsor. Among these are Guide's
Venus attired by the Graces; a well-known Holy Family by Rubens ; King Charles I.
on horseback, with the Duke D'Epernon ; another of the same Monarch sitting
with his Queen ; and a family piece of his children ; all by Vandyke.

His Majesty is about to remove his library also (supposed to be the most complete
ever formed by an individual) from the Queen's house to Windsor.

No Monarch, since the time of Edward, has, perhaps, effected greater alterations
in Windsor Castle than his present ^lajesty ; and certainly no alterations have been
executed with so much taste. The incongruous innovations of Charles II. have been
noticed. With the judicious agency of James Wyatt Esq. Surveyor General of the
Board of Works, his Majesty is restoring to the castle some resemblance of its ge-
nuine character, without neglecting that desirable convenience of arrangement, which
Gothic architects were accustomed entirely to overlook. The interior has likewise ex-
perienced considerable improvements, and received various superb embellishments,
executed with the same attention to coalume.

Some idea of the chief ornaments and curiosilies formerly contained in tlie Castle^
may be gathered from the following passages, transcribed from the writings of a
foreigner in the reign of Queen Elizabeth : " There are worthy of notice here two
bathing rooms, ceiled and wainscotted with looking glass; the chamber in which

Q 2

116 WINDSOR CASTLE.

Henry VI. was born ; Queen Elizabeths bed-chamber, where is a table of red
marble with white streaks; a gallery every where ornamented with emblems and
figures; a chamber in which arc the royal beds of Henry VII. and his Queen; of
Edward VI.; of Henry VIII. and Anne Boleyn; all of them eleven feet square,
and covered with quilts, shining with gold and silver ; Queen Elizabeths 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, w ith an angel
presenting to him the flairs de lis, to be borne in his arms; for, before tiiis time,
the Kings of France bore three toads in their shield, instead of which they afterwards
placed three Jieurs dt lis on a blue field. This anticjue tapestry is said to have been
taken from a King of France, while the English weve masters there. We were
shewn here, among other things, the horn of a unicorn, of above eight spans and a
half in length, valued at above c£ 10,000. The bird of paradise, three spans long,
and a cushion most curiously wrought by Queen Elizabctlis own hand."

How interesting a contrast to these insignificant particulars is presented by the
performances of art and letters now collected in the venerable castle! Vandyde
and West occupy the places possessed by the bird of paradise and unicorn's horn;
while even the cushion, " most curiously w rought by Queen Elizabeth's own hand,"
is equalled, if not eclipsed, by the works of elegant taste, produced by those Prin-
cesses whose pursuits are an honor to their country.

We have endeavored to give, in our plate, the most accurate representation of
the Castle. It exhibits the north front, inclining a little to the east, and comprises
the Star Building, the Gallery, what is called Blenheim Tower, from the circum-
stance of its containing the Baimer presented by the Duke of JMarlborough, and the
Round Tower, as seen from the Little Park. Perhaps this view is one of the most
interesting, but it was deemed especially desirable as tending to perpetuate the ap-
pearance of the original structure, previous to the alterations mentioned as taking
place under the direction of Mr. Wyatt.

The new Castle of Windsor certainly proves a very considerable accession of art
to have taken place in the architectural character of the kingdom, during the four-
teenth century. By remains to be seen of Norman castles, we may judge of the rude-
ness of King William's structure. The ruins of Kendal, Knaresborough, and Pon
tefract castles, and the present more perfect condition of Skipton, Cawder, and

WINDSOR CASTLE. II7

Glamys (which were imitated from the Norman) show tlie deformity and inconve-
nience of the fortresses erected at that time.

What we have said of the building raised by Edward implies that it was not a regular
fortification. The Round Tower had originally a strong wall and draw-bridge, but
no moat was deemed necessary to the security of the exterior lines of the Castle.
Where the wall of the outer ballium occupied its frowning site in the Norman
castles, regal lodgings were placed by the confident Edward. Perhaps the building
at Windsor was the first attempt in this kingdom to render the castellated character
of edifice amenable to purposes of splendor and accommodation. In this respect, the
Castle must ever be deemed a high honor to the memory of Edward. His fearless-
ness of danger proves him to have been the father of his people ; and convinces us
that he had obtained tlic love and admiration of all ranks by wisdom^ courage, and
urbanity.

When we recollect that in the Norman military architecture, the Avails were pre-
posterously thick, that the apertures were either filamentary, or the arches .semicir-
cular and supported by clumsy pillars, and consider the harsh, oppressive features
of their designs, in which the picturesque was despised, and even the convenient
neglected, we must own that M'yckham presented his country with a valuable speci-
men of improved taste in his Berkshire castle ; but, still, it cannot be denied, that
the building wanted the regularity easily attainable even in a military edifice. Wind-
sor Castle, as left by \\'yckham, consisted rather of a town of towers, than a har-
monious combination of embattled erections. The peculiar advantages of the site
were calculated to display any military buildings to great effect. The extension of
the Castle is princely and commanding. But we think that, with the munificent
spirit of Edward to support him, Wyckham might liavc produced a building more
consonant in its leading features, and therefore more striking in its general effect.
Still it may be truly alleged that no hint at uniformity of structure existed to stimu-
late the powers of the architect ; and it, certainly, is expecting too much to look for
any thing bordering on perfection in a single effort of an infant art. The architects
of the early centuries labored under great disadvantages. They were generally defi-
cient in learning. The remuneration usually received was not calculated to pro-
mote vigorous application, while the want of taste in their employers too frequently
forbade the possibility of excursive experiments. Scarcely one architect had travel-
led to examine the works of contemporaries or explore the remains of antiquity.

lis WINDSOR CASTLE.

It was on the interior of St. George's Hall, and tiie chapel, that all the delicacies
of architecture then known were bestowed. Tlie former is allowed to be one of the
finest rooms in F-urope ; the latter we have stated to have been rebuilt by I'.dward IV.
but the original structure was, in all probability, worthy of the royal founder.
It is natural to suppose that Edward was solicitous to do all possible honor to his
patron saint, especially when it is considered that the chajjcl was chiefly devoted
to the purposes of that splendid knightly institution \\\nch he had recently established.
Specimens of the florid Gothic in sacred arcliiteclurc were not wanting to direct the
genius and excite the emulation of the builder. We liavc, therefore, every reason
to believe that the chapel of St. George, as erected by Wyckham, was a rival in
taste, if not in magnificence, to the Abbeys of Glastonbury and Fountain, to the
Cathedrals of Salisbury and York. The cause of the premature decay of this edifice
is not stated.

The situation of Windsor Castle is known to be one of the most delightful in the
kingdom.* " From a high hill," says Camden, " which riseth with a gentle ascent,
the castle enjoyeth a most estimable prospect round about; for, right in the front,
it overlooketh a vale, lying out far and wide, ganiished with corn-fields, flourishing
with meadows, decked witii groves on either side, and watered >vith the most mild
and calm river Thames. Behind it, arise hills every where, neither rough nor over-
high, attired, as it were, with woods, and even dedicated, as it were, by nature, to
hunting and game."

In addition to the testimony of Camden, we cannot refrain from copying that of
the poet Denhani, who, though accustomed to panegyric, can scarcely be said to
have overcharged the picture he has drawn of this beautiful spot ;

" Windsor Ihe next (where Mars witli Venus dwells.
Beauty with strength) above the valley swells
Into my eye, and doth itself present.
With such an easy and unforc'd ascent.
That no stupendous precipice denies
Access : no hoiror turns away our eyes.

But such a rise as doth at once invite

A pleasure and a reverence from the sight.

* The charms of Windsor and the surrounding scenery appeared so striking to a royal personage,
on her first visit to this place, that she is said to have exclaimed, " This is a palace, indeed."

WINDSOR CASTLE." 119

Thy mighty master's emblem ! in whose face
Sits meekness heighten'd with majestic grace.
Such seems thy gentle height, made only proud
To be the basis of that pompous load
Than which a nobler weight no mountains bears.
But Atlas only, which supports the spheres."

Cooper's Hill.

The forest dependent on Windsor Castle was formerly of much greater circuit
than it is at present, extending itself into Buckinghamshire and Surrey,* and over
the whole of the south-eastern parts of Berkshire, as far as Hungerford. The vale
of the Kennet was disforested, by charter, in 122ff. Norden's map of the forest,
taken in the year 1607, makes its circuit 77 miles and a half, exclusively of the
liberties which extended into Buckinghamshire, the true limits of which he could not
ascertain. It was then divided into 1 7 walks. The circuit of the forest, as des-
cribed in Rocque's map, appears to be about 56 miles. A portion of Bagshot
Heath is in the forest ; the greater part of most parishes within its limits is in culture.
The great Park formerly contained 3800 acres, the major part of which his Majesty
has now devoted to experiments in agriculture.

The Little Park, on the north and east sides of the Castle, which in Norden's
time consisted only of 280 acres, was enlarged, and inclosed with a brick wall, by
King William III. It now contains about 500 acr^s. The ground on the north
side, which was laid out as a garden by Queen Anne, has been since converted into
a lawn. In this park stood the celebrated Heme's oak, immortalized by Shakspeare,
in the i\It rry Wives of Windsor.

The progressive fortunes of a town so immediately dependent as Windsor on the
residence of the Sovereign, can scarce fail to be considered a subject of curiosity. —
New Windsor was declared a free borough by King lid ward I. in the year 1276,
who granted various privileges to the burgesses. They were incorporated by Ed-
ward IV. King Charles II. gave the corporation the manor of Underore, within
the limits of the borough. The Market-cross (aft(;rwards destroyed in the civil war)
was erected in the year 1380. The Guildhall was built in \6ii6.

* The forest on the Surrey side of the Thames included Cobhani and Chertsey : and, following the
course of the river Wey, extended up to the town of Guilford.

120 WINDSOR CASTLE.

Windsor was for a time the county-town under the charter of King Edward I.
So many inconveniences arose from its remote situation, in regard to the greater
part of Berksliire, that the assizes were removed to Reading, in consequence of
petition, in 1314. It appears, by a record lately discovered in the Tower, that
the King (Edward II.) had, in the first instance, given a decided negative to the
petition, declaring that he would have the county-gaol in no otlier castle than his
own. The borough sent two burgesses to Parliament in the reign of Edward I.
The number of inhabitants in \555 was only 1000. Tlie number in 1801 was
3461. An act for paving the town passed in 158,5.

We have already given a brief review of the historical incidents associated with
tlie ancient fortress " de Windesor." Those which stand connected with the present
building demand a more copious detail.

The reign of Edward III. is remarkable in our annals as that period in which the
dawn was visible of a change in the fonn of the constitution, and in the general cha-
racter of the people. From the increase of commerce, the value of money, as a
substitute for mere military strength, began to be understood. In consequence, the
King dispensed with a great portion of that persona/ service in war vvhicli had
usually been exacted by former monarchs, and which had proved the great bane of
their authority. By the judicious regulations of Edward, all the orders of the state
acquired a dependence on each other. The result was a coalition of strength which
increased the energies of the whole.

From this change of government a change of manners naturally arose. Mutual
confidence took place of distrust and reserve. The Baron no longer sat immured in
his castle, or appeared abroad surrounded by vassals cased in iron. A spirit of so-
ciability and splendor pervaded the upper walks of life, while the inferior classes
began to feel their consequence in the scale of society, and to taste, for the first
time since the establishment of monarchy, the sweets of rational freedom.

An alteration so important was not likely to be effected without some correspon-
dent evils. It could not be expected that mankind would instinctively possess talent
to join pertinacity of morals m ith the novel charms of elegance and gallantry. His-
torians represent the kingdom as plunged, at this period, in extreme licentiousness.
" Nothing," say they, '"' was more common than to see the high-bred damsels of the
land riding in troops to tke tournament, dressed like cavaliers, with daggers sus-
pended from their girdles, their horses adorned with rich trappings, and themselves

WINDSOR CASTLE. 121

behaving with more than masculine effrontery. " It must be remembered, however,
that these historians were — monks.

The character peculiar to the middle ages, joined with the natural vent of his
mind, readily induced Edward to direct the dawning spirit of refinement evident in
his subjects to the embellishment of chivalry. " In the year 1343," says a precur-
sor in the pleasing task of characterizing the pursuits and court of Edward, the
King had great purposes to effect, which could not wait for the tardy operations of
architecture. He had listened to the tradition of Arthur, his magnanimous prede-
cessor, with rapture, and he was determined to make the inclinations of his heart
coincide with the schemes of his policy and with the designs of his ambition. The
glory of the future part of his reign depended on the gallantry and wisdom he dis-
played at this early period.

" The court of the young King \\ as at the time frequented by some of the most
powerful nobility of Spain, Italy, Flanders, Germany, and France ; he was prepar-
ing for a war with the ancient rival of his kingdom ; after the liberty of the subject
had been protected by the confirmation of Magna Charta, and the commerce of the
country had been promoted by tlie establishment of the woollen manufactures, his
thoughts were fitly directed to the exterior : the arts of negotiation were now to be
employed, and it was expedient Edward should place himself on a footing of equa-
lity with the distinguished foreigners at his court, to obtain all the advantages of
personal treaty; he therefore proclaimed in his own kingdom, and throughout
Europe, a tournament at Windsor. Young as he was, he had already occupied the
throne sixteen years, and the fame of his politeness and munificence was advan-
tageously contrasted with the sullen perfidy of Philip. It was the pride of chivalry
to appear at this exhibition. An amphitheatre was run up, in the style of the Ro-
man buildings of this kind prior to Statilius Taurus, and the knights assembled dis-
tinguished themselves by feats of arms, the King mixing himself in the tlirong,
bearing the device of a white swan, and this familiar challenge on his shield;

' Hay, hay I the white swan.
By God's soul, I am thy man !'

The active and dangerous amusements of tfie joust were .succeeded by the hospi-
tality of the feast. In imitation of the reputed founder of tlie castle, a round table

122 WINDSOR CASTLE.

was introduced, that prince and subject, native and foreigner, naight join in tlie
conviviality of the hour witiiout distinction ; and it is probable that during these
festive moments the foundation was laid of England's future greatness ; for, while
the curiosity and admiration of Europe were yet attractetl by the far-famed splendor
of tliis tournament, the battle of Cressy was fought, and the town of Calais taken.

" The victory of Poictiers placed John, surnamed the Good, King of France, in
the hands of the Black Prince: from his native soil he was conveyed a prisoner to
this country,* and, with the King of Scotland for his companion, occupied a part of
Windsor Castle, as a prisoner of state to the English throne. All who are versed
in the history of those times are acquainted with the misfortunes and the virtues of
that prince. When Demetrius Phalereus, driven from his country, was in the
power of the Egyptian court, he solaced his days of misery by improving in know-
ledge and virtue the mind of King Ptolemy. It seems highly probable that the
afflicted John assuaged the violence of grief by a similar exercise of wisdom and
benevolence. Every friend of social order and happiness is acquainted with his
manly exclamation, ' Though faith and truth were banished from the rest of tlie
world, they ought nevertheless to be found in the mouth of kings.'

" The College of the Order of the Garter is held at the Castle; the chapel of
St. George, and the Chapter-house, were founded by Edward for that purpose.
Windsor, according to Sir John Froissard, about the beginning of the sixth century,
was honored with the institution of the I\Iensa Rotunda of King Arthur. In imita-
tion of this establishment, as appears from Rastel's Chronicle, Riciiard I. at the
siege of Acre, sanctioned this incorporation, and twenty-six knights, who fiinily
adhered to him, were distinguished by thongs of blue leather tied round the leg.
What was left unfinished was completed in the nineteenth year of Edward III.

" The noble fraternity then instituted is the most ancient of all the orders to which
the laity are admitted, being half a century prior to the French Order of St. Michael,
eighty years to that of the Golden Fleece, and about two centuries to those of St.
Andrew and of the Elephant.

" Two hundred years after the date of this establishment we' find a strange story
given in Polydore Virgil, about some Countess of Salisbury, or Pembroke, who

* Holinshed states that the King was allowed his parole, and permitted to take the diversions of hunl«
ing and hawking.

WINDSOR CASTLE. 123

having dropped her garter at a public assembly gave occasion to the motto adopted
by the founder. The story is in itself so facetious, and the spirited reply so conso-
nant with Edward's character, that we do not wonder at the credit it obtained. Our
best antiquaries have, however, abandoned this conjecture ; and, on looking into the
laws of the society, we find it by no means supported. It is not improbable that on
the glorious day of Cressy a garter was employed in some way as the signal of battle,
and Jience this distinction of the knights became not only a symbol of their union,
but a commemoration of that important victory.

" Peter the Great of Russia, much nearer our own times, was not more sensible
of the tendency of public exhibitions to soften and refine the manners of his ferocious
clans than our Edward of Windsor, w ho revived the tournaments with extraordinary
splendor. Letters of safeguard were delivered to the niost accomplished foreigners,
and females of remarkable beauty were appointed to superintend on these festive oc-
casions. In England this romantic amusement was first practised under Stephen,
about the year II 40; but it was not usual until the reign of Coeur de Lion, when
it was celebrated, ^ith some magnificence, in the tilt-yard in St. James's. It was
said by Chiaoux, in the time of Charles VIII. ' If this contest be in earnest it is too
little; if in jest too much;' and his remark was recollected, with painful impres-
sions, some time afterwards, when Henry II. of France was killed in the tilt
exhibited at Chalons.

" If occasional mischief occurred in these practices, tliey contributed greatly to
polish the manners of the times, and to soften the rancour of national prejudices.
Tlie politic Edward proclaimed, in tlie year 1358, the most magnificent tournament
that was ever given the country. It was solemnized at Windsor, at the feast of
the Knights of the Garter, at that time usually distinguished as the Knicrhts of St.
George.

The benefits of Wyckham's industry were now experienced : a vast number of
nobility, native and foreign, were convened, and accommodated within the pre-
cincts of the Castle. The Duke of Brabant, and several soverci<m princes, assis-
ted at the ceremonies. Those knights who attended were required to be in a com-
plete military equipage, with arms on their shields and surcoats; and with capari-
sons on their horses, their esquires riding before, bearing their tiltincr spears, with
their pennons and their helmets adorned with wreaths of silk correspondinw with the

R 2

124 WiNDbOR CASTLE.

tinctures of their anns anrl of their liveries. The tournament being proclaimed, the
proper officer suspended two sliiclds upon a tree. Ue that offered to fight as a pedes-
trian (which was the more honorable way) made his public challenge by touching the
shield on the rigiit hand ; the cavaliers, on the contrary, touched that on the left.

" When a knight came near tl»e barriers, he blew a trumpet, on this signal the
heralds approached, and registered his name, armorials, and other proofs of his
nobility in their books ;^ whicli is deemed the origin of heraldry.

" The champions being admitted within the circle, exchanged those ceremonies
which the urbanity of chivalry had established, and paid tlieir respects to the sovereign,
the judges, and the ladies of the court. The alarm of the trumpet now proclaimed
the contest. The knights, if on horseback, couched their lances, and spurring their
indignant steeds ran fiercely at each other ; and the spear being directed at the armor
a terrible shock was given, the clangor of arms resounded, and the shivered weapons
glistened on t!ie ground. If neither party were injured, it was considered honorable
to continue the conflict to the third encounter ; but it was disgraceful if a knight were
dismounted, if he dropped his lance, disengaged any part of his armor, or injured
the beast of his adversary.

" The formalities of the introduction of a subject to the honor of a knight-com-
panion of the garter have frequently been repeated in our own day ; but the circum-
stances attending the degradation of a knight have not been shewn since the time of
the late Duke of Ormond, at the beginning of the reign of George I.

" The ancient practice Avas solemnly to snatch away the sword of the knight, and
to chop off his spurs (the chief ensigns of his honor) his coat of arms was then torn
from his body, and another was substituted, whereon it was reversed: every piece of
the armor of the recreant knight was then defaced by public violence.

" A knight is not now to be disgraced, unless, according to the second article of
the regulations of King Henry Vlll. he be found guilty of heresy, treason, or flight
in battle.

" The sovereign, on this awful occasion, acquaints the knights-companions with
the heinous crime. He commands Gaiter (principal king at arms) to attend some of
them in the presence of tlae convict knight, who first deprive him of his gorge and
ribbon, and then of his garter. The publication of his erin)es and degratlation is
now made, and a warrant is issued for taking down his achievements.

WINDSOR CASTLE. 125

" On the moniing of this duty, Garter, in his coat of arms (in the presence of
the black rod and of the officers of arms) reads the instrument for publishing the
knights degradation; when Garter pronounces these Avords, ' Ik expelled, and put
from among the arms!' a herald appointed for the purpose, takes the crest, the
banner, and the s won 1, and throws them into the choir. The achivements are then
hurled into the body of the church, first the sword, then the banner, and last of all
the crest. In this order they are spurned through the west door, from thence through
the castle gate, and they are then thrown into the fosse.

" It may enable the student in antiquities to examine the monuments in the chapel
of St. George with more advantage, if we point out the rules established for the
interment of knights when the order and laws of chivalry were strictly observed.

" Sovereign princes were represented on their tombs, in armor, with their
escutcheons, crowns, crests, su()porters, and all other marks of royalty. A victori-
ous knight had his sword raised, and naked, in liis right hand, his shield in the left,
and his helmet on his head. Those who died prisoners were without spurs, helmet,
or sword.

'* Those who died in battle, and were defeated, were represented without their
coat over their armor, their sword in the scabbard, the visor up, their hands joined
at the breast, and tiieir feet resting on a dead lion.

" The son of a governor, dying during the siege, was to be shewn in complete
armor, even in infancy, and his head was to repose on a helmet.

" A gentleman who had devoted the vigor of his life to military duty, and in old
age had retired to a monastic institution, appeared over his tomb w ith the upper part
of his effigy in the habit of the order he professed, but with the lower in complete
armor.

" A knight killed in single combat was honored with complete armor, but his left
arm was crossed u\kk\ liis right, and his battle-axe was not to be in his grasp; his
weapons were to be placed by him. On the contrary, the victor was represented
with his right arm crossed over the left, armed at all points and grasping his baltle-axe.

" But if any person had been accused of treason, murder, ra[)e, or as an incendiary,
instead of being honorably interred he was treated in the most contemptuous manner;
his arras were broken, his body was dragged on a hurdle, and cast out to be devoured
by the fowls of the air, or suspended on a gallows to beconje tlie permanent object
of national detestation."

126 WINDSOR CASTLE.

The appeal of high treason brought by the Duke of Hereford (Henry of Lancaster)
against Tliomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, ^\as heard by Richard II. on a
scaffold erected within the castle. It was found impossible to reconcile the parties,
and a time and place were accordingly appointed for settling the dispute by single
combat. The conduct on this occasion, of the grandson of Edward of Windsor so
forcibly portrays the eccentric imbecility of his character, that it merits particular
notice.

On the day named for combat, Hereford first appeared, gallantly caparisoned,
and mounted on a white charger. On tho mareschal demanding his name and
purpose, " I am Henry," he replied, " of Lancaster, Duke of Hereford, come hither
according to my duty, against Thomas Mow bray Duke of Norfolk, a false traitor to
God, the King, the realm, and me." Tiieii, taking the customary oath, he entered
the lists, where he sheathed his sword, pulled down his beaver, crossed himself on
the forehead, seized his lance, and sat down in a chair of green velvet, placed atone
end of the lists. Then the King entered the field, in great chivalric pomp, attended
by ten thousand men at arms. When his Majesty was seated, the Duke of Norfolk
appeared, mounted upon a barbed horse, with a coat of arms of crimson velvet
•embroidered with lions of silver and mulberry trees, and liaving taken his oath
exclaimed, " God defend the right !" The lances then were measured, and delivered
to the combatants. The Dukes took their stations, and the trumpets sounded a
charge. Lancaster commenced his career with great violence, but, before the anta-
gonists could join issue, the King threw down his warder, and the heralds interposed.
Richard tlicn forbade the combat, and banished the Duke of Hereford for ten years,
and the Duke of Norfolk for life. This unaccountable conduct produced the most
afflictive consequences. Norfolk retired to Venice, where he shortly died the victim
of chagrin and disgust. Hereford bore his fate with resignation, supported by the
hope, which he shortly realized, of returning to his native country possessed of ample
power to w reak vengeance on the head of the imbecile Richard.

The Earl of Salisbury, and the confederate nobles who took arms against Henry IV.
at the commencement of his reign, were, for a short time, in possession of the castle.

Windsor was tlie occasional residence of Queen Elizabeth, and appears to have
been a spot adapted to the regal amusements of her reign. A breakfast of beef and
ale must be allowed necessary to Uiis aniazon Princess and licr I\Iaids of Honor,
when their accustomed exercises are duly considered. Frequently the timorous hart

WINDSOR CASTLE. 127

was chased through the meanders of the Great Park, the Queen gallopping at the
head of the pursuers; and when the affrighted prey v. as driven to an extremity, and
the huntsmen interfered to rescue the spoil from the gaping mouths of the dofrs, her
Majesty as an especial mari< of favor and respect, was permitted to show her supre-
macy by. . . .cutting the hart's throat!

Whipping a blind bear was deemed a delicate and courtly pastime. The poor
animal was hoodwinked, and some six or seven men stood in a circle, armed with
long v\hi[)s, and lashed him till lie roared through rage and pain. His struggles, and
the writhing contortions produced by his suftVrings, iornjcd the sport, and must needs
have excited hearty laughter among the sovereign and her maidens.

Baiting the bull, and " the horse with the ape on liis back," were also thout^ht re-
laxations particularly agreeable.

The want of feminine tenderness evident in tliese pursuits must certainly be as-
cribed to the eftlscts of habit ; and it is but just to represent Elizabeth, as connected
with Windsor, often observable in an attitude far ditferent. Walking with measured
steps, her favorite book of prayer (which was bound in solid gold) appended to her
girdle by a golden chain, Elizabeth was frequently to be seen on the terrace of the
Castle, engaged in numerous projects for the advancement of the national interests.
Seldom has Windsor been honored with the attentions of a crowned head more capa-
ble, more patriotic, and more revered.

Charles I. was much attached to Windsor. This prince is well known to have
derived his chief pleasures from his domestic circle. How lamentable that this par-
tiality should have conduced to the melancholy termination of his dignities !* Charles
built the gate at the east end of the Terrace, the very gate beneath whose pediment
walked the guard that held him in captivity ! As the circumstances immediately pre-
ceding the coufiiieuieut of this prince in Windsor Castle have been in general only
slig!.tly narrated l)y his biographers, we venture on a further extract Irom the writer
wlio has already furnished us with an account of the tournaments held at twe Castle
by Edward HI.

* We nllude to the ascendancy obtained over the ill-fated Monarch by his Queen^ who was at once
weak, tyrannical, and obstiaate.

128 WINDSOll CASTLE.

" At the end of the year 1 647, Charles was a prisoner at Hampton Court. The
lovalty of Major Hunthigdon acquainted him with the danger of his situation, and,
in consequence, he Mas hourly in fear of heing a-ssassinated. I'liglit seemed the only
means of preservation, and he was determined to adopt it. The King, therefore, on
a night appointed affected to be indisposed, and withch-ew early to his chamber.
There was a private passage from the King's room into the garden ; he descended
the back stairs about one in the morning, and was received by Ashburnham and
Legg, with whom he proceeded to the garden gate, were Berkley attended w ith four
horses. They rode all night with great speed. The King's flight was discovered,
and the treading of horses was traced at the garden door. He had, however, got
the start of his enemies. When morning approached, he and his three attendants
found themselves advantageously concealed in the wilds of the neAv forest, Hamp-
shire.

" It had been agreed that a ship should be prepared on the coast to receive the
King, in which he should proceed to Jersey. Ashburnham was his confidant, and
betrayed his Royal Master. At day-break he was dispatched to the coast to bring
news where the ship lay at anchor, the King hiding himself, meanwhile, in the re-
cesses of the forest. The perfidious agent returned without any intelligence of the
ship. The King had undergone great corporeal fatigue ; the perturbation of his
mind on this disappointment added to the former must have nearly exhausted him ;
of this moment of imbecility Ashburnham seems to have taken advantage. Charles,
in consequence, committed his person into the hands of Hammond, Governor of the
Isle of Wight, a dependant on Cromwell, but a man of honor.

" Before the King would set foot on the Island he sent for the Governor. Ham-
mond was on horseback when the messenger came, and he was so astonished at the
indiscretion of the King that he grew pale, trembled, and could scarcely support
himself on the saddle. Ashburnham was employed on this occasion to demand of
the Governor to promise the King liberty on the Island. This honest officer would
not inveigle Charles by the sacrifice of his own integrity, but encountered the dan-
gerous duty his situation required. Before Charles resigned his fate into the iiands
of Hammond, the Governor committed his own fate to the mercy of Charles : he
proceeded, unattended by any of his suite, to the house where the King waited the
return of his messenger. On Colonel Hammond's arrival, Ashburnham acquainted

WINDSOR CASTLE. 129

his master with the circumstance, and that the Governor would not plight his faitlj
as was ex[)ected. ' O Jack, th(ni hast undone me!" instantly exciaimed Charles.
The tears of liypocrisy flowed abundantly down the cheek ol Ashburnham. ' Ham-
mond is noM' in your Majesty's power, said he, ' 1 will go down and kill him.'

" The humanity of the King revolted at this proposal. He, however, sent for
Hammond, to persuade him; but the Governor was inflexible. At length Charles,
respecting integrity even in the person of an enemy, committed himself into the
Coloners hands ; by whom he was conveyed to Carisbrook caslie, where he was re-
ceived with all demonstrations of respect. But the generous Governor (the husband
of Hampden's daughter) was no fit instrument for Cromwell's purpose ; on the 3rd
of December, therefore, Charles was removed to Hurst castle, contrary to the
wishes of the parliament.

" During this time the King kept up a correspondence with Lord Newburg, who
occupied the lodge of the royal park at Bagshot. The latter contrived to acquaint
his Majesty with the design to remove him to Windsor, and the lodge being in the
direct road it was proposed that he should take relreshment at Bagshot, and be there
provided with one of the swiftest horses in England to eft'ect his escape. Colonel
Harrison was soon after employed to guard the King from the coast to Windsor
Castle. His Majesty, according to Lord New burg's plan, complained that his
horse was very uneasy to him, and managed so well that the attending officer as-
sented to his dining with that nobleman. A fresli disappointment here awaited him ;
he was told the horse he so much depended on had received a violent contusion.
Charles no^v resigned himself to his fate, and was conveyed to Windsor; Hampton
palace being no longer considered a place of sufficient security. But this was not
all ; on his arrival, his faithful domestics were dismissed, the regal ceremonies were
ordered to be withdrawn, and, in the palace of his ancestors, he was treated with
the indignity of a captive in a public gaol. This scene of humiliation was introduc-
tory to the fatal catastrophe, and under these derogatory circun.stances, on January
19, 1648, he quitted the Castle."

A strange reverse of scene shortly took place at Windsor. ^V"hereve^ the second
Charles held his court, shouts of laughter, and all the tumult and licentiousness of
revelry, were sure to be found. Tliat silent monitor, die cell of anguish in which
liis royal father had remained an in&ulted captive, conveyed no lesson of moderation

130

WINDSOR CASTLE.

to the depraved bosom of Charles. Surrounded by a throng of nobles, quite as
careless and still more vicious than himself, tlie King in this his favorite residence,
resi,<nied his hours to indolent voluptuousness, quite indifferent as to the solid inte-
rests of the people while his ministers were able to raise means for the gratification of
his pampered desires. At Windsor Eleanor Gwynn had luxurious apartments; and
for her diversion the witty Monarch, no doubt, was wont to mimic tlie sage airs of
those few wise men who ventured to remonstrate on the imprudence of his conduct.
At Windsor Buckingham was the constant companion of his sovereign ; and here,
probably was made that detestable and unprecedented offer which shocked even the
lax notions of rectitude possessed by Charles. The Queen of this gay Monarch is
well known to have been neglected and despised by her regal consort. Though she
did not presume to interfere with his pleasures, tlie King was perpetually \vishing
her death, or removal from his neighborhood. Masquerading at that time was
common ; and, in the wild humour of the age, both King and Queen went about
the streets masked, and frequently entered houses in which their persons were en-
tirely unknown. This custom presented such opportunities for violence, that the
Duke of Buckingham proposed to seize the Queen, steal her away, and send her to
one of the plantations abroad! He professed himself ready to see that she was taken
proper care of, and so managed that she should never be heard of more. It would
then be easy to state that she " had deserted ;'" on the authority of which the King
might obtain a divorce. Charles rejected this proposal with horror, and said " it
would be a wicked thing to make a poor lady so miserable only because she zvas his
wife, and had no children by him, which were no faults of hers!"*

The principal occurrences in the life of Edward, the illustrious founder of Windsor
Castle, and patron prince of the noble order of St. George, are knoA\ n to every rea-
der. The architects concerned in the royal building and its dependencies demand
our biographical attention.

William de Wyckham was the son of John Perrot, and takes his accustomed
name from Wyckham in Hampshire, the place of his nativity. His father was in
confined circumstances, but of good reputation. The biographer of those great
characters who decorate the remote pages of histoiy too often encroaches on the pre-
cincts of tlie fabulist ; he embodies the dim vapours that surround the subject of his

* A detail of the King's conduct may be seen in Burnet's History of his own Times.

WINDSOR CASTLE. ' 131

task, and models a tale calculated to gratify the fancy rather than convey the proba-
ble truth. Various accounts are given, by different writers, of tlie education :ind
early progress of William do Wyckhaui. The only circumstances kno^m as lacts
are that he was placed by some liberal patron at a school at Winchester, and that he
was afterwards secretary to the constable of H'inchcster castle.

He is supposed to have been taken to court when about two or three and twenty
years of age. The first office which he appears upon record to have borne was that
of clerk of the King's Works in the manors of Henley and Yehamstead. Jii.s patent
is dated May 10, 1356. His subsequent appointuient to the superintendance of
Windsor Castle, his talents for the task, and the nouiinal remuneration he received,
we have already stated. Wyckham acquitted him^-elf with so much diligence and
ability in every fresh employment vvith which he was entrusted, tiiat he shortly be-
came tho favorite and confident of liis nyal master. In the reigns prior to
Henry VIII. (and through the greater part of that Sovereign's sway, also) ti.ere was but
one road to the heiglits of civil preferment : no man was judged capable of adminis-
tering to the temporal welfare of the people who was not qualified to w atch over their
eternal interests. Wyckham accordingly procured an ordination. It was at this
juncture, when his fortunes bade fair to rise to the pinnacle of a subject's ambition,
that some enemies of Wyckham endeavored to lower him in the esteem of the Kinc.
He had caused an inscription to be placed on the Castle to the following effect;
" THIS IMADE WYCKHAM." It appears surprising, at die present day, that
this action could possibly be represented as arrogant or disrespectml. Such, how-
ever, was the case ; and the King listened to the invidious insinuations of the w hisp-
crers. There is only one way of accounting for the danger to m hich M'yckham was
in this instance exposed. In itself the inscription contained neither more nor less
than it is usual for architects to assert, without the charge of presumption ; but, in
the reign of Edward, a sort of pasquinade was interchanged among all classes
through the medium of mottoes. Even that adopted by the King, in regard to the
Knights of the garter, is supposed to have meant much more than is conveyed by
the simple words. In this light it must have been that the inscription, or motto, of
the architect created jealousy and suspicion in Edwarti's bosom.

From a mind so liberal as the King's this ill-impre^^sion was soon effaced, and
William de Wyckham now ran hastily through a long list of preferments and dig-

s 2

132 WINDSOR CASTLE.

nities. His first step was an induction to the rectory of Pulham, in Norfolk. After
a variety of interaiediate stages, lie was raised, in 1 366, to the see of Winchester,
though not consecrated till the year afterwards, in consequence of some dispute be-
tween the King and the Pope. His advancement in the state kept pace with his pre-
ferment in the church. In 1359 he was constituted chief warden of the royal Castles
of Windsor, Leeds, Dover, and Hadlam; In 1363 warden and justiciary of the
King's forests on the southern side of the Trent, keeper of the privy seal in 136"4 ;
and, within two years after, secretary to the King. From the testiinony of Froissart
he was now in the highest possible favor at court. " At that time," says the histo-
rian, " reigned a priest called William de Wican : which William de Wican had in-
gratiated himself so far in the King of England's favor that by him all things were
done, and without him was nothing done.'"

In 1367 Wyckham was constituted chancellor of England, which post he enjoyed
till 1370-1.

It appears that the cares of the state did not prevent Wyckham's attention to the
interests of his diocese. He repaired the palaces and houses belonging to his see, at
great expense ; he made visitations of the whole diocese ; and was peculiarly diligent
in establishing discipline and reforming abuses. His zeal in this latter cause is evi-
dent from his conduct in regard to the hospital of St. Cross at Sparkeford, near
Winchester. This hospital, once of high notoriety, was founded by Henrj' de Blois,
Bishop of Winchester, and brother to King Stephen.

Ey that prelate it was nobly endowed, but the revenues, according to custom,
were, in time, embezzled by those to whom their disposal was intrusted. In the re-
dressing of this grievance Wyckham met with much opposition. The pious delin-
quents brought the affair before the Pope, and a dispute which lasted more than six
years was tlie result. Justice at length triumphed, and Wyckham reinstated the
hospital in all its privileges. At this period Wyckham formed the plan of an exten-
sive foundation of his own. He appears to have been much embarrassed as to choice
in this particular. He tells us, himself, " how he was obliged to declare m ith grief
that he could not any where find the ordinances or foundations of charities observed
according to their true designs and intention ; and this reflection affecting him greatly,
made him almost resolve to distribute his riches to the poor with his own hands.
HoAvever he finally determined to establish two colleges for students."

WINDSOR CASTLE. 133

While he was pursuing this liberal design, he was attacked by a party, the ma-
chinations of which threatened to frustrate all his intentions. The imbecility and
abstraction of Edward towards the latter part of his reign are known to have dimmed
the lustre of his former merits. Taking advantage of the Monarch's situation, the
Duke of Lancaster caused articles of impeachment to be produced against Wyckham
for divers alleged crimes during that prelate's administration of public affairs ; and
prevailed so far as to persuade the King to seize the temporalities of his see, and to
banish him the court. Wyckliam's popularity, however, «as so great, and the
Duke of Lancaster so generally disliked, that a tumult took place in favor of the
former, which was encouraged by tlie clergy, who considered themselves endangered
by the liberty taken with the Bishop's temporalities. In consequence, Wyckham
was restored to the privileges of his see, and \\as admitted to the King's presence a
few days previous to the death of the aged Monarch.

Through the unhappy reign of Richard IL Wyckham conducted himself with
eminent caution. Disengaged from his former attendance on pubhc affairs, he now
applied, with activity, to the great work of founding the two colleges for which he
had long been making preparations.

The college at Oxford first received his attention ; the King's patent for the build-
ing of which is dated June 30, 1 379- He published his charter of foundation the
26th of November following, by which he entitled his college " Seinte Marie Col-
lege, of Wynchestre in Oxenford."* The building was begun in March following
and finished in April 1380'. In 13S7, he began his edifice at Winchester, which he
intended as a nursery for the College at Oxford. The statutes of these societies were
so judiciously arranged, that when King Henry V'l. founded the two colleges of
Eton, and King's in Cambridge, he adopted Wyckham's statutes, without any mate-
rial alteration.

In 1382, WicklifT's doctrines gained many converts in the university of Oxford.
Several persons of the first distinction for learning began to defend them intlie schools
and to preach them publicly. The clergy were necessarily alarmed, and Courtney,
archbishop of Canterbury, summoned several assemblies of the bishop and clergy

* This building is well known to be now ternaed New College. When first ciectsd it was vulgarly
called " the New College," and the students soon aaopted the apn»'l!ation, m contempt of their foun-
der's wish.

134 WINDSOR CASTLE.

of the offending diocese. The bishop of Winchester assisted at each of these assem-
blies, and was, indeed, the second person of consequence present. No authentic
documents state the opinions of I)e Wyckham, but horn the following circumstance
we may hope that his cliaracter was not stained by an extremity ot intoleiant bigotry :
the chancellor made his submission to the archbishop, and begged pardon with much
apparent sincerity for his offence ; Courtney rejected his petition; when the bishop
of Winchester strenuously interceded for liim, and with much difficulty procured
his peace.

This illustrious churchman and architect died Sept. 27, 1404, and was buried in
his own oratory in the cathedral church of Winchester.

The talents of William de Wyckham appear to have been so various, and his
disposition so patriotic and liberal, that he must certainly be accounted one of the
bri'Thtest ornaments of the age in which he lived. As an architect he may be safely
pronounced to have done as much as could be expected from the taste of the period
in which he exercised his art. His upright activity and seeming mildness as a church-
man are entitled to unmixed praise. It lias been asserted that he was not free from
failings, but he assuredly possessed virtues that overbalanced them in a high degree.
He has been declared absolutely unlettered by one party, while another has studied
to depicture him as a man of classical erudition. The former build their opinion
chiefly on the speech attributed to him : " If I am not learned myself, I will, at
least, be the patron and protector of learning." 'I'he latter contend for the proba-
bility of his scholastic attiiinments on account of words to this effect in the Pope's
bull for consecrating him bishop of Winchester : " William de Wyckham being re-
commended, on the testimony of many persons worthy of credit, for his kmxctedge
of letters, probity of life and manners, and his prudence and circumspection," &c.

Both parties appear to have argued with the zeal of controversy rather than the
candor of investigation. From the nature of Wyckham's state employments he cer-
tainly must have possessed no contemptible share of lettered intelligence ; but from
the character of his education, and the tenor of his subsequent pursuits, it is unlikely
tliat he should be deeply versed in the erudition of the schools. The testimony of
a Pope's bull, when the person to be consecrated was especially recommended by a
potent sovereign, is of no very great account.

Sir Reginald Bray was one of the architects engaged in the construction of St.
George's chapel. Sir Reginald was many years in the service of Margaret Countess

WINDSOR CASTLE. # 135

of Richmond and Derby. He appears to have been an active friend to the house of
Lancaster. He was liighly instrumental in advancing Henry VH. to the throne,
and was employed in the negociation which terminated in the union of that prince
with Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV.

In the middle of the south aisle, of St. George's is a chapel founded by Sir
Reginald, who lies there interred. He died in 1502, (six years before the comple-
tion of the roof of St. George's chapel.) It appears to have been his intention that
a tomb should be erected to his memory, but his executors probably thought that the
beautiful choir, which is believed to have been designed by him and to have been
principally if not wholly executed at his expense, would be his noblest monument.

On preparing a vault for Dr. Waterland, a leaden coffin of an ancient form was
discovered, which was supposed to be that of Sir Reginald Bray. The grave was
immediately arched over, by order of the dean. Sir Reginald's crest occurs several
times in the roof of St. George's chapel.

Dr. Christopher Urswick, dean of Windsor, was Sir Reginald's coadjutor in the
superintendance of the works at St. George's chapel. Urswick also was a warm
partizan of the house of Lancaster, and was employed by Henry VII. in many foreign
embassies of moment and delicacy, in all of which he acquitted himself with great
credit. He was possessed of so much moderation that he refused many ecclesiastical
honors offered him by Henry, and, in 1505, resigned his deanery at Windsor and
retired to the quiet duties of his parsonage at Hackney. In this contented seclusion
he died, in the year 1521. At the west end of the north aisle in St. George's chapel
is a building called Urswick's, or the Bread Chapel. On the stone skreen of St.
George's is, likewise, an ancient Latin inscription imploring the reader's intercession
with Heaven for the dean's eternal welfare, together with that of his sovereign master,
Henry VII. Dr. Urswick was buried at Hackney.

THE

SERAGLIO

CONSTANTINOPLE.

KJ NDER the influence of a strange misapprehension, Europeans deem the
Seraglio merely a place of confinement for the tributary females of the Turkish
Emperor. On the contrary, the Seraglio of Constantino[)le is the seat of imperial
business as well as pleasure. It is here that the officers of state wait on the nod of
their despotic master ; and here the ambassadors from foreign nations are permitted,
notwithstanding their presumed degradation as Christians, to approach the footstool
of the mighty chieftain of the Mussulmans.

The city of Constantinople, founded by the first Christian Emperor, possesses
almost unrivalled advantages of situation. " The province of Romania," says a
writer on Turkish history, " at the western extremity of Europe, terminates in a
triangular form ; the southern limb is washed by the sea of Marmara, and the straits
of the Thracian Bosphorus, through which the Euxine flows with a rapid course
towards the Mediterranean. On the shores of this strait, at the distance of four
miles from the expansive Maters of the ancient Propontis, is situated Constantinople,
near the spot where Darius connected the two continents by a bridge of boats, and
engraved in Greek and Assyrian letters, on two marble columns, the long catalogue
of the nations of the subject world. Xerxes placed a similar chain of communication

SERAGLIO. 137

over the neighbouring straits of the Hellespont, when he depopulated Asia to pour
his myriads into the contracted provinces of ancient Greece. Within sight of the
battlements of Constantinople rises the awful summit of Olympus, covered with
eternal snows ; and, on the opposite shore, the Asiatic suburb of Scutari, where stood
the Chalcedon of the Greeks, whose mistake in the choice of the site of their colony
has so often amused the solitary moments of the classic student. If ancient Ilium,
and the camp of Greece, beneath the Rhoetean promontory, be not within the view
of the spectator, from the pinnacles of the capital to rouse the warring passions, the
magnificent ruins of Nicodemia may be discerned from the adjacent heights to diffuse
the pacific spirit, in the contemplation of the envied retirement of the virtuous
Dioclcsian.

The first view of this great city " is particularly striking. The eastern, like the
western seat of the Roman empire, comprehends seven hills. This elevated position
displays the beauties of Constantinople with the greatest possible effect. " The
entrance of the Bosphorus," says Mr. Olivier, " the harbor, and suburbs of Gatata,
Pera, and St. Dimitri, Scutari, and the verdant hills which lie behind ; the Propontis
with its islands ; farther on, IMount Olympus covered with snow ; every where the
variegated and fertile fields of Asia and Europe; all this assemblage exhibits different
pictures which captivate and astonish. One cannot tire in admiring the natural
beauty of the environs of Constantinople, and in reflecting, at the same time, on the
happy situation of that great city, whose supply of provisions is so expeditiously
obtained, whose defence is so easy, and whose harbor is so safe, so commodious, and
so extensive."

Lady Craven (^Margravine of Anspach) pays likewise a warm tribute to the ex-
terior charms of the capital of the Ottoman* empire. Her ladyship thus writes in
one of her epistles from Constantinople : " I am certain no landscape can amuse or
please in comparison with the varied view which the borders of this famed strait"
(that of Bosphorus) " compose ; rocks, verdure, ancient castles built on the summit
of hills by the Genoese; modern kioskSj-f minarets, and trees rising promiscuous in
the valleys ; large meadows ; multitudes of people, and boats, swarming on the shore

* The word Ottoman is derived from Othman, a victorious Turkish Prince, who made a consider-
able progress in Asia Minor, and assumed the title of Emperor of the Othmans.
t Kioik means a summer-house with blinds all round.

J38 SERAGLIO.

ail

tl on the water ; and what was pai ticiilar, nothing to be seen like a formal riench
trarden. The Turks liave so jjreat a respect for natinal beauties that if ihev must
build a house where a tree stands, they leave a large hole for the tree to pass through
and increase in size, esteeming the branches of it the most desirable ornament for the
top of the house. In truth, contrast a cliimney to a beautiful foliage, and judge it
they are ri^ht or wrong? The coast is so safe that a large Heet of Turkish vessels is
to be seen in every creek, masts of which are intermingled with the trees, and a
ffraccful confusion and variety make this living picture the most poignant scene 1 ever

beheld."

Notwithstanding its enviable situation as the emporium of commerce witli three
continents of the world, Constantinople is not equal, either in extent or population,
to the cities of London or Paris. Tlie scat of the Ottoman government is nearly
surrounded by high walls, which are turreted, and flanked by large square towers.
For these embattled ramparts Constantinople is indebted to the younger Theodosius,
who found it necessary to bestow on the capital permanent means of defence against
the perpetual hostility of the " barbarians." Many oi' the square towers which
serve for gate-ways are mouldering to dust under the bigoted negligence of the modern
Turks. A prey to the enervating doctrines of fatalism, these people sit contentedly
down expecting with frigid indifterence, the accomplishment of an ancient prophecy,
which designates the very tower through which the head of the Russian empire is
destined to make a triumphal entry, as Emperor of Greece.

The population of Constantinople may be laid at about five hundred thousand.
The streets are so narrow that it is w ith difficulty a carriage passes through thein ; but
this appears of the less consequence as visits of ceremony are generally paid on
horseback.* The houses are of wood, to which circumstance may, in a great measure,
be attributed the fires which frequently occur in the city. The mosques are numerous
and splendid. As the greater part of the Seraglio is inaccessible to foreigners, and an
idea of its internal arrangement can only be formed from a comparative examination
ofthefeneral character of Turkish buildings, it appears our duty to render the
reader, in this place, entirely familiar with the organization of such of the more

* So grnerally is the idea of dignity associated with tiie riding on horseback, that lady Crnven says,
" she saw a Turk who landed from a boat, and had a fine grey horse led by four men, that went a long
way round, which he naounted gravely, to get off in a few moments."

SERAGLIO.

139

costly erections in the imperial city as have been deliberately inspected by European
travellers. This will be found the more satisfactory in regard to probable conjectures
cencerning the Seraglio, as a uniformity of architectural style prevails through the
whole of the Ottoman empire.

The reader of the moie correct travels in Turkey written a hundred years back,
would find, on visiting the country, that the lapse of a centui-y is not perceptible
between the descriptions of the past date and the actual appearance of the country at
the present period.

Under so despotic a government as that of the Porte, it is evident that no stability
of property can be expected. To this cause, possibly,,may be assigned the circum-
stance of the most magnificent structures in Turkey generally consisting of fragile
materials. It assuredly appears unlikely that the man would construct his house of
marble, who could form no rational hope of his heir possessing property to preserve
the building from decay and dilapidation.*

" Every house,t great and small, is divided into two distinct parts, which only
join together by a narrow passage. The first house has a large court before it, and
open galleries all round. This gallery leads to the chambers, which are commonly
large, and with two rows of windows, the first being of painted glass. They seldom
build above two stories, each of which has galleries. The stairs are broad, and do not
often consist of more than thirty steps. This is the house belonging to the Lord;
the adjoining one is called the Harem or ladies' apartment. The latter has also a
gallery runing round it, towards the garden, to which all the windows are turned,
and the same number of chambers as the other, but more gay and splendid both in
painting and furniture. The second row of windows is very low, with grates like
those of convents. The rooms are all spread with Persian carpets, and raised at
one end about two feet. This is the sofa, which is laid with a richer sort of carpet,
and all round it is a sort of couch, raised half a foot, covered with rich silk according
to the fancy or magnificence of the owner. Round the sofa are placed, standing
against the wall, two rows of cushions, the first very large, the next smaller ; and
here the Turks display their greatest magnificence. The cushions arc generally
brocade, or embroidery of gold wire upon white satin. The rooms are low, and the

* Every house at the death of its master is at the disposal of the Grand Signior.
t Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.

T 2

140 SERAGLIO.

ceiling is always of M'ood, generally inlaid, or painted vith flowers. They open in

many places with folding doors. Between tlie windows are little arches to set the pots

of perfume, or baskets of flowers. IViarhle fountains are placed in the lower part

of the room, which throw up several spouts of water. Each house has a bagnio,

which consists generally of tvvo or tiiree little rooms, leaded on the top, paved w ith

marble and provided with basins, cocks of watei- and all convcniencies lor either hot or

cold baths. The womens' apartments have no other prospects than the gardens,

which are enclosed with very high walls. There are no European parterres in them;

but they are planted with high trees, which give an agreeable shade and a pleasing

vicM'. In the midst of the giirden is the chiosk, a large room commonly beautified

with a fine fountain in the midst of it. It is raised nine or ten steps, and enclosed

with gilded lattices, round which vines, jessamines, and honeysuckles make a sort

of green wall. Large trees are planted round this place, which is the scene of their

greatest pleasures, and where the ladies spend most of their hours, employed by their

music or embroidery."

Describing the deserted palace of a Grand Vizier, Lady Montagu says, " the
extent is prodigious : the guardian assured me there were eight hundred rooms. I
will not, however, answer for that number, since I did not count them; but it is
certain the number is vei-y large, and the whole adorned with a profuson of marble
gilding, and the most exquisite painting of fruit and flowers. The windows are all
sashed with the finest crystalline glass, brought from England. No part of the palace
pleased me belter than the apartments designed for the bagnios. There are two,
built exactly in the same manner, answering to one another ; the baths, fountains, and
pavements are all of w hite marble, the roofs gilt, and the walls covered w ith Japan
china. Adjoining to them are two rooms ; in the four corneis of the uppermost are
fells of water from the very roof, from shell to shell of white marble, to the lower
end of the room, where the water falls into a large basin surrounded w ith pipes that
throw it up as high as the roof. The walls are in the nature of lattices, and on the
outside of them there are vines and woodbines planted, which form a sort of green
tapestry, and give an agreeable obscurity to those delightful chanjbers. It is harder
to describe a Turkish palace than any other, it being huilt entirely irregular. '\ liere
is nothing that can be properly called front or wings. Tiie chamber destinctl for the
Sultan when he visits his daughter (to whom the Vizier expected to be marrried, when

SERAGLIO. • 141

he erected the palace) is wainscotted with mother of pearl, fastened with emeralds
like nails. There are others of mother of pearl and olive wood inlaid, and several
of Japan china. The galleries, which are numerous and very lar^e, are adorned
with jars of Hovvers, and porcelain dishes of fruits, of all sorts, so well done in
piaster, and colored in so lively a manner, that it has an enchanting effect. The
garden is suited to the house ; arl)ors, fountains, and walks are thrown together in
an agreeable confusion. There is no ornament wanting, except that ot statues."

In regard to mosques, the arcl\itects of Turkey have a more desirable oppuitunity
of exhibiting their talents. These reii ^ious edifices are uniformly composed of free-
stone, and the folio« ing accounts may serve as specimens of their construction.
" The dome of St. Sopiiia is said to be one hundred and tliirteen feet diameter, built
upon arches sustained by vast pillars of marble: the pavement and staircase are like-
wise of marble. There are two rows of galleries supjiorted with pillars of party-
colored marble, and the whole roof is of mosiac work."

" The mosque of the Sultan Solyinan is an exact square, with four fine towers in
the angles ; in the midst is a noble cupola, supported with beautiful marble pillars ;
the pavement and gallery round the mosque are of marble ; under the great cupola
is a fountain adorned with such fine coloured pillars that the spectator can scarcely
believe them natural marble. On one side is the pulpit of w hite marble, and on the
other the little gallery for the Grand Signior. A fine staircase leads to the latter, and
it is ornamented with gilded lattices. At the upper end is a sort of altar, where the
name of God is written, and before it stand two candlesticks, the height of the human
figure, bearing wax candles. 1 he pavement is spread with fine carpets, and the
mosque illuminated with a vast number of lamps. The court leading to this mosque
is very spacious, with galleries of marble, covered w ith twenty-eight leaded cupolas
on two sides, and a fountain of basins in the midst of it."

Having preutised thus much' concerning the general character of sacred and do-
mestic b lihlings in Turkey, we proceed to an account of the Seraglio, and of those
parts ot the Emperor's splendid establishment wiiich are not totally secluded from the
researches of Christian curiosity.

The Seraglio,* as may be perceived by the plate attached to this article, is situated

* The term Seraglio is derived from the Turkish word serai, which originally signified a house, and
afterwards a palace, when permanent dwellings became more common.

142 w SRRAGLIO.

on a point of land running into the sea. Tliis point constitutes the eastern promon-
tory of the cit}', and was formerly called Cln-ysoceras. The palace and gardens are
supposed to cover about one hundred and fifty English acres. From what has been
already said, little exterior regularity of design is to be expected. The architects of
Turkey would seem, in general, to study an exclusion of all outward appearance of
grandeur. Shrinking from tlie notice of despotism, the nobles sedulously construct
their palaces devoid of ostentatious architectural magnificence. Their jealous
apprehensions of female levity also assist in imparting a gloomy air to the chief
front of their buildinss.

The frequent windows necessary to a lightness of architecturfil effect might afford
opjwrtunitics of temptation to secluded females with hearts alive to gaiety, and passions
eager through restraint. From these conjoined causes has arisen the custom of
placing the most attractive features of the edifice towards the inner gardens. So pre-
valent has Ions been this mode amon^ the nobles of the Ottoman court, that the
architects employed in the designing of the Seraglio adopted the discouraging practice,
though it must have been, in part, unnecessary in regard to the potent monarch for
whom they were constructing a residence.

The Seraglio has been erected at different times, and consists of various domes and
pavilions scattered through the extensive gardens with little attention to symmetry or
order. It has been said to contain " six large courts, all built round, and set with
trees, having galleries of stone ; one of these for the guard, another for the slaves,
another for the officers of the kitchen, another for the stables, the fift:h for the divan,
and the sixth for the apartment destined for the audiences." On the ladies' side,
the same account describes at least as many more divisions, with distinct courts
belonging to the eunuchs and attendants, the officers of the kitchens, &c. But a
distant view (the only prospect attainable) does not warrant our supposing that the
palace has received the ad\ antage of so systematic an arrangement. The various
edifices are surmounted by pinnacles covered Avith gilded lead, and on the imperial
mosques the Emperors have lavished their wealth, at the suggestion of piety or for
the gi-atification of pride. The principal enti'ance to the palace is of the most costly
marble, and from its magnificence the government has obtained the appellation of
the sublime Porte.

In all probability the numerous buildings of the Seraglio are rather gaudy tlian
beautiful ; yet their irregularity is not to be imputed to want of skill in the Turkish

SERAGLIO. 143

architects, who have evinced considerable native talent in the construction of pul)lic
buildings, where oppression did not interfere with the disposal of property. The
different princes to whom the Seraglio is indebt.d for its splendor liad little inclina-
tion to erect a pennanciit monument of national art. Immediate gratification was
the only object studied ; so the cupola glittered with leaf gold and the pavilion was
adapted to the use of the moment, the Caliph was indifferent to the violation of
every rule in architecture and the utter destruction of all harmony of effect. Much
correctness of judgment, indeed, should not be expected from that government
which uses the Athenian temple of Minerva as a magazine for powder, and has
suffered the chief pillars of the temple of Theseus to be destroyed for the purpose of
making lime.

The laflies' part of the Seraglio occupies a very considerable space. This division
of the building is teimedthe Harem,* and for the security of the fair captives there
immolated, a strong wall is erected round the Seraglio. To diminish the horror with
which the view of such an oppressive barrier must necessarily strike the hopeless
inmates of the Harem, cypresses, pines, and plane-trees are planted, wliich surmount
the chill boundary of the imperial prison, and cheat the mind into some resemblance
of repose and confidence.

The secrecy with which every thing is conducted within the walls of the Ottoman
palace; the awful distance! that every person unconnected with tiie establishment is
obliged to preserve ; the known riches of the despotic Caliph, and boundless treasure
of female loveliness subject to his capricious sway; these unite with various other
inducements to stimulate, to the extreme, curiosity respecting the probable interior
of the varied building.

Debarred as we are, in common with other inquirers, from credible intelligence
on the subject, it is by analogy alone that wc can presume to state rational conjec-
tures as to the recesses of the Harem. Considering, however, the uniformity of

* The word Harem signifies literally the forbidden. In Turkey the womens' apartment is invariably
so termed. This apartment every man, except the master of the house, is solemnly interdicted trom
enter! ng.

f- To penetrate the Harem is death. Amhassadors from the most formidable powers are admitted
no farther than the audience chamber J and females once imprisoned within the imperial turrets are
seldom suffered to return to general society, even at the decease of the tyrant to wfiose wishes they
were subservient.

144 SERAGLIO.

manners that exists throughout the Ottoman empire, analogy may periiaps bear us
out in our suppositions more satisfactorily than at first is apprehended. The manners
of the Turks, in regard to their connexions with the sex, emanate, as is known, from
the legislative opinions contained in the Koran. Though the Sultan evidently assumes
some privileges unknown to his subjects, the same religious laws compel, in most in-
stances, the adoption of similar customs by botli. The number of females retained
for the ostentatious splendor of the sovereign, appears the chief particular in which
his household differs from that of the great officers of state. Thus, since we are en-
abled to describe the exact manner prevalent in the Harems of the most distinguished
subjects, the reader may safely, by enlarging the system, and adding some peculi-
arities to be stated hereafter, form an idea of the probable ajipcarance of the in-
violable parts of the Monarch's residence.

Of the different servile officers dependent on the person of the Emperor, wc have
the power of giving a more correct and circumstantial account.

The chief of the black eunuchs* is called Kislar-aga, and one of the most distin-
guished persons in the kingdom. His two chief duties appear somewhat incongruous
in their nature : He is the immediate ambassador Ijetween the Sultan anil tlie concu-
bine whom he may please to favor with his approbation, and .... he has the siiper-
intendance of all the imperial mosques ! a union of such important offices must needs
render a man of great account in the empire. The K islar-agaf consequently, ranks
before the chief of the white eunuchs, and enjoys (as may be supposed from such a
combination of opportunities) a very considerable income.

The second eunuch of the Seraglio is termed tiie Kliatua-vckili. He replaces the
KisUir-aga in case of dismission or death. This officer has the general administra-
tion of the interior imperial treasure, which is distinct fi-om the private treasure of

* A late writer observes, " that the word eunuch does not necessarily imply the privation we usually
understand by that term. Eunuchs in sacred writ are described as having wives. They have not been
all deficient in understanding: Hernias, who was of this description, was highly respected by Aristotle.
Eunuchs are remarked to be eminent for their fidelity. Herodotus, in his eighth book, notices their
pre-eminence in this virtue, and a few distinguished instances occur in ancient history, of their valor
and skill in military tactics. The great stand made at Gaza against Alexander of Macedon, was
under the command of a general who was an eunuch in the court of Darius, — and in the latter agei
of the Roman state the eunuch Nurses was a general officer of her formidable legions."

t The dress of the Kislar-aga is composed of a deep yellow cloth, lined wtth sables.

SERAGLIO. • 145

the Grand Signior administered by the Kfiastiadar-aga, a confident page. There
are some other eunuchs of power and dignity. Of these one belongs to the Queen-
mother, a second is entrusted v ith the care of the princes, and a third has the super-
intendence of the apartment of the Hasselcee.

The white eunuchs are not permitted to approach the women. They have the
charge of the gates of the SeragHo, and superintend and instruct the pages. Their
chief is called Capou-agassi.

In the chief street of the Peru* is built a considerable palace, in which a number
of boys destined to be pages to the Sultan are maintained at the expense of the state.
These are termed Ichoglans, and preceptors attend them daily, for the purpose of
teaching Turkish, Arabic, and Persian; the art of writing, and a due familiarity Avith
the precepts of the Koran. A great number of these boys are likewise brought up in
the interior of the Seraglio, Avhere their education is committed to the care of the
white eunuchs. They are clothed in white, and fed with cautious temperance.
They are generally the sons of Christians taken in war or purchased in Georgia and
Circassia. When the Christian captives are not sufficiently numerous, the sons of
Mussulmans are admitted to this order of slaves.

The less promising of the youthful captives are condemned to the meaner employ-
ments of the Seraglio. They become porters, cooks, wood-cutters, or water-carriers.
The sons of Mussulmans are seldom consigned to these menial departments.

The gardeners (bostanquees) of the Seraglio amount to the number of ten thousand.
Their chief is called Bostanquee-baclii, and is possessed of extensive authority. He
has an absolute command over all the palaces and gardens of the Grand Signior,
and is at the head of the police of the environs of the capital. It is his office to
steer the caique of the Grand Signior when he goes on the water, and to attend him
on horseback when he makes a journey of state.

The bostanquees are generally sons of ^Mussulmans, and are almost all married.
They row the caiques of the Sultan, they superintend his gardens and palaces, and
form a sort of police for the regulating of the neighbourhood.

It is a rule in oriental manners that no conference, however secret, shall be main-
tained without the presence of slaves or servants. To obviate tlie inconvenience

* The suburbs of Constantinople are so entitled.
U

146 ' " SERAGLIO.

arising from tliis practice, the Turks are in the habit of being waited on by the deaf
and dumb, when engaged in any meeting that demands privacy. The Sultan usually
possesses forty deaf and dumb persons, who attend him in conjunction with his
pages.

It has been improperly supposed that these mutes are the instruments of the
Grand Signior's vengeance, when he consigns any luckless offender to the bowl or
bow-string. This wretched duty is the province of the capidgis-bachis, a sort of
chamberlains, whose office is esteemed honorable only because it is lucrative. Their
chief is styled mir-alem. These officers are sometimes elevated to the dignity of
Pacha with two tails, and are named to the government of a province.

Tlie capidgis, or porters, are considerable in point of number, and keep watcli at
the outer gates of the palace.

Dwarfs* are likewise appendages to the dignity of the Grand Siguier. When
these forlorn victims of nature's distempered moments are likewise deaf and dumb
they are deemed invaluable. The jealousy of the Sultan forbids even these degraded
puppets an entrance to the Harem. Nor does his precaution appear (juitc prepos-
terous when we recollect that a Roman Empress was seriously attached to one of
these pigmy inmates of her palace.

The number of females maintained in the Harem of the Grand Signioris very con-
siderable. The Emperor Achmet is said to have been contented with three hundred;
but one Monarch is described as possessing two thousand, and another retained
sixteen hundred.

The laws of the Koran are well known to allow four legitimate wives, j" They
also authorize a Mussulman taking as many concubines as his property will enable
him to maintain. The Grand Signior is too far elevated above the bulk of mankind

'a'-

* Though it is certainly an aggravation of calamity, dwarfs, it may be remembered, are not always
proportionally diminutive in intellect or spirit. Jeffrey Hudson, of baby-stature, challenged the cava-
lier who ventured a jest on his appearance. The duel was fought on horseback, and the dwarf shot his
opponent dead at the first fire. Count Borulawski, the favorite of the late sovereign of Poland, was
remarkable for mental elegance and accomplishments. He was only thirty-eight inches high.

+ The manners of most countries assimilate more nearly than we at first apprehend. Though Ma-
homet politically granted this indulgence to his followers, it is a privilege that virtually operates in but
small degree on the order of social life. Almost every woman on her nuptials requires an obligatory

SERAGLIO. 147

to submit to the shackles of matrimony in common with his subjects. The head of
the Ottoman empire possesses infinitely too much grandeur to need those tender de-
licacies which spring from such a union of the sexes as restrains alike the mind and
person in a silken bondage. It appears surprising that no caliph has been found
with sufficiency of soul to feel that it was impossible to love (in the genuine sense of
the term) the woman who did not share his rank, his hopes and his fears; and endued
with a sufficient courage to insist on his wish becoming the law of the empire.

Among all the bands of beautiful slaves which crowd the Harem of the Seraglio,
seven only " after having enjoyed more or less the favor of the Sultan are raised to
a rank above the others ; they become his favorites; it is they who participate most
commonly in his pleasures, and Avho, sometimes, acquire no small degree of influence
over foreign affairs." These elect beauties are distinguished by the name oi kadtun.
" The slave who becomes the mother of a boy is called hassekee ; she has a house
and slaves, she obtains a distinguished rank, she is treated with the greatest respect,
she enjoys a sort of liberty in the interior of the Harem ; in a word, she approaches
the Sultan as often as she wishes-. But if her son happen to die she returns among
the kadeuns, if she be not sent to the old Seraglio.

The other slaves are called odalisks, from the word oda, which signifies chamber.
If one of them be pregnant she is treated with a great deal of attention ; the eunuchs
serve her with the greatest respect when the Sultan has as yet no male children ; she
finds herself on the contrary, in a very critical situation when he has any by a slave
in favor. She is fortunate, then, if she escape by miscarrying, or seeing the being
that she has just brought into the world smothered at its birth. For one of these
odalisks to become kadeun, an honor extremely in request and ardently wished for by

promise from the husband which prevents his marrying another during her life, or as long as she shall
not have been separated by a divorce. Lady Montagu says (and succeeding writers corroborate the
validity of her assertion) that there is scarcely an instance to be met of a man taking advantage of the
liberty granted by the Koran, or of a woman who would permit it. Should a man prove inconstant,
he keeps his mistress in a separate house, and visits her with as much caution as would a European
under similar circumstances. " Amongst all the great men here," writes her ladyship from Constan-
tinople, " I only know tlie lefterdar (treasurer) who openly keeps she-slaves for his own use, and he
is spoken of as a libertine, or what we should call a rake, and his wife will not see him, though she
continues to live in his house.

u 2

148 SERAGLIO.

all, it is necessary that tlie Grand Signior should send one of the seven favorites to
the old Seraglio, the place of exile for his women who have misbehaved or have had
the misfortune to displease.

To the old Seraglio* are, likewise generally sent, all the wives of the Sultan who
has just died or been deposed ; they are there fed and maintained with some luxury,
and served with much attention, but they can no longer go out of this place of retire-
ment. There is only the mother of the new Sultan, called VuHdcti-SuUiuui, who has
her liberty, a palace, and revenues. The new Harem is soon replenished, because
traders come from all quarters to offer young slaves, and the Pachas and the great
are eager to present beauties capable of fixing the attention of the sovereign ; they
hope by that means to obtain instantly his good graces, and place about his person
women who may one day be useful to them.

Travellers have improperly called Sultanas the wives of the Grand Signior; this
name is given in Turkey only to the princesses of the blood, daughters of a Sultan ; or
as we have said before, to the mother of him who occupies the throne. The daugh-
ters of the Sultanas no longer bear any other name but that of Kaiioiai-Sultana.

The Harem is chiefly supplied with Georgian, Circassian, and Ethiopian slaves.
The most intelligent travellers describe these as possessing European features. In
general they are fair with dark hair, but the hair of some is of a flaxen or light brown
color. They commonly acquire, through indolence and luxurious habits, an embon-
point agreeable to the Turks but not constant to the true syunnetry of beauty. The
inhabitiuits of Turkey usually prefer fair women with dark hair, and those with light
brown to the flaxen. Their attachment to the embonpoint is so great, that a slender
Grecian form, with taper clastic limbs, would be regarded with perfect indifference.
It need scarce be added that, with the great mass of the Turkish nation, the com-
plexion of the female mind is entirely out of the question.'!"

Slaves are openly exposed for sale in the markets of Constantinople. There are to
be seen such as are stolen from Georgia and Circassia, such as are purchased in those

* Eski Sera'i : the building was constructed by Mahomet II.

t The common opinion that the Koran maintains women not to possess souls is a mistake. Mahomet
contended that the souls of women were not of so elevated a kind as those of men^ and therefore must
not hope to be admitted into the same Paradise. But he specifies a certain district of the celestial
legions calculated for souls of an inferior order, in which all good women might hope to find a places

SERAGLIO. 149

countries, and .... such as are voluntarily offered in exchange for gold by their
wretched parents. Thus, not only parental feelings but religious prejudices are over-
come by that potent talisman which " plucks the pillow from under good men's heads."
The persons who thus devote their offspring are conscious that they will be brought
up under a different form of religion: but this is of little moment: M. Olivier in-
forms us " that the Christian priests of the country endure and permit this infamous
traffic, for a few prayers and .j-owe «///»• ; so true it is according to them, that there
is a way of accommodating matters with heaven.''

The price of the.se slaves, accordingto the writer just quoted, " varies like that of
all other merchandize, and is regulated according to their number, and that of their
purchasers. They commonly cost from 500 to 1000 piasters. But a female slave
of a rare beauty amounts to an excessive price, without there being a necessity for
exposing her to sale,* because most of the rich men are always ready to make pe-
cuniary sacritices to obtain such, in order to present them to their protectors."'

The arrangement of a slave market is thus described by j\I. Olivier. " No one is
suffered to enter the basar where w omen are exposed to sale, but Mussulmans, who
present themselves to purchase them. Europeans cannot be introduced there with-
out a firman of the Sultan, which is granted only to the ambassadors and agents of
foreign powers when they are on the eve of quitting the Ottoman empire. With
pleasure we availed ourselves of the firman obtained by the French agent, and en-
tered the market for slaves. But av liether the traders, apprized of our arrival, had
made them retire, or whether this was not the season when they are most numerous,
we found few slaves in the basar, and among those that we saw the greater part were
veiled, and shut up in their rooms, so that we could not see them but for a moment
through a window which was by the side of the door.,

* Lady Montagu says, " those lliat are exposed to sale at the markets are always either guilty of
some crime, or so entirely worthless that they are of no use at all."

The state of slavery among the Turks and Persians is very different from that established among the
Christians, in their colonies. Slaves in Turkey and Persia are commonly purchased very young, and
treated with the same kindness as the sons and daughters of the family. The period of servitude is fixed>
and at its expiration the master gives the slave his liberty, and marries him. No distinction of birttv
prevails, and the emancipated slave often rises to much consequence in the nation.

The utmost extent of slavery is fixed by Mahomet at nine years.

150 SERAGLIO.

We stopped to contemplate three of them who struck us by their beauty, and the
tears wliich they shed. They were tall, well-made, and scarcely fifteen years of
age. One of them, with her head and left arm resting against the wall, vented sobs
which wrung us to the heart. Nothing could divert her from her profound grief ;
her companions, leaning the one against the other, were holding each other by the
hand while we surveyed them. They cast on us looks which doubtless expressed
their regret at having lost their liberty, at being torn from the arms of a too-cruel
father and mother ; at having been 'sepaiated, perliaps, from those with whom love
and hymen were to unite their fate.

The traders, imbued with ridiculous prejudices, fear the mischievous looks of
Christians and l.'Airupcans. A woman cannot be seen by them without being depre-
ciated, without running tlie risk of being aftccted by their malignant influence. Be-
sides, these female slaves, still Cluistians, may, according to these traders, fall sud-
denly inlovcMith a man of their own religion, and attempt to make their escape.
They likewise fear that the too great affliction into which the slaves are plunged by
every thing that recals to their mind recollections extremely dear, may occasion them
to fall sick, or bring on a melancholy that may affect their health.

The building has nothing remarkable, and docs not correspond with the beauties
of the caravansaries, which it resembles in point of form and construction, nor with
that of most of the basars of the capital. You see a suite of small naked chambers
which receive the light only by a door, and a little grated window placed on one
side. It is into one of these rooms that the unfortunate creatures who belong to the
same trader are crowded. There it is that each waits till fate throws her into the
hands of a man young or old, mild or passionate, good or bad, in order that she
may become his wife, or his concubine, or wait on the women of his Harem."

Notwithstanding the numerous poetical touches in the foregoing extract from M.
Olivier, it will be evident that many circumstances exist which ameliorate the con-
dition of those slaves retained by the Turkish court, and are calculated to lessen the
emotion of regret witli whicli we contemplate their fate. They have, in general,
been separated from their connexions at so early a period that filial or social aflection
cannot be supposed to have taken deep root in the most sensitive bosom. The greater
part have, likewise, been />w?T/i«.ve</ from their parents, and what increase of moral
or worldly comfort could be rationally expected from a continued residence with

SERAGLIO. 151

parents so dead to natural tenderness, and so miserably degraded in principle, as
to barter the infantile smiles of their offspring for the gross indulgences of se e?
The Harem of the Turkish Emperor appears to resemble the ancient Christian mo-
nastery in many particulars save one : in the seclusion of the Ottoman confinement
nearly all are coercively restrained from those sexual gratifications which the Romish
dungeon afforded its victims but too many opportunities of procuring.

Respecting the interior splendor of the Grand Signior's Harem, inevitably the ob-
ject of much curiosity, we have said a probable conjecture can be formed from com-
parison only. At Adrianople Lady M. W. Montagu visited the Harem of the
Kiijayas* lady. She was met at the door by two black eunuchs and by them led
through a long gallery between two ranks of beautiful young girls, who were dressed
in fine light damasks, brocaded with silver, their hair which was finely plaited, almost
hanging to their feet. Quitting the gallery, she entered a large room or pavilion
" built round" with gilded sashes, the greater number of which were thrown up,
while over-hanging trees imparted an agreeable shade. Round the trunk of each
tree grew jessamines and honeysuckles, which shed a soft perfume. A white marble
fountain, placed in the lower part of the room, played sweet water that fell into three
or four basins, with a pleasing sound. The roof was painted with various flowers
which seemed to fall, in luxurious plenty, from gilded baskets. On a sofa raised
three steps, and covered with fine Persian carpets, reclined the Kiyaya's lady, sup-
ported by cushions of embroidered satin. At her feet sat her two youthful daucrh-
ters, their dresses almost covered with jewels. The \o\dy Fatima stood up to re-
ceive her visiter, and saluted her after the Turkish fashion, putting her hand to her
heart and bowing with a sweetness full of majesty. She directed cushions to be
given to Lady Montagu, and took care to place her in the corner, the Turkish seat
of honor.

The beauty of this attractive personage Lady Mary describes in terms of peculiar
admiration and thus notices her attire. " She was dressed in a caftan of gold brocade,
flowered with silver, very well fitted to her shape, and showing to great advantage
the perfections of her bosom. Her drawers were pale pink, her waistcoat green and
silver, her slippers white satin finely embroidered. Her lovely arms were adorned

* The lieutenant or deputy to the Grand Vizier.

152 SERAGLIO.

with bracelets of diamonds, and her broad girdle was set round with diamonds.
Upon her head was a rich Turkish handkerchief of pink and silver, her own fine
black hair hung a great length, in various tresses ; and on one side of her head were
seen some bodkins of jewels."

The fair maids of the Turkish beauty, to the number of twenty, were ranged below
the sofa, and brought to mind the pictures of the ancient nymphs. She made them
a sign to play and dance. Four of them immediately began to play some soft airs on
instruments between a lute and a guitar,* which they accompanied with their voices,
while the others danced to the most voluptuous figures.

When the dance was over, four fair slaves approached, with silver censers, and
perfumed the air with amber and aloes-wood. They then, on their knees, presented
coffee in the finest Japan china, with soHCOups of silver gilt. When Lady Montagu
was about to take leave, two maids brought a number of embroidered handkerchiefs in
a silver basket, and Fatima begged that she would wear the richest for her sake.

When at Constantinople Lady Mary Wortley again visited the Harem of Fatima,
who had removed thither. Tiie splendor of the former habitation was now found to
be comparatively trivial, as it had originally surprised the visiter. The winter apart-
ment of the fair Fatima's present residence was wainscoted with mother of pearl, ivory
of different colors, and olive wood. The rooms designed for Summer were "crusted"
with Japan china, the roofs gilt, and the floors spread with the finest Persian carpets.
Fatima met Lady Mary at the door, " You Christian ladies," said she, with an at-
tractive smile, " have the reputation of inconstancy, and 1 did not expect, whatever
goodness you expressed for me at Adrianoplc, that I should ever see, you again.
But I am now convinced that I have really the happiness of pleasing you, and if you
knew liow I speak of you amongst our ladies you would be assured that you do me

* Lady Craven says, " the lyre of the ancients is often to be seen in the hands of the Greeks, but I
suppose in ancient days, as in these, whatever harmony possessed their souls it affected only their eyes.
From the lyre, or from any miserable fiddle orguit,ir they touch, they only elicit the most abominable
discordant sounds, that accompany a kind of bawling which they fancy is singing. Indeed, music la
a thing of which Turks and Greeks have not the least idea."

On the contrary. Lady Montagu affirms ih.it those who attribute a want of musical talent to the
Turks " have never heard any but what is played in the streets, and act just as reasonably as a foreigner
would who should take his ideas of English music from the bladder and string, or the marrow bones
and cleavers,"

SERAGLIO. 253

justice in making me your friend." She placed her illustrious visiter in the corner
of the sofa, and the afternoon \vas devoted to conversation. Lady Montagu de-
scribes Fatima as possessing all the politeness and good breeding of a court, joined
to an air that inspired at once respect and confidence. She was very curious concern-
ing the manners of other countries, and was not less eminent in wit than in beauty.

The most interesting of Lady Montagu's Turkish visits was that paid to the
Sultana Hafiten, who had been favorite to the Emperor Mustapha. This caliph
was deposed by his brother, and died a iew weeks after, from the effect, as was ge-
nerally believed, of poison. The favorite Mas, immediately subsequent to his death,
ordered to leave the Seraglio, and choose herself a husband from anions the wreat
men at the Porte. As tliis was the greatest possible indignity she threw herself at
the Sultan's feet, " and begged him to poniard her rather than use his brother's
widow with that contempt. She repiesented to him, in agonies of sonow, that she
was privileged from this misfortune by having brought five princes into the Ottoman
family. But all the boys being dead, and only one girl surviving, this excuse was
not received, and she was compelled to make her choice. She named Bekir- Effendi
then secretary of state, and above fourscore years old, to convince the world that
she firmly intended to keep the vow which she had made of never suffering a second
husband to approach her bed : and, since she must honor some subject so far as to
be called his wife, she chose Bekir Effendi as a mark of her gratitude, since it was
he that had presented her, at the age of ten years, to her last lord. But she never
permitted him to pay her one visit, though it was then fifteen years since she had
been in his house, where she passed her time in uninterrupted mourninir. She had
no black eunuchs for her guard, her husband being obliged to respect her as a Queen,
and not inquire at all into what was done in her apartment."

On visiting this once-potent favorite. Lady Montagu was led into a large room
" with a sofa the whole length of it adorned with white marble pillars, covered with
pale i)lue figured velvet on a silver ground, with cushions of the same," where she
was desired to repose till the Sultana appeared, who had contrived this manner of
reception to avoid rising on the entrance of her visiter. When the Sultana ap-
proached. Lady I\Iary rose, and the Sultana deigned to make an inclination of the
head. Her beauty was not striking, though she liad evidently the remains of a fine
face. Her apparel \\ as magnificent to the extreme. She wore a vest called donalmd.

154 SERAGLIO.

It was of purple cloth made to fit her shape, and thickly set on each side down to her
feet, and round the sleeves, with large and exquisite pearls whicli acted as buttons.
Attached to tliese costly buttons were seen loops of diamonds. The habit was tied at
the waist with two large tassels of smaller pearls, and was embroidered round the
arms with large diamonds. Her girdle, in breadth equal to the broadest English
riband, was entirely covered with diamonds of the best water. Round her neck she
wore three chains, which reached to her knees : one was composed of pearl, at the
bottom of which hung a fine emerald as large as the egg of a turkey; another con-
sisted of two hundred emeralds closely joined together, of the most lively green, and
perfectly matched. These emeralds were extremely large ; those M'hich formed the
third chain were smaller but not less beautiful. The ear-rings of the Sultana sur-
passed in splendor all her other decorations. They were two diamonds, " shaped
exactly like pears, and as large as a big hazle-niit." Four strings of pearl surround-
ed her kalpac. They were fastened with two roses, consisting of a large ruby for the
middle stone, and twenty drops of clear diamon;ls. Her head-dress was covered
with bodkins of diamonds and emeralds. She wore large diamond bracelets, and
had five costly rings on her fingers.

The reader will readily agree with Lady INIontagii tliat, " according to the common
estimation of diamonds in our part of the world, this whole dress must be worth a
hundred thousand pounds sterling." The glitter must, indeed, have been prodigious;
and it appears probable that few European (Queens could rival, with their whole
collection, the jewels displayed by the eastern beauty in this single habit.

Lady Mary Wortley dined with the Sultana. Tiie dinner consisted of fifty dishes,
served, according to the Turkish custom, one at a time. The magnificence of the
table in some measure atoned for the fatiguing Ibnualily of the entertainment. The
knives were of gold, and the hafts set with diamonds. The table-cloth and knapkins
were of tiffany, embroidered, in the finest manner, with flowers of silk and gold.
Few circumstances can more forcibly impress an idea of the luxury of the Seraglio:
this table-service, so delicately wrought, must have cm})loyed many a lal)orious artist
through a number of weary hours ; the expense must have been great ; yet, of course,
the whole was spoiled by one customary repast of the Sultana.

Sherbet was served in bowls of china, the covers and salvers of which were of
massy gold. After dinner, water was brought in gold basins : the napkins were of

SERAGLIO. 155

tiffany embroidered with flowers, in reseniblance of those used during the time of
eating. Coffee was served in china with golden soucoups*

Lady Montagu did not fail to profit by the affability of the Sultana in regard to
information concerning the Seraglio. The Sultana assured her ladyship that the story
of the Sultan throxving a handkerchief \5 altogether fabulous. On .naking his
election he sends the Kislur-aga to signify to the lady the " honor he intends her.
She is immediately complimented upon it by the others, and led to the bath, where
she is perfumed, and dressed in the most magnificent and becoming manner. The
Emperor precedes his visit by a royal present. Sometimes, the Sultan diverts him-
self in the company of all his ladies, who stand in a circle round him."

The Sultana never mentioned the deceased caliph without tears, yet she frequently
talked respecting liis memory. " My past happiness," said she, " appears a dream
to me. Yet I cannot forget that I was beloved by the greatest and most lovely of
mankind. I was chosen from the rest to make all his campaigns with him, and 1
would not survive him if I was not passionately fond of the princess my daughter.
Yet all my tenderness for her was hardly enough to make me preserve my life. When
I left him I passed a whole twelvemontli without seeing the light Time hath softened
my despair, yet I now pass some days every week in tears devoted to his memory."

She asked Lady Montagu to walk in the gardens and one of her slaves imme-
diately brought her a pelisse of rich brocade, lined with sables. The gardens con-
tained little that was worthy of notice except the fountains. Lady Montagu visited
every apartment of the Harem. The Sultana's toilet was displayed in her bed-
chamber. It consisted of two looking-glasses, the frames of which were covered
with pearls. Her night-taIpoche;\ set with bodkins of jewels, and three vests of fine
sables, were thrown negligently over a sofa.

Before Lady Mary departed, she was complimented with pertumes, and presented
with a fine embroidered handkerchief. The Sultana was waited on by thirty slaves.
In addition to these she possessed ten little tributary attendants, the eldest of which
was not more than seven J ears old. These were the most beautiful girls;}; that the

* Saucers,
t The talpoche is merely a change of dress. It may be recollected that the Turks do not undress
themselves of a night. Even during sickness they retain their customary habits.

X A handsome child of six or seven years of age was then worth a liundred pounds sterling,

X 2

156 SERAGLIO.

imagination can picture, and were much valued by the Sultana. They wore little
garlands of flowers entwined in their own braided hair. Their habits were of golden
stuffs. These cherub-like servitors presented the Sultana, on their knees, with water,
coffee, or perfumes.

The demeanor of the Sultana, during the whole of Lady Montagu's visit was
perfectly frank and urbane, but her manners plainly showed that the greater part of
her life had been spent in a seclusion from the world.

At the village of Tcliiorlu our traveller w as enabled to inspect a conac or small
Seraglio, built for the use of the Emperor when he journeys that way. The apart-
ments of the ladies were in the midst of a thick grove of trees, made fresh by foun-
tains. The walls were almost covered with little distiches of Turkish verse, written
with pencils. One of them might be translated thus :

' We come into this world, we lodge, nnd we depart ;
He never goes that's lodged within my heart."

From this catalogue of splendid habiliments and sumptuous rooms we may form
some conception of the prodigious magnificence familiar to the ladies of the Em-
peror's Harem. As far as pearls, diamonds, brocades and perfumes are enabled to
impart pleasure, they must be the happiest of womankind ; but a long list of oppres-
sive difficulties counterbalances all the charms of dress and all the refinements of
luxury. Envy, jealousy, tedium, embitter their existence, and rob the diamond of
its lustre while they extract all its sweetness from the scattered perfume of the Inilies.
The imprisoned beauties are invariably preserved in ignorance. No book is at hand
to prompt resignation,

" to perform its part,
" And gather, with a friendly hand,
" The fragnaents of a broken heart !"

The lyre, the pencil, are both foreign to their unaccustomed hands ; and the possi-
ble existence of natural taste does but augment the cruel severity of their privations.
Where all are rivals, confidential friendship must necessarily be a stranger. Tlie
fancy cannot readily apprehend a situation of more poignant misery than is tlie lot of

SERAGLIO.

157

those who are condemned to a perpetual interchange of social habits with persons
interested in their disappointments and humiliation. Most of their hours not
" honored" with the presence of the Sultan, are probably passed in the bagnio, at
the toilet, or over the games of chess and draughts. In the Summer, it is true, lux-
urious gardens tempt them to ramble from walk to walk in vapid conversation; but
here every swelling petal brings to mind those enchanting overtures of tenderness from
wliich they are for ever estranged.*

The fate of the Sultan's females is certainly more pitiable than that of the slaves
sold to Turks of inferior rank. On their unavoidable emancipation, these latter may
become the w ives of their masters, and enjoy most of the privileges usual with their
sex. From every hope of domestic comfort the captives of the Seraglio are inevita-
bly excluded. All is useless glitter and tasteless festivity.

Tn being denied the opportunities usual with females in Turkey, these ill-fated
beauties are probably debarred from more freedom and power than are possessed bv
women of most other countries. It is true that a rigorous division of the se.xes, in
respect to the common forms of life, prevails in the Ottoman empire; but still the
prerogatives of the females are extensive and valuable.

No difference of rank operates to the disadvantage of w omen in Turkey. Merit
has its fair chance of reward. In other countries, beaut}' united with poverty is
destructive to the possessor. In Turkey this discordant union suggests none but the
most honorable ideas in the beholder's mind.

* The Turks make overtures of love by means of hieroglyphical combinations of flowers. A trans-
lation of one of these may be seen in Lady Montagu's letters, of which the following transcript is a
specimen :

Ingi : Sensin Guzelerin gingi
Pearl : Fairest of the young !
Caremfil : Careuifilsen cararen y'ok
Clove : Conge Gulsum temarin y'ok
Benseny chok than severim
Senin venden, haberin y'ok.
You are slender as the clove j
You are an unblown rose ;
I have long loved you, and you have not known it !
Pul : Derdime derman bul
Jonquil : Have pity on my passion !

158 SERAGLIO.

The wife's portion is entirely in her own possession. The ascendancy gained by
this circumstance renders the majority of Turkish women superior to tlie capricious
jurisdiction of the husband.

Tlie husband is poor indeed who does not maintain a slave to wait on his wife; in
ceneral the Mussulman women are attended by several servants. The beauty of
these is by no means dangerous to the mistress. The husband is strictly forbidden to
require any thing from the slaves that belong to his wife. It very rarely happens
that he violates this prohibition, since he is conscious that the injured party would
immediately prefer a complaint and cause him to be punished.

" The very Divan," says Lady Montagu, " pays respect to tlie women ; and the
Grand Si^^nior himself, when a Pacha is executed, never violates the privileges of
the Harem, which remains unscarched and entire to the w idow." In fact the wealth
possessed by females is nearly the only property respected in Turkey. In conse-
quence, the husband lavishes money, w ithout bounds, on the jev\els that decorate
his wife's person and the furniture that embellishes her apartments.*

The women of Constantinople possess a veiy considerable influence over public
affairs. In their respective Harems the whole politics of the town anil provinces pass
under review. It is here that agents are nominated, the punishments due to treason
arrancfed, or plots and conspiracies of the greatest import secretly framed. Women
of every age ..nd rank attend the Harem of a court- favorite's lady, to solicit favors
and appointments for their husbands or relations. " An aftair," according to Olivier,
" often passes through the channel of several women before it arrives at its destina-
tion : an emancipated female slave, or woman of the lowest class of the people, some-
times obtains, through her patronesses, such an interest that her protection is sought
after from all quarters. The Mussulman women support each other, and are always
ready to make a common cause. They are implacable in their resentment, and
seldom fail to revenge themselves for an outrage or an oflfence at all serious. Their
influence is increased by that which a favorite slave, or the Sultana-validai, generally
obtains over the reigning Sultan."

* " Here is a fellow," writes Lady Montagvi, " that carries embroidered handkerchiefs on his back
to sell. And as miserable a figure as you may suppose such a mean dealer ; yet I will assure you, his
wife scorns to wear any thing less than cloth of gold, has her ermine furs, and a very handsome set of
jewels for her head."

SERAGLIO. 159

Tlie different baths form places of public assembly for every order of Turkish
women. Here persons of rank concert appointments for future festivity, and canvass
the daily occurrences in the world of fashion. Tliey are served, by select attendants,
\vith genuine INIucha, and the most costly restoratives. Essences and perfumes are
scattered with a tasteful liberality. The meeting is frequently terminated by dances,
music, and the Otnbres Chiiwises.

The lower classes, meanwhile, enjoy, with less ostentation, but possibly with more
zest, common coffee, common sherbet, and the grateful fumes of tobacco.

The wife of a certain rank, w hen very young, goes, it is true, but little from home.
The law exempts her from attending the mosque, and the customs \\ hich resti"ain her
from often quitting her house have arisen from the supposition of an infant family
demanding the continual presence of the mother. It is possible that many an infant
in more polished countries may have cause to wish, in regard to this particular, that
his mother were a native of Turkej'.

The disguise in which women are accustomed to walk the streets confounds the ap-
pearance of all, and renders nugatory the most minute jealousy of observation. They
wear two pieces of dress, termed rnurlins ; one covers the whole of the face, except
the eyes ; the other hides the remaining part of the attire of both head and shoulders.

Their shapes are totally concealed by a third species of coverlet, which wraps them
entirely round, and has straight sleeves that descend to the fingers' ends. In Winter
these garments are of cloth, and in Sunmaer of silk; but as tliey are all of the same
color, and the traces of natural shape are entirely obliterated by them, it is impossi-
ble to distinguish the lady of a Pacha from the slave who waits on her.

There certainly exist many impediments to the rational ardor of social intercourse;
but with all these privileges, and many not enumerated, surely the women of Turkey
enjoy more essential freedom than those of other countries ? Vv'hen Constantinople,
and the Harem of the Grand Signior, arc the subjects of discussion, the name of
Lady M. W. JMontagu necessarily occurs. Our frequent quotations can scarcely, wc
apprehend, have been tedious, even to the reader familiar with her ladyship's
epistles.

Convinced that she cannot have failed to interest deeply the attention of every
student of Turkish manners, we shall close our notice of the Seraglio with some
brief observations on Lady Montagu's character and genius. Her Ladyship is well
known to have been the eldest daughter of Evelyn Duke of Kingston. As Lady

160 SRRAGLIO

Mary Pierrepont she was little known to the great world ; but the seclusion in
which she principally resided, during her youth, laid the foundation of those accom-
plishments which render her name valuable to the records of British literature.
Ladv Mary appears to have experienced considerable severity from her father.
" The tM'o first tomes of Clarissa," she observes, " touclied me, as being very
resembling to my maiden days ; and I find, in the pictures of Sir Thomas Grandison
and his lady, what I have heard of my mother and seen of my father." In this
respect the subject of our remarks was in a similar situation w ith her rival in classical
attainments, Lady Jane Grey. Domestic oppression drove both for relief to the
fi-iendly aid of letters. Such was the coarseness of the age that Lady Jane complains
of " the pinches, nippes, and bobbes," which she was in the habit of experiencing
from her parents.

The temper of the period might be again in fault, but Lady Jane certainly became
an affected pedant. Lady IMontagu lived in happier days, and her learning sat
easily on her habit, and was ever considered as subordinate to those active duties*
which are the most honorable pursuits of her sex.

Her choice of a companion for life is worthy of observation, as being illustrative
of her strength of understanding. Lady Mary w as a woman of wit, and that dan-
gerous quality is well-known too generally to paralyse most other faculties of the
possessor's mind. It was quite otherwise with her ladyship. Her attachment to
Mr. Wortley was ardent and undeviating, yet he boasted few of those qualifications
which usually catch the eye of self-conceit and youthful vivacity. Cool discrimina-
tion and solid fore-thought were the characteristics of his mind. Surely it was no
common occurrence for a woman of w it to prefer a man of sound judgment ?

Mr. Wortley sat in Parliament, at different periods for the cities of Westminster
and Peterborough ; and the boroughs of Huntingdon and Bossiney. After various
patriotic exertions during t\\e reign of Queen Anne, Mr. Wortley succeeded in
gaining the friendly notice of King George I. His relation, Charles Montagu, was
created Earl of Halifax-f by the new Sovereign, and Mr. Wortley was received into

* Lord Hervey blames her Ladyship's abominable attachment to her infant oflFsp ring. "Nature,"
writes his Lordship, with equal good sense and liberality, " never designed you to perform the office
of a nursery maid."

t Lady Montagu describes this nobleman (so well known in the annals of letters) as by no means
deficient in that blush-less assutance said to be so necessary to the candidate for court favor.

SERAGLIO. 161

the confidence of the administration. On this advancement of her husband, Lady
Mary quitted the -retirement in which she had hitherto Uved at Warnchtfe, and made
her appearance at St. James's. It was now that her beauty was first known to the
world, and that her wit was discovered to be equal to her perfections of person.
Men of rank and genius formed her parties, and all concurred in admiring her excel-
lencies with a warmth little short of passion. Addison* and Steele were the cus-
tomary visitants of Mr. Wortley. Pope was chiefly sedulous to pay his devoirs to
herself. Efteminate love seems to have been the fatality of Pope's disposition. His
letters to Lady Montagu are labored, enthusiastic, and as distinctly declarative of
fervid tenderness as letters possibly can be. But Pope certainly considered himself
privileged to make love with impunity, to any female that suited his taste.

The abrupt termination that often occurs to connections between literary charac-
ters, affcjrds subject of regret rather than of surprise. The editor of her letters
^vishes to attribute the breach that took place between Lady Mary and Pope to their
differenceof political opinion; but the fact seems to be that both wanted that exclu-
sive warmth of adulation which each was unwilling to concede to the other. As a
poetess Lady Mary assuredly is entitled to little praise. Her town-eclogues were
fashionable for a time, but they only lived while they had fashion to recommend
them. Her epistle from Arthur Grey, I' the footman, to JNIrs. Maliony, which the
editor of her poems affirms to possess " the true Ovidian tenderness," is perhaps the
most scandalous composition that ever proceeded from the pen of a woman of quality.
It would be charity to suppose the verses written in burlesque. Yet when Pope
hazarded an emendation, she would say, " Come, no touching. Pope, for what is good
the u orld will give to you, and leave the bad for me." From a mutual jealousy of

* An instance of the habitual philosophy of Addison occurs in one of his letters to Mr. Montagu.
" 1 have lost," he writes, " a place of 2000/. per annum ; an estate in the Indies of 14,000/. — and,
what is more than all the rest, my mistress. I find they are going to take away my Irish place from
me too; to which I must add, that I have just resigned my fellowship, and the stocks sink every day."
In the very next sentence, without any of those pathetic exclamations on the severity of fortune which
would certainly, have been unavailing to the suffeier and superfluous when obtruded on the notice of a
man of sense and feeling, he says, " If you have any hints, or subjects, (for the Spectator) pray send
me a paper full."

t Arthur Grey was tried for attempting to commit a tender violence (with a pistol in his hand to en-
force obedience) on his mistress, in the year 1/21 . As the lady succeeded in wresting the pistol from
his hand, and alarmed the family, the ruffian was merely convicted of burglary, and transported.

]()2 SERAGLIO.

ascendancy in wit no doubt tticir disagreement arose. Tlie lady called in Lord
Harvey to her assistance. In repartee they quite eclipsed the bard of Twickenham,
who was often fain to retire abruptly from the table. Provoked by repeated discom-
fiture, Pope " drew" his pen, and in an instant, became conqueror in his turn. The
allies carried on the war for some time, but at length, descending from their poetic
stilts, they complained of their injuries in sober prose; and Pope, who was not afraid
of any man in verse, but had a pointed dislike to disputes in plain English, recanted,
conceded, and, to use the phrase of Dr. Johnson, retreated meanly. Lady Montagu's
epigram may be adduced as a proof of the spirit with which the conflict was, for a
time sustained :

'' Sure Pope nnd Orpheus were alike inspired,

" The blocks and beasts flock'd round them and admired."

It would be unjust not to allow Pope his opportunity. The following couplet he
intended to be expressive of his connexion mih Lady Mary. Speaking of himself
he remarks,

"Once, and but once, bis heedless youth was bit,
" And liked that dangerous thing a female wit."

The embassy of Mr. Wortley to the Porte afforded his lady a theatre for the dis-
play of her greatest accomplishments and most noble virtues. A visit to the Levant
had then been rarely made by an English woman. The Turkish territories Mere
plunged in war, and the whole enterprise demanded an unusual elevation of feminine
courage. To have undertaken such a journey is, in every shape to tiie honor of Lady
Mary's character.

Respecting her account of her travels there can exist, it is presumed, but one
opinion and it is a considerable advantage to the literary m orld to have the authenti-
city of the " Letters" placed beyond question by the corrected edition lately published
under the sanction of the noble house of Bute. But the editor has made some an-
notations that are evidently erroneous, or which are not rendered sutticiently clear
by his mode of expression.

'* Many persons," writes Mr. Dallaway,* " on the surreptitious appearance of the

» Page27--28. Edit. 1803.

SERAGLIO. ]6,3

letters of Lady Mary VVortley Montagu already published, were inclined to question
their originality ; or, if that were allowed, tlie possibility of her acquiring the kind
of information she has given respecting the interior of the Harem. It may be re-
plied to them that no one of the Turkish Emperors was so willing to evade the injunc-
tions of the Koran as Achm^d III. and that he hazarded the love of his people
by retiring to Adrianople, that he might more frequently and freely indulge him-
self in the habits of life adopted by the other European nations. That access
has since been denied to the Seraglio at Constantinople, in the instance of the Am-
bassadors' ladies, is no proof that Lady Mary did not obtain an unrestrained admis-
sion, when the court was in retirement, and many ceremonies were consequently
dispensed with."

We really cannot comprehend the meaning of the preceding lines. In the whole
course of the letters published by Mr. Dallaway, under the authority of the Marquis
of Bute, there is not any mention of Lady Montagu entering a Seraglio. At Adri-
anople she visited the ladies of the Grand Vizier and the Kiyaya. Of the Seraglio
she had seen no more than the outside. Mr. Dallaway may allude to authentic
letters not before the public. According to the tenor of the corrected edition, his ex-
planation is perfectly incomprehensible.

But unintelligibility is not this editor's only defect. In an essential point, as to a
due delineation of Turkish manners, he misleads the reader very flagrantly. The
lady of the Grand Vizier, he says, was tlie Sultana Hafitcn, favorite and widow of
the Sultan Mustapha II. We are at a loss to conceive how it was possible tliat Mr.
Dallaway could fall into such a mistake. The lady of the Grand Vizier was " near
fifty years old," was plain in hei' style and manners, and was clotlied in disable vest*

The Sultana Hafiten (visited afterwards, at Constantinople, by Lady Montagu)
was only six and thirty years old, was luxurious in her habits of life, and was dressed
in apparel of profuse splendor. So evident a misrepresentation is far from pleasant
in a work published under the sanction of Lady Mary Wortley's family.

Lady Montagu was second cousin to Henry • Fielding, both being descended, in
the same degree, from George Earl of Desmond. It is with regret, we state, that
she does not appear to have treated him with the cordiality to which he was entitled
by birth and genius. His letters are written with an extremity of ceremonious diffi-

* By this expression we are not authorized to understand a veU of sables.

y 2

164 SERAGLIO.

deuce. Poi)e, in one of his epistles, names the hours at « hich he shall consider it
desirable for the Lady to wait on 1dm. Fielding concludes a letter to his cousin in
these words ; " I shall do myself the honor of calling at your Ladyship's door to
morrow at eleven ; which, if it be an improj^er hour, / beg to know from your
servant what other tinie will be more convenitnt.'" I am, &c. &c.

That her Ladyship might have assisted Fielding's necessities (though it is not evi-
dent) we are not inclined to doubt ; but we certainly think that his claim of relation-
ship, united with his reputation for talent, deserved a worthier treatment than it is
probable, from the style of the foregoing extract he was accustomed to receive. He
might assuredly be a troublesome relation, yet we believe Lady Montagu was the
only person in the three kingdoms who would have been eidier afraid or ashamed to
own Henry Fielding for a cousin.

Not^^ ithstanding the indignity with which she seems to have treated Fielding,
Lady Alary was fond of patronising genius. Young ])rofited by her literary assist-
ance, and Savagf experienced her bounty. This latter instance of her friendship
was the more estimable, as divers passages in the letters prove her to have been
thoroughly acquainted widi the value of money.

The name of Lady IVIontagu must ever be respected in England. Her patriotic
conduct in regard to tlie art of inoculation deserves the gratitude of all posterity. Her
translation of the Enchiridion of Epictetus (the labor of a week) proves her strength
of talent, and the facility with which she acquired a knowledge of languages * Her
activity of intellect rendered her valuable in every clime she visited. The progress of
her mind is depictured in her letters. There we see the vivacious ebullitions of youth ;
the collective good sense of maturity ; and the dignified philosophy of declining life.
The person w ho forms a judgment of Lady Montagu from her prose writings may
safely assert that she presents a character which the biographer is bound to hold
forward as an instance that wit and learning, in an exalted modification of each, may
decorate the female mind without destroying the relish for those connubial and ma-
ternal duties which, after all, form subject for the highest praise to which Moman
need wish to be entitled.

* Like Cowley, she chiefly studied without the aid of a tutor. Bishop Burnet revised her transla-
tion of Epictetus.

COTSEA BHAUG.

WITH SOME

ACCOUNT OF THE STATE OF ARCHITECTURE

THROUGHOUT HINDOOSTAN.

'NE of the most grateful sources of amusement connected with a work like the
present, is the perpetual variety which we are enabled to introduce to our pages.
Placing ourselves, tlirough one article, as spectators of a great building attached to
the splendor of our native country, and directing our course in another, to the
novel magnificence of a distant edifice, we comprise the chief advantages of a labori-
ous travel, without that fatiguing detail of intermediate stages which generally consists
of an enumeration of post towns, and an incorrect description of uninteresting tracts
of country.

The circumstances attending a voyage to the Eastern Indies have often been de-
tailed. Supposing the island of Madeira to be passed, St. Helena visited, and the
Cape of Good Plope doubled, we now welcome the reader to the banks of the river
Jumna, and request his attention to the cUi/ of Delhi and its vicinity.

Delhi (according to the Aycen Akbp.ry, formerly called Indcrput) is situated in
latitude 3 r. In proportion to the decline observable in the ancient capital termed
Canoiige, Delhi rose in magnificence and power. " The empire of Delhi,'" say his-
torians, " was founded by a slave;" and however degrading this assertion may appear^
it is indisputably correct.

156 COTSEA BHAUG.

Towards the latter end of the twelfth century, Mohammed waged successful war
against Caudi Khig of Delhi, and finally slew tlie native prince, who fell amidst the
flower of his army and most faithful of his subjects. While tliis Mussulman con-
queror directed his arms to the north of India, he left his slave and friend, Cuttub,
with a considerable detachment of his forces in the town of Koram. On the return
of Mohammed, the slave Cuttub quitted Koram, and took the fort of Merat, and
city of Dcllii, from tlie family of Candi Rcii. In the year 1 193, he also captured
the fort of Kolc, and making Delhi the seat of his government, obliged all the sur-
rounding districts to admit the supremacy of the arms " of the faithful."

At this period, the city of Delhi boasted all the beauty and splendor familiar with
the eastern world. The native monarchs of Hindoostan had successively lavished
on the favorite metropolis every adornment that immense wealth and a luxuriance of
fancy could suggest.* Numerous temples reared their sublime pinnacles over an
endless variety of costly buildings erected for the purposes of commerce, or appro-
priated to the diffusion of science. Beautiful gardens and aromatic groves surrounded
the city, while frequent palaces bespoke the facility with which wealth was obtained,
and the security with which it was enjoyed.

" The greatest length,' we are informed by Maurice, " of the Soobah of Delhi is
165 coss;t and its extreme breadth 140 coss. On the east lies Agra; on the north
are mountains; on the south the boundaries are Agra andAjmeer; and Lodyaneh
confines it on the west. The principal rivers are the Ganges and the Jumna. The
climate is very temperate. Most of the lands are inundated during the periodical
rains. Some places in it are said to produce three harvests in a year. In this
Soobah grow most of the fruits of Persia, Tartary, and Hindoostan, with an infinite

* When Mahmud made a successful irruption into the heart of Delhi, in tlie year 101 1, the
splendor of ihe city cnptivated him in a forcible degree. "As the successive bands of armed plun-
derers/' says the historian, " ranged thiough the apartments of the Rajah's magnificent abode, en-
riched with all that the mines and the looms, and the genius of India, could afford to decorate ihem j
as they tore down the gold brocade and embroidered tapestry tlut lined the walls, and the plates of
silver that covered the cielings, they felt no sentiment of compunction or pity : the solid weight and
sterling value of the spoil alone occupied their consideration ; and Mahmud himself was so delighted
with the place, that he reluctantly yielded back the sceptre to the vanquished Rajah, on the usual
terms of paying an annual tribute."

t The Indian coss is two British statute miles.

COTSEA BIIAUG. I67

variety of the loveliest flowers. Throughout its whole extent are interspersed many
magnificent buildings of stone and brick; and it is stored witii the productions of
every part of the globe. A part of the northern mountains of this Soobah is called
Kamaoon, in which are mines of gold, lead, silver, iron, copper, orpiment, and borax.
Here is also found abundance of musk-deer, silkworms, falcons of various kinds,
and plenty of honey."

It is not surprising that a city possessed of so many natural advantages, and those
of so transcendent a quality, should long continue thefavoiite euiporium of Mussul-
man authority. Stained and polluted as are the annals of hmdoostan with rapine
and bloodshed, it would, alas! afford unquestionable subject of amazement if this
envied metro])olis had not, likewise, been the frequent witness of spoilage, contention,
and inhumanity.

The records of European nations are black and disgraceful, but they are thrown
into total eclipse, or rather are lifted to the comparative dignity of innocence, by tlic
foul pages of Asiatic legend. The sceptcred assassins of the Mohammedan sdiool
trod a monotonous round of avarice, oppression, and cruelty. To follow tfiem in
tliis walk of desolation and murder (though most of their achievements had some con-
nection with the city under consideration) is a task fortunately unnecessary to our
undertaking. In the lives of the Mussulman sovereigns there is, indeed, a striking
uniformity; and the student can generally anticipate the conclusion with as much cer-
tainty as may the reader of a regular tragic drama. The first act comnjences with
pomp ; alternate triumph and depression ensue. A counter-plot often renders the
catastrophe doubtful for a period, but every scene inevitably hastens the result ....
death, in (jue of its most awful and calamitous shapes ! — Casually, a gleam of virtue,
or an heroic sentiment occurs ; and happy will the w riter feel to note such a ti-ansi-
ent emanation as he attends tiie capital of Hindoostan through some iew of the most
prominent circumstances of its fortune.

At the period of the invasion of Timur (1398) we are told, " Delhi had arrived
at a point of distinction in regard to wealth and extended commerce, whicii it never
after reached. The capital is described* as then consisting of three cities, denomi-
nated Seiri, Gehanpenah, and old Delhi. Seiri was invested with a strong circular
wall; old Delhi had likewise a circular wall, and was much more considerable in

* By ShereJ'eddin, in liis " Timur Bee."

16"8 COTSEA BHAUG.

extent ; Gehanpenah ran between tlie tw o cities, and \\as considerably larger than
eitlier. The metropolis, thus composed of three towns, spread over a very wide
extent of ground, and, according to some writers, possessed fifty gates. It was cele-
brated for a mosque of astonishing dimensions, and for a palace of admirable mag-
nificence, which was ornamented with a thousand marble columns. The city «as
the seat of voluptuousness, and tiie central repository of whatever the vast traffic
carried on by the Indian merchants with Persia, Arabia, and China produced. But
a ferocious conqueror now approached, before whom the pride of India, and tlie de-
light of her sovereigns, must soon bow her exalted head."

Timur conquered, and a transaction of lamentable barbarity preceded his conquest.
One hundred thousand Indians had joined him, during his march from the Indus to
Delhi. A^'hen these forlorn beings beheld the walls of their great city, and witnessed
the exertions of their countrymen, they faltered in the work of fratricide ; and Timur
feared that they would join the adverse party, in the instance of a general action.

Their number was considerable — but tlieir blood was of small account, for they
were idolaters* — and they were massacred to a man in sight of the opposite army !
a few hours afterwards, Timur prostrated himself on the ground, and begged the
blessing of his Creator on the sanctified arms of " the faithful.'"

It was on the 4th of January 1399, that the banners of Timur were displayed on
the walls of Delhi. The conqueror seated him.self on the gorgeous throne of the
subjugated prince, and received the homage of the people. As he thus reclined in
all the splendor of eastern pomp, the rliinoceros of the royal stables, and the state
elephants, to the number of one hundred and twenty, adorned with gold, and spark-
ling with jewels, were conducted to the foot of the throne. These animals had been
so well instructed by their keepers, that they fell prostrate before the mighty sove-
reign, and uttered, it is said, " a sorrowful cry, as if demanding quarter."

* That ordinance of the prophet which diclates perpetual animosity towards unbelievers, has been,
for naany centuries, the scotirge of the forlorn Hindoos. In general manners, and in disposition, he
Mussulman conquerors of Hindoostan appear to have approached much more nearly to the natives
than any of their European visitants. But the intolerance of the Mohammedan faith hns prevertea the
possibility of any resemblance of amalgamation taking place. The English government has, on the
whole, acted with due forbearance, in regard to the religinus opinions of the Hindoos. For the sdke
of human nature, and for the credit of English wisdom and liberality, «e hope that the watchful eje of
power will unceasingly follow the missionaries who are now infesting the recesses of Hindoostan.

COTSEA BHAUG. . igg

The conquerors of Delhi now filled the imperial city with \\assailry and riot.
The variety of viands served at the triumphant banquets was sufficient to satiate the
most refined epicurism. The dishes were of massy gold ; and sparkling wines were
circulated in cups of crystal, enriched with the diamonds of Ciolconda. " Concerts
of music, set to Bacchanalian tunes," lent a zest to the flowing goblet; and the smiles
of beauty realised each voluptuous dream of ebriety.

But danger lurked at the bottom of the cup of pleasure. The work of blood was
not yet complete, and the bacchanalians hurried from their frantic table to place the
sword at the throat of tottering age or unconscious infancy. " Impatient to see so
celebrated a metropolis, and tlie curiosities which it contained, the Sultanas who at-
tended the army obtained permission from Tiniur to enter the city. On this occasion
the great gate being thrown wide open, a body of 15,000 soldiers contrived to enter
with the procession, who, joining a much larger body already within the w alls, began
to commit the most dreadful outrages on the athighted inhabitants. To prevent any
further increase of the tumult, the Oinrahs on duty ordered the gates of the city to
be shut ; but, inflamed with the desire of plunder, the soldiers broke open the gates,
and admitted the remainder of the army, which had been encamped without the w alls.
A scene shocking to nature and reflection now took place : a general massacre and
devastation reigned at once in every quarter. The houses of the citizens were first
pillaged and then burnt. An innumerable band of natives who had fled to the great
mosque of old Delhi, either to shelter or to defend themselves, were, without dis-
tinction, cut off, and of their heads pyramids were formed ; a lasting monument of
the barbarity of their invaders."

The plunder and massacre lasted two whole days, aud.Thnur to his perpetual dis-
grace, is supposed to have favored the horrid scene. In addition to gold, silver, and
precious stones, the victorious Tartars bore away a numerous collection of slaves of
both sexes. Timur remained for several days, to regale his eyes with the view of
desolation, and then adjourned to a celebrated mosque, three miles distant, which
was situated amid peaceful groves, in an envied seclusion, wliere he devoutly
returned thanks to God for the success that had attended his arms. Toucliintf the
holy book of the ^Nlahomedan faith, with reverence and awe, Timur looked with con-
fidence to the Almighty, certain of iiaving attended to those written lessons which

170

COTSEA BHAUG.

infatuated bigotry induced him to tiiink of superior importance to the sacred laws of
humanity implanted in his heart by the legible, unerring hand of his Maker.

In the reign of the Emperor Akber, Delhi experienced some years of security, and
was for a time the residence of that celebrated monarch, whose politeness lent a
grace to the dignity of oriental manners, and rendered majesty pleasing, without de-
tracting from the necessary exaltation of its aspect.

Shah Jchiw, in the year 1 (534, formed the resolution of rebuilding the ancient
capital of Hindoostan in a manner likely to celebrate his name among posterity.
" The most skilful architects and masons were procured for this important undertak-
ing from various distances. The Emperor drew the outlines of his new city on a
large plain on the western banks of the Jumna; and in constructing it made use of the
same sort of red stone, of the hardness and color of jasper, brought from the quarries
of Fettipore, which Akber had employed in building the castle of Agra. The city
was fortified with twelve lofty towers, and had as many magnificent gates; the prin-
cipal gate fronted the palace, and was of uncommon magnitude and grandeur. The
palace itself surpassed every thing of the kind in India; the avails of the principal
apartments being lined with marble, and the cielings of many of them overlaid
with plates of silver. The grand mosque was also without a rival, being incrusted
within and without with marble of various colors. The Bazars (public market-places)
were surrounded by arches, which at the same time that they gave a perpetual shade
below, supported noble terraces above ; while the shops themselves were stored with
the richest merchandize of Asia. The city was about seven miles in circumference,
and was surrounded on three sides by a wall of brick and stone, the Jumna itself
forming a defence on the fourth, w hile Shah Jehan's principal care was to make two
gardens of inconceivable magnificence, called the gardens of Shalimar, M-hich alone
cost him a million sterling. Here were grottoes of great extent and depth, w here
the beams of the sun never penetrated ; canals of the fairest water filled with gold
and silver fishes; fountains that, for ever playing, diftused a refreshing coolness round,
while the choicest flowers and fruits of Asia, by their fragrance and flav or, on every
side administered to the gratification of the delighted senses."*

* That this account is not exaggerated is evident from Mr. Franklin's description of a part of Shah
Jehan's palace, as it appeared in 1793. The remains of the great hall of audience are thus noticed by

COTSEA BHAUG. 171

Delhi now became the resort of the curious ; and the most elevated expectation
usually fell short of the riches actually contained in the new capital of India. Shah
Jehan had a natural taste for voluptuous magnificence : a long list of plundered pro-
vinces rendered up their dearest treasures, and the palace blazed with tributary dia-
monds. By this emperor was constructed tlie famous Tiikt Tabus, or peacock throne,
the body of which was solid gold, incrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and
sapphires !* It was called the peacock throne from " having tlie figure of two pea-
cocks standing behind it, with their tails expanded, which were studded with various
jewels, to represent the life. Between the peacocks stood a parrot of the ordinary
size, cut out of one emerald." The precious stones with which this throne was
ornamented, were valued at twelve hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling.

A most sumptuous gallery was, likewise, to be seen at Delhi. The interior of
this building the Emperor had intended to cover entirely with a kind of lattice- work
of emeralds and rubies, so disposed as to present the appearance of clusters of grapes
in the different stages of growth, from early green to the deep red of maturity. This
plan was commenced, and three stocks of a vine, with their leaves and fruit, were
constructed ; but to complete this dazzling vineyard w as found impossible, as the
known world did not contain sufficient jewels for the purpose. The design, at any
rate, merits praise, as one of the most gorgeous projects that ever entered the human
imagination. Delhi, indeed, during a part of the magnificent reign of Shah Jehan,
assumed all the magical splendor of a city in a fairy tale. But its gaiety was dependent

Mr. Franklin : " The Deivaun Khass, in former times, has been adorned with excessive magnificence ;
and though stripped and plundered by various invaders, still retains sufficient beauty to render it ad-
mired. I judge the building to be one hundred and fifty feet in length, by forty in breadth. The
roof is flat, supported by a great many columns of fine white marble, which have been richly adorned
with inlaid flower-work of beautiful stones : the cornices and borders have been decorated with a great
quantity of frieze and sculptured work. The cieling was formerly incrusted with a work of rich foliage
of silver throughout the whole extent, which has been long since taken off and carried away. The
delicacy of the inlaying in the compartments of the walls, is much to be admired. The terrace on
which the Dewauti Khanah is built, is composed of large beautiful slabs of white marble, and the
building is crowned at top, with four pavilions or cupolas of the same materials."

* An engraving of this superb throne may be seen in the ■' Indian Antiquities." The number of
jewels mentioned in oriental history as belonging to each successive monarch may almost exceed the
possibility of belief; yet several circumstances exist to strengthen the probability of the historian's

7. 2

172 COTSEA BHAUG.

on the humour of tlic despotic monarch ; and even the mighty I'jnperor of India
became w cak, chearless, and timid, as lie drew towards the evening of his life. ]\Iusic,
wine, the glitter of diamonds, and the charms of beauty, lost all their influence. On
the authority of Maiiouc/ii it is asserted, that " Shah Jehan caused two deep and
capacious vaults to be excavated under the palace of Delhi, supported by marble
pillars; in one of which, in mighty heaps, was piled up his gold, in the other his
silver. To prevent these precious metals from being carried away, he had the pre-
caution to form tliem into vast ingots, unfit to be used in commerce. These vaults
were the favorite resort of the Emperor, who, under the pretence of enjoying the
cool of that subterraneous gloom, spent a great part of the day in these caverns,
feasting his eyes on the enormous wealth contained in them."

Few cities have experienced so many vicissitudes of fortune as Delhi. Although
repeatedly plundered and burnt by Tartars, Persians, and jNIahrattas, it preserved
its original consequence till nearly the middle of the last century, and presents at this
day, an august specimen of Asiatic grandeur.

In the vicinity of this great city, the borders of the river Jumna, assume a variety
of captivating beauties. On the banks of the .Tumna, accordingly, are built many
costly mansions, among which the Cotsea Bhang holds a distinguished place. The
Mord Bluing signifies a siarden : Cotxta was the name of the lady for whose use the
buildinii and its (lci)endciicies were erected and arraiisicd.

The palace is built of stone, and co\cred in part ^ith stucco of a very durable
nature. The apartments, as is usual with Mahommedan buildings, receive light
principally from the garden side. The octangular projections at the corners form an
exception, but these appear to consist only of inferior apartments. The roof is
smoothly terraced, and commands a fine view of the city of DcUii and the river Jumna.
The gardens are spacious, and are laid out in straight walks, paved with free-
stone. Beds of aromatic flowers are tastefully disposed, and numerous fountains
ornament the diflferent divisions, and impart a refreshing coolness to the air. In

correctness. The jewels appertaining to the Imperial ftraily were never alienated, but continually
centered in the person of the reigning monarch. Tlie diamonds of the Harem were all perforated, and
therefore actually unfit for sale. All that were collected were consequently preserved, and it must be
remembered, that the customary present from the great Omrahs of state, or tributary princes to the
Mogul, was a diamond, a pearl, a ruby, or an emerald.

COTSEA BHAUG. 173

regard to the plantations, nature, prodigal of lier bounty, supplies the place of art.
Mangos (the strings of their branches forming a natural arcade) constitute an outward
barrier. Tlie guava, the lime, the orange, and pomegranate flourish beneath an
oriental sun, without the fostering tenderness of skill; and the pensile foliage of the
tamarind expands also with gratuitous delicacy.*

On the south side of the Cotsea Bhaug, adjoining the outward Mall, there is a
mosque ; and on the north is the principal entrance.

This palace was erected by the Cotsea Begum, a Mahommedan lad}', in the reign
of the Emperor Akbcr. In-our notice of this potent Mussulman, we shall make it
evident that no era could be more propitious to the construction of magnificent build-
ings, and tlie Begum Cotsea availed herself, in an honorable manner, of the general
security and affluence. Her palace exhibits to the traveller a splendid specimen of
the genius and opulence (jf the period in whicli the foundress lived.

The time does not admit our attributing this building to the Arabesc style. It is
apparent that the architect of Cotsea Bhaug was averse from the pinnacle and pyra-
midal form so frequent in the earlier ages. His regularity of design may be noted
as worthy of praise. In general, his embellishments possess the merit of a chaste
simplicity; a proof of great strength of judgment, when we recollect that nature all
around wore a face abundantly florid, and that original architectural effort is inevitably
deduced from the complexion of natural objects.

To elucidate this latter observation, we cannot refrain from indulging in a few
short sentences ; yet we must observe, that in so doing, we merely study to remind
the reader concerning curious particulars, and do not assume the office of infonnutg
him on subjects connected with the elementary principles of architecture. " That
trees were tlie originals of columns," says a well-known architect, " seems evident
from some very ancient Egyptian ruins still remaining, in which are seen columns
composed of many small trees tied together w ith bandages, to form one strong pillar.
Herodotus describes a stately stone building, which stood in the court of the temple
of Minerva at Sais, the columns of which were made to imitate palm trees."

The orders of architecture (so well known to constitute the basis on whicli the

* The eastern gardens, though so abundantly favored by nature, are in general tortured into uninter-
esting monotony by those who have the superintendance of them. The trees are planted with tastelesi
regularity. Water is conducted to the root of each tree, by means of small channels cut in the earth.

174 COTSEA BHAUG.

chief decorative parts of the art are established) were formed in attention to tlie various
modifications of the human form : the Doric presents the image of a stout Herculean
warrior; the chaste Ionic personifies the grave and rcs|^)ectable matron; the Corin-
thian column represents the delicate figure of a youthful female, while the capital
owes its origin to a basket of trinkets, round which the luxuriant acanthus accidentally
entwined its beautiful sprigs ; and the Tuscan homely in its purposes, gives us the
figure of tiie sturdy shiiple laborer.

In a no less memorable degree did the Gothic builders (the wild, poetical geniuses
of architecture!) borrow immediately from the sympathetic graces of nature. " This
northern people" (says bishop Warburton, speaking of the Goths) " having been
accustomed, during the gloom of paganism, to worship the deity in groves, when
their new religion required covered edifices, ingeniously contrived to make them re-
seu)ble groves, as nearly as the distance of architecture would permit, and with what
skill and success they executed their project appears from hence, that no attentive
observer ever viewed a regular avenue of well-groMn trees, intermixing their branches
over head, but it presently put him in mind of the long vista through a Gothic cathe-
dral; or ever entered one of the larger and more elegant edifices of this kind, but it
represented to his imagination an avenue of trees."

Dr. Warburton further observes that, if this mode of explanation be received, it
obviates many objections which have hitiierto been successfully made against the style
of Gothic architecture. The arches, he remarks, could not be otherwise than pointed,
when the workmen were to imitate that curve which the branches of the two opposite
trees make by their intersection with each other; nor the columns otherwise than split
into distinct shafts, when they were to represent the stems of a clump of trees grow-
ing closely together.

The bishop likewise says, " on the same principle, the Goths formed the spread-
ing ramification of the stone work in the windows, and the stained glass in the inter-
stices ; the one to represent the branches, and the other the leaves of an opening
grove ; and both concurred to preserve that gloomy light which inspires religious re-
verence and dread."

Thus is it evident that, M'here no determinate rules of art exist, architects have ever
been in the habit of recurring immediately to nature as a prototype. No positive
restrictions deterred the architects of Akber's reign from the wildest excursions ; and,

COTSEA BHAUG. 175

therefore, much praise is due to that sobriety of judgment which kept tlie eccentric
M'anderings of imagination within due bounds. In fact, architecture during the
reign of Akber, would appear to have shone with eminent lustre. A regular analysis
of the art among the practitioners of the peninsula would carry us to an extent infi-
nitely beyond our proposed limits, and it is highly probable that a brief account of
the general character of buildings in Hindoostan may, likewise, afford more enter-
tainment to the reader. Our work is not intended to be a regular treatise on the art.
We wish tQ win the reader by descrii)tion, rather than to fatigue him by investigation ;
and, therefore, present a few desultory sketches relative to the existing state of ar-
chitecture in Hindoostan, rather than a more elaborate dissertation on the compara-
tive progress of talent.

The native Hindoo character of building is distinguished by an imposing air of
massive dignity. Two round towers of a very singular construction, arc to be seen
about a mile N.W. of the town of Bhaugulpore. "They much resemble," says
Lord A^alentia, " those buildings in Ireland which have hitherto puzzled the anti-
quaries of the sister kingdoms, except that they are more ornamented. It is singular
that there is no tradition concerning them. The Rajah of Jyenagur considers them as
holy, and has erected a small building to shelter the great number of his subjects
who annually come to worship here." These erections are evidently of very great
antiquity.

Some idea of the domestic architecture of the Hindoos may be formed from the fol-
lowing description of Benares by the same noble author : " The streets are so extremely
narrow that it was with difficulty I kept my horee from touching the side. The houses
are built of stone, some six stories high, close to each other, with terraces on the sum-
mit. They are whimsically painted, and the architecture is as extraordinary. Bands
of carved work run, in general, round each story, by no means despicably executed ; and
the large masses of stone used in the walls, together with the neat manner in which they
are joined, show that the masons are very tolerable workmen. The windows are ex-
tremely small, and probably they are formed in this manner to answer two purposes ;
first, to prevent the opposite neighbours from overlooking the apartments; and,
secondly, to keep the houses more cool during the hot winds. The opposite sides of
the street, in some places, approach so near to each other that they are united by

176 COTSEA BHAUG.

galleries." The city of Benares is regarded witli religious veneration by the Hindoos:
the number of Mahommedan inhabitants is not in the proportioii of one to ten.

The Pagoda of Raniiseram is one of the finest pieces of Hindoo architecture that
the country produces. Tiiis building is thus described : " The entrance to the Pa-
goda was through a very lofty gateway, I should suppose about one hundred feet
high, covered with carved work to the summit. It was pyramidically oblong, and
ended in a kind of Sarcophagus. The door was about forty feet high, and composed
of single stones placed perpendicularly, with others crossing over. This massive
workmanship reminds the spectator of the ruins of Egj'ptian architecture.

A cloister was next entered, that led through a triple row of pillars to a square,
cloistered all round. The inside was concealed in part by walls, and w ithin were the
sacred temples. The pillars were three feet deep, and had carved figures of deities
in the front. The square seemed to be about si.K hundred feet in size. The whole
building is surrounded by a lofty w all.

In the centre of the edifice is a small temple, dedicated to Mahadco ; on the right
a very large one, unfinished, dedicated to Ranui-axvomee ; and on the left a smaller,
complete, where his wife Seta resided. The front was ornamented with red paint-
ing, and innumerable figures of different deities : before Mahadeo's was a tank."

Lord Valentia dwells with peculiar admiration on the general eftbct of this build-
ing. The extreme pertinacity with which the Brahmins guard the interior of their
tem|)les from the inquisitive researches of foreigners is well known. The " Holy of
Holies," tiierefore, remained impervious to Lord Valentia — for he had sufficient
good sense to obey, in the most minute particular, the w ishes of the native priests —
but, from the entrance of the second temple, he w as enabled to obtain an indistinct
view of the forbidden retreat. " The mysterious gloom," observes his Lordship,
" was by no means sufficiently dissipated by the lamps 'to enable me to distinguish
accurately, as tiie temple retired back a considerable way. I could perceive a brazen
pillar, ending in a vane of three cross bars, and surmounted by a bird. The goddess
was beyond seemingly richly dressed. The Pandaram himself is not permitted to enter
the innermost ten)ple, nor any one but the attendant Brahmins, who live in the town,
and have their share of the offerings. Rama's temple is within, like his wife's, except
that a large brazen linguam is in frorit of him, where the pillar stood in the other."

COTSEA BHAUG. I77

Tho Mussulman buildings in India are generally disringuished by a light, airy
elejrance of construction. The following extract must be necessarily supposed to
relate to one of the most costly modern erections of Ilindoostan : " The Su?igi Dalam
(or stone palace) is a very elegant building, perfectly in the eastern style, open on
all sides, and supported by pillars. It is as the name designates, built of stone, but
the whole is painted of a deep red color, except the domes that cover the towers at
the corner. These are gilt all over ; the effect is extremely rich. Tlie centre room
is large ; two narrower on each side make the shape of the w hole building a square,
w ith circular towers at the four corners. It is raised one story from the gi-ound, and
a large terrace connects it with a smaller but similar building. A most magnificent
musnud of gold, covered with brocade, and embroidered wreaths of roses, was
placed at one end of the large apartment. We dined in the smaller, on one side,
whence we had a view of the basin of water which extends to the Hum-
maum attached to the palace. The sides of the basin were covered with colored
lamps, and a complete trellis work of the same extended on each side of the walk.
It was the splendor of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, as described in the Arabian
Nights' Entertainments, completely realised. After dinner we adjourned to the op-
posite building, through a lane of double silver branches, with attar placed on
stands between each."

The sublimity of splendor apparent in this narration is, however, far from being
universal throughout the Mussulman districts of India. Tippoo had his throne of
studded diamonds, and garments of oppressive magnificence, but his palaces were
comparatively mean, and the interior of the private apartments in no way remarkable
for elegance. His Zenana was "extremely bad. It consisted of a quadrangular
building, two stories high, with verandahs all round, opening into the centre. Some
of the rooms were large, but void of decoration, and the pillars were of wood."
According to the assertions of several gentlemen who entered the Zenana immediately
after it was quitted by the females belonging to Tippoo Sultaun, the apartment* were
both unornamented and dirty. " The lamps had been placed in niches in the walls,
and the oil from each had been permitted to run down to the floor, forming a black
stripe the whole way ; and the wooden pillars in the largest rooms, and in the
verandahs, had lost their color by grease and dirt."

The buildings erected by the English in India are extremely numerous. The time
is not very distant at which the Company sued for permission to construct ranges of

A A

178 COtSEA BHAUG.

warehouses, witli such confined buildings attached, as might suit tlie necessities of
factors and ware-housemen; but so great has been the success of its united industry
and arms, that mansions, the rivals of original Asiatic magnificence, now abound in
various districts, and attest the security with which England waves her flag over the
tributary plains of Hindoostan.* A strange refinement of taste, has occasioned the
Grecian mode of architecture to be usually adopted by the English l)uilders. Per-
haps no mode could possibly be more injudicious. It is observed by an intelligent
traveller before cited, that " the pillars which are generally used by Europeans in
the verandahs require too gi'cat an elevation to keep out the sun during the greater
part of morning and evening, although the heat is excessive at both these jjcriods.
In the rainy season it is still worse, as the wet beats in and renders them totally
useless.!

There can be no doubt of the Hindoo architecture being that best adapted to the
vicissitudes of the climate. The small windows usual with Hindoo buildings preserve
a grateful coolness, and the compact style in which the most splendid edifices are
constructed, is judiciously calculated to repel the penetrating severity of the perio-
dical rains. It would have been laudable for European artists to introduce refine-
ments on the native architecture of the coimtry ; but to have assumed the style of
Greece, merely because it is classical, in defiance of every repulsive obstacle raised
by climate and situation, is one of the most discreditable circumstances connected
with the progress of the art of building in modern times.

A very singular exception to the classical purity cultivated by the gcnci-ality of
European architects in Hindoostan is to be seen in the mansion erected by the late

• The rapid successes of the East India Company have impressed a sort of religious dread on the minds
of many of the natives. They believe the parent-stock of the associated merchants to exist in the form
of an old woman, endued with supernatural powers. This visionary female they denominate Mrs.
Company, and they believe the Governors-general to be her children. In the course of a few centuries,
this shadowy creation might be moulded into a code of national superstition !

t The large apertures well suited to the temperate gales, and moderate heats of England, are, with-
out the least thought on the subject of local adaptation, introduced in all dignified structures by the Eng-
lish in As:a. The consequences of this tasteless custom would be insupportable were not artificial means
used to lessen the inconvenience. Tatlys are invari.ibly applied to windows not elevated above the
height of one story. The taltys are a species of screen, composed of sweet-scented grasses, on which
vratef is frequently thrown by servants.

COTSEA BHAUG. 179

General Martin. This edifice is termed Constantia, and is thus described : - " It is
a straivie, fantastical building, of every species of architecture, and adorned willi mi-
nute stucco fret- work, enormous red lions with lamps instead of eyes, Chinese man-
darins, and ladies. with siiaking heads, and all the gods and goddesses of the heathen
mythology. It has a handsome eft'ect at a distance, from a lofty tower in the centre
with four turrets, but on a nearer approach tbe wretched taste of the ornaments only
excites contempt. A more extraordinary combination of Gothic towers, and Grecian
pilastres I believe was never before devised. \\'ithiu the hall is very fine, but the
other apartments are small and gloomy, loaded with stucco work painted yellow to
imitate gilding."*

The judicious Hindoos must look with contempt on this baby-house of gewgaAvs 1
"We trust that there is not much danger of the General's example finding imitators
among our enriched countrymen in the east ; and it certainly should be mentioned,
in alleviation of General Martin's sin against taste, that he entered India as a private
soldier, and cannot, therefore, be supposed to have possessed many opportunities of
cultivating an accuracy of judgment during that early period at which the notions res-
pecting beauty, in its various modifications, are generally formed. It would be
happy for the memory of this successful adventurer, if an apology of equal influence
could be offered for those mistakes of the heart which accompanied his en'ors of
judgment in respect to the fine arts. The Asiatic Register, in its mention of this
*' character," passes lightly over ^Martin's failings, and holds them forth as mere ec-
centricities. W'g regret to be enabled, on indubitable authority, to proclaim him
one of the most sordid and contemptible of human kind. Strange! that the memoiy
of Martin should be defended, while a Hastings lives calumniated ?

]\Iartin went to India, as we have observed; in the capacity of a private soldier.
By adulation united with assiduity he made, during the early part of life, some little
progress in military rank, and also attained (what was to him of still dearer import)
a facility in the art of procuring m calth. Nature meant the General to earn a fortune :
he was void of all compassion, gratitude, and principle. Fraud and usury were his
habitual practices. Not contented with privately administering, at an exorbitant
advantage, to the necessities of the imprudent or unfortunate, he opened a systematic

* A portion of this c!)ild»ijh structure has, very fortunately, been destroyed by an earthquake.

A .4 2

180

COTSEA BHAUG.

pawn-shop, in which he advanced twelve per cent, on valuable articles of any des-
cription, the owners being allowed to redeem them within the year, on paying
twenty-four per cent. If this payment were not punctually made, the privilege of
redemption was forfeited. Tlie General knew his trade, and kept out of the way
towards the end of the year, when any commodity of unusual value was lodged in
his possession. The owner was consequently unable to fullil the conditions, and his
property was the sacrifice. In periods dangerous to the security of the natives
(times, alas ! too common with Hindoostan) the military pawn-shop was particularly
busy : the Hindoos are proverbially ingenuous and unsuspecting ; they placed unhe-
sitating reliance on the usurer's integrity, and that gallant soldier soon imparted to
them a lesson of salutary precaution, while he reaped a rich har\'est from the spoils
of their simplicity.

The late Nuwaulis childish peculiarities were likewise a fruitful source of gain to
General Martin. This universal dealer purchased toys, and other trifles, in Europe,
which he sold to the Nauaub at400,or 500, per cent, profit, lending at the same
time, the money which was to pay himself, at £3 pe?- cent, interest, per month.

By means like these, Martin amassed upwards of two hundred thousand pounds,
besides various houses and other local property. He also attained the rank of Major
General in the aimy.

A love of fame shared with a love of money the dominion of this man's bosom,
and charity was frequently on his lips while he struggled to assume the appearance
of generosity. But every semblance of virtue was artificial, and the " plain devil"
lurked beneath his deceitful looks. There were two men wretched cnougli to be
called the friends of General Martin, and these miserable persons left behind them
orphan female children. Martin adopted the orphans, carefully publishing at the
same time his intention of providing for them, in a manner due to the friendsiiip
which had existed between himself and their parents. Thatfriendship was probably
built on the most despicable basis ; if so, the General kept his word, for these or-
phans became the unwilling mistresses of their guardian.

Liberal of promise, INIartin adopted another child, the care of \\ liose education
he undertook, and placed it accordingly, in one of the most expensive institutions of
this country. The credulous father was living, and paid warm tributes of praise to
the generosity of the action, Martin loved praise, and knew the value of reputation.

COTSEA BHAUG. 181

ile therefore disguised the reality of his design ; and the parent was woefully amazed
to find, on the death of the General, that every rupee expended in behalf of the
child Avas placed to his account, and that the will contained a positive order for the
executors to spare no labor in endeavors to recover the whole.

Martin's brother was tempted by the known affluence of his relative to venture on
a voyage to India. He was received with indignation, and it was not till some con-
siderable time had elapsed that he obtained an allowance of fifty rupees per month.
This meagre salary was accompanied with a curse. " Let him work for his bread,"
said the liberal soldier, " as I have done."

There wants little to complete Alart'm's character; but that little is at hand. The
dependants \x\\o had served him with fidelity through life, he consigned in his will
to houseless poverty, and bequeathed the whole of his splendid fortune to public uses.
Thus exhibiting, at any rate, a consistency in inhumanity that evinces strength of
character.

We are unfortunate in our authorities, if a single habitual virtue existed to lessen
the horror of this opaque delineation : nay, it is not in the remembrance of those best
acquainted with our subject, that any cd&\iA flash of generosity or justice was wont,
at intervals, to illumine, for an instant, the " vast profound" of such black and
frightful iniquity.

The tomb of this despicable man of gold is in the centre of his favorite house,
Constantia. It is a plain marble slab, relating that he came out to India a private
soldier, and died a IMajor General ; and though he nominally died a Protestant, yet,
by his special directions, the spectators are, in the last line, requested to pray for
his soul. The tomb is placed in an arched vault, the approach to which is by a cir-
cular room of large dimensions. On a niche over the tablet is placed his bust,
which is said to be like, though he himself was never pleased with it. One of the
executors, to show his taste, has placed in niches, four paper grenadiers, Avith re-
versed arms, leaning over the tomb !

Enougli of this worthless European ! — The Mussulman government demands our
attention ; and we hasten, even to the followers of Mohammed, for relief from the
painful contemplation of this disgrace to Christian conquerors. It was our design

to close the article with a review of the Emperor Akbcr's life a subject illustrative

of the age in «hich the Begum Cotsea flourished, and in which her palace was

182 COTSEA BHAUG.

erected, but we are willingly arrested in our purpose by some shining traits in the
character of Sultan !Mahmud.

Mahmud, the son of Sithuclagi, succeeded to the throne of Gazna at the close of
tlie tenth century. Like all the eastern sovereigns of his era, IMaiiuiud's character
was disfigured by ferocity, bigotry, and a love of rapine. But these were tlie in-
evitable vices of education : the Sultan had virtues which sprang from the heart, and
were entirely his own. As a warrior, his successful irruptions into Hindoostan have
established him a lasting fame : it is for a love of justice and an adn)iration of letters
that wc distinguish Mahmud from the crowd of potent Mussulman sovereigns of tlie
early centuries. Concerning his rigid adlierence to tlie dictates of justice, the fol-
lowing story is extracted from an authentic document, by the historiographer of
India.

" A person one day, in great agony of mind, abruptly rushed into his presence,
while the king was sitting at his tribunal, and called loudly for JUSTICE! Mah-
mud desired him instantly to declare his complaint. He said that he was a man in
but indi'Tcnt circumstances, but blest with a beautiful wife, whose charms had un-
fortunately excited the passion of an Omrah of great wealth and rank ; that the said
Omrah, witli armed attendants, came frequently at midnight to his house, and
after severely beating him, turned liim into the street, m bile he gratified by force his
licentious desires. Tears of resentment and compassion started from the eyes of
IMahmud, and he severely reprimanded the poor sufferer for not sooner preferring
his complaint. The man replied, that he had often attempted it, but could never gain
admittance. ' If,' said Mahinud, ' that Omrah should ever trouble yo\x again,
let me know it A\itliout a moment's delay.' Then ordering the guard to
admit him at any hour, however unseasonable, he dismissed him. The third
iiiilht following, the former outrage being renewed, the complainant hurried
to the palace; but the King having retired to the Harem, was refused admit-
tance. Encouraged by the promises of Mahinud, he now set up the most violent
outcries, in hopes that the noise would alarm the court, and reach the King. The
attempt succeeded, and IMahmud snatching his robe in haste, followed the poor
man to his house, attended by part of his guard. When arrived thither, he imme-
diately ordered the light to be extinguished, and cut the insolent Omrah to pieces.
After the execution, he commanded a flambeau to be lighted, and then looked earn-

COTSEA BHAUG. 183

cstly at the face of the criminal; this done, he prostrated himself, returned thanks to
God, and called for some refreshment. The house of poverty afforded no other than
some barley bread, and a little stale wine, which, however, the Sultan was contented
with, and on the point of returning to his palace, v ns, after the most fervent expres-
sions of gratitude, humbly solicited by the avenged husband to explain why he ordered
tlie light to be extinguished, why he prostrated himself after the death of the Omrah»
and lastly, how the fastidious appetite of a great King could put up with so beggarly
a repast? the Sultan with great condescension replied, that after his first complaint
lie conjectured that none of his numerous subjects, except his own son, would dare
to commit an action of such horrible enormity ; that determined to sacrifice such an
atrocious offender to the justice of the laws, he ordered the light to be extinguished,
lest compassion at the sight of so near a relative should arrest his hand in the execu-
tion of that justice; that finding it was not his son, he prostrated himself with
grateful humility before God ; and that he had eaten chearfuUy of his repast, however
humble, because he had, on the instant of hearing the complaint, made a vow not to
eat or drink till he had avenged himself on the base adulterer."

The Rajah of Callinger experienced the benefit of ^Nlahmud's love of letters.
The Sultan, at the head of a tremendous force, threatened the dominions of this
prince with devastation. While the pi-eparations for bloodshed were arranging, " the
soul of jNIahmud," says the historian, " relented, and a circumstance shortly after
occurred, that contributed to turn incipient esteem for tlie Rajah into friendship and
admiration. Determined by rather a dangerous experiment to try the valor of the
Sultan's troops, Nunda contrived, by certain drugs, to intoxicate the elephants. In
this state, without riders, they were urged, furious and precipitate, towards the
Sultans camp; but he, observing the wildness of their motions, instantly conjectured
what had been done, and ordered some of his best and bravest horse to attack and
drive the enraged animals into an adjoining forest, where they were soon mastered
and tamed. The game played by the Rajah, on this occasion, was rather of a sus-
picious nature ; but an elegant panegyric composed by him, in Indian verse, and im-
mediately transmitted to Mahmud, on the undaunted bravery of troops who dared to
confront, and had skill to reduce to obedience, a train of intoxicated elephants, ex-
cited the applause and delight of the whole court; and Mahmud, flattered and grati-
fied by tlie compliment, not only left him in quiet possesion of his own sti'ong fort,

184

COTSEA BHAUG.

but added to it fifteen otlier inferior ones, which lie had reduced in the present and
preceding expeditions."

A second instance of the power of well-turned verse to assuage the turbulence of
Mahuuid's passions, reminds tlie reader of Pope's playful and pacificatory poem on
" Tlie Rape of the Lock." Mahmud seems, in spite of the restriction imposed by
tiie Koran, to have occasionally indulged in the pleasure? of the flowing goblet. In
the moment of intoxication, he one night, cut off the beautiful tresses of his favorite
mistress. In the morning, he was extremely afflicted for the outrage he had com-
mitted. The distracted state of his mind showed itself in his wild and furious ges-
tures. Nobody dared approach the agitated monarch. At length a celebrated phi-
losopher and poet of the court addressed him in so\ue beautiful line?, artfully adapted
to die sorrowful occasion. The sovereign's grief gradually subsided, .and, as the
bard proceeded, lie became so delighted with the effusion, that he ortlercd his mouth
to be three times Jilled xvith jewels : an aduiirable mode of rewarding poetical merit!
the Sultan then called aloud for wine, and seating the favorite poet by his side, forgot
his cares in the renovated pleasures of the banquet.

Sir William Jones has stated a circumstance, which, in the opinion of the historian,
detracts from the reputation of the Sultan Mahmud. The story in brief runs thus:
Ferdusi an Indian poet of celebrity, found an ancient volume of Persian liistory,
which he thought amenable to the garb and purposes of a poetical composition. He
prepared some episodes, and presented to the Sultan, who commended them highly,
and desired him to complete his intention. The poet obeyed, and after the labor of
nearly thirty years produced his Mork, which contained sixty thousand couplets,
in rhyme, " all highly polished," says Sir William, " and written with the spirit of
our Dryden and the sweetness of Pope." The poet eagerly presented his work ;
but Mahmud " coldly applauded his diligence, and dismissed him." Ferdusi, in-
censed by neglect, avenged himself in a philippic ; taking care to make his escape to
Bagdad before his satire met the observance of the despot.

The events oi thirty yearshdid in all probability, banished Ferdusi and his poeti-
cal version from Mahmud's remembrance. The period is really too long for human
attention to keep on the alert, and who can answer for the poem meriting the solid
notice of the Sultan of Ganza? sixty thousand couplets on one subject written with
the strength of Dryden and the sweetness of Pope ! the idea is absurd. VV ith blind

COTSEA BHAUG. 185

and patient labor, Ferdusi had composed a book (or series of books) which it was
not to be expected the Sultan would read, and then he was oft'cndcd because he did
not receive the recompense of genius. The iiitatnation of the poet is suljject of
surprise; the conduct of the Sultdii appears quite natural.*

The Empcrur Akber is the favorite of European writers. It was Akber who sat
on the throne when Elizabeth first niatle commercial overtures to India, and he de-
serves the praises, not of Europeans alone, but of mankind at large. There is a
principle of vicissitude in human occurrences that sjenerally causes men eminently
prosperous and great to rise from the cradle of turmoil and calamity. Of this the
Emperor Akber is a proof Born in circumstances more adventurous than are
usually devised by the penmen of romance, and nursed amid armed contention and
political cabal, he steppetl forth prepared to meet the rudest shocks of unpropitious
fortune, and indued with self-command sufficient to resist the more dangerous
blandishujents of success. After the important, but unsuccessful siege of Sezven,
Humaioon, the second Mogul Emperor, and the father of Akber, was compelled to
retreat in the greatest distress. This clement prince, whose virtues were of too
soft a character for the possessor of an eastern diadem, now experienced all the
pangs which treachery and ingratitude can inflict. He was even denied a few small
boats to waft his scanty forces over a river. After repeated endeavors, one of his
retinue, by accident, discovered some vessels which had been sunk. These were im-
mediately raised, and the troops passed over the stream. But misfortune had not
yet done with Humaioon. A rebellion broke out in his army, and one perfidious
chief formed the design of delivering the forlorn King into the hands of the traitor S/ierc,
who had now usurped the reins of the Mogul Empire. Humaioon discovering the
treachery, escaped on horseback, through the darkness of midnight, and fled towards
Amercot, attended by a faithful few, whom reiterated calamity strove in vain to se-
parate from his interests. The King's horse fell dead during the flight, through fa-
tigue, and as the pursuit was close, he was fain to continue his track on the back
of a camel. The country around now assumed the threatening aspect of a flat and
sandy desart. New troubles arose in these chearless \\ ilds : — no water was to be

* Mahmud's opinion was pointedly expressed in the reward assigned Ferdusi ,-— the poet received a«
many small pieces of money as there were couplets in the volumes.

B B

186 COTSEA BHAUG.

procured, and the necessity was so great, that some of the soldiers actually ran mad,
while the groans and lamentations of others, appeared the harbingers of frightful and
unusual death. When a well was found, it proved so deep, that the bucket was a
long time rising to the opening. A drum was therefore beaten to announce the ap-
pearance of the bucket, that confusion might be avoided, and no time lost. Rut
the famishing soldiers were so eager for relief, that ten or twelve of them unhappily
threw themselves on the fust bucket that appeared, before it completely reached the
mouth of the well. The rope broke, the bucket was lost ; and several fell headlong
into the Mater. The screams of despair which succeeded this fatal accident are de-
scribed as being horrible beyond expression ; and how acutely must they have sound-
ed on the ear of the suffering King ! — The tongues of some swelled till the mouth
would no longer contain them. Many rolled tliemsclves in the burning sand, and
cursed the hour that gave them birth, wliile others furiously plunged into the well,
and ended life and misery in one desperate pang! — The next day a brook promised
ample consolation ; but it contained the source of fresh anguish. So pressing was
the fever that preyed on the vitals of these unfortunate men, that moderation was
preached to them by their anxious leader in vain. They tried, by inordinate
draughts, to appease the caustic rigidity of the palate ; then the major part com-
plained of an oppression of the heart and died. It was only a very few that sur-
vived to attend the King to Amercot, the Rajah of which district generously received,
with more than customary testimonials of respect, the monarch whose hopes and
constitution were broken, and who had little remaining to term his own, save the
proud inflexibility of his courage.

Amidst this scene of complicated woe, was Akber born. His birth took place at
Amercot, in the year 1541. The King publicly returned thanks to God, and was
shortly constrained to march with this beloved infant (trebly dear from fellowsliip
in sorrow, and destined to be the avenger of his family's wrongs) against a threaten-
ing body of the rebels. Mischance was still the lot of this persecuted monarch ; he
was doomed to a lengthened exile, and the baby Akber was retained by a man wlio
had no motive but self-interest for preserving him amid the perils which surrounded
his cradle.

The first public action of Akber is highly to the credit of his courage and acquire-
ments. " Upon the last day of Rigib," says the historian, •' when the young

COTSEA BHAUG. 187

prince Akber, then only thirteen years of age, was going the rounds of the camp,
the Patans suddenly drew up their forces, and offered battle. This had the intended
effect on tlie impetuous valor of the young prince, w ho could not bear to be insulted.
He accordingly, having obtained his father's permission, also drew out the Mogul
army. The King took his station in person, in the centre, and advanced slowly
towards the enemy, who waited the attack. The action continued doubtful for a
time. The young prince Akber distinguished himself by heroic acts of personal
valor. The Moguls weie so animated by his example, that they seemed even to
forget that they were mortals, and a complete victory was the consequence. This
conquest was decisive, and the family of Timur returned to the throne of Delhi."

At the age of fifty-one, an accident deprived Humaioon of life ; and the mingled
cares and triumphs of government devolved on Akber. He took possession of a
distracted country. Various competitors disputed his right to the crown, and a fa-
miliarity with rapine and plunder had rendered a great portion of the people unfit for
contented subjection and domestic life. It required exalted talent to guide so crazy
a vessel in so distempered a season.

The youthful Emperor according to the legend of his reign, himself requested
Byram Khan, his guardian, to sustain the weight of administration during the ten-
der years of the legal sovereign. At any rate, Byram undertook the superintend-
ence of public affairs, and the acquiescence of Akber is a proof of that modesty which
usually accompanies solid merit.

A dreadful battle was the first event during Timur's administration, in which the
insurg^t Himu was conquered and deprived of life. Opposite writers give different
accoul^s of his end, one asserts that Himu, when led a captive to the tent of
Akbe^,' was destroyed by Akber 's own hand. Another says that, when the rebel was
conducted to Akber, faint, wounded, and covered with blood, Timur bade the Em-
peror now avenge the injuries sustained by his family, and complete his triumph by
inflicting the death- ^^'ound of tlie sturdy traitor; but that Akber burst into tears, and
declared himself inadequate to the task. On which Timur severed Himu's head from
his body. All histories are deceptive ; and, as we have only the choice between
possibilities, we do not hesitate to prefer this latter statement. Himu, at all events,
appears to have been murdered ; and even supposing the act to have been perpe-
trated by Akber 's hand, it is not, perhaps, to be imputed to natural inhumanity.

B B 2

188 COTSEA BHAUG.

Nothing can be more mutable than the due color of virtue in the local estimation of
mankind. Clemency in the west shall be weakness in the east, and honor in the
north disgrace at the opposite point, in one and the same period.

During several successful expeditions undertaken by his subjects, Akber now re-
sided at Agra, which he preferred to IDelhi, and spent his time in hunting and other
amusements suited to the gay season of vouth. Still he « as not inattentive to the in-
terests of the public, and when his favorite minister, elated by wealth and power,
usurped authorities subversive of the national welfare, the Emperor resumed the
functions of royalty, and boldly declared the regency dissolved.

The subjugation of the potent fortress of Chitore was the first military adventure
of Akber's personal government. This fortress was commanded by Jamtl, who
scorned to outlive the reduction of his fastness, and rushed sabre in hand, among his
opponents, where he perished. The motive might be mixed, but certainly there
was much of nobility in Akber's conduct, who placed the statue of the gallant Jamel,
together with that of a confederate brother, over the gate of his palace at Delhi.

A war with his own brother Mohammed succeeded ; which w as no sooner suc-
cessfully terminated than Akber returned to Agra, solicitous to enjoy the advantages
of peace. It was now tliat the mind of tliis great man began to untold itself for the
benefit of his subjects. Instead of sinking to the effeminacies too frequent with his
age, Akber bent his attention to the encouragement of the arts and the internal regu-
lation of his empire.

As the first step of regal munificence, he determined on the rebuilding of Agra.
For this purpose, he collected the most skilful architects from every part of liis domi-
nions. Some idea may be formed of the magnificence of his scheme, when it is
known that the palace alone took up twelve years in finishing, and employed, during
the whole of that period, not less than one thousand laborers. "The castle itself,"
says Maurice, " the largest ever erected in India, h as built in the form of a crescent,
along the banks of the Jumna ; its lofty walls were composed of stones of an enor-
mous size, hard as marble, and of a reddish color, resembling jasper. It was four
miles in extent, and it consisted of three courts, adorned \\\i\\ many stately porticoes,
galleries, and turrets ; all richly painted and gilded, and some even overlaid with
plates of gold. The first court, built round with arches that gave a perpetual shade,
so desirable amidst the heats of a burning climate, was intended for the imperial

COTSEA BHAUG. 189

guard ; the second for the great Omrahs and Ministers of State, who had their several
apartments for the transaction of public business ; and the third court, within which
was the imperial Seraglio,* consisted entirely of the stately apartments of the Em-
peror himself. Behind these were the royal gardens, laid out in the most exquisite
taste, and decorated with every object that could gratify the eye or regale the ear."
The interior of this superb edifice was ornamented with all that inexhaustible affluence
and a refined imagination, could suggest ; but the most estimable apartment was the
presence chamber. Here were to be seen pillars of solid gold, and a royal throne
embossed with all the varieties of precious stones that Golconda could produce; and
here also was daily to be contemplated a still more magnificent and gratifying spec-
tacle .... a monarch who wielded his sceptre as a signal for his subjects to advance,
and prefer tliose complaints which never went unredressed from regal observation !

Akber was no less solicitous to add to the strength than to the embellishments of
his empire. For this purpose, he encouraged the traders of all nations to settle in
his new city, and, with a liberality unusual with his age and sect, and which, on
that account, more peculiarly ascertains his original vigor of intellect, he granted
a free exercise of religion ■\ to all the foreigners whom lie received into the bosom
pf his country. A man like this was fit to sit on the mighty throne of Hindoostan !

The priests tell a lengthened tale concerning a pilgrimage made at this period,
by Akber to Ajmere, under the hope of persuading the Saint, who held his court
there, to promise hiin a son and lineal successor. If this be true, Akber had some
political motive for his expedition. It would not be correct to say that such an in-
ducement was justifiable; but the monarch who handles the superstitions of his
country, for the benefit of the commonweal, is certainly preferable to the bi^ot who
blindly follows the lead of its fanaticism.

It is to be regretted that the horrors of war should interrupt deliberations so uni-
versally beneficial as those of Akber. His wisdom and awful demeanor prevented
the existence of party-dissention among the nobles of the court, but various distant
revolts arrested the career of his vast schemes for the improvement of human kind^

* Mr. Maurice falls into the common error of using the word Seraglio for Harem.
■\ He permitted the Jesuits to erect a church and found a college ia Agra.

190 COTSEA BHAUG.

The conquest of Guzurat may be adduced as an instance of the facility with which
he punished insurrection.

Tiiat " vice of nobler souls," ambition, was, perhaps, the failing of Akber. The
darling object of his meditations uas the subjugation ot tiiC whole peninsula of India.
It would wear tlic ap|Karance of a faulty attachment to a particular ciiaracttl, it we
endeavored entirely to excuse this seeming thirst alter power. But Akber, in the
great majority of his actions, assuredly studied the advancement of human happiness,
with views so exalted and comprehensive, that they often soared al)ove the possible
accompaniment of popular capacity. Many of the districts of India had, through a
very long succession of years, been embroiled, from the circumstance of their pos-
sessing a participation in that dubious blessing a balance of poxrer, in detestable
scenes of altercation and bloodshed. It h possible that or^e man might boast so ele-
vated a range of thought, as to wish the amalgamation of these rival parties in one
great authority, for the obtention of universal peace alone? if any one man were ca-
pable of so noble a project, certainly it was Akber.

But this first and dearest wish of the Emperor (whatever might be his temptation)
was perpetually obstructed by calamities from which no virtue or magnificence is
free. The father of his subjects m as unhappy in his immediate offspring. The re-
bellion of his son Selim, was the most grievous affliction of Akber 's reign. It may
seem matter of surprise, that the son of so clement and just a man should harbor in-
tentions inimical to the welfare of his parent. But it must be recollected, that
Mussulman children of rank are consigned chiefly to the tuition of the Harem.
Slaves are never the teachers of generosity, and the Mussulman princes have no op-
portunity of other instruction.

The rebellion of Selim, which took place during his father's ab.sence, inflicted the
most severe agony on the sensitive mind of the Emperor. The insurgent had forti-
fied himself in the castle of Allahabad. Thither Akber dispatched letters full of
paternal remonstrance, hut free from threats, and endeavored, by liberal argument,
to wean the prince frum his destructive measures. But Selim, surrounded by para-
sites, returned messages of defiance ; and on receiving continued overtures of kind-
ness, instead of hostile opposition, he transmitted to his illustrious father some coins
which he had caused to be struck in his ov^ u name. Still faltering in the work of
vengeance, Akber sent for a learned and venerable man to act as negotiator between

COTSEA BHAUG. 191

himself and his son ; but, witli unparalleled barbarity, Selim waylaid the aged friend
of his parent, and massacred him on the road. Indignation now took place of pa-
rental forbearance, and the Emperor was preparing to march, in all the terror of his
arms, against the ferocious contemner of his reverend authority, when news arrived
of the death of his third son (Shah Daniel) who fell a victim to disgraceful habits of
intemperance. Again the sword fell from his hand, and he resigned himself to the
grief of wounded at!"ecti(^n. This accumulation of trouble on the head of so good a
parent, and so upright a King, overcame even tlie obduracy of Selim, and he threw
himself at the feet of his insulted father. Akber, smarting with complicated injuries,
treated this tardy condescension witii contumely and reproach. Amazed into virtue,
the prince drew his sword, and otlered to plunge it into his own breast, as an un-
worthy expiation of his otience. This act renew ed the tenderness of tlie father, who
pressed his child in his arms, and wept a forgiveness.

But the end of Akber approaches ! — and here, while we seek not to reconcile
crime, we must again remind the reader that conscience derives its character of feel-
ing from custom, ^\'e know there are nations where infanticide is in common use,
and self-destruction deemed a religious duty. There are also countries in which as-
sassinations are regarded as mere justifiable strokes of policy. It may be that the
people who would not scruple to destroy an adversary by private machination, shud-
der with horror at the Christian custom of duelling, and term us barbarians ? —
Akber, it appears, had invited a powerful noble, whose principles he suspected, to
share with him the pleasures of a familiar banquet. A regale of opium, as usual,
succeeded the cnterttunment, and the pill destined for the visiter was imbued with a
deadly poison by command of Akber. By mistake, the salutary dose was presented
to tlie traiterous Omrah ; the tainted pill passed the lip of the Emperor, and death
was the consequence. Finding himself dying, he sent for his son Selim, and ordered,
his own imperial turban to be placed on the prince's head, and the victorious sword
of Ilumaioon to be girded on his thigh. He then resigned himself to his fate, in.
the filtietli vear of his rtiu-n.

Like " a column in the lonely waste," the great Akber stands proudly pre-eminent
in the annals of .Mussulman sovereigns. His valor in war, and his habitual presence
of mind, ai-e favorite topics with the descendants of his vassals to this day. When
encouraging the youthful soldier, they are wont to point to Akber as the standard of

192 COTSEA BHAUG.

military excellence; and the young fancy of tlie auditor, picture's the invinciljlc Fm-
peror as the deity of war. It is then that the Islamite relates from Fcrishta, " that
as Akber was hunting, a great royal tigress, with five young ones, took tlie road before
him. Akber advanced to the animal, while his retinue stood trembling with fear
and astonishment to behold the event. Tlie King having meditated his blow, spurred
on his horse towards tlie fierce tigress, whose eyes flamed with rage, and with one
stroke of his sabre cut her across the loins, and stretched her dead at his feet."

But it is not for military prowess alone that Akber deserves the remembrance of
posterity. It was in his person that the persecution of the Hindoos made a pause.
Preceding monarchs had treated this timid, but amiable race as mere serviceable
slaves, or had hunted them to death as foes to the true and saving faith of the holy
prophet. Akber restored them to the just dignity of men, and listened to their
complaints with undeviating impartiality. It was under his government that the for-
lorn natives of Hindoostan recovered the privilege of tilling their soil with a security
of emolument, and then that they first fouud subjugation, though inglorious, might
be productive of peaceful comfort.

The internal polity enforced by Akber is the just admiration of the intelligent of
all countries. The Aycen Akbery is known to contain " the noblest institutes ever
promulgated for the government of an Asiatic empire."

The Emperor Akber is a single instance of a Mussulman setting the world a
bright example of religious toleration. Before his reign, the gods of the Hindoos
were trampled in the dust, and the rites of the Christians held forth for public ridi-
cule. He extended his arms to the pure of all religions. Christians, Mussulmen,
and Idolaters were all his brethren Other Mohamedan sovereigns were the heads
of a sect, and the rulers of slaves : Akber knew but one God, and wished to be the
GOVERNOR OF MEN.

HISTORICAL VIEW

HAMPTON COURT.

HE reign of Henry VIII. is a memorable era in the annals of architecture.
The Gothic style, which had so long exercised the ingenuity and extorted the admi-
ration of the English, was now to terminate its career. But its declination \'.as
marked by an imposing extravagance of embellishment. In which it might poeti-
cally be said to resemble the meretricious fair, who finds that old age is likely to de-
tect the irregular character of her beauty, and who paints more thickly, and assumes
garbs still more fantastic than those worn in her youthful days, as the last subterfuges
of deception.

The ornamental Gothic supplanted the simple Saxon architecture, but something
still more superb was needed, and the style denominated (in allusion to literature)
florid Gothic was invented by the exuberant fancy of the architects. " Its charac-
teristics," observes an elegant writer, " are a profusion of ornaments, minute yet
delicate ; a finishing light and slender, from Avhich apparent strength and solidity
recede ; walls surmounted by latticed battlements ; windows less pointed, but broad
and o[)en ; roofs divided by slight ribs into numerous compartments, fretted curious-
ly, like rich embroidery, interspersed with sculpture, and spangled with pencil and
clustering decorations, like those grottoes where the oozing water is petrified before
it distils from the vault."

194 HAMPTON COURT.

Amid splendor like this the sun of Gothic architecture set in the sixteenth cen-
tury. It was now the province of one great man to give such a character and in-
clination to the arts of his country, as have had an important effect on the taste of
each succeeding age. We allude to Cardinal VVolsey, a name interesting to every
Englishman to whom the advancement of science and letters is of the smallest
moment.

The taste of Henry VIII. directed him to tent^ composed of cloth of gold, to
costly jousts, and numerous bands arrayed in liveries of pomp and show.* Wolsey
was perfectly sensible of the charms of habitual splendor ; but magnificence of a
less evanescent nature obtained his serious admiration, and he was solicitous to raise
lasting monuments of combined taste and liberality.

In regard to buildings devoted to religious purposes, it is evident that Wolsey es-
teemed the florid Gothic as the most desirable style. Somewhat may, perhaps, be
attributed to prejudice, but we cannot help thinking that much uiighl, with strict
justice, be adduced in support of the Cardinal's opinion. There is an inipressive
solemnity attached to the character of Gothic buildings, which unavoidably inspires
serious reflection and reverential awe. The approximation to nature, | in her more
retired liabits, observable in the formation of Gotliic structures, seems peculiarly to
point to that character of architecture as the style adapted to sacred uses. The very
absence of art (so that sublimity be attained) is here a inost grateful advantage.

That Wolsey preferred the Gotluc, in regard to serious buildings, is evident from
the construction of Christ Church (originally termed Cardinal's College,) which he
caused to be erected with all the peculiarities of that style.

A fortunate combination of circumstances now concurred to the hitroduction of
refinements on the accustomed mode of domestic architecture. Internal tranquillity
had hitlierto been a blessing of so precarious a tenure tliat security, was inevitably
the primary object with every noble builder. From various causes (the discovery of
the art of printing being entitled to the first place) mankind had now begun to find
tliat honor m^ spring tiom sources unconnected with devastation and bloodshed,

* It is curious to observe, that Henry and his daughter Mary, were fond of the colors of green
and white : Elizabeth, on the contrary, seems to h,ive always affected the sombre tranquillity of black.
t yide, The quotation from Bishop Warburton, in the article " Cotsea Bhaug."

HAMPTON COURT. I95

and that social intercourse may be directed to nobler .purposes than the mere
procuration of party strength and individual ascendancy.

The invention of cannon, likewise, tended, in a very important degree, to render
nugatory the massive solidity of unshaped walls, and tlie repulsive austerity of em-
battled barbicans. The court aftbrded a pattern of elegance, and the nobles had
sufficient leisure and affluence for the pleasing business of imitation.

It is a curious speculation to trace the progress of domestic architecture. Con-
jecture is our only guide, as to the construction of the buildings of the very early
stages of civilization ; but this is one among the few subjects on which conjecture
may be exercised with all the confidence of legitimate intelligence.

" The annual progress of the sun to the south," observes IMalcolm, " renders it an
indisputable fact, that the northern climate of England must have made huts or
caves indispensably necessary to the inhabitants, for at least five months out of twelve,
from the first hour that our country was peopled. Ideas are useless on such a sub-
ject : sensation is sufficient for the purpose. I do not hesitate, therefore, to assert
that our aborigines fortified existence in caverns, natural and artificial."

With this opinion ^\e fully agree. Tlie practice of mankind in every northern
climate, where humanity moves only in the first stages towards comfort, wanants
the readiness of this conclusion.

As the suggestions of instinct precede, in effort, the deliberations of reason, there
is room to suppose that man borrowed his first hints in architecture from the bird
which formed its nest in the branch of that tree whose hollow trunk sheltered the
Lord of the creation (forlorn and comfortless while in an uncongregated state) from
the dangers of night, or the rude blast of a winter's gale. The infant attempts of
our novel architect were guided by the inclinations of nature, rather than the resolves
of skill.

" That the primitive hut waS of a conick figure," says Sir W . Chambers, " it is
reasonable to conjecture, from its being the simplest of solid forms, and most easily
constructed. But, soon as the inhabitants discovered the inconvenience of the inclin-
ed sides, and the want of upright space in the cone, they changed it for the cube,
and, as it is supposed, proceeded in the following manner.

Having, writes ^'^irtruvious, marked out the space to be occupied by the hut, they
fixed in the ground several upright trunks of trees to form the sides ; filling the in-

c c 2

igQ HAMPTON COURT.

tervals between them with branches, closely interwoven, and spread over with clay.
The sides thus compleatod, four beams were laid on the upright trunks, which, being
well fastened togetlier at the angles of their junction, kept the sides firm ; and, like-
wise, served to support the covering, or roof of the building; which was composed
of smaller trees, placed liorizontally, like joists ; upon which were laid several beds
of reeds, leaves, and earth or clay.

Other improvements took place by slow degrees. The bark and other protube-
rances, were taken from the trees that formed the sides ; these trees were raised above
the dirt and humidity, on stones ; were covered at the top with other stones ; and '
firmly bound round at both ends, with osier or cords, to secure tliem from splitting.
The spaces between the joists of the roof were closed up witli clay, or wax, and the
ends of them either smoothed or covered with boards. The difierent beds of mate-
rials that composed the covering were cut straight at the eaves, and distinguished from
each other by different projections. The form of the roof, too, was altered ; for
being, on account of the flatness, unfit to throw oft' the rains w hicli sometimes fell
in great abundance, it was raised in the middle, on trees disposed like ralters, after
the form of a gable roof."

In the constituent parts of buildings so simple as these, may be readily traced the
origin of those particulars which now adorn our most splendid edifices.

That the English, in some degree, copied each perfection of their numerous in'
vaders appears unquestionable. From Rome, from Saxony, from Denmark, and.
Normandy, hints were collected which still exist in the rudiments of English domes-
tic architecture, though the particular source from whence they are derived, is now
lost and confounded in the general mass of national information.

The perishable materials* of which the great majority of domestic buildings were
composed, before the reign of Richard II. forbid the possibility of the most accu-

* The most ancient domestic building in England is a Danish palace at Southampton, built of stone.
In Sir H. Englefield's account of Southampton may be seen some curious conjectures concerning this
unique specimen of Danish domestic architecture.

But stone was very rarely used in early periods, for the construction of domestic edifices. One of the

oldest houses in England, was a manor-house belonging to the Percy family. This building was pulled

down early in the 17th century. It is thus described by Leland in his itinerary : " Leckingfield is a large

, bouse, and stcndyth withyn a great mote, yn one very spatious courte. Three partes of the bouse, savings

HAMPTON COURT. 197

rate research ascertaining the exact formation of the dwellings possessed by our an-
cestors, in the early ages of English splendor.

When we remember that not only the art of cutting and sculpturing stone, but the
use of bricks and the knowledge of a cement so efficacious as to mock the imitative
efforts of modern ingenuity, were introduced by their Roman conquerors to the early
Britons, we should be lost in surprise at the supine temper of our forefathers, in re-
gard to their modes of architecture, had we not at hand an immediate reason for
their want of enterjjrize and slovenly humility of disposition. In a very short sentence
tliat reason may be stated :— the fault lay in the government. The existence ot arbi-
trary power rendered property insecure, and every noble art, and all honest emula-
tion, slumbered in a state of morbid torpor which the talisman. of widely diffused
letters alone could remove.

From the time of Richard II. to that of Henry VIII. bricks appear to have crept
into use by tardy, but ccrtian steps.. The cheapness of bricks, in regard to the con-
struction of mansions, undoubtedly persuaded their introduction, in the first instance.
The gradual abolition of the decorated Gothic manner afforded a new argument for
the disuse of stone. Example, at length, operated on the middle classes, though to
us it appears certain, from an investigation of the character of antient farm-houses in
the more retired parts of England, that brick and mortar were commonly used in the
building of even inferior farmers' dwellings, before lath and plaister were abandoned,
by the infatuated arcliitects of the metropolis.

We have said that, under the auspices of Cardinal Wolsey, architecture was to
assume a new character in this island. The Italians (whose elegance of manners
Wolsey seems to have regarded as tlie due standard of excellence) had rejected the
gloom of those Gothic castles in which their forefathers were contented to live, for
halls of a lighter character, and galleries calculated to exhibit with brilliancy, the
charms of voluptuous dress and domestic decoration. By the Italians the contraction
of the superior part of tjie Gotiiic window was abandoned, and the low pointed arch,
described from four centres, with obtuse angles, was introduced.

the meane" (probably middle?) " Gate that is made of brike, is all of tymbre; the fourth parte i$
made of stone and sum brike. The park thereby is very fair and large, and metely well woddid."

In judging comparatively of the durable qualities of brick and stone, we should recollect that, on
pulling down one of the towers of the wall that fortnerly surroimded London, the stone was found .de-.
cayed, the bricks were firm as ever-

198

HAMPTON COURT.

The advantages of the ItaUan style of building were precisely suited to the purposes
of Wolsey, who was anxious to ameliorate the manners of his countrymen by an ex-
ample of splendid interior arrangement, quite new to their untravelled liabits.* It
is to be rc»n-etted that architects were wanting of sufficient taste and ability to mature
the classical conceptions of Wolsey. There is every reason to supjiose that Wolsey
meant to construct at Hampton, such a splendid specimen of Grecian correctness as
might impart a new biass to the architecture of the island. It is to be attributed to
the lingering relics of prejudice, and the indignant unwillingness to be instructed in
their own art, too common with professional characters of every description, that the
Gothic and the Grecian styles were blended in the Cardinal's magniticent building,
with pointless and disgusting impropriety.

The situation chosen for the edifice was very desirable, according to the taste of
the age. Insensible to the charms of an elevated site, the security fi-om piercing
winds, attainable in the humility of the lowlands, generally induced noble founders
to place the most costly mansions on flat and uninteresting tracts of ground. In
conformance to the custom of the era, Wolsey esteemed the fertile equality of coun-
try round Hampton its greatest recommendation. The vicinity of the Thames was a
circumstance of unequivocal advantage.

Leland (in the words of the translation in Camden) thus speaks of the Cardinal's
edifice : —

" A place which nature's choicest gifts' adorn, "\

Where Thame's kind streams in gentle currents turn, V

The name of Hampton hath for ages borne. y

Here such a palace shows great Henry's care,
As sol ne'er views from his exalted sphere,
In all his tedious stage."

The building was composed of brick, and consisted of five courts. The small part
of the antient palace which remains, can convey only a very inadequate idea of the
former splendor of Hampton. The apartments which are now standing were princi-
pally used as domestic offices.

* At the conclusion of Henry VII. reign, the whole expense of the powerful family of Percy scarcely
exceeded the annual sum of eleven hundred pounds.

HAMPTON COURT. igg

The following curious description, copied from the travels of Hentzner, which
were written in the year 1598, presenls a satisfactory picture of the appearance of
the palace in the reign of Elizabeth : " Hampton Court is a royal palace, magnifi-
cently built with brick, by Cardinal Wolsey, in ostentation of his wealth, where he
inclosed live 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 innard 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 windows 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 colors. 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 per-
forms her devotions. In her bed-chamber the bed was covered with very costly
coverlids of silk. At no great distance from this room, we were she\vn a bed, the
tester of which was worked by Anne Bullen.

All the other rooms being veiy 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 of Queen Elizabeth ; the true portrait of Lucrctia;
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, «lio was beheaded, and litr daugh-
ter;* the picture of Ferdinand prince of Spain; and of Philip his son; that of
Henry VIII. under which was placed the Bible curiously written upon parchment ;
«n artitkial sphere ; several musical instruments ; in the tapestry are represented
negroes riding upon elephants.

In one chamber are several e.xcessively vich tapestries, which are hung up when
the (^ueen gives audience to foreign ambassadors. There were numbers of cushion.^

* Ao evident mistake of tbe writer.

2©0 HAMPTON COURT.

ornamented with gold and silver ; many counterpanes and coverlids of beds lined
with ermine ; in short, all the walls of the palace shine w ith gold and silver.

Here is, beside, a certain cabinet called paradise, where besides that every thing
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, wc were led into the gardens, which are most pleasant. Here we
saw rosemary, so planted and nailed to the m alls as to cover them entirely, Mhich
is a method exceeding common in England."

This palace, if Me may credit Camden, was not completed by W'olsey. Accord-
ing to Fiddcs (the liberal and ingenious defender of the Cardinal's character) VV'ol-
sey presented the pile voluntarily to Henry, as a proof of the grateful sense he en-
tertained of the monarch's favor, but we confess ourselves of a different opinion.
Henry appears to have been of a contracted, envious, and selfish disposition, in
spite of the extravagance to which he was so frequently tempted, and the doating
partiality with which he distinguished particular men.

The palace of Hampton was calculated to rouse every envious propensity of his
bosom, as he possessed a favorite residence in the immediate vicinity (at Ilumvortli)
which Camden says was " though a royal, but a small house." Undoubtedly, the
comparison was obviously detrimental to the King's accustomed place of resort, and
Wolsey judiciously averted the possibility of offence, by devoting his edifice to the
service of his n)aster.

It is impossible to read the description given by Hentzner, without noticing the
gaudy manner in which the interior of Hampton Court was arranged. Tliis taste-
less partiality for mere show would seem to bespeak the interference of Henry.
The man who projected the introduction of classical architecture, would, surely, have
preferred simple statues to " golden tapestry, ' if he had been permitted to complete,
according to his OMn wishes, the palace which he designed with so liberal a motive.^

Henry appears to have frequently visited Hampton Court, and Elizabeth honored
this residence with peculitu: majks of favor. The following is the most memorable
circumstance connected with her visits. " In September, 1572, the Queen who had
hitherto been very healthy (never eating without an appetite, nor drinking without
some allay) fell sick of the small-pox, at Hampton Court. But she recovered before
there w as any news of her being sick ; and, fulling to the care of the government,
ordered Portsmouth to be strengthened with new fortifications ; her navy to be in-

HAMPTON COURT. 201

creased mth more men of war; musters to be observed in every county, at set
times ; and the youtli to be trained up to war ; and all this when she enjoyed a pro-
found peace."*

Not only was Elizabeth's vigilance, but her severity, evinced in transactions with
which Hampton Court was connected. It was here that some of the unv arrant-
able proceedings against Mary Queen of Scots were instituted. " In December
156r<, conferences were lieid at tiiis palace, after the cessation of those at York,
when new commissioners were appointed, and so little decency was regarded, that
the Regent, or Wood his secretary, suffered the accusation, with the proofs to be
snatched out of his hand. It was at this period tliat JMary's conduct appeared most
equivocal. She had implored enquiry ; but, when Elizabeth complied with her de-
mand, she produced a formal revocation of the commission she had herself appointed,
and urged exceptions to that of the English Queen. Her expedients were vain.
Bucl)anan, who was present, informs us that, on this occasion, INIurray produced
the confessions of the criminals executed for King Henry's murder. He then read
the decrees of the states, conlirming the Queen's resignation of the crown to the
King, her son rafter which, he produced the fatal casket, which Bothwell would
have plundered from the castle of Edinburgh, and exhibited the verses, letters, and
contracts."

James I. does not appear to have been much attached to the palace of Hampton.
He, however, called a synod here in the year 16U4, ostensibly to receive com-
plaints, and remove their causes, but really to further his favorite scheme, the intro-
duction of episcopacy to Scotland. Here were assembled the Bishops of Canter-
bury, London, Winchester, Durham, St. David's, and other prebendaries; on the
part of the presbytery appeared Drs. Reynolds and Spai k, together with two other
eminent divines. King James took a personal share in tiie debate, and rendered
himself so agreeable to the courtly Bishops, that the Archbishop of Canterbury was
pleased piously to observe,that " he verily believed the King spoke by theSpirit of God !"
Egerton, the Lord Chancellor, likewise said " he had often heard that priesthood
and royalty were united, but that he never saw it verified until now."

During the civil war, so disastrous to the house of Stuart, Charles I. was con-
ducted to Hampton Court, and here that ill-fated monarch experienced eveiy pan^

* Nicliols's Progresses of Queen Elizabeth.
D D

202 HAMPTON COURT.

that popular indignation, united with puritanical malice, had capacity to inflict. In
common with most illustrious victims, Charles hurried the pressure of calamity on
his devoted head. At the end of the year 1647, he fled from Hampton Court, witli-
out any rational plan of future conduct, and without the invitation of friends who
were likely to shelter him in adversity.

The general ruin of splendid domestic edifices during the " Rebellion," contiibut-
ed, in no mean degree, to the advancement of a classical taste in arcliitecture among
the English. It was while Kinjj William sat on the throne, that the most memorable
change observable in the annals of British architecture generally took place in this
island. Among the various buildings illustrative of the national improvement in
taste, Hampton Court (as rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, at the command of the
sovereign) occupies a prominent situation. The grand facade to the garden is in
width 330 feet, exceeding in width the front towaids the Thames by two feet. The
general design of the building is magnificent, yet delicate. The Ionic order prevails
in the principal departments of the edifice. " On the north side is a tennis-court.
Passing through a court-yard,^ the first portal appears, leading to two quadrangles;
and on the left of the latter is the ancient hall in Avhich Queen Caroline erected a
theatre. On the opposite side of this quadrangle is a stone Ionic colonnade, con-
ducting to the great staircase, the ceiling of which was painted by Verrio. The
gardens are in the regular style so aptly described by Pope : —

" Grove nods at grovs, each alley has a brother.
And half the platform just reflects the other."

" The grounds belonging to the palace are three miles in circumference." In
attention to our general design, the artist has represented in the plate attached to
this article, that view of the palace which was judged the best calculated for a dis-
play of its determinate character. The reader will readily acknow ledge that a cata-
logue of pictures, and a descriptive account of statues, are foreign to the intention of
our work. We promised an historical account of this palace, and therefore proceed
to observe, that Hampton Court was the favorite residence of the monarch who re-
vived its ancient splendor. The Prince of Orange was so little accustomed, in Hol-
land, to the charms of picturesque scenery, that he deemed the flatness of surface

HAMPTON COURT. 203

by which the neighborhood of the palace is characterised, its most captivating point
of beauty. " The sister of Queen Mary entertained the same partiahty fur Hamp
ton," but the princes of the house of Brunswick have exhibited more strength of
judgment, and have abandoned the level verdure of Hampton, for the magnificent
boldness ot Windsor Castle.

Even commercial districts are liable to the consequences of ambition. The
States of Holland were forced to suspend their industrious pursuits, and William V,
was driven from the principality of his ancestors, and compelled to seek shelter
in Great Britain. By a strange caprice of fortune, Hampton Court was named as
his residence ; and thus he lived inglorious and destitute of sway, in the very palace
where his illustrious predecessor negotiated the claims of empire and assumed the
reins of power !

The founder of Hampton Court is entitled to our serious consideration. There
are few names in the diversified annals of the British isles more familiar to tlie
general reader than that of Cardinal Wolsey. Biographical history resembles a
gallery of august portraits. The spectator passes a thousand faces replete with
promise of peaceful benevolence and domestic excellence, to hang with admiration
over the strong bold countenance of enterprise and resolution. There are some men,
even in the public legends of our country, so tamely excellent that they want the
garb and trappings of an historical hero. Wolsey is, assuredly, not one of these.
His life is marked by vicissitude. His character is diversified by light and shade.
In a word, he presents so strongly-marked a countenance in the gallery of national
pictures, that the spectator ever pauses before the delineation, and cons the
checquered events of his life as an historic drama of inesistible sublunity.

Since the leading features of Wolsey 's life are so generally familiar, wc decline
the idea of labored recitation. It appears desirable only to collect supplementary
hints, which, by alternately exalting and depressing our recollections of this great
favorite of fortune, may act as the last touches of light and shade bestowed by the
painter on a portrait — which complete the effect, and sei-ve to impress tlie resem-
blance on the mind of the most cursory observer.

There is a certain species of courtly danger connected M-ith historical writing, that
seldom fails to corrupt even those who enter the limits with intentions of the brightest

D u 2

204 HAMPTON COURT.

purity. Among the few who have passed this fiery ordeal, and reman just, *Dr.
Fiddes is an exemplary instance of biographical impartiality. With equal confidence
and pride, therefore, we profess chiefly to extract from his valuable work, the following
anecdotes of Cardinal Wolsey.

" There have appeared in the world," says Bruyere, " from time to time, some
admirable, extraordinary men, whose virtue and eminent qualities have cast a prodi-
gious lustre, like those unusual stars in the heavens, the causes of which wc are igno-
rant of, and know as little of them after they disappear." Cardinal Wolsey evinces
the truth of this remark. Nothing decisive is known respecting iiis father, and the
most careful inquirer has not discovered any particulars concerning the family after
the decease of the Cardinal. Common report affirms his father to have been a
butcher. Fiddes adduces strong reasons for tlie disbelief of this report. This accu-
rate investigator has discovered the will of Wolsey's fatlier. He appears to have been
a man of good property, and in the fifteenth century (when most country families
killed meat for their own consumption) a butcher at Ipswich can scarcely be supposed
to h ive possessed a real estate ? by the will it seems that Thomaswas bred a scholar,
and designed by his father for priest's orders. Fuller observes, in his church history,
that, to humble the Cardinal's pride, some person had set up, on a window belonging
to his college, a painted mastiff dog, gnawing the spade-bone of a shoulder of mutton,
to remind him of his extraction, he being the son of a butcher. A dog gnawing a
bone (but not the spade-bone of a shoulder of mutton) assuredly «as to be seen over
one of the windows in the front of Christ Church, " yet that figure," says Fiddes,
" seems to be placed there by mere accident, there being, upon the same continued
line with it, several other anticks, at proper distances, intended, according to the
architecture of that time, for the greater decoration of the building. It is probable
• Fullers's story has no other foundation than this wretched figure : for after all, there

* Rousseau warmly recommends the study of hislory, on account of the moral to be drawn fioui its
chief events. Would not romance be equally beneficial, with less danger of wounding the student's
feelings, and of insulting his understanding ?

It is a fact (though we must apologise for our temerity in making the assertion) that no one history
of England (or rather, book professing to be so) is written with discrimination aud candor. Histo-
rians proceed to quote each other for authority, till, at length, from the multitude of hands through
which misrepresentation passes, we lose sight of the contemptible foundation on which their dogmas
are reared.

HAMPTON COURT. 205

is no one in the whole thread of them that appears to be worse designed or performed." *
It appears probable that the story of Wolsey's father being a butcher was devised
by the enemies of his success, or of his religious sentiments.

Wolsey was sent so early to tlie university of Oxford, that he took his bachelor's
degree in arts when he was fourteen years old. His precocity of talent, and
early acquirements, procured him the appellation of the boy bacliclur.

There is an oral report in the society of Magdalen college, that Wolsey, while
Burser, made use of violent methods to possess liimself of money from the treasury,
for the purpose of farthering the erection of " the great tower of Magdalen college "
From the silence of his enemies, during the whole period of his life, Dr. Fiddes con-
tends that, if the story be correct, " he apprehended himself at least, unjustly opposed,
and contrary to some previous trust which the society had reposed in him." In this
vague anecdote we may, \vilhout difficulty, trace the characteristics of Wolsey's dis-
position : his imperious love of rule, and the public spirit and reverence for the arts
which regularly marked his demeanor.

Wolsey's first preferment is well known to have been the rectory of Lymington.
It was here that he was placed in the stocks, by order of Sir Amias Pawlett, oa
account, as is believed, of disorderly behavior and intoxication ! When Wolsey be-
came Lord Chancellor, he sent for Sir Amias, and alter a severe expostulation, ordered
him into confinement where he remained for five or six years, f There appears a
mean spirit of resentment in this conduct, but Fiddes observes that the Cardinal might
punish the indecorous liberty taken with the sacerdotal character, rather than the
afiront offered to the man.

* " The head of Wolsey," snys Granger, " which is carved in wood, in the central board of the
gateway which leads to the butchery of Ipswich, has such an appeaiance of antiquity that it is sup-
posed to have been done when he was living : by the side of it is a butcher's knile." Surely Mr. Gran-
ger nnust have been dreaming over his biographical work when he wrote this sentence ! Could he, if
awake, suppose that the people of Ipswich would insult, during his life time, the m.ia who was enrich--
ing their town with splendid benefactions ? the head was, in all probability, placed there at the instiga-
tion of aonne indignant monk, during the leign of Mary.

t The knight was detained in the temple. To prepare the way for the recovery of his libertv, he
adorned the gateway next to the street, with the arms, hat, and other honorary appendages of the
Cardiaal.

206 HAMPTON COURT.

The giaces of Wolscy's person appear to have facilitated his progress at court.*
Though of middling stature, his air is described as naturally dignified and command-
ing. To this habitual superiority of deportment Fiddes is willing to ascribe a por-
tion of the pride imputed to \V'olscy, by those who were obliged to seek favor from
his power. And when we recollect on what slight grounils ujcn usually form opi-
nions concerning those in an elevated and enviable sphere, it is far from unlikely that
the supposition is correct. Vet, Wolscy certainly sometimes forgot the equanimity
becoming a truly great man, however exalted his fortunes. Ihe following extract
from a letter in Lodge's Illustrations of British History, though far from conclusive
evidence, warrants suspicions detrimental to his reputation for liberality of manners.
The original letter was written by 'J'homas Allen, to the Earl of Shrewsbury, in 1517,
and is so much decayed, that many words are entirely lost: Mr. Lodge has endea-
vored to supply the sense by those printed in Italics. " Please it yo'. Lordship to
be advertised, upon Mondcy was sevenyght, last past, I dcf. your letter, with tlie
examinacons, to my Lord Cardinal at Gilford. Whereas he commanded me to wait
upon hym to the Court, and I should have peeps on them. The same tymc I shewed
unto him they wer but poor men, and did the tres{)as of innocency, and of no ma-
lice — I followed hym to the Court, and tlier gaffe attendance, and could have no an-
sucr. Upon Friday last he came from thens to Hampton Court, wher he lyeth. The
day after, I besogth is Grace I mygth knowe his pleasure. I could have no ansuer
then. Upon Mondey last, as he walked in the Parke at Hampton Court, I besogth
hym I mygth knowe if he wold comand me any syrvyce ; he w as not plescd w ith me
that I spekc to him. The Sondey before I delivered the letter unto hym wiche
Raufe Leche brogth ; I can have no ansuer to noder of bothe. He that shalbe a
sutor unto hym may have no oder besynes but giff" attendaunce upon his pleasure :
He that shall do so is nedefull to be a wyser man ner I am, I saw no better remedy,
but com, without ansuer, to persue such tliiiigcs yn London as yo'. Lordship com-
ands to be don, except I wold have don as my Lord Dacre's scrvand dothe, wiche
cam w ith lettres for the Kyng, is grace, V moneths sens, and yet have no ansuer : and

* Archbishop Parker, after all the severe things he his said of the Cardinal, gives him the following
characters. " Doctus et oratione dulcis. Corporis etiam gestu et habitu concinnus." There is no
portrait extant of Wolsey that is not a profile. This is supposed to have been occasioned by hii having
only one eye.

HAMPTON COURT. 207

anoder servand of tlie dep. Of Cales yn likewise wich cam befor he rode to Wals-
yngham. I lier that he ansuered them " If ye be not content to tary my leser, depart
when ye wyll." When he walkes in the parke he woU suft'r no siitor to com nye
unto hym, but comands liym away as far as a man woU slioote an arro."'

Wolsey's celerity of action is characteristically displayed in the account given of
his embassy to the Emperoi-, the object of which was a treaty of marriage between
Henry VII. and Margaret Duchess of Savoy. " Having received his dispatches, Wolsey
set forward from Richmond ; about four in the afternoon, he reached London, where
he found a barge from Gravesend ready to receive him. In less than three hours
he was at Gravesend. At Mhich place he stayed no longer than while post horses
could be provided for his furtherance to Dover. He arrived at Dover the next
morning, and took advantage of a passage boat that was just going to set sail for
Calais ; to which place he came long before noon, and proceeded forward with such
expedition as brought him that night to the imperial court, which was then in Flan-
ders. Having opened his credentials to the Emperor, he made it his humble re-
quest, for reasons respecting the special service of both courts, that his return might
be expedited. To which request the Emperor was so favorable, that the next morn-
ing he received his dispatches, wherein every thing was agreed to that had been pro-
posed on the part of his master. Upon this, he immediately took post for Calais,
at Avhich place, he arrived at the opening of the gates, and found the passengers ready
to put to sea, in the same boat which lay so conveniently for him when he arrived in
his way forward at Dover. T'ortune continued his friend, and he reached Richmond
that night. In the morning, he threw liimself at the Kings feet, as his majesty
came first out of his bed-chamber, to hear mass in his closet. The King not ex-
pecting to see him there, and supposing he was not gone on his embassy, gave him a
severe rebuke for his neglect of the orders wherewith he had been chaj-ged ; upon
vviiich, to the King's great surprise, he presented the letters from the Emperor."

His accomodating disposition assisted in recommending Wolsey to the notice of
Henry VIII. as a man of business, however, his talents were of the most usefid cha-
racter. At once capable of the greatest strokes of policy, and possessed of industry
sufficient for the toil of official routine, he presented to Henry [)reci5ely the minister
adapted to remove from the monarch all weight of government, without important
danger to the well-being of the state. Notwithstanding his wonted expedition, Wol-
sey was always composed in the midst of the most urgent and perplexing affairs.

208 HAMPTON COURT.

The style of Wolsey's letters must needs be an object of curiosity. " That part of
learning Mhich he is said principally to iiave cultivated," writes Dr. Fiddes, "was
theological and scholastic, yet he does not affect, in any of his letters, to discover
the least tincture of iiis conversation with the schoolmen, but seems wholly to confine
himself in them, whether as a minister or a prelate, a patron or a Iricnd, to his pro-
per character, and the business before him." To this we must add, that his style
(a surprising defect in a man of extensive avocation) appears to have been habitu-
ally diffuse. A short preface before one of the first editions of Lily's grammar was
written by the Cardinal.

The ostentatious retinue of Wolsey, and the luxuriance of his banquets, were cer-
tainly congenial to the disposition of the King. An opportunity of dis[)laying pomp
was never omitted by the stately churchman. When the Pope transmitted the Car-
dinal's hat, so gratifying to his ambition, Wolsey enquired concerning the figure of
the messenger, and upon finding " that lie was a person of no character, or distinc-
tion, and who made but an indifferent appearance, tiie Cardinal, thinking it a dimi-
nution of the honor due to him that so rich a present should be so meanly introduc-
ed, ordered the messenger to be stopped, that he might be better arrayed and at-
tended ; who was, therefore, met on Black-heath by a great number of prelates and
gentlemen, who conducted him, in great pomp and triumph to London, and through
Cheapside to Westminster."

When Campejus, after stopping three months at Calais, entered England, he was
received w ith great splendor, and many testimonies of respect. " Wolsey under-
standing that his retinue at Calais was meanly cloathed, and did not make an ap-
pearance suitable to the dignity of his station and character, had sent thither a con-
siderable quantity of scarlet cloth to do more credit to his embassy." A singular
circumstance attended the continued endeavors of the Cardinal to do honor to the
retinue of Cumpcjun. " The night before Campejus made his entry into London,
having but eight mules of his own, the Cardinal, to make his train more pompous,
sent him twelve more, with emptji coffers, under a red covering. But one of the
mules in Cheapside, during the procession, being unruly, put the others into such a
disorder as caused several carriages to be overturned, which, breaking ia the fall,
instead of the rich furniture they were supposd- to contain exposed to the view and
derision of the people, a collection of the most vile and homely materials."

HAMPTON COURT. ^og

The " affcrtedly unaffected" temper of Sir Thomas ]\Iore was quite averse from
the gay and convivial disposition of Wolsey. This man of jests has, accordingly,
neglected no opportunity of directing his satiie against the Cardinal. " Sir Thomas
More* means of Wolsey what he says respecting a great prelate of Germanie, in
his boiAe of ' Comfort in 'Iribulation,' who, when he had made an oration before a
great audience, would bluntely aske them that sate at his table with him, how they
all liked it; but he that should bring forth a mcane couunendation ot it was sure to
have no thanks for his labour. And he there telleth further how a great spirituall
man, who should have commended it last of all, was put to such a non plus tliat he
had never a word to say, but crying oh ! and fetching a deep sigh, he cast his eies
into the welking, and wept." This is too much like the story of a rival to gain ready
credit. The conduct of Cardinal Wolsey is often reprobated as possessing an undue
turbulence and asperity ; but no writer, except Sir Thomas More, has described it
as stained by such a poor and little vanity as is delineated in the above recital.

In the plenitude of power, Wolsey was ever regular in devotional duties. " Not-
withstanding the multi[)licity of affairs wherewith the Cardinal was taken up," says
Fiddes, " and all the pageantry with which he was surrounded in his several offices,
he never omitted, at the usual hours, regularly, and after a pious manner, to per-
form his public and private devotions." The piety of the age was fanciful : still ge-
nuine religion may be discovered through the veil of superstitious ceremony. During
his disgrace, " instead of that soft raiment which he had been used to wear in
King's palaces, he put on a shirt of hair, which he Avore frequently next to his body."

Sir Thomas More said that when he succeeded Wolsey as Chancellor, he found
suits in the court which had rested there for as much as twenty years. On the con-
trary, Fiddes asserts that Wolsey "s conduct in that important office was highly exem-
plary. " In examining causes which came before him, as Chancellor," writes Fid-
des, " he would take associates with him, learned in the laws, and ask their opinion;
but, in regard to matters that came before him and were not very intricate, he would
often give sentence according to the light of his o\a n understanding. There is a gene-
ral concurrence in the writers of his history, whether friends or enemies, that he ac-
quitted himself in his judicial capacity as a man of virtue and honor should have
done."

* Life of Sir T. More, by his great grandson.
£ £

210 HAMPTON COURT.

Erasmus appears to have been capable of abusing in adversity the man whom he
had extolled when surrounded by the benefits of affluence.

As a proof of his adulation, he thus addresse.s the Cardinal xvhen in poxcer.
" Your highness in the happy administration of the most flourishing kingdom upon
earth, is not less necessaiy to the King your master than Theseus was formerly to
Hercules, and Achates to JEneas.''

Again he observes, " The Cardinal of York hath settled every thing in the republic
of letters on a better footing, encouraging all persons of learning to be studious."

Mark the reverse ! The Cardinal went out of power, and the same writer pro-
duced this comment on his downfal : " This is the play of fortune ! From being a
schoolmaster, he was, in a manner, advanced to the royal dignity, for he might more
truly be said to reign than the King himself lie was feared by all persons, but
beloved by few, if indeed by any body." — Is this the " good and elegant" Erasmus?

The origin of Wolsey's quarrel with the unfortunate Duke of Buckingham is thus
described. " The Cardinal once, when the Duke was present, washing his hands in
the same water after the King, the Duke conceived so great indignation at the
bold and unbecoming freedom he took, that he threw the water upon his feet. The
Cardinal, being provoked in his turn, threatened (that was his expression) to sit
upon the Duke's skirts. The Duke, in contempt of this threat, or to ridicule him
for so vulgar an expression, appeared the next day at court, before the King, in a
dress without any skirts, and told the King he did so to prevent what the Cardinal
had threatened. '

The end of Buckingham is known. " When sentence was passed, and the edge
of the axe turned towards him, he was remanded to the Tower. Upon his entering
the barge wherein he was brought to Westminster, Sir Thomas Level, who had the
charge of conducting him, desired he would sit as before, upon the cushions,
which he refused to do, saying to this effect, " That he came in quality of a Duke
of Buckingham, but was now reduced to the condition of a private and mean
person."

That Wolsey sedulously preserved the dignity of his elevation is evident.
" When Archbishop Warham wrote to him, on a certain occabion, and subijcribed
himself ' your brother, William of Canterbury,' the Cardinal was highly offended,
and declared, with some warmth, that he would make the Archbishop sensible that

HAMPTON COURT. 211

be was his superior, not his brother. In the letters which the Archbishop afterwards
wrote to the Cardinal (two of which Fiddes saw in the Cotton library) he thus directs,
" To the Right Reverend Father in God, and my very .singular good Lorde, my
Lord Cardinal of York, and Legate a latere, is good Grace;" and concludes,
" at your Grace s commandments'"

The followincr remark is trivial, and yet we must venture on inserting it. Shaks-
peare describes King Henry (Scene IV. Act. 1. Hen. VIII.) as leaning on the Car-
dinal's shoulder. A person intimate with the court avows (in the Life of Sir T.
More) that he had never seen the sovereign lean on any shoulder except that of
More. Once, indeed, he had observed him walking arm in arm with Cardinal
Wolsey.

The King's wishes concerning Anne Boleyn certainly accelerated (if, indeed, they
did not altogether occasion) the disgrace of the Cardinal. An interview according
to Godwyn, took place between the King and 'Wolsey before Henry could persuade
himself entirely to abandon the fortunes of his favorite minister. " His majesty al-
leged several thbgs in defence of what he proposed, and particularly represented
the effects of his royal displeasure, which the Cardinal had reason to fear he might
incur in case he should shew himself reluctant to so reasonable a demand. It doth
not appear what answer was returned by Wolsey : this only is certain ; that he was
so severely reproached and menaced by the King, that upon his withdrawmg, he
discovered a most sensible disorder and consternation of mind, for when the Bishop
of Carlisle, who upon his return to "Westminster attended him in his barge, observed
it was a very hot day, the Cardinal made answer, " Lf you had been as well chafed
as L have been within this hour, you would then say you xvere indeed very hot."

When Wolsey was commanded to leave York-place (since termed Whitehall) he
surrendered the whole property contained in that palace to the King. From the
inventory of Cavendish (a confidential attendant on the Cardinal) some computation
may be formed of the value of the articles thus resigned to the rapacious Henry.
" In his gallery were set divers tables, upon \vhich Mere laid divers and great stores
of rich stuffs, such as whole pieces of silk of all colors, velvets, sattins, musts, taffa-
ties, grogarams, scarlets, and divers other rich commodities. Also, there were a
thousand pieces of fine Hollands, and the hangings of the gallery with cloth of gold,
and cloth of silver, and rich cloth of bodkin of divers colors, which were hanged in
expectation of the King's coming.

E E 2

212 HAMPTON COURT.

Also, on one side of the gallery were hanged the rich suits of copes of his own
providing, which were made for the colleges of Oxford and Ipswich : they were the
richest tliat ever I saw in all my life. Then had he two chambers adjoining to the
gallery, the one most commonly called the guilt chamber, wherein were set two
broad and long tables, w hereupon was set such abundance of plate, of all sorts, as
w as almost incredible to be believed. A great part being all of clear gold ; and
upon every table and cupboard, where the plate was set, were books importing
every kind of plate, and every piece, with the contents and weight thereof."

On quitting York-place, the Cardinal " prepared to go by water for Ashur, but,
before he took boat. Sir William Gascoign, his treasurer, officiously came unto
him, and expressed much concern to hear it reported that he was to go straight to
the Tower. This instance of Sir William's regard to his master, though the eftect of
a well-intended zeal, was not well received by the Cardinal ; he gently reprimanded
that knight for his too easy credulity, and as not having taken a right method of
administring the best comfort to his master in adversity. He said, " he would have
him, and all the authors of such false reports, to know that he never deserved to
come there."

When he entered his barge, at the privy stairs, there was a vast number of boats
upon the water, filled with people expecting to seethe Cardinal carried to the Tower.
In all probability, the populace expressed a ferocious joy on the appearance of the
disgraced minister, for Cavendish observes, in this place, " that all men in favor
are envied by the common people, though they do administer justice truly."

The Cardinal, after he landed at Putney, had not gone far upon his mule before
he observed a horseman riding down the hill towards him. This was found to be
Mr. Norris, who came to him with a message from the King, and assured him, in
the King's name, that he was as much in his majesty's favor as ever he had been,
and should so continue ; that his majesty therefore advised him to be of good com-
fort, and not to give way to desponding thougl:ts.

Upon this message of Mr. Norris, the Cardinal is said " to have alighted with
great agility, and without the assistance of any servant, from his mule, and to have
kneeled down upon both liis knees in the .dirt, holding up his hands in a transport of
joy to heaven."

HAMPTON COURT. 213

Another circumstance displays the anxiety of the Cardinal to be restored to the
fevor of the court. He sent a letter by Cromwell to Gardiner, then Secretary of
State, in which he expresses himself with forlorn humility. He desires Gardiner,
" as he tendered his poor life, and at the reverence of God, and that holy time
(Christmas) he would send the King his letter ! Appealing also to his pity, knowing
in what agony he was, and that he would not only deserve towards God, but bind
him thereby to be his continual beadsman ;"* and so ended " from Ashur, w ritten
with his rude hand and sorowful heart," subscribing himself, " the most miserable
Thomas, Cardinal of York !"

The excuse offered by Fiddes for this despicable epistle deserves the reader's con-
sideration. " Shall we say there is something so mean and unworthy of Cardinal
Wolsey in this address, that the natural genius and force of his mind was now de-
parted from him, by reason of an ill state of body, and of his wanting, at Ashur,
not only the conveniences, but what, by persons of condition, would be thought the
necessary supports of life ; for, according to the account of Cavendish, who attended
him in that place, they had neither beds, sheets, table-cloths, or dishes to eat their
meat in ; nor money wherewith to bay any."

It was at this time, when the Cardinal was destitute of the ordinary necessaries
of life, that Cromwell took occasion to remind him that it was proper he should
consider no competent provision had been made for several of his servants, who had
never forsaken him (such were his words) in weal nor xvoe. To which the Cardinal
answered, " Alas, Tom ! You know I have nothing to give you, nor them, and
am ashamed and sorry that I cannot requite your faithful services .'" Cromw ell,
who appears to have been a man that knew the world, and was not to be diverted
from his point, then proposed that the Cardinal's chaplains, whom he had preferred
to rich benefices, should severally contribute towards the relief of the present exi-
gency.

Upon tills representation, the Cardinal, in his episcopal habit:, called together all
his gentlemen, yeomen, and chaplains. " My lord," says Cavendish, " went v ith his
chaplains to the upper end of his chamber, where was a great window, beholding
his goodly number of servants, who could not speak to them until tiiC tears ran

* Equivalent to binding him evtr toproyfor him.

214 HAMPTON COURT.

down his cheeks ; which being perceived by his servants, caused fountains of tears to
gush out of tluir sorrowful eyes, in such sort as would cause any heart to relent.
At last, my lord spake to thcni to this effect and purpose :

* Most faithful gentlemen, and true-hearted yeomen ! 1 much lament that in my
prosperity 1 did not so much for you as I might have done. Still, I consider, tiiat
if in my prosperity I had preferred you to the King, tlien should I have incurred the
King's servants" displeasure, who would not spare to report behind my back that
there could no office about the court escape the Cardinal and hia servants; and by
that means, I should have run into open slander of all the world ; but now is it
come to pass that it hath pleased the King to take all that I have into his hands, so
that I have now nothing to give you. For I have nothing left me, but the bare
cloaths on mji 'mic/c.''

That the King sent Wolsey, while at Ashur, a ring, as a token of his friendship,
is well knoM n. Queen Anne Boleyn was present M'hen his majesty took the ring
from his finger. "Good sweet-heart!" said Henry to his consort, "as you love
me, send the Cardinal a token, at my request, and in so doing you shall deserve
our thanks." The Queen then took a tablet of gold that hung by her side, and
gave it to Doctor Butts, to be delivered to Wolsey in a friendly manner.

The Cardinal appears to have been extremely credulous in respect to omens.
" When he was one day at dinner (during his banishment from court) his great cross,
Avhich was placed by him, fell, and in the fall broke Dr. Bonner's head. Upon his
asking whether it had drawn any blood, and Cavendish, who was then in waiting,
replying, i/es, he turned his head aside, and gravely observing it was an ill omen,
immediately after the blessing, retired to his bed-chamber. The exposition which
himself afterwards gave of this presage to Cavendish, is recited in that author's o\vn
words. " The great cross that he bare as Archbishop ot York, betokened himself
and Dr. Austin ; the physician who overthrew the cross was he that accused my lord,
whereby his enemies caught an occasion to overthrow him ; it fell on Dr. Bonner's
head, who was then master of my lord's faculties and spiritual jurisdiction ; which
was then damnified by the fall thereof ; and, moreover, the drawing of blood beto-
keneth death, which," says Cavendish, " did shortly after follow."

When Wolsey set forwards on his journey to York, his retinue m as such as became
his dignity. " He had, in his train, a hundred and sixty persons, with twelve carts,

HAMPTON COURT. 215

which were sent with goods from his college of Oxford. He prepared to celebrate
the festival of Easter, at Peterborough, and on Palin Sunday went in solemn pro-
cession, with the monks tliere bearing his Palm. Upon Thursday follow ing, he kept
a muundy, washing and kissing the feet of filty-nine poor people, and, after he had
dried, gave to every one of tliem twelve-pence, with three ells of good canvas to
make them shirts, a pair of neu' shoes, and a caak of red herrings."

When W'olsey vvas arrested, on the charge of high treason, " what principally
afflicted him, and for which he most refused to be comforted, was a generous reflec-
tion that he had nijthing where with;d to reward his true and faithful servants. On
Sunday, when he was ready to set forward on his journey towards London, the porter
had no sooner opened the gates of his palace but there was seen assembled before
it a multitude of people, in number above three thousand, crying out with a loud
voice, ' God save your Grace! God save your Grace ! Evil be to them that have
taken you from us !' — and tlius they ran alter him through the town of Caywood, for
he was there very well beloved, both of rich and poor."

It has been by some supposed that Wolsey took poison during his last attempt to
travel to London ; but the remains of the once proud Cardinal exhibited no marks
of violent dissolution. " After he was dead," says Fiddes, " his body lay publicly
exposed with the face uncovered, at Leicester, in the presence of the Mayor and Al-
dermen (to prevent false reports of his being alive) when there appeard no symptoms
of hij bting poisoner I."

The most curious reproach attached to the memory of Wolsey is contained in the
barbarous rhymes of Skelton, * who, after pointing out the divers unusual ways em-
ployed by the Cardinal in the gaining of wealth, says,

*' The goods that he thus gaddered.
Wretchedly he hath scattered.
In causes tiothinge expedieutj
To make windows, walls, and dores.

» * *
A grett parte thereof is spent."

* The worthless Skeltonj it will be recoUectedj was a priest. He was eminently learned, but of
most profligate manners. His scurrilous verses relative to Wolsey (whom he charged wiih a long cata»
logue of scanvialous actions) procured hiiu so much notice, that he judged it expedient to take sanctuaiy
at Wcatminsier A.bbey.

f i6 HAMPTON COURT.

So that, accordino; to Skelton, the Cardinal was blameablc for expending his large
income in patrunisinj^ the arts.

Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of the modern palace at Hampton, was son
of the Rev. Christopher Wren, who was chaplain to Charles I. and Dean of Wind-
sor, &c. This gentleman (being registrar to the older of the gaiter) drew up a cata-
logue of the l<nights, uliich is said to be yet extant among tlie n)anuscripts of Caius
college, Cambiidge. Mr. Wren was particularly attached to matliematical studies,
and was generally considered a man of worth and talent.

His son Christopher, afterwards of so much importance to the arts of his country,
was admitted a gentleman commoner at Wadham college, Oxford, at the age of four-
teen, and very shortly received the most flattering testimonies of proficiency in mathe-
matical knowledge. He took a bachelor of arts degree in the year i650, and a mas-
ter's in lG52, having been chosen fellow of All-souls college. In 1657 he was elected
professor of astronomy in Gresham college, and his lectures were both popular and
judicious. It was while lecturer at Gresham that he solved the problem vauntingly
proposed by Pascal (under the assumed name of John de Montfoit) to the mathema-
ticians of England. Wren retaliated, in a proposition to the scholiasts of France, but
they sent no reply, and Wren divised the solution himself. His reputation was now
so much extended that the university of Oxford received him with much satisfaction
as their savilian professor of aatronomy. He entered on his ofiice in May, and in the
September following was created doctor of civil law.

It was only as an incidental accomplishment that Wren first directed his attention
to architecture. Yet was his taste so refined, and his application so laudably diligent,
that his reputed skill in the art induced Charles H. to name Dr. Wren as assistant
to Sir John Denham, surveyor general of his majesty's works. Wren was chosen
fellow of the Royal Society in 166:5, and thus had the honor of being one of those who
were first appointed by the council after the grant of their charter.

Soon after the nomination of Dr. Wren, " it being expected that the King would
make the society a visit, the Lord Brounkcr, then president, by a letter desired
the advice of Wren, who was then at Oxford, concerning the experiments which
might be most proper for his majesty's entertainment; to whom the Doctor recom-
mended principally the torricellian experiment, and the Meather needle ; as
being not bare amusements, but useful, and likewise neat in the operation."

HAMPTON COURT.

217

The " discoveries in astronomy, natural philosophy, and other sciences" made by
Dr. Wren, while connected with the institution, the reader may find detailed in
Sprat's History of the Royal Society.

In 1665, Wren visited France, chiefly for the purpose of examining the public
buildings in that country. In the same year he was appointed to superintend the re-
paration of St. Paul's cathedral. Evelyn thus mentions this latter circumstance :
" I have named St. Paul's, and truly not without admiration, as often as I call to
mind the sad and deplorable state it was in ; ^vhen, after it had been made a stable
of horses and a den of thieves, you, with other gentlemen and myself, were, by the
late King Charles, named to survey the dilapidations, and to make report to his Ma-
jesty in order to a speedy reparation. You ■^^ ill not, as I am sure, forget the strug-
gle we had with some ^^•ho were for patching it up any how, so the steeple might
stand, instead of new building; when, to put an end to the contest, five days after-
ward, that dreadful conflagration happened, out of whose ashes this Phoenix is risen,
and was by Providence designed for you."

The great fire, denominated the fire of London, opened a scene of action for
Wren which the most sanguine fancy would never venture to anticipate. In the
course of a few days Wren was prepared with a plan for a new metropolis. " Dr.
Wren," says Oldenburg, writing to Mr. Boyle, " has drawn a model for a new city,
and presented it to the King, who produced it himself before his council, and mani-
fested much approbation of it. I was yesterday morning with the Doctor, and sa\y
the model which, methinks, does so well provide for security, conveniency, and
beauty, that I can see nothing wanting, as to these three main articles ; but whether
it has consulted with the populousness of a great city, and whether reasons of state
would have that consulted with, is a quere with me."*

In 1688 Sir John Denham died, and Wren succeeded him in the office of Sur-
veyor General of his majesty's works. In addition to the important duties of this
situation, the restoration of the metropolis demanded the continual attention of Dr.
Wren. The theatre at O.^ford is an elegant monument of the taste and skill of
Wren, but his abilities are peculiarly displayed in the various public buildings which
rose firom the ashes of the prostrate metropolis. The list of these would be found

* An engraving of this plan was published in 1724.
F F

218

HAMPTON COURT.

to extend to a greater length than the catalogue of works performed by any other ar-
chitect. If Wren had built only one church (that of St. Stephen's, Walbrook) his
reputation would have flourished for ages. Concerning this edifice, an author of
great critical acumen thus writes : " The church in Walbrook, so little known among
us, is famous all over Europe, and is justly reputed the master-piece of the celebrated
Sir Christopher Wren. Perhaps Italy itself can produce no modern building that can
vie with this in taste or proportion. Tliere is not a beauty, which the plan would
admit of, that is not to be found here in its greatest perfection ; and foreigners very
justly call our judgment in question for understanding its graces no better, and allow-
ing it no higher a degree of fame."

In 1674, Dr. Wren received the distinction of knighthood, and at about the same
time he resigned his savilian professorship at Oxford.

Sir Christopher Wren was first married to the daughter of Sir Thomas Coghill of
Blechington, in Oxfordshire; and, on the death of that lady, to the daughter of
William Lord Fitz^villiam, Baron of LifFord, in Ireland. By the first lady he had
a son; by the second, a son and a daughter. " He sat twice in Parliament, as a
representative for two different boroughs ; first, for Plympton in Devonshire, in
1685, and again in 1700, for Melcomb- Regis in Dorsetshire." He died in the year
1723, (at the advanced age of ninety-one) and was interred with great solemnity, in
St. Paul's cathedral.

The words of Air. Hooke (who was perfectly qualified to form an opinion of his
powers) appear to express justly the character of Wren. " I must affirm, tliat since
the time of Archimides, there scarcely ever has met in one man, in so great a per~
fection, such a mechanical hand, and so philosophical a mind."

MONTE CAVALLO,

THK

RESIDENCE OF THE POPE,

It is the exclusive merit of the Roman people, to have retained energy of intellect
and activity of action, amidst all the afflictive circumstances which have attended their
country. Rome, once the mistress of the world, and the bright model of perfection
in every manly and every delicate art, was splendid even in the trammels of super-
stition; and still contrived by artifice to enchain the minds of those whose persons
she wanted strength to subdue. Restrained by inefficiency of government, from
mihtary ascendancy, Rome, prostrate and degraded in the catalogue of nations, still
cherished every ornamental pursuit, w ith her wonted activity of adoration ; nor would
she, at last, have surrendered, with bloodless humility, the innumerable testimonies
of her superiority in the arts, had not the degraded pusillanimity of her ecclesiasti-
cal ruler* obtained the sword from her hand in the moment of determined resistance.

* When Berthier, at the head of a French army, approached Rome in] "98, the Pope (Pius VI.)
was reduced to an CKtremity of personal apprehension. He insisted upon expressly knowing, from a
Courier just arrived at Rome, what the republican General said concerning him. " Since your Holi-
ness insists Upon knowing," replied the messenger, " he said you were a superannuated old man,
beneath his notice." — " Thank God ! Thank God!" exclaimed Pius, in a transport of joy, " If they
dp but spare my life, I am satisfied !"

t F 2

220 MONTE CAVALLO.

Even in the first stages of their existence as a people, the Romans evinced a de-
cided partiality for the art of architecture. Their cities were constructed with deli-
beration, and arranged with great regularity. A slight retrospective view of the
progress of architecture in Rome cannot fail to be deemed a gratifying subject. In
the performance of this task, we are induced to profit by the descriptions of our
predecessors.

" Varro tells us, that the custom of marking out the circumference of a new city,
with a bull and a cow yoked to a plougli, was derived from the primitive Tuscans,
and generally observed throughout Latium. Guided by the furrow, they made a
ditch, and heaped up the earth interiorly, towards raising a wall. From the circular
form occasioned by this operation, the town was called Orbs, and afterwards by cor-
ruption, Urbs; the space beyond the wall was termed Pomccrium, from post miiruvi.

" Having thus commenced their labors, the next care was to mark out the streets,
to circumscribe spaces for the temples of the tutelar deities, and for other public
buildings ; and, lastly, to assign to each colonist a portion of ground sufficient for a
habitation suitable to his rank ; to which, afterwards, were annexed fields without
the city appropriated to his maintenance.

" The streets were in a right line, narrow,* but well paved, w ith a more elevated
space on each side for the accommodation of foot passengers.

" The ancients constantly endeavored to make their public roads in a straight line;
and equally took pains that the vicinales\ should cross them at right angles. This
they could easily effect, when they built a city, with respect to its streets and lanes.

" Two principal streets crossed each other, and terminated at four gates, the aspect
of which was directed to each of the chief points of the compass.

" In sea ports, the forum was usually near the harbour, and it was surrounded by
porticos, leaving a considerable space between each column for shops and lodges
above them. Contiguous to the forum were the Basilicce and Calcidicce, spacious

* Some large fragments of that plan of ancient Rome which was engraved on Egyptian stoneSj by
order of Seplimius Severus, were very lately preserved in the capitol. From these, it appears, that the
streets and bridges of the ancient city were «o very narrow, that two modern carriages could scarcely
have passed, without touching each other.

■f Cross roads which led from one highway to another, or to yiUages, farms, or country seati.

' MONTE CAVALLO. 221

buildings with porticos for the use of pleaders and mercliants, and so situated as to
be warm in winter, and cool in summer.

" Considerable care was taken of the poor, as well by the inhabitants of Latiuni
as by the Greeks. Great lialls, the roofs of vvhich were arched, stood open at all
hours for the reception of those who had no appropriate dwelling, In the centre of
these rooms was a fire, provided and kept up at the public expence, with benches
round it, where the people sat to warm themselves and to converse by day, and where
they slept at night.

" The hospitals were annexed to the temples of Esculapius, and great care was
taken to choose the most healthy situations for them.

" The ThermopoUa were shops, wliere warm liquors were sold. They seem to
have resembled modern coffee-houses, and, like them, served as lounging-places,
where people met and conversed on the topics of the day. These, we know, were in
use during tlie first Punic war, and, possibly, long before that time.

" The houses for private individuals, and even for those who had considerable em-
ployments in the state, were of a very moderate size. In the early ages of architec-
ture, they consisted of only one floor, and the rooms were small.

" It seems apparent, that the ancients lived much in the open air, or at least in
vestibules, porticos, and peristyles. At a later period, when two or more stories
were added to the house, the upper apartments were inhabited by servants and de-
pendants, and we ha^ e reason to believe that tlie stairs were high, and generally in-
convenient.*

" The houses were insulated, to avoid the danger of fire, and also to render them
more airy. Towards the street they had, indeed, as few \a indows as possible ; the
light and air introduced through these apertures coming chiefly from the inner courts ;
or, if the house were situated near the walls, from the circumjacent country. The
larger houses had a grove behind them, or a few trees in tlie middle of tlie court,

* In the time of Claudius, the city and suburbs of Rome are sai J to have contained nearly seven
millions cf inhabitants. Dr. Smollet indulges some conjectures concerning the manner in which the
chief part of this multitude must have been lodged^ which do not redound much to the credit of Roman
delicacy. That a great number of persons were crowded in one house is evident (as Smollet observes)
from the height of iheir domestic buildings at this juncturt, which the poet Rutilins compared to towers
made for scaling heaven. Augustus Caesar ordered no bouse, for the future, to be built above seventy
feet hijh.

222 MONTE CAVALLO.

•with a garden, in which herbs and other vegetables were cultivated for the use of th«
table.

. " The walls of the larger houses were of massive solidity, the roofs as light as pos-
sible, though at the same time very strong ; which advantages they united by the in-
troduction of volcanic scoria, or vases and tubes of terra cofta.*"

Tlie classical autlior of a description of La Campagtia di Roma, from \\hose work
we have made the foregoing extract, ventures a supposition which appears not more
ingenious than correct :

" Some notion of the distribution of the apartments in the houses of the ancients
may be acquired from an inspection of convents and monasteries. These buildings,
are, in general, very old, though not of tlie times ^^ hich now engage our attention ;
but they were evidently constructed so as, in some measure, to resemble the fabrics
of better ages ; as the dresses of their inhabitants give us no very imperfect idea of
those worn by their ancestors, their form not having varied for many centuries.

" What constitutes the principal resemblance between the religious houses of mo-
dern Italy, and the dwellings of ancient Latimn, is the mode of having rooms with
only one door, which communicates witli the passage, gallery, or court. The Latins
had, in this manner, a door in each room, which led to the portico surrounding the
inner court, denominated Peristyle ; or, in humbler dwellings to an open space
called impluvium, which, in both cases, formed the centre of the habitation. It does
not appear that the rooms communicated with each other. The galleries, eating, and
sitting-rooms, were of a size proportionate to the edifice; but the bed-rooms were
usually small, and had rarely more than one window, which was near the ceiling.

" The windows appear to have been nearly square, except those which came down
to the ground, styled valvce : and Pliny mentions his galleiy having them on each
side. He also speaks of a sleeping-room, which had one window to the east, and
one to tlie west

" Sometimes, the rooms constructed at the end of the house were curved, so as to
admit the rays of the sun at all hours of the day ; and it is certain that the ancients
perfectly understood the method of rendering their apartments comfortable, by adapt-

* The ancients liad a peculiar manner of placing vases so as to catch sounds, and spread them by
means of tubes, in various modulations.

MONTE CAVALLO. $25-

mg their aspect to the different directions of the sun, according to the seasons in
which they intended to inhabit them."

Siicii were the buildings of Rome, in the early ages of the republic. Strength,
simplicity, and a correctness of taste are obvious in the description. The regularity
of design observed in the foundation of the cities of Latium was worthy of the
men who meant to oppose the world in arms; while the chaste frugality of the build-
ings was adapted to the unostentatious patriotism, of a Cincinnatus.

Long before that grand era in Roman history formed by the genius of Julius
Caesar, it appears that an influx of wealth, and the attainment of security, had
caused embellishment to be added to strength, in the construction of noble residences.
But still, in point of extent as well as splendor, the edifices of the most potent
republican Romans, were trivial if compared with the palaces erected by their refined
descendants.

It was probably Lucullus that first held forth an example of tasteful architectural
luxuriance. Lucullus, the companion of Cicero, the friend of all who were polished,
and urbane !

When this great man returned firom Asia> he found his countrymen quite suffi-
ciently disposed to enjoy the pleasures of refined luxury, but in want of an arbiter to
methodise their inclinations. It is to the credit of the Romans always to have pos-
sessed a predilection for scenes of nature, and rural pursuits.* All the Campagna
was a garden, and Lucullus solicited by his example, the more elevated of his fellow-
citizens to raise monuments of art amid plains conspicuous for the bounty of nature.

It will be recollected, that the Romans affixed no peculiar name to their country
seats. The most costly houses, were, therefore, designated by the appellation of the

* The simplicity of the early Romans is evident from the character and circumstances of Cincinnatus;
In those bright days of the republic which immediately preceded its downfal, both warriors and states-
men were accustomed to derive their most estimable pleasures from country retirement. Augustus and
his successor passed every hour, which could be spared from.public business, at one or other of their re-
cluse villas.

The same fondness for the country pervades the Romans of the present day. Some regularly pass the
month of May in the country; but, in October, the cities are sure to be deserted. This migration is
called gf^ing into yUleggialura, and 'n anticipated by nearly all classes as the season. of freedom and fes-
tivity. The yH/egginnti assume habits adapted to their rural enjoyments. A perpetual succession of
parties takes pince j and thus, even from childhood, the Romans are accustomed to blend with every
notion ot joy, the idea uf a residence in the country.

224 MONTE CAVALLO.

district in ■which they were placed. Thus, Uie favourite villa of LucuUus was deno'
minated his Tusculamim. The degree of liberality bestowed on the extent, and the
refinement of taste displayed in the arrangement of the structure are not to be ascer-
tained by the moderns. The coinparative splendor of the edifice was great ; but
Rome was then a stranger to that magnificence of domestic building with which she
shortly afterwards became familiar.

It does not appear that either Pompey, Julius Coesar, or Mark Antony, were
remarkable for the number or splendor of their villas. Lucullus first set the fashion
of varying both the locality and construction of a residence, in attention to the fluctu-
ating vicissitudes of season. " When Pompey blamed Lucullus," says the tastefiil
writer before quoted, " for making his villa at Tusculum totally unfit for a winter ha-
bitation, though so delightful for summer, on account of its galleries, apartments open
on every side for the difierent prospects, airy walks, and lofty terraces, Lucullus
smiled at his not recollecting that he had other dwellings for that season, and asked
him why he thought him less provident than the cranes and storks, which change their
climate accordins; to the seasons r"*

But architecture, originally borrowed by Rome from the Tuscans, and afterwards
improved by a connexion with Greece, shone forth in all the splendor of maturity
under the auspices of Augustus. Although that great monarch studied simplicity in
his domestic arrangements, and himself inhabited an unadorned dwelling while raising
prodigies of art in the imperial city, his courtiers appear to have profited by the ex-
ample of Lucullus, and to have exhibited a rivalry of munificence in regard to the
construction of their palaces. The villa erected by Mecrenas, and afterwards
bequeathed by that refined politician to Augustus Cagsar, may be quoted as a specimen
of the prevalent taste in respect to country mansions.

" The substructions of this villa are to be seen on the side of a hill to the north ;
they consist of vast rooms, and arches, through which passed the road called Via
Valeria.

" Above these foundations, as may be easily discovered from the remains, were
two rows of columns, one of the Doric, and the other of the Ionic order, which

* Considerable fragments of building have been found in the district between Marino and Monte Por-
xio, on which inscriptions witli the name of Lucullus have been traced. Who can reflect on this cir-
cumstance without wishing to rebuild the mansion in all its splendor, and to reseat at the convivial table
Lucullus, with his illustrious guests Caesar, Cicero, Pompey, and Crasius?

MONTE CAVALLO. 22.5

formed two porticos round tlie i\hole of tlie building, whence the view of ancient
Latium, as far as the sea coast, to the south ; that of Sabinato the west; to tlie north
the hills which screen the valley ; and to the east an extensive plain with the leni-
tories of Prcencate, Tusculum, and Gabia, must have rendered this villa peculiarly
delightful in point of situation.

" Between these two porticos were chaniljers, in which tliere does not appear the
vestige of a window, and they could only have received light from the doors which
opened into the portico. In the centre of the villa was an edifice of considerable
height, w here Mccaenas resided with his family."*

The chearless custom, to be noticed in tlie above account, of excluding all light,
except that casually admitted at doors, was probably derived from the frequent
unhealthiness of the air in the Campagna. Still, it betrays a poverty of resource
in the architects of the Augustan age, which is truly surprising, considering how
domestic a people the Romans of that period have ever been esteemed. jMecienas
and his family resided in an edifice elevated in the centre of their extensive building,
on account most likely, of the advantage to be derived, in point of prospect from
such a place of abode. Yet the insulated tenement inevitably reminds the reader of
the donjon-keep retained by the English chieftain of the Feudal ages for himself and
his suspicious family. Tliat the ancient Romans were an enlightened, as well as a
potent race, must be apparent to every man who contemplates their remahis (re-
mains in which science and art shine with inimitable lustre, even amid ruins !) That
wit, likewise, illuminated the party graced w ith the presence of a Cicero, and elegance
the society in which C'jesar bore a part, are circumstances equally unquestionable.
And yet we are strongly tempted to doubt whether the ancients knew the meaning
of the term domestic comfort r Rural prospects, surveyed from porticos of marble
(each pillar an exact model for successive ages) convey the most flattering images to
the reader's mind ; and plane trees nurtured by goblets of w ine astonish the imagi-
nation, and persuade us into a belief of the former inhabiUints of Latium being the
only people w ho truly knew how to enjoy life with luxuriance yet, if wc follow these
superior mortals to the bed-room, or the familiar apartment, v.e find them insensible

* Description of Latium, Sec.

226 MONTE CAVALLO.

to particulars reckoned in less polished climes, among the ordinary embellishments
of existence.

Dr. Snii)llett is well known to have maintained that the ancient Romans were, in
many particulars, less deserving ot" encomium than is usually apprehended. Sterne
persuaded the world to laugh at Smollets remarks, as the mere productions of petu-
lance and distaste, but stili some observations made by Smollet remain incontrover-
tible. Waving a minute discussion of the subject, the Romans were certainly as
Smollet asserts, a dirty people. " When Heliogabalus," writes tlie doctor, "ordered
all the cobwebs of Rome, and the suburbs to be collected, they were found to weigh
ten tliousand pounds. This was intended as a demonstration of the great number
of inhabitants, but it was a proof of their dirt rather than their populosity. Horace,
in his description of the banquet of Naxiedenus, says, when tlic canopy under which
they sat, fell down, it brought along witli it as much dirt as is raised by a hard gale
of wind, in dry weather."

This prodigious accumulation of filth creates little surprise, when we find how
few windows were possessed by the noblest mansions, and that those few were
so situated as to throw only partial beams of light on the lower divisions of the
apartment.

But if interior neatness were neglected, it is certain that a sublimity of outward
grandeur was attained. Superb villas were spread over all the picturesque parts of
the Campagna, and aided by Vitruvius,* Augustus filled the city of Rome with
splendid buildings. From the time of Augustus to that of Alexander Severus,t mag-
nificent edifices continually increased among the Romans. Nor were triumphal
arches and votive temples (though on these peculiar pains and expense were be-
stowed) the chief objects of emulation with the Romans of those ages. The house of
each patrician was a monument of art and splendor.

• Vitruvius was, assuredly, the greatest of Roman architects. He enjoyed the confidence of Augus-
tus who immediately perceived the full value of his genius. Vitruvius tells us, in the preface to his
first book, " de architectura," that Augustus had placed him beyond all fear of poverty.

It is worthy of observation that the literary work of Vitruvius though produced in an age so conspicu-
ously eminent for lettered refinement, is written in a low and harsh style.

+ In point of architecture, from the time of Vitruvius to that ofNico (the father of Galen) a period
ot nearly two hundred years.

MONTE CAVALLO. 227

Nero was sensible only of extravagant delights and unusual beauties. His palace
of gold* conveys tlie idea of Asiatic voluptuousness, rather than Roman grandeur.
Still, the poitico of this dwelling, which consisted of three rows of pillars, and ex-
tended to the length of a thousand paces, proves that the architect was capable
of eliciting magnificence from simplicity, if allowed to follow the bent of his own
genius.

The most interesting remains of ancient domestic building are those of the villa
erected by Adrian in the neighbourhood of Ponte Lucano. This emperor, who as-
cended the throne in the year 1 17, wished to concentrate in one palace the refinements
of the various countries which he had visited. " Egyptian learning, Grecian ele-
gance, and Asiatic splendor, were here employed to recal to his own mind, and give
an idea to the Romans, of the scenes which had excited his curiosity. His buildings
and plantations appear to have extended about six miles in circumference.

" Historians tell us that Adrian's villa was divided into seven parts. 1st. The
Lyceum ; 2d. The Academy ; 3d. The Prytaneum ; 4th. Egyptian canopus ; 5th.
Poecile ; 6th. The valley of Tempe, and Elysian fields ; 7th. The infernal regions.

" The principal gate appears to have been towards Ponte Lucano, whence there
was a paved road which led to the villa ; much of it still remains, and beside it are
considerable vestiges of buildings. On entering the gate, there is a high wall to the
right, with a great number of apartments, called by the people of the country, Le
cento Cameixlle, where they suppose the horseguards who attended on the Emperof
were lodged.

" The next place appears to have been the Pcecilc. These are remains of a dou-
ble portico and seats : the space was divided into two areas, 800 feet in length, and

* On fiuishing this building, Nero is said to have exclaimed, " now at last, I have a house that a
man may live in." The walls of the palace were covered with plates of gold, and adorned with jewel*.
The dining-hall was of the most sumptuous construction, and was contrived to turn round, so that the
prospects might be varied for the amusement of the luxurious guests. From concealed pipes in variotu
parts of the palace, scented balsams are said to have issued, which filled the air with voluptuous fra-
grance. Now, it is curious that the modern Roman ladies are naturally averse from every thitig that is
perfumed. So potent is this physical peculiarity, that they will frequently faint on the entrance of a
stranger who has inadvertently used perfume in his dress. Either the ladies are altered in point of phy-
tical organization, or Nero was indeed completely ungallant.

c c 2

'218 MONTE CAVALLO.

about a tliinl in breadth. Adiiaii, who prctenilccl to be a great philosopher assem-
bled learned men in this portico, and several apartments adjoining to it were dedi-
cated to the prosecution of their studies : there was a temple near it, in which have
bten found statues and beautiful marbles.

" ('lose to this is an oval space, where was also a portico; and, in tlie midst, a
tetnpic of octagonal form, with a fountain. Jiounti the temple, alxjve the columns,
was a frieze atlorned with elegant has reliefs.

" At a small distance are the ruins of a library and of a large garden ; and, on the
neighbouring eminence, a theatre witli porticos. Forty statues, and many fine pave-
ments, were found here.

" In the southern part are the remains of cold baths and therms, Mith thedifl'ercnt
apartments belonging to them ; such as dressing-rooms, and galleries for wrestling
and walking, ornamented with marble, stucco, and painting. Next is the academy,
and a circular temple dedicated to Apollo and the muses, with habitations for the
priests and ministers.

" This district of the academy has remains of numberless schools and houses for
the accommodation of the students.

" The Lyceum presents ruins of magniricent edifices, m ilhout end ; here were
.vi^stus; aiid porticos for the peripatetics, temjxles, and groves.

" The part called Canopus has a temple dedicated to the Egyptian Neptune. At.
the back of it is a gallery, the roof of which has paintings still icmaining ; the steps
which led to the upper parts are also to be seen, and the concealed room where tl)e
oracles ^^ere pronounced : this temple is at the end of a valley, which, from the
ruins of buililings on each side, and the channels which appear to have l)een cut out,
for the introduction of water, evidently seems to have been the Naumachia,* where
Adrian used to celebrate games in honor of (^anopus.

* Dr. Smo'ilet, speaking of ihe Naumachia, or nnval engagements of the Romans, says, " their gallies
I suppose, were not so large as common fisiiing smacks, for they were rowed by two, three, and four
oars of a side." The dimensions and construction of a vessel, used in the Nauraachias by the Emperor
Claudius, were accurately asreriaiiied by Pope Pius II. a circumstance of which Sn)ollet does not appear
to have been informed. Pius II. wrote about the year I46l. In his time, a vessel was found sunk in a
lake formerly used as a theatre for the Naumachia by Claudius, of which he gives the tollo.vi'ig account :
'' The hulk was composed of larch wood, tiiree fingers thick ; the outer part daubed over with bitumen,
and over this was added a silken stuff", with sheetsof lead, so well fastened down with brazen nails, the

MONTE CAVALLO. 229

" Towards the west is another valley, on the side of which is a place called Korea
Brufia* Antiquaries have supposed that this was the spot where the Emperor
meant to represent tlie infernal regions.

" Not far from thence "was the valley of Tempe, with the Elysian fields.

" The Pri/trificmn was at the southern extremity, antl was built in imitation of
that of Athens, which was a court of justice, with dwelling houses for the judges and
officers belonging to them/'

From the ruins of this immense range of buildings various statues and cuiiosities
liave been retrieved ; among which may be noted the sleeping figure sold to the late
King of Sweden; three mosaics representing a combat of centaurs and wild beasts ;
and the mosaic of the famous pigeons, supposed to be the performance mentioned by
Pliny as the »vork oiSocus, acelel)rated artist oi Pergamiis.

The villa of Adrian presents a splendid specimen of the wealth and genius of the
Emperors. We no longer find simplicity and a love of nature the leading features in
the Roman temper. Riches, and extensive travel, had destroyed that acute sensibili-
ty whicii induced the Romans, two centuries back, to deem a view of the picturesque
Campagna the most desirable object that nature or art could afford. Yet, if tlieatres,
temples, and the naumachia,. took place of those elegant porticos of Lucuilus, which
opened to the verdant undulations of natural scenery, a splendid correctness of taste
is still visible in the palace of Adrian. The arts were, evidently cherished with a
purity of devotion by that powerful ruler. Nothing gaudy has been discovered in
his favorit-e edifice. It exhibits the elegance of the citizen, elevated to the dignity
of the Emperor.

Respecting the modes of building prevalent among the ancient Romans, it remains
to be observed that they possessed an art unknown to modern time.^, — that of building
with free-stone without mortar, in so skilful a way, that the stones almost appeared
to have been cemented together. It is imagined by many, tliat they iiad a mode of

heads of which were gilded and close together, that no water could enter : the inner part, th.-it no fire
might consume it, was, after a layer of bitumen, coveved with an incrustation m.v.le of a mixture of
iron and clay, and that of an equal thickness to the wood within. Tiie keel and body, divided into
their different parts, appeared conip.ncted in the same manner: the length not less than 20 cidils, and
the Ireadth in proportion."

* Admitting that this is, as antiquaries suppose, the spot intended by A^lrian to represent the infernal
regions, it is singular ili.it the noviciate of the Jesuits should formerly have possessed it !

C230 MONTE CAVALLO.

polishing the stones to increase the power of cohesion. The Roman mortar, so
generally supposed to be mixed in a peculiar manner, is asserted by some writers not
to have differed in any material point, Iroui that used by the moderns. The sujK^^rior
quality of the sand in Rome is affirmed by these travellers to cause the excellent
qualities obsei-vable in the mortar. Kotzebuc observes, that the Roman builders
pour water upon recent erections (quite contrary to the custom in the north, where it
is necessary to protect walls newly built from the wet) and that thb application has
much efficacy in hardening the cement.

The accession of the church to territorial authority forms a new epoch in the
histoiy of Roman architecture. The first generations of ecclesiastics who tenanted
the palaces of Rome, were remarkable for any thing rather than for judgment in the
fine arts. During the same periods, the Campagna was inhabited by haughty barons,
and their servile dependents. Convents and monasteries, (insensible to most orna-
ments, except the pious carving of the cross) supplanted tlie beautiful temples of the
heathens ; and what was gained in sanctity was certainly, for a time, lost iti art and
science. But even the castellated mansions of the Roman barons were illumined by
some lingering portions of native taste. The political circumstances of the age
enforced the adoption of u)ilitary rudeness in some mansions, while religious zeal
rendered the founders of others careless of those arts which were unconnected with
the rites of Christianity ; but Rome was not calculated for a long continuance of so
barbarous, or lethargic a torpor. Contention paused ; all religious difference bowed
to the supremacy of St. Peter's successor; and the arts joyfully resumed their
dominion in their favorite clime.

Relieved from the first degrading stagnation of surprise. Religion became the
patroness of art.* Painting was now called to the embellishment of the altar, and
the splendid creations of architecture were found potent auxiliaries to the cause of
religious feiith.

In regard to the splendor of sacred buildings, the Christian Romans certainly excel
the " heathen" inhabitants of the city. A parallel between the various churches of

• It would be deemed fanciful to suppose, that the invention of painting in oil was the consequence
of tlie great want of pictures to assist in perpetuating the martyrdoms and histories of the Christian faith ?
and still more so, were we to venture to surmise that the general demand for religious books, encouraged
the discoverer of the art of printing to perfect his method of disseminating lettered information ?

MONTE CAVALLO. 231

the modems, and the temples of the ancients, Mould be highly gratifying, if circum^
stances permitted the discussion. In this place, we are obliged to rest contented
with observing on intelligent authority, that the temple oi Jupiter Capitol'mus would
not bear a comparison with tlie church of St. Peter- In point of extent, the difference
is obvious. The temple was two hundred feet in length, and one hundred and eighty-
five iu breadth. St. Peter's is six hundred and thirty-eiglit feet long, and above five
hundred feet wide. The architecture of this church is worthy of tlie highest praise.
It was difficult to gratify the love of ornament observable in the moderns, without
quitting that dignified simplicity of the ancients, which studied effect through a beau-
tiful symmetry of parts, and a graceful intermixture of light and shade. Yet this
object appears to have been achieved ; and St. Peter's stands the proudest rival of
antiquity which modern Europe is enabled to present.

But domestic architecture is, at present, the chief object of our inquiry, and here
we must premise the great disadvantage under which every spectator views the edifices
of modern Rome. The streets of the ancient city were narroM^ but squares were left,
in which public buildings were placed, and from which they could be seen with
facility and effect. The ancients wisely considered the point of prospect as a neces-
sary appendage to the beauty of the structure. This precaution appears to have
arisen from the scientific simplicity of the means through which their architects wished
to elicit admiration. Insensible to the magnificence of a ichole, and studious to win
applause from a minute delicacy of parts, the modern builder is indifferent to the
extent of area, and his erection is placed, accordingly, in obscure corners, and amidst
a crowd of incongruous objects. Modern Rome, throughout its variety of splendid
buildings,* supports the propriety of the assertion; and, owing to this circumstance
a most unpleasing veil is thrown over its greatest architectural beauties. Tliose
palaces of Rome, and villas of the Campagna, which owe their foundation to recent
periods, are both numerous and superb. A princely liberality of scale is observable
in the more important structures. The Romans were ever fond of the vast and
magnificent. In this respect the moderns vie with tlie ancients. But comfort and
convenience have been overlooked by both. I.,ong ranges of apartments, in which no

* The church of St. Peter may, perhaps, be said to form an exception to this remark ; but even St.
Peter'* lies at a distance from the well-inhabited part of the city; and to survey the building to advan-
tage, a person must stand close to the colonade.

232 MONTE CAVALLO.

desirable recess for domestic relaxation couid be possibly discovered, formed the chief
habitable parts ot the villa of Alecaenas, and 0/ the palace of Adrian. The same
observation applies to every modem building of importance in Rome. The apart-
ments are numerous beyond comparison, and they are of just proportions, and of a
noble size ; but each immense hall is cold, cheerless, and inhospitable. The man-
sion seems formed for state, and not for friendly intercourse. The interior oftlie
apartments is frequently heavy ; for the modern, like the ancient Romans, appear to
have a marked dislike to the free admission of liglit.

The Roman architect no longer endeavors to make each part subservient to one
great point of observation. Every subordinate division has its separate concentration
of beauties; and ornament is multiplied, to the utter extinction of all sublimity of
general character. A central court (in imitation of the Peristyle of the ancients)
is usually formed in modern Roman palaces, round which is arranged a s[)lendid
colonade, surmounted by an open corridore. The stairs are often narrow, steep,
and high ; the tloors frequently consist of brick. ,

The academies and tlicatres of the ancients, are in vain looked for in edifices of
the later periods ; but tlie galleries devoted to the tretisures of art are of magniticent
dimensions, and occur in every eminent palace. Here are assembled the noblest
productions of taste and ingenuity ; these need no fresh eulogium ; — the whole
European world unites in tlieir praise.

Among those extensive buildings of recent date with which Rome abounds, Monte
Cavallo, the residence of the Pope, maintains a respectable place, though palaces
may be readily found, in many divisions of the city, more estimable in regard to
beauty as well as magniticence.

For upwards of a thousand years, the Popes inhabited the palace of Laterano.*
They then made Avignon their residence. When Gregory XI. returned to Rome,
(the due seat of the Papal government) the palace of Laterano was so much decayed,
that he deemed it expedient to fix his residence at the Vatican, where his successors
remained till a palace Avas constructed on Monte Cavallo.

This structure is seated on the Quirinal mount. The access to the palace displays
considerable grandeur. Opposite the chief entrance are placed tlie two celebrated

* The modern Laterano palace (which is extremely magnificent) was built by Sixtus V. The Pope*
never visit it, except for the purpose of taking possession.

MONTE CAVALLO. 233

statues, supposed to be Castor and Pollux, each holding a liorse. From these
figures tlie term Monte Cavallo is evidently derived. The two colossal images of
the twin-gods are conjectured to be the works of Phidias and Praxiteles, the names
of which statuaries are engraved on the pedestals. Tliey are generally imagined to
have been brought to Rome from Alexandria, by Constantine the Great, though
some assert that they were sent to Nero, as a present, by Tiridates, King of Armenia.
Let antiquaries dispute the question. The statues are there, and are beautiful,
which is sufficient for the eye of taste. When looking at a statue, or contemplating
a picture, most men become critics: the connoisseurs have not failed to discover
many faults in these excellent figures. One finds that the right hand of the statue,
by Phidias, is larger than tlie left ; and that the left eye lies more deeply in the
socket than the right ; but these hasty critics forget that the effect of perspective, for
which the artist studied, rendered these disproportions necessary. Kotzebue says,
" Why the artist should have made the horses so small,* I cannot understand. If
their leaders should mount them, their legs would touch the ground." There exist
strong reasons for believing that the horses are the works of a much more modem
artist than Phidias or Praxiteles. Had Kotzebue been aware of this circumstance,
his sensibility would have compelled him to praise the delicacy of the sculptor, who
diminished the size of the horses to keep them on the back-ground of the picture.
If he had designed them in the colossal proportions due to the size of the statues, f
the work of the ancients would have been overpowered, and tlie eye would first
have naturally rested on the least estimable part of the group. The sculptor, with
admirable modesty, considered his share of the performance as merely calculated to
identify the meaning of Phidias and Praxiteles. He placed horses on the pedestals^
only to exhibit the grace with which the arms of the statues were extended.

It is observable that on the shoulders of the two figures there are holes, now filled
up, in w hich iron bars were formerly placed, for the purpose of supporting a thatch,
which covered the whole work. This practice was frequent with the ancients ; and,
from the neglect of a similar precaution among the moderns, these beautiful statues
are now decaying, under the influence of the seasons.

* It will be perceived, from the plate annexed to this article, that the horses are out of proportion
when compared with the human figures. The statues were placed before the palace by Sixtus V.
f A man of the middle sise only reaches to the knees of the figures.

H H

j^24 MONtE CAVALLd.

between the statues is placed an Egyptian obelisk, which is composed of red
granite, and measmes forty-five feet, without the pedestal. It will be recollected
tiiat the Roman emperors caused various obelisks to be conveyed from Egypt, for
the purpose of adorning their race-groimds. It certainly betrays a uaht of sound
judgment to place these curiosities in diflerent conspicuous situations, as embellish-
ments to the city of Rome.* We cannot sufficiently applaud the magnificent notion
of Kotzebue, v.ho, speaking of the obelisks, laments that they had not been placed,
as mile-stones, in the vicinity of Rome, to inform the traveller through the Cam-
pagna that he was approaching the grandest city of the known world !

The present palace on Monte Cavallo was founded by Pope Gregory XIII.
towards the close of tlie sixteenth century. It has been embellished by many suc-
ceeding Popes, and is much esteemed for the salubrity of the air in the neighbor-
hood. The edifice is extensive, but boasts little grandeur of architectural composi-
tion. No Corinthian capitals, nor porticos of marble, are to be witnessed in the
main design of the building. All is simple and unostentatious, though massive and
di<Tnified. How appropriate is this mode of construction to the due character of the
head of a church, professing sanctity yet not sedulous to hide power ! It is to the
lastintT credit of Gregory XIII. to have planned an edifice so plain though so august.
Architects delighting in ornament were at his command, and the prevalent taste
demanded a superfluity of embellishment; but his correctness of judgment readily
perceived the impropriety of exterior adornment, and his palace remains a silent,
yet persuasive, lesson to his successors, of the moderation which should ever mark
their actions as ecclesiastics. Still, neither the purposes of pontifical dignity, nor
tlie graces of refined art, were rudely neglected. The architecture of the Chancery,
(from designs by Bramante) is particularly admired.

We have heard much of the splendid domestic arrangements of the Popes, yet
we seek in vain for sumptuousness, if we examine the furniture of their palace.
The saloons, and various other apartments, of Monte Cavallo are extremely large,
but destitute of every thing that bespeaks habitual magnificence ; and, in some res-
pects, deficient in articles of domestic comfort. In the chief rooms not a single

• One of these obelisks is placed before the Lateran church, and the pious Bishop who seated it there
thought proper to erect on the top the holy cross of the Christian faith ! A strange companion to the
mysterious hieroglyphics of the Egyptians H

MONTE CAVALLO, 325

chair is to be seen, but great numbers of wooden benches, which are painted inarble-
grey. As if the Popes were studious of frugality, even to parsimony, drawers are
placed in the seats of these benches, for the purpose of depositing numerous domestic
articles. A single chair, behind the table in the saloon, distinguishes the spot on
which the Pope eats his solitary dinner. How different must be this melandioly
meal, from the picture usually formed of a ZieQ, surrounded by wits and poets, and
partaking of the joys of a luxurious board !

The spectator unwillingly finds that some of the potent tenants of the Papal man-
sion have wanted a becoming discrimination, in regard to the finer arts. " A long
gallery," we are told, " is hung with painted colossal angels, which either leer on
the astonished visitor, or frighten him, by stretching against him their distorted
limbs. "

Tiie chapel-room is painted in firesco, by Guido ; and when did the pencil of
Guido fail to produce beauties ? — But here either the prescription of bigotry, or the
artist's casual error in judgment, has introduced absurdities which render futile all
the delicacies of ingenuity. The domestic life of the Virgin INIary is the subject of
Guide's paintings in the pontifical chapel. In domestic life there are many feminine
duties which are very necessary, but which are truly laughable, when their portrai-
ture is blended with the fundamentals of religion. In order to settle the vvaverinw
faith of the spectator, or perhaps, to heighten his admiration of the mother of Jesus,
Guido has exhibited the blessed Virgin very gracefully sewing swaddling-clothes,
while some little angels watch the motion of her hand, and appear anxious to learn
the best method of hemming baby-linen !

The palace, however, contains the valuable antiques found at Ostia, and some
excellent statues of a more modern date.

From a description of the building we naturally revert to an account of the
founder, and of the Pope who has subsequently embellished the edifice.

The lives of the Bishops of Rome atford a curious speculation to the student of
human character. ]\Iany of these ecclesiastical potentates were raised from a very
humble rank. The whole were nursed in cloisters, and (at any rate previous to
their elevation) were conspicuous for their zeal in regard to that form of religious
worship M'hich is supposed the most oppressive of human faculty, and the most con-
ducive to a tyrannical cast of disposition. Still, it will be recollected, that the acts

H H tS

2S6 MONTE CAVALLO.

of mere temporal rulers are frequently the almost inevitable produce of the spring-
tide of the passions. Youtliful obstinacy, youthtul ductility, have alternately tended
to create disastrous wars, or more calamitous treaties and coalitions. Tlie Bishops
of Rome (once sublimely pre-eminent among the sovereigns of Europe) have never
been selected from the puerile and inexperienced, and have seldom attained the
crosier of pontifical authority till an advanced period of existence might be supposed
to have cooled all the emulative propensities of the mind, save those which centre in
the furtherance of universal good, as a preparation for a peaceful and honorable
grave.

How erroneous is ordinary calculation ! No youthful monarch, at the head of a
chivalrous people, ever displayed more fantastic ambition than the majority of the
aged Popes. An activity of religious enthusiasm has, on the other hand, been;
comparatively, the characteristic of few. Some have adhered with austerity to the
becoming plainness of the sacerdotal character; others have delighted in pomp, or
indulged in the luxury of attic elegance ; but nearly all have been ambitious.

Among the few incumbents of the Papal chair whom the possession of absolute
power has failed to vitiate, Gregory XIII. de\nands a conspicuous place. This
eminent Bishop succeeded Pius V. so well known for the severity with which he
persecuted those disciples of Luther who had recently adopted the appellation of
Protestants. It is supposed that, as usual, considerable intrigue was employed to
procure the election of the cardinal of St. Sixtus. A prompt majority of voices was,
at any rate, procured. The cardinals had not been shut for more than five hours in
the conclave, when their choice was declared to fall on Hugh Buoiicompagno, car-
dinal of St. Sixtus. He accordingly ascended the chair, and took the name of
Gregory XIII.

The pointed arguments of Luther, and the entire dereliction of some courts, toge-
ther with the indifference in regard to the Papal interests manifested by others, ren-
dered the administration of ecclesiastical power a task of extreme difficulty during
the latter years of the sixteenth century. Gregory appears to have been just and
amiable, but to have wanted the perseverance and vigor demanded by tlie neces-
sities of the See, at this juncture. Such, indeed, is the principle of re-action in
sublunary events, that a faulty extremity of seeming virtue is usually the offspring
of offensive injustice, ^\'hile cardinal of St. Sixtus, Gregory had looked witli.

MONTE CAVALLO. 237

detestation on the uniform severity and oppressive exactions practised by his prcde-
ces'sor. Studious of avoiding a similar impropriety of demeanor, he erred from an
excess of gentleness, and was virtually cruel through an abun iance of mercy. So
difficult is the attainment of a judicious medium to the must cultivated mind !

The easiness of Gregory's disposition is illustrated by the follow ing anecdote: —
" A criminal, who had robbed a church in Naples, was apprehended by the officers
of the Archbishop, pretending that it belonged to him to take cogiiizance of the crime
of sacrilege. But, as the criujinal was a layman, the Viceroy, Cardinal Granville,
insisted upon his being tried and punished by him; and upon the Archbishop's refus-
ing to deliver him up, he caused his prison to be broke open, the criminal to be
taken from thence, and, as soon as found guilty, to be publicly hanged. The Arch-
bisliop ordered his Vicar to excommunicate all who were any ways concerned in
executing the Viceroy's orders ; which wa^ done accordingly, and the sentence was
posted up in all public places of the city. But the Cardinal ordered all the copies
of it to be daubed over with ink, directed the Vicar to'quit the city of Naples within
twenty-four hours, and the kingdom as soon as he possibly could; imprisoned all
the Archbishop's officers, and sequestered all his revenues, even his patrimonial.
The good-natured Pope, instead of espousing the cause of the Archbishop, privately-
agreed with the Cardinal that the affair should be dropped, and alJ things restored
to the condition they were in before the quarrel broke out."*

The same pacific softness of temper marked the oonduct of Gregory in respect to
a great political transaction of his life, ^^'hen Sebastian, King of Portugal, died
without issue, many persons asserted a right to his crown. But the pretensions of
the other claimants were speedily absorbed in those of the Pope, and Philip King
of Spain; for by the term right to the croxcn it is evident that, in these ages, was
meant strength to seize the glittering ornament. Now, as Philip could immediatejy
raise an army of thirty thousand men, while the Pope was not able at the moment
to muster half that number, the Casuits discovered tliat Philip was the rightful suc-
cessor of Sebastian. The Pope wrote to Philip, and explained to tliat monarch
that tlie kingdom of Portugal was a fief of the church, and, as such, it had devolved
to the Apostolic See ; and that it was as evident as tlic light of heaven at broad
noon that he (the Pope) might either keep it in his own possession, or dispose of it "

* Archibald Bower's history of the Popej.

238

MONTE CAVALLO.

in the way that should best suit his sacred inclinations. To all these logical remarks
Philip advanced but one argument in reply ;— he maiched his tliirty thousand men
into Portugal. The Pope was confuted in an instant; and instead of flying to arms,
or seeking redress through endeavors to foment warfare between Philip and the
neif^hboring powers, the good-natured Grcsiory sent an ambassador to felicitate the
new King of Portugal on the success w hich had attended his undertaking !

During thepontiti cate of Gregory, the Jesuits are said to have been particularly
successful in their endeavors to convert to Christianity the inhabitants of the island
of Japan. Four ignorant natives of that country, termed ambaasadors from certain
converted princes, appeared in Rome, for the purpose of paying obeisance to the
wonderful being whom they had been instructed to suppose immaculate as the God-
head, and almost as wise. These wretched dupes were received at the gate of the
city by the senate, magistrates, and all the nobility. Thousands of the populace
joined the exhibition, of course, and, in proof of their zeal for Christianity, they con-
ducted the wondering Japanese to the house of the Jesuits, m ith triumphant accla-
mations. The next day the same persons of dignity, and the same number of mob,
attended the gaping converts to the presence of the Pope. His holiness received
them in a full consistory, and they were permitted to kiss his foot. The Pope then
ordered Te Deum to be sung in all the churches, and rejoicings to be made throughout
the city, for several successive days. Of all the farces represented by the church of
Rome, surely this was the most contemptible, and perhaps, the most pernicious, also
in its consequences.

But accident, and not nature, made a bigot of Gregory XIII. In times
more favorable to the development of\ intellect, he would probably have proved a
liberal friend to society. It must ever be remembered to the honor of this Pope
that the calendar was rectified during his pontificate, the new style* was introduced
by his immediate command.

Gregory is charged with having approved the massacre at Paris, but the general
mildness of his character renders the circumstance very unlikely. Great rejoicings

* The new style, it will be recollected, took place in the month of October, 1582. Il was immediate'
fy received in all Catholic countries, but was rejected by tbe Protestants, who thought it impossible that
the Pope could be right in any thing. What should we say of the Catholic*, if they declined a Protes-
tant novelty, on any resemblance of similar grounds ?

MONTE CAVALLO. 539

were certainly made at Rome, 011 the occasion : but a respectaijie historian says,
" that it does not appear they were made by his order, or ^ith iiis consent."

There is generally some saying of a great man recorded, which tends to the elu-
cidation of his character more satisfactorily than the labored account of a thousand
pompous actions. The only observation of Gregory which is chronicled with
correctness, is as follows. When gently reminded of some slight alteration of opi-
nion, after he attained the Papal chair, he replied, " being raised higher, I see belter
and farther."

This Pope seems to have been a very strict preserver of decency in attire. He
had an altercation with the ijcomen of Nettuno, concerning the want of length ob-
servable in their dresses. The women were fond of short clothe,?, and Moorish boots;
but the holy father gained his point. The dresses were lengthened, and then the
boots were abandoned, as a matter of course, for where was the use (to the women
of Nettuno) of wearing boots when no person could see them r <

Gregory XIII. died ofaquinseyon the 10th of April, 1585. His pontificate
lasted thirteen years and one month, wanting three days. He left a natural son,*
whom he created Cardinal, as soon as he was preferred to the Popedom.

He died cordially lamented, but his excess of lenity caused his loss to be deplored
by the bad, with quite as much sincerity as it was regretted by the good.

Scarcely had that bell ^vhich only sounds on the death of a Pope, and for the
purpose of announcing the season of the carnival, tolled notice of the decease of tiie
clement Gregory, when the intrigues of the Cardinals commenced, and the Cwielave
assembled foi the election of a new Pontiff. It is chiefly in an ecclesiastical govern-
ment that talent has a free chance for supremacy. According to all probable
calculation, the power of Christian Rome could never have prevail^ through so many
successive ages, had not ability and address been the tonstituent qualifreHtions requi-
site for an advancement to the chair of authority. On revien'ing the lives of the
Popes, we shall find that no humility of situation debarred the man of genius from
the hope of eventual exaltation. Adrian IV. was a mendicant. Urban 1V^ quitted
the employment of a cobler, when he entered the cloister ; and Sixtus V. was a keeper
of swine !

Tlie Conclave which assembled on the death of Gregory, named, as his successor,

* Born before Buoncorapagno was raised to the dignity^f a Cardinal.

240

MONTE CAVA LLC).

Felis Peretti, Cardinal of St. Jerome, who was a native of a village in the March
of J/ico/ia, und who was brought up at a small hamlet in the same province. His
father was a vine-dresser, and was so poor, tliat he placed liim, when nine years old,
with a neighboring farmer, who employed him in the watching of swine. A Fran-
ciscan friar, who was going to Ascoli, and had missed the road, saw the future Pope
sittin" under a hedge, while tending his master's swine. He called to tiic boy, and
made inquiries concerning his way. Young Peretti replied to the friar's questions
with obliging alertness, and walked some distance with him to prevent the possibility
of his mistaking the patli. It was during this walk that the swine-herd laid the
foundation of his future greatness. The friar was charmed with the boy's fire and
shrewdness : He took him to his convent, and introduced him to the guardian.

Younc Peretti was immediately received in quality of a lay-brother (or servitor)
and one of tlie friars was appointed to teach him the rudiments of the Latin tongue.
At the end of two years, he was received into the order, and studied divinity with so
much diligence and effect, that he was shortly preferred to the degree of Doctor in that
faculty. His address and activity soon raised iiim to the first consideration in his
convent. But a cloister was too narrow a scene for his talents ; and Pius V. first
created him Bishop of St. Agatha, and afterwards Cardinal of St. Jerome.

Peretti knew no pause, while a step in the ascent of ambition remained above him.
He aspired to the Popedom, and used unceasing art to attain the exalted object of
his desire. His passions were naturally turbulent, and his demeanor imperious, but
he now imitated all the pliant qualities of the most gentle. His artifices succeeded.
He grasped the crosier of power, and was " himself again" on the instant.

The mild virtues of Gregory, had entailed a painful task on his successor. The
indiscriminate tenderness of that amiable Pontiff, had caused the ecclesiastical State
to be over-run with assassins and banditti. Sixtus felt the necessity of strenuous
measures, and commenced his pontificate with an exemplary exercise of unbending

justice.

It had been usual for the Pojie, at his succession, to throw open the public prisons,
and grant a pardon to offenders of every description. Sixtus not only omitted this
practice', but ordered four persons, upon whom prohibited arms had been found, a
few days before, to be immediately executed. He, indeed, carried justice to an awful
extremity. It is said, that there is not an instance, during his pontificate, of a

MONTE CAVALLO. IJ41

criminal being pardoned; but that many examples occur of his punishing such judges-
as had she-.vn an inclination to clemency. The state of the Koinans certainly
demanded severity ; yet, it seems strange that not one moment should occur, in the
course of his pontificate, in which the sensibility of Sixtus was stronger than his
judgment? This stern mode of administration, however, had a beneficial effect. Mu-
tual saf-^ty was restored; and the assassin for hire, felt obliged to fly for employment
to the neighboring kingdoms.

It is not our intenticm to follow Sixtus through the whole political events of his
pontificate. Our aim is biographical delineation, not general history ; and, therefore,
we have no concern with the mistakes or cabals of Cabinets, except when these tend
to elucidate the character of the personage concerning whom we write.

The machinations of Sixtus were uniformly calculated to advance the interests of
his See. He looked with suspicion on the over-weening power of Philip of Spain;
and, therefore, declined assisting that Monarch in his intentions against England,
with any other than such spiritual weapons as seemed necessary for the support of the
Catholic faith and dignity. But when the discomfiture of the Armada threw the
temporary ascendancy into the liands of Elizabeth, Sixtus became the friend of
Philip, and proceeded to the lengths of excommunicating the English Queen, and
of causing insurrections to be fomented in her kingdom.

Tliere was nothing liberal, expansive, and becoming an ecclesiastical potentate, in
the political opinions of Sixtus. One great principle, — the increase of immediate
power, actuated all his measures. It was in obedience to this principle that he formed
a design of annexing the kingdom of Naples to the dominion of the church; and
this motive led him to look with equal indifference on the Protestant Elizabeth, and
the Catholic Philip.

Sixtus had a marked dislike to the order of Jesuits, and' this aversion seems to
prove the open manliness of his disposition. Sixtus V. could not bend to the closet-
whispers, and wily intrigues of this treacherous brotherhood. He was, indeed, of a
bold and daring character. Had fortune placed him at tlie head of the kmgdom of
Spain, he would probably have rivalled tlie greatest military sovereigns of the period.
To immortalize his name was the darling wish of Sixtus. His architectural
projects emulated the splendor of Adrian and Augustus. Tlie city of Rome owes
more to the liberality of Sixtus, than to the united gifts of all his predecessors..

L I.

2452 MONTE CAVALLO.

There is scarcely a street in the magnificent city that does not contain a monument of
his fame. By him the obelisks were raised, \\ hich had lain underground for ages. He
built the Lateran palace, and the Vatican Hbrary, with all the buildings annexed to it.
To him is society indebted for the hospital near Pontc Sisto, endowed fur the
maintenance of two thousand infirm or superannuated persons. By this Pope was
constructed the aqueduct, which conveys water, for thirteen miles, to JMontc Cavallo,
and the magnificent Temple of the Virgin at Loretto.

When we survey the numerous splendid performances of Sixtus, we are inevitably
led to ask how long the pontificate lasted, which produced such a variety of noble
memorials? Who can avoid surprise, on finding the ansMer to he. Jive years, four
mouths, and three days ? — But a less period would be sufficient for a noble mind to
achieve the labor of immortality.

Amongst tlie foremost of the great characters of the historic [lage, we do not
hesitate to place the name of Sixtus V. His severity was exacted by circumstances,
and we must ever lament that so exalted a mind wanted opportunity to exhibit the
transcendant charms of clemency and pity. The narrowness of his political sentiments
was the narrowness of Alexander and Cassar ; but it certainly sat with little grace-
fulness on the brow of an ecclesiastical ruler. The magnificence of his personal
views is evident from the architectural splendors which he has added to the city of
the Arts.

Sixtus was often heard to say, that " he had no great esteem for any of the Christian
Princes, except Elizabeth of England, and Henry of Navarre." — With the names of
those Sovereigns that of Pope Sixtus V. (who was once a keeper of swine) should ever
be associated by tlie candid part of posterity.

This gieat man died on the 27th of August, 1590.

WARWICK CASTLE.

"^ Of pomp, and feast, and revelry,
" With mask and antique pageantry ;
" Wliere throngs of knights and barons bold,
" In weeds of peace high triumphs hold j
" With store of ladies, whose bright eyes
" Raise influence, and judge the prize
" Of wit, or arms, which both contend
" To win her heart whom all commend."

•

X HE propensity to derive pleasure from the contemplation of antiquities is one ol
the most honorable inclinations of the human breast. According to Johnson, any
thing that conveys the imagination to the past, or extends it to the future, elevates
mankind in the scale of thinking beings.

Man, in his first stage of civilization, is too much engaged with immediate wants
to spare time for extensive anticipation ; the little mind, in the last scene of congre-
gated nature, intent on pursuits of mercantile speculation, is too entirely absorbed
in conjectural views of the future, to feel gratification from retrospective glances
towards the occurrences of past days.

It is the lone student that derives heartfelt gratification from brooding over the
relics of those who have performed their parts in the vast drama of human life, and
have flitted from the stage to mix witli unknown worlds . . . regions beyond the utmost

extent of thought ! He dwells, with unutterable sensations, on the fragments of

the ruined hall, where the family of the adventurous baron were wont to assemble —
their tenants ranged beside the ample tables— their ministrels seated in tlie magnifi-
cent gallery— the usher, with his rod of office, marshalling the guests to the joyous
banquet ! — He pauses, as he treads the rampart where the warrior of a distant age
paraded in all the costly dignity of chivalrous fortitude ; and sighs while he locks

r I 2

544

WARWICK CASTLE.

together tlie embossed armor, and restores, in fancy, the Warwick of an Edward's
time to tlie former scene of his proud refl cti >ns.

In these minutes tlie student blends his speculations with the family views. He
projects martial enterprises with the baron ... he wishes to bestow wings on the
herald sent to some favored knight from the lovely dauglitcr (now wasted to dust in
tlie chapel vault) . . . and joins in the benisons lavished by the good lady baroness'
on the fair forehead of each child of promise.

Few monuments of feudal grandeur are more dignified or interesting than the
Castle, which has long been the favored residence of the Warwick family. This
magnificent structure stands a little to the south of the town of Warwick, on a rock
forty feet high, at the base of which flows the river Avon.

In all probability, Ethelfleda, daughter of King Alfred, (who constructed many
fortified recesses in various parts of the kingdom) was the actual foundress. The
building at first consisted of a sinde tower on a mount.* In the time of William
the Conqueror, Turchill de Warwick was keeper of the Castle. The fortifications
were considerably enlarged, under the direction of Turchill. But the warden giving
offence to the suspicious Monarch, he was displaced, and the Castle bestowed on
Henry de NewburgJi, afterwards created Earl of Warwick. I'rom this period
Warwick Castle became an object of consideration with the ruling power of the
island, as is evident from the circumstance of Henry III. commanding Margery,
sister and heir of the late Earl, not to marry without his consent, " that the Castle
might not devolve to improper hands." In the fortieth year of Henry's reign, the
majestic edifice was surprised by John Gifford, Governor of Kenelworth Castle,
who razed the walls to the ground; but, in the forty-fifth year of Edward III. the
dilapidations were repaired by Thomas Guy, Earl of Warwick, and the building
again restored to the character of a potent embattled fortress.

This Earl (whose gallantry and conduct were conspicuous in the fields of Cressy
and Poictiers) was chosen to have the sole care of King Richard II. during the mi-
nority of that sovereign. When he had fulfilled this task, he retired to his estate,
and spent considerable sums in architectural pursuits. In the year 1394, he com-

* Supposed to be the same mount that itill remains on the west side of the Castle.

WARWICK CASTLE. 245

pleted the twelve-angled tower, called Guy's, on the right hand of the Castle
entrance ;* and constructed the body of St. Mary's church, at Warwick.

In the reign of Edward IV. the fortress of Warwick was in the possession of the
royal family, and occupied by George Plantagenet, the Kings brother; by whom
very considerable additions v/ere made to the strength of the building.

The Castle continued with the crown till Edward VI. created John Dudley, Earl
of Warwick. On the attainder of tliat nobleman, the Sovereign again became
proprietor of his fortified residence ; but Elizabeth gave the title and appendages to
Ambrose, son of the late Earl, who dying without issue, James I. in the second year
of his reign, made a grant of the building to Sir Fulk Grevile. At this period, the
noble mansion exhibited one scene of vice, misery, and desolation. Its walls were
quickly falling to unheeded decay, and the strongest apartments (once occupied by
nobles, who were the pride of their country) were consigned to the purposes of a
common gaol ! The correct taste, and liberal spirit of Sir Fulk Grevile, restored
the edifice to its original splendor ; and, during the civil war, it was used as a gar-
rison for the Parliament. In 1642, the Castle was besieged by Lord Northampton,
and defended with great gallantry, by Sir Edward Peito. The activity of the
besiegers succeeded in surprising the artillery and ammunition on the road for the
defence of the garrison, but Sir Edward, Avith only one piece of ordnance, sustained
the utmost fury of the assailants, and preserved the place till Lord Brooke, with the
force under his command, arrived to its relief.

Considerable alterations were efifected in the state apartments, by Robert, Earl of
Brooke, in the reign of Charles II. The successor of that nobleman was created
Earl of the Castle, in the tenth year of George II. from whom the title and estate
descended to the present Earl of Brooke and Warwick.

It will be evident, that the site of Warwick Castle was well adapted to the purpose
of defence. It is also peculiarly estimable in a point more consolatory and engaging, —
the prospects around are of the most picturesque description. The windings of the
Avon, the majesty of ancient woods, and the gentle alternation of hill and dale, unite
to charm and elevate the fancy.

* This is the most elevated part of the building in our plate of Warwick Castle, The expense of
kuilding this tower was 3951. 5s. 2d.

246 WARWICK CASTLE.

The approach to the Castle is impressively grand. A devious, hollow waj', cut
from the rock on which the Castle stands, denies all observation of the building, for
tlie distance of a hundred yards. On reaching an abrupt turn, the mighty pile is
suddenly disclosed ! Its embattled entrance, its subliuie towers, and its perilous moat'
half concealed by the dark foliage of various trees and shrubs, present themselves at
once to the admiration of the spectator, and compose the noblest instance of archi-
tectural effect to be witnessed amongst the castellated remains of feudal magnificence-

The double gate-way by which the visitor enters the area of the august dwelling, is
flanked by embattled w alls, from which rise, at appropriate distances, lofty macliio-
lated towers. That part of the edifice which is devoted to family uses by the
noble proprietor, is splendid and massive, yet entirely devoid of all the gloom usually
supposed inevitable to buildings originally composed for the purpose of defence, as
well as for that of baronial magnificence.

A great part of this agreeable chearfulness of aspect is occasioned by the judicious
alterations effected by the present Earl. But, though the purposes of modern life
have required, and obtained, a rejection of many of the ancient architectural peculiari-
ties of the Castle, all possible respect has been paid to the characteristical marks of
antiquity, where these did not positively interfere with the necessities of a refinement
of habit. Thus, the antique and military rudeness of Guy's Tower is preserved
inviolate ; and in many parts of the edifice, the Norman eyelet, adapted to the secure
discharge of arrows, is retained, with a becoming delicacy of veneration.

In the nineteenth century, when painting, poetry, and music, find admirers in the
great majority of the affluent and ennobled, how much is it to be regretted that a just
taste in architecture is confined to a comparative few ! The task would be ungracious,
or we could readily point to noble possessors of ancient mansions, who have treated
their forefathers with most unfeeling disrespect, in regard to the alteration of the seats
which descended to them with their titles. From the practice of the iew w ho possess
accurate judgment, as well as liberal desires, it is evident that the rude dignity of
ancient magnificence, may be readily accommodated to the elegant urbanity of the
most polished era, without destroying the apparent original character of the edifice.
Assuredly the persons who do not profit by the bright e.samples held out by select
men of taste in their own sphere, must be accounted more barbarous than those

WARWICK CASTLE. 247

among their ancestors who first constructed buildings destitute of all apertures except
loop-holes, and with passages suited only to the gloomy horrors of feudal suspicion ?

The improvements lately introduced to the interior of Warwick Castle evince the
same spirit with those alterations that have taken place on the outside of the august
pile. Where the venerable relics of antiquity have in any instance been displaced,
it is to make room for the still more estimable monuments of the arts. Many pic-
tures of the first rank for execution and interest, grace the collection of the Earl
of Warwick.

In the anti-chamber may be particularly noticed a fine picture of Lady Brooke,
by an unknown artist ; and a whole length portrait, by Vandyck of Henrietta,
Duchess of Orleans,* so well known for her attractions and ill-fate. This unfortu-
nate sister of Ciiarles II. was once reduced to so extreme a depth of poverty, that,
according to Cardinal Retz, there was not a billet of wood in the house in which
she resided with her mother, nor would the tradesmen give the forlorn Queen credit
for one ! A gleam of prosperity shone on the head of the illustrious daughter ; but it
was as transient as glittering ; and she was suspected to die through the operation of
poison, at an early period of life.

In the cedar drawing room are several excellent pictures by Vandyck, ■{■ and a
Circe by Guido.

Amongst many fine paintings in the gilt room, the spectator will unavoidably ad-
mire a whole length of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the society of Jesuits, by Ru-
bens. The sublime animation of countenance, and the striking intelligence of eye,
to be remarked in this picture, tempt the beholder to suspect that Rubens bestowed
fallacious grandeur on the physiognomic character of this pious soldier. If he reject
that supposition, he cannot but lament that the bigotry of the times should have made a

* Granger could not have seen this painting. Speaking of the Duchess of Orleans, he merely »ay»j
" there is a portrait of her at Dunham, the seat of the Earl of Stamford, by LargiUiere. There is ano-
ther at Amesbury ; and a third by Pettitot at Strawberry Hill."

t It is impossible to repeat many times the name of Vandyck, without recollecting his sordid love of
money. He frankly confessed that, in the early days of his life, he painted for fame, but in his later
years, for " the kitchen." It is said that a lady for whom he entertained an ardent passion applied to
his skill for a portrait of herself, and that Vandyck disputed with her concerning the price ! He charge«l
sixty pounds for a whole length, and forty pounds for a half.

248 WARWICK CASTLE.

religious Enthusiast of that man who possessed the indications of a mind capable of
the noblest undertakings.

In the dressing room, is a half len<fth of Anne Bolevn, by Holbein. In this pic-
ture \\\c cannot help tliinkiiig that the spectator will look in vuiii for the constellation
of charms usually attributed to the woman, who enslaved the heart of the capricious
Henry. Eiit, in the next minute, he must smile at his oun inlatuation. How little
have the outlines of a foce to do with the feelings of the heart ! A tliousand nameless
"races hang on the animation of a lip, on the urch intclHticnce of an eye, which
out-rival the utmost pretensions of regular beauty, wliilc they elude the imitative
eflbrts of the most skilful pencil ; and these, Mithout doubt, were the attributes of
Queen Anne, who retained the passionate affection of her husband, even when his
rage consigned her to the degradation of a scaffold. The innocence of Anne Bo-
leyn is decreed to.be unquestionable, by the Protestant part of society; but the same
enliiihtencd Christians do not hesitate to assert, with equal confidence, tlie absolute
guilt of Catherine Howard. It is not our wish to depreciate the character of the
former Queen, while we observe, in this place, that the guilt of Queen Catlierine, is
at least equally problematical with that of her unfortunate rival.*

In the same apartment, is a half length of Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, by
Lely ; a beautiful whole length of a Dutch boy, by Vernosi ; together with some
exquisite vases.

To convey an adequate idea of the dimensions of the noble building, it may be
mentioned that this room " terminates a suite of apartments, \\hich extend, in a right
line, three hundred and thirty feet"

A small adjoining apartment is embellished with painted glass, and contains a
beautiful half length, by Rubens, of Catherine of Arragon. According to the asser-
tion of Henry, and the general opinion of her contemporaries, tliis Queen formed
an excellent consort to the " Defender of the Faitli," but (if the printed evidence may
be relied on) she certainly made a mistake when she denied tlie conclusion of her
marria<ie with his elder brother.

Not any Castle in England boasts so fine a collection of English armor as that

» In a respectable periodical work (the Universal Magazine for October, 1808,) the present writer has
attempted to show the partiality of Dr. Henry, in regard to his estimate of the decapitated.Qneens of
Henry VIII.

WARWICK CASTLE. 249

of Warwick. A dignified and becoming appendage to the edifice once tenanted by
the hardy chieftains of the times whicli are " past and gone !" Not the least interest-
ing garb of defence (as well from tlie character of the nobleman, as from the
locality of the deposit) is the doublet in which Lord Brooke was slain at Lichfield.
Even the passage that leads to the armory is consecrated to the arts. Amongst
the pictures, an original head of Sir Pliilip Sidney is placed, with interesting
propriety.

The dining room is ornamented with a variety of portraits. That of Sir Fulk
Grevile will not be passed with indifference by the literary visitor.

Rembrandt, Vandyck, and Snyder, have united to decorate the breakfast roem.

A way has been lately constructed from the area of the Castle to a walk, which
winds towards the green-house. Here, after the portcullis is passed, and a passage
over the wide moat gained by means of a bridge, tlie visitor beholds the ex tensive green-
house, whose Gothic front assimilates with the objects around, and cherishes the res-
pect with which he has before contemplated the relics of antiquity. In this building
is placed the celebrated vase, presented to the Earl of Warwick by Sir W. Haaiilton

In the arrangement of the grounds no less taste is displayed than in the disposal
of the venerable Castle.

An umbrageous walk leads from the green-house to the banks of the river. Through
the trees which shade this track, occasional openings are made, to permit a view of
the Castle in its most picturesque points. A second path leads, through an exten-
sive plantation, to a bridge thrown by the late Earl over the river A\ou.

Tlirough all the varieties of scene observable in the extensive domain, a due atten-
tion to the genius of the place is observable. The descriptions of natural scenery,
and of the tasteful devices by which art heightens the effect of tlie most sublime na-
tive beauties, are equally foreign to our purpose. One reflection unavoidably oc-
curs ; that the pride is laonest which arises from a comparison of tlie elegance dis-
played in tlie grounds of tlie Castle, at the present era, with the state of neglected
rudeness in which tliey lay during the period of the mansion's greatest military
strengtli, and higliest pitch of feudal grandeur. Selfish ambition never yet felt
the charms of natural beauty. LucuUus and Mecoenas delighted in their rural
villas, but Cassar and Mark Antony looked with a dull eye on the scenery of the
Campagna.

K K

250 WARWICK CASTLK.

Every country, in the infancy of its annals, abounds with wonders ; chaotic com-
binations calculated to elevate the imagination, and, thereby, subject the under-
standing. Amongst the most temperate of these historical assumptions, those of
England certainly must be ranked. And yet we have our tutelar saint, with his
dragon ; our bevis of Southampton ; our non-descript Gog and Magog ; and. . . .our
Guy Earl of Warwick.

The story of this renowned champion, Guy, must be familiar with every reader.
Many have learned their letters in his history, and he was one of the nursery lieroes
with nearly all. In past ages, periods during which " Mit and taste were in their
infancy," no doubt but the deeds of this redoubted champion were recorded in adult
circles, while each hearer believed the tale " devoutly true." Tradition tells us that
the Earl, was much above the common standard of mens' stature and prowess, and that
in addition to many other great achievements, he destroyed a boar " oi passing might
and strength," near Windsor; and a cow, " a monstrous, wyld, and cruell beast,'
on Dunsmore Heath. Most traditional intelligence, however strange and incongru-
ous, has its foundation in some character of fact. The investigation of national su--
perstitions is curious ; and this story, among others, has not failed to engage the at-
tention of the learned.* The reader, therefore, may excuse our devoting a short
page to the subject.

All the legends of early times, when the fancy of the major part of society is po-
tent, and the judgment correspondently weak, are disguised in fable; or, in other
words, personification is commonly substituted for literal detail. . The unusual
strength, and amplitude of form, therefore, ascribed to this ancient " Earl," we may
easily resolve into a succinct and popular mode of explaining his great power and re-
.•^ources. The ways in which this power was employed appear equally evident, if we
regard them as traditional facts wrapped in a thick veil of fabulous pageantry. It is
certain that the inclosures of very early times (i. e. the monopolizing of arable lands,
by the great lords or proprietors, for the purpose oi pasturage, in the form of honie
demesnes, or parks) were considered by the bulk of the people as the most grievous
oppression which could be inflicted. The first writers of English history abound with
philippics on the subject of this aggression. Now, if we suppose " Guy, Earl oi.

* Leland, Sir William Dngdale, and Dr. Heylin, talk seriously on the subject.

WARWICK CASTLE. 251

Warwick" to have been a man of an elevated patriotic disposition, and one who was
ardently alive to the interests of the lower classes, may we not readily conclude that
he evinced this tenderness of feeling by opposing vigorously the inclosures then so
perniciously prevalent in the kingdom ? And, if he opposed these efficaciously, the
people might ''vell term his power of a gigantic nature. Admitting this to have been
his conduct, what was so natural to an ignorant age (fond of fable and personifica-
tion) as to hand down the story to posterity, in the form of Guy, Earl of Warwick
(that man of immense strength) having destroyed the cow (the animal used for depas-
turage) of Dunsmore Heath ?

Admitting the validity of this train of reasoning, the destruction of the boar is
easily explained. The devastation committed by the early monarchs, for the purpose
of extending forest districts (therein to hunt, among other animals, the boar) was,
assuredly, one of the greatest liberties ever taken with the common rights of society.
Not contented with having interrupted the encroachments of that " monstrous, wyld,
and cruell beast, the cow," our puissant Earl stood between the Kingand the people, and
put a stop to tlie terrific progi-ess of " the boar of passing might and strength, also."
In short, either by argument or threats, he prevailed on the Nimrod of the day to desist '
from his demands for more land for the purpose of throwing it into forest. In sup-
port of this statement, it may be observed that the boar is said to have been de-
stroyed near JVindsor, once the scene of the most arbitrary exercise of this species
of tyranny. The various supplementary actions reported to have been performed
for the good of his country, by the celebrated Earl, we, of course (in attention to
the practice of historians) must affirm to be futile interpolations, if the dates do not
quite agree with the constituent fundamentals of our hypothesis. Indeed, what is
more likely than that a gigantic wonder should absorb less captivatinof prodigies, in
its descent through the generations of the illiterate and credulous ?

Let those smile who please. We claim the full merit of an historical discovery^
and this the more readily, since i^w indeed will envy the ingenuity that led to it !

The legend of Guy caused so much popularity to attach, in dark and ferocious
periods, to the title of Warwick, that tlie possessors of the earldom certainly encour-
aged the veneration with which the vulgar regarded the memory and exploits of that
adventurous hero. Thus, the whole series of his supposed actions was represented
in the old hangings of Warwick Castle ; and various particulars of armor, &c. said

K k2

252 WARWICK CASTLE.

to have belonged to him, have been preserved there for several centuries.* At this
dAy, these latter curiosities are to be seen, and consist of the presumed helmet, shield,
suord, and horse-armor of Earl Guy, together with the rib of a whale, said to be
that of the dun cmr, and various articles of the same description.

At the distance of about two miles from the Castle is Gui/.s cliff', a beautiful and
recluse spot, whither the cl)ampion Earl is aflirined to have retired, and assumed
the sanctity of the eremite. — " Hard by, upon tlie Avon," says Camden, speaking
of Warwick, " stands Guy-cliftj called by others Gibb-cliff, the present seat of
Thomas de Bellofago, or Beaufoe, of the old Norman race. This place is the seat
of pleasure itself: there is a shady grove, crystal springs, mossy caves, meadows
ever green ; a soft and murmuring fall of waters under the rocks ; and, to crow n all,
solitude and quiet, the greatest darling of the Muses. Here, Fame tells us, that
Guy of Warwick, that celebrated hero, after he had finished his martial achieve-
ments, built a chapel, led a hermit's life, and was at last buried. But the w iser
sort think that this place took its name from Guy de Beauchamp, who lived much
later. And certain it is that Richard de Bcauchamp, Earl of Warwick, built and
dedicated here a chapel to St. Margaret, and set up the giant-likt statue of the
famous Guy, still remaining."

It is pleasing to note the progressive refinement evident in the different architec-
tural features of Warwick Castle. The foundress, though the daughter of the potent
Alfred, was contented with a solitary tower, erected on the apprehensive elevation
of a mount. The embattled gate-way, and the lofty turrets of Thomas Guy, Earl
of the Castle in the reign of Edward HI. and his successor, proclaim the chivalric
spirit and magnificent notions of the age ; while the splendid alterations of Sir Eulk
Grevile exhibit the liberal wishes of his era for internal accommodation as well as
massive exterior grandeur.

It is equally gratifying to reflect on the various manners and pursuits of those
illustrious persons who have, at diftcrent periods, occupied this princely abode. It
appears probable that Ethelfleda possessed the luxury of glass windows in her tower,

♦ A sword called Guy's was possessed by the Earls of Warwick in the reign of Edward III. The
sword and armor now at Warwick Castle were much esteemed by Henry Vlll. The Castle then re-
mained in the hands of the sovereign, and Henry committed the armor of Guy to the care of William
Hoggeson , yeoman of the buttery, with a salary for the performance of his trust-

WARWICK CASTLE. 253

though the generahty of private dwellings admitted light through frames of fine
linen, or wooden lattices. The furniture of the building was mean. The arts of
weaving and embroidering were knoAvn and practised, but performances of this kind
were exclusively dedicated to the embellishn)ent of religious worship. The banquet
was the gi-eat enjoyment of the period ; and here the guests were placed according to
their respective ranks, with scrupulous ceremony, and ■were generally very numerous,
as every person of distinguished quality retained an extensive retinue (or mimic
court) of persons entitled to share the pleasures of the convivial hour. The table
was simply spread with substantial joints, which were merely roasted or boiled.
The goblet was circulated ^ith intemperate merriment,* and tlie carousers were
particularly watchful lest any man should diink more deeply than his due share of
the flaggon wan-anted. A disgusting proof of selfish barbarism ! But the choicest
part of the revelry consisted in tiie strains of the minstrels who attended. Musicians
(who always joined the efforts of poetry to the charms of instrumental melody) con-
stantly waited in the banquetting-rooms of the great. Their songs told of deeds of
arms, of instances of patriotic ardor ; and the tones of the violin, the harp, the
atola, the psaltery, and tabor, pipe, and flute, seconded the fervor of their metrical
ebullitions.

The private hours of the lady Ethelfleda demand particular notice. Divested of
the tumult of merriment, what pursuit engaged the attention of the foundress of
the mansion ? Letters, alas ! were unknown to the youthful quality of the period.
Alfred, we are told, could not read a sentence at twelve years of age, and acquired
the rudiments of literature by accident. Music, though essential to the enjoyments
of the lordl}', does not appear to have been, in any recorded instance, practised by
a female. The art of painting was in the hands of a few, and those few were chiefly
employed by the Bishops and Abbots of the day in the embellishment of places con-
secrated to religious purposes. What, then, was to preserve the lady EtlieJfleda
from the imposing phantasies of superstition? Games of chance, it is true, were

* We, of course, do not wish to insinuate that the lady Ethelfleda was addicted to the exuberant joys
of the goblet. But drinking ta an excess was the vice of the time, and the way in which the revellers
sometimes devised an " excuse for the glass" was singular. To prevent religious festivals from sinking
to the tame character of temperate enjoyments, they used to intoxicate themselves in large draughts to
the honor of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and various apostolic personages.

254

^VARWICK CASTLE.

customary. Dice, chess, backgammon, were in use with every person of rank ;
but the lady Ethclfleda had a more laudable resource at hand; — the needle, to con-
jure up semblances of nature, in glowing tlneads of party-colored beauty, or to
dazzle the eye with mimic princes, bcdight in robes of majestic gold or modest silver.
To the honor of our countrywomen it is recorded that works of embroidery Mere so
well executed by them at this juncture, that " those elegant manufactures were call-
ed Anglicum opus" (English work.)

At the embroidery frame, then, we picture the lady Ethelfieda seated ; her linen

mantle, which covered the whole person, thrown over her, and fastened on the i ight

shoulder by a button or broach ; her hair flowing, in long and graceful ringlets,

down her back. Nor was silk unusual in her attire, while furs of the most delicate

kind were ready to protect her from the severity of winter. Thrice happy was she

in possessing the solitary resource which we have described, since no carriage waited

to convey her to the enjoyment of the social visit. A species of chariot was indeed

known, but it was rare, and chiefly deemed an appendage to the dignity of Queens.

The possessors of the noble Castle in the fourteentii century present difierent (and

in many respects more estimable) particulars to the contemplation of the reader. A

part of that gloom was now dispelled which had long concealed the charms of

learning, and the nation was become sufficiently prosperous to unite splendor with

warfare. Yet, learning was still confined to regular professors, and decoration Mas

chiefly esteemed as a stimulative to bloodshed.

The chambers of baronial mansions now gained a comparatively splendid accession
of ornament. The number of artists had sufficiently increased to allow the use of
paintings in the dwellings of the great. Sometimes, whole rooms Mere embellished
by the pencil, and otliers were commonly hung Mith valuable tapestry. The goblet
was no longer composed of horn or glass. Costly utensils of wrought gold or silver
abounded on the tables of the affluent; and ale and cyder gave place to the most
estimable wines.

No less ceremony ushered the party to the repast, nor were the guests less nume-
rous than in the time of Ethelfleda, but the banquet was far differently provided.
In the hardy, chivalrous days of Edward, the art of cookery Mas of dear import,
and the occurrence of artificial dishes nearly as frequent as at present. The
reign of that old English boast, the roasted sirloin, Mas over ; and " dishc metes>
brenniiig of Mild fire, peynted and castelled with paper and samblable M'aste," occu-

WARWICK CASTLE. 255

pieJ its place. — Is it only, then, in periods of barbarism that we are to look for the
existence of what we term ancient English frugality?

But, with the plain cookery of their predecessors, the English of the fourteenth
century appear to have banished a great portion of the intemperance which disgraced
earlier periods. The spirit of chivalry had taught the youthful knights to respect
the beauties to whom their prowess was dedicated, and romantic gallantry happily
supplanted the joys of the inordinate revel.

Dancing, in these ages, first enlivened the vast halls of the baron's residence. In
addition to which, the lengthened mime, the masquerade, and pageant, all contri-
buted to promote an attention to females, and thereby to ameliorate the manners
and elevate the character of the nation.

Though a fondness for the sports of the field was still deemed one of the most
honorable indications of nobility, gallantry now first acquired power to arrest the
avocations of the sportsman, and to compel him to study painting, music, and
poetry, as the surest means of attaining the object of his wishes. The solitary tower
could no longer answer the purposes of the enriched. Their disgnisings, dances,
and theatrical pageants, demanded spacious halls; and the tournaments which at-
tended every period of festivity caused the area of the Castle to be extended beyond
its former apprehensive bounds.

How venerable are the mansions, still tenanted by the gay and potent, which
once witnessed the enjoyments of an Edward's reign ! — Let us hang tl)e immense
halls with antick tapestry, and suppose the hour of festivity at hand ! The baron
takes his place, while tlie usher seats the more elevated of the guests, in due rota-
tion^ above the massive salt-cellar of silver which divides the visitants of quality fronx
those who boast no title to a share in the familiarity of the dignified chieftain. The
banquet ended, the guests adjourn to the hall set apart for dancers. And, now,,
what grotesque figures assemble on the spot we are contemplating ! The gallant
knight, relieved from the weighty armor which encased his form at the battle o£
Cressy or Poictiers, appears " with long pointed shoes, fastened to his knees by gold
or silver chains ; hose of one color on one leg, and of another color on the other ; a
coat one half white, and the other half black or blue ; a long beard ; a silk hood,
buttoned under his chin, embroidered with strange figures of tmimals, dancing men,
&c. or, perhaps, ornamented with gold, silver, and precious stones." The gallantrj

256 WARWICK CASTLE.

of the knight so decorated, is carried to a painful extreme. He hands his mistress
to the dance with idolatrous reverence, and would probably saciilice on the spot
any miscreant who by accident trod on her foot. It is curious to note the attire of
this adored beauty. She wears a party-colored tunic, one Imlf (like the coat of the
beau) being of one color, and tlie other half of another. Her hair is dressed, in a
pyramidal form, to the height of three feet above her head : from the pinnacle of
this fearful elevation hang long streamers of silk, «hich sweep along the ground.
Her girdle is ornamented with gold and jewels, and exhibits the alarming appendage
of a short sword or dagger.

The usher now summons the guests to the tale of the minstrels, or the wonders of
a pageant. Here are mimicked the horrors of the deluge, or, perhaps, the barbarous
actions of Pontius Pilate.

But, if a more spoitive humour prevail, the hour is dedicated to disguisings.
Each knight and courtly damsel assumes the garb of rural or foreign life, while bursts
of appropriate music elevate the spirit of the scene.

Such was the aspect of a baron s castle in the reign of Edward HI. and, in many
particulars of this retrospective picture, we behold the germ of some excellence in
art or manners which lias suice risen to maturity, and ornamented the character of
our country.

On the accession of Sir Fulk Grevile to the gratifying honors of Warwick Castle,
the ancient fortress became the theatre of tame, but exquisite, domestic enjoyment.
Barbarous revelry, or gaudy dissipation, had hitherto been the pursuit of those who
commanded within the ponderous walls. The " Augustan age of literature" had now
arrived. The social virtues moved in the train of lettered intelligence, and a chas-
tened gaiety, less noisy but nearer to the heart, took place, in the nobles family, of
tumultuary banquettings and the half-serious contests of the festive joust. The machio-
lated towers, and embattled gate-wayof tlie Castle, were now regarded only as ttie elo-
quent memorials of a former day. In a word, the Castle, for the first time, possessed
a library ; and the softer graces naturally became inmates of the altered abode.

Were we to attempt giving an account of all connected with the title of 'Warwick,
whose actions would decorate the page of biography, we should be led into a detail
of the chief events in national history. A few select characters unavoidably demand
notice. — Of all those Earls of Warwick who bore away the palm of hardihood, in the

WARWICK CASTLE. 257

days of eady contention, Richard Neville, that " whirlwind" of the land, as Camden
figuratively terms him, is the most distinguished. The powers of mind, and the im-
mensities of resource required in the man who was to pluck down Kings, or enthrone
subjects, at his pleasure, combine to decorate the memory of this Earl, and to ren-
der hiin one of the most august characters in the collection of historical portraits. We
shudder while contemplating the picture, but he is so entirely the hero that all feel an
interest in his success, and admire if they cannot applaud.

In the earliest indications of turbulence evinced by the Duke of York, Richard,
Earl of Warwick, appears as a zealous friend of that " father of Kings." The cle-
mency constantly exhibited by the Duke, in his ambitious enterprizes, is well known.
Of this clemency the Earl of Warwick is entitled to a share ; and it should be recol-
lected to his lasting honor that throughout the whole disastrous war of " the Roses,"
we find none of those deliberate cruelties attached to his name, which were so com
mon with the major part of the leaders on both contending sides. It has been as-
serted by many historians that he A\"as concerned in the murder of Earl Rivers and
Sir John Widvile (father and brother to the Queen of Edward IV.j but Dr. Henry
justly observes that, " there is the clearest evidence that King Edward himself enter-
tained no such suspicion ; for he constituted the Earl of Warwick, immediately sub-
sequent to that event, chief justiciary of South Wales, and gave him several odier
offices of power and trust, which he assuredly wo.uld not have done if he had sus-
pected that Warwick had any connection v\'ith rebels who had murdered his own
father and brother-in-law."

The " grey, uncrowned head" of the meek Henry was certainly treated by him with
an undue want of veneration. When this shadowy monarch w as betrayed into the
hands of Edwai'd, and conveyed to London, he was met at Islington by the Earl of
Warwick, who caused his feet to be tied to the stirrups of his horse, " and behaved
to him in other respects with great indignity." Proclamation was issued that no
person should regard the forlorn prisoner with compassion, as he moved through
the streets ; and when he arived on Tower-hill, he was compelled to ride three times
round the pillory. But this was so far from an age of generosity, that the negative
merit of abstinence from bloodshed, may be almost pronounced a positive virtue, in
those who obtained absolute power over a formidable opponent.

Ingratitude does not appear to have been one of the failings of Edward W. He

i. L

258 WARWICK CASTLE.

treated his great auxiliary, WarMick, with tlie respect due to the friend who had so
ably assisted his elevation to the crown. Tlie insolence and aggrandizements of the
nexv family of the Widviles, alone caused that disgust which separated the Earl fiom
the interests of the infatuated monarch. Warwick, however, appears to have been
friendly to the alliance of Edward, till the assumptions of the Queen's family passed
the bounds of moderation. It was between the Duke of Clarence and this Earl that
Elizabeth was led to the abbey church of Reading, when the King declared his mar-
riage, and the Earl of Warwick stood godfather to the daughter named after herself.

At the commencement of the year 1468, Warwick remained so favorable to the
court, that tlie Lady Margaret rode behind him through the streets of London, pre-
vious to her departure, for the purpose of being married to the Duke of Burgundy.

But the Earl's life was dedicated to domestic trouble and haughty contention. He
could not brook the increasing arrogance of the Queen's relations, and formed those
plans of vengeance which rendered the whole nation parties in a private disscntion.

It appears that the romantic story of Edward being taken prisoner by Warwick, and
sent to his castle of IMiddleham, in Yorkshire, from whence he made his escape
through the indulgence of his keeper, is altogether erroneous. This strange tale is
supposed, by a more sober writer, to originate in the following circumstance. Be-
fore Edward commenced his march against the rebels under Sir Robert Wells, he
•' paid a visit to George Neville, Archbishop of York, at his house of Moor Park;
tod, xchen washing before slipper, he received private notice that a hundred men at
arms were ready to seize his person. Alarmed at this notice, he went suddenly out
of the house, mounted his horse, and rode off full speed to Windsor."

The following instance of ingratitude must have irritated to the extreme the lofty
mind of Warwick, ^^'hen the Earl, and his new ally the Duke of Clarence, were
compelled to quit the country which they had so fatally embroiled, they sailed, with
their families, and most valued friends, for Calais, the governor of ^^ hich place was
a creature of Warwick's raising, and who owed his appointment entirely to the Earl's
authority. The most pressing circumstances required an immediate landing. The
Duchess of Clarence was in labor, and destitute of assistance. But the miscreant
pointed the guns of the fortifications against his benefactor, and Mould not suffer a
single person to disembark.

Tew circumstances could be more remarkable than the commencement of a friendly

WARWICK CASTLE. 259

intercourse between Warwick and tlie object of his most bitter antipathy, Queen Afar-
garet. But that connection soon produced fresh wonders, among which was the ab-
rupt transition of Edward from the throne of a f>otent monarch to the dependance of
a poverty-stricken fugitive! It is well known that when this prince landed, in 1470,
at Alcmar in Friezeland, he had not sufficient money in his pocket to pay for his
passage in the trading vessel which had conveyed him !

When Warwick first ventured on a war against Edward, he certainly intended to
place the Duke of Clarence on the throne ; but more mature reflection convinced him
of the miconquerable difficulties attendant on this scheme, and he married his
daughter Ann, to the young Prince, son of Henry and Margaret. The chief mo-
tive that linked the \iorthless Clarence to the interest of his father-in-law (for ties of
relationship are trivial with the ambitious) was evidently the hope of mounting the
throne through his means. The chagrin occasioned by his disappoiutuient, in diis
particular, readily accounts for the eagerness witli which he listened to the overtures
conveyed from his brother, through the means of a female, whose conduct appears
to have been most skilful, but whose name is not known in history.

It was the glory of this Earl (and the triumph was not small, considering the
adventurous days in wliich he flourished) to live a " King-maker,'' and die a hero.
The battle of Barnet will be recollected to have terminated his life of vicissitude. A
mist (supposed, at the time, to have been raised by a celebrated magician) caused an
unhappy mistake which decided the fortune of tiie day. The device, or badge,
worn by the followers of Lord Oxford, w as a star with rays, both on the front and
back of their coats. This gallant band had driven their opponents from the fields
and were returning to assist their friends, when they were attacked by the Earl of
Warwick's men, who mistook them for a body of the enemy, a sun with rays, being
a device worn by Edward's party. Oxford suspectbg treachery, fled Mith eight
hundred of bis partizans, and all on Wai'wicli's side became confusion and dismay.
The Earl knew how to die, as v\ell as to conquer ; he rushed into the thickest of his
foes, and fell, covered with wounds.

The history of these ages resembles romance in the quickness of its transitions,
and the extremities of fortune experienced by those who form its chief characters.
The misery of the great Warwick's family, after the honors of his house perished
with him in the field of Barnet, almost exceed belief. The Countess of Oxford,

L L 2

26-0

AVARWICK CASTLE.

sister to the late Earl of Warwick, was reduced, according to Stow, to the necessity
of earning a wretched livelihood by her needle ; and the Lady Ann Neville (relict
of the late Prince of Wales) was certainly found, some months after the battle, dis-
guised in the habit of a cook- maid!

6Vr Fiilk Grevile, Lord Brooke, the great restorer of Warwick Castle, was one of
tlie most distinguished men of the era in Mhich he lived. The inscription on that
monument which his Lordship caused to be erect', d during his life-tiuic, is not more
compendious than it appears to be honorable to his memory : " Fulk Grevile,
servant to Queen Elizabeth, Counsellor to King James, and friend to Sir Philip
Sidneij.'' It would be difficult to bestow a greater eulogium, than to describe a man
as possessed of integrity and good sense to obey the wishes of a wise prince ; of
knowledge and discretion sufficient to the counselling of a weak, yet head-strong
monarch ; and of so great a renown for accomplishments and probity, that he
was the chosen friend of the most refined and virtuous character of the age.

It was the happiness of this distinguished Lord to live in times which called forth
none of those tragic passions which make a character appear gigantic, because they
exhibit its casual deformity, and which, therefore, captivate the vulgar reader of the
biographical page. The " still, small," virtues of domestic life would be deplorably
tame if mimicked on the stage ; and are admired only by a few, when detailed in
history. And yet, are they the noblest excellencies of the bosom. Away with the
drum and trumpet of historic legend! That quiet page, which, says Sir Fulk Grevile,
improved the literature and polished the manners of his country, w hile his heart and
wit were so equally estimable, that he was the select friend of the man w hoin all
Europe applauded and admired, speaks more to his credit, than would the detail of a
hundred victories, or the inflated narration of a long train of gaudy actions, performed
in all probability, for the purpose of exciting noisy admiration.*

Every hour that Lord Brooke could snatch from more imperative avocations,
was devoted to literary pursuits. The works of this nobleman are much more
estimable, as compositions, than the generality of tlie performances of the age. The

* Lord Orford certainly does not allow its due share of praise to the character of Sir Fulk Grevile.
His Lordship had made up his mind to wrile down Sir Philip Sidney, and, with great injustice, he
extended the attack to the celebrated " friend" of that excellent scholar and accomplished gentleniau.

WARWICK CASTLE. 26 1

versatility of his genius will be evident from tlie following list of his works : — " A vei-y
short Speech in Parliament." — " The Life of the renowned Sir Philip Sidney.'" —
" Sir Fulk Grevile's Five Years of King James, or the Condition of the State of
England, and the Relation it had to other Provinces." — " A Letter to an honorable
Lady, with advice how to behave herself to a Husband of whom she was jealous.'
— " A Letter of Travel," containing Directions to a Relation then in France. —
" Coelica," a Collection of ]09 Songs. — " A Treatise of Human Learning," in loO
Stanzas. — " An Inquisition upon Fame and Honor," in 86 Stanzas. — " A Treatise
of Wars," in 68 Stanzas. — His " Remains," consisting of Political and Philosophical
Poems. — " M. Tullius Cicero, a Tragedy (disputed)"— " Alaham, a Tragedy."
" Mustapha, a Tragedy."

We must not forget to mention, that his Lordship evinced the liberality, as well as
taste of a Mecaenas. He was the admirer of Camden's genius, and the patron of his
labors.

Robert, Lord Brooke (whose doublet is still preserved in the armory of Warwick
Castle) was thrown on the " darkness and dangers" of " evil days." At that dread-
ful period of our national annals, when the love of prerogative led an otherwise ami-
able monarch to forget that the people might likewise be fond of privilege ; and when
the peculiar tenets of a mob of religious Enthusiasts tended, on the other hand, to
the inculcation of wild, chimerical notions of independance ; there were found,
among the more elegant part of the nobility of England, some individuals who
glowed with ardent wishes for the happiness of all classes, and M'hose most tiervent
desires centred in genuine patriotism.

Amid these, the dignihed names of Falkland and Brooke stand pre-eminent. Both
indulged the same honest wish, though difterent views of political propriety (so natu-
ral and common a circumstance in such a tempestuous season) led them to exhibit
their zeal for national prosperity in dissimilar niodes.

Weary of the disputes and interested machinations of the times, the virtuous Lord
Brooke resolved to fly from the distracted cabals of his harassed country, and seek
an honorable tranquillity in the wilds of America. In this determination he was
joined by Lord Say, and the two noblemen had actually taken measures to remove
themselves to New England,* whea a sudden gleam of hope, produced by one of

* In 1635 the two Lords sent Mr. George Fenwicke over to New England to prepare their retreat-
This emissary caused to be built, in a recluse and beautiful situation, a small town, which was calleU.
in allusion to the names of the founders, Sayhrook.

262 WARWICK CASTLE.

the many strange vicissitudes of the period, induced Lord Brooke to join in the en-
deavors of those wlio desired such a permanent and equitable bond, as was hlcely to
produce mutual security, to be ratified by the King and people.

The great interest of this lord, enabled him to inspire the county of Warwick with
his own sentiments, and to prevail on it to declare for the parliament, which then
professed only the intention of rectifying the oppressive errors of the state. At tlie
head of a considerable body of patriots, he advanced into Staftbrdshire, and direct-
ed his {)ower against Lichfield. It was on the festival of St. Chad, to whom the
cathedral of Lichfield is dedicated, that his Lordship commanded his ti'oops to storm
the close adjoining the cathedral, to which Lord Chesterfield, with a number of the
opposite party, had retired. But, while his men were advancing for that purpose,
their leader received a musket shot in the eye, and died immediately. The Roman
Catholics did not fail to aver, that this shot was discharged by St. Cliad, as a punish-
ment for the impiety of the mortal who dared to use hostile measures near a cathe-
dral, on the day consecrated to the recollection of that Saint's piety and virtues. But
those who seek for causes with a less elevated imagination, know that the hand of a
common soldier eflected the death of this gallant and virtuous nobleman.

Robert Lord Brooke was an elegant w riter, as w ell as a zealous patriot and a cou-
rageous leader. His works, according to Lord Or fords catalogue, are; — "The
Nature of Truth, its Union, and Unity with the Soul, which is one in its Essence, Facul-
ties, Acts, one with Truth." 1640. " A Discourse opening the Nature of Episcopacy
which is exercised in England." 1641 " Two Speeches, spoken in tlie Guildhall,
London, concerning his INIajesty's refusal of a Treaty of Peace." 1642. " Answer to
the Speech of Philip, Earl of Pembroke, concerning Accommodation in' the House of
Lords, December 19, 1642." " Speech at the Election of his Captains and Com-
manders at Warwick Castle." 1643.

THE

FOUNTAIN OF TREVI.

HE inhabitants of Latium have ever paid particular attention to the purity of
the water intended for ablution or nourishment, and have been seen in all periods,
equally sedulous to procure an abundance of this refreshing element in every dis-
trict of their possessions.

" TIk chief object" says a judicious writer, " with the early settlers, was to find
good water ; and this part (La Campagna di Roma) of Italy is plentifully supplied
with the purest and most healthful streams. At first, those who wished to build,
fixed on a spot where they could without further trouble, enjoy this ativantage. To
discover where the water was best, and in greatest abundance, they not only availed
themselves of the observations made on the instinct of birds and the anatomy of
beasts, but from the trees, shrubs, and other vegetable productions, — from their
growtii, quality, and numbers, — and from various other similar remarks, they Mere
enabled to judge and decide with sufficient precision. Vitruvius, Pliny, and otlier
ancient authors, give minute accounts of the means employed for tliis important pur-
pose ; and we Jcnow there was a profession, the members of which were denominated
Ifydrophantce, by the Greeks, and Aquileges by the Romans, whose business it was
to examine the springs and rivers ; and who, Avhen a town was to be built, pre-
sided over this branch of public utility, as the architects directed the labors of the
workmen.

Not only are the springs and streams of Latium crystalline and salubrious, but,.

264 FOUNTAIN OFTREVI.

from the volcanic character of the country,* mineral waters and tepid baths arc
found in almost every recess. Natural cascades abound in the u|)Und dis-
tricts, which increase the beauty of the scene, and bestow a healthful coolness on
the air.

Tiie aqueducts formed the first of those three circumstances which, according to
Dionysius, constituted the greatness of ancient Rome. They are known to have
been fourteen in number, some of which conveyed water to Rome for the distance of
fourteen miles, llie channels of these aqueducts were large enough to admit a man
on horseback. When Rome was besieged by the (Joths, who had cut off the water,
Belisarius fortified the aqueducts with works of peculiar strength, to prevent the enemy
from entering tlie city by those conveyances.

Water was considered a great delicacy at table by the ancient Romans. Through
many centuries the females drank no other liquor. The baths, and the religious and
political rites of the antients, must have rendered an abimdance of water absolutely
necessary. Accordingly we find that the first aqueduct was constructed so early as
the year of Rome 441.

The Romans learned the use of warm baths from the Asiatics; but the climate of
the Campagna, joined to certain peculiarities of clothing, must have rendered fre-
quent immersions in cold water highly desirable, if not actually necessary to the
native inhabitants of the great city, before triumphant excursions had led them to
adopt foreign habits of efteminacy. During the fisrt stages of the republic, the Tiber
probably aftbrded an easy mode of ablution to the hardy Romans. But, w hen they
learned the art of decoration from the Greeks, and became emulous of renown for
splendor in public buildings, baths were constructed, productive alike of individual
accommodation and national magnificence. However delightful in theory may be
the idea of Republicanism to the enthusiast in pursuit of human happiness, it is cer-
tain, thatthe most splendid performances of art, are always found to occur duringthose

* Rome was first built on a marshy plain, the fragment of an extinct Volcano. This circumstance
evidently accounts for the story of the patriot Curtius and the yawning Gulph. The soil of the Com-
pagna is indeed, wholly volcanic, though the climate is far from being unfavorable to health and
longevity. Nature generally decorates the superficious of an extinct Volcano with captivating beauties.
" The most antient of the Greeks gave the name of Elysium to every place that had been struck by fire
from heaven, and they supposed burning mountains to have had the same origin."

FOUNTArN OF TREVI. 265

periods in which power is concentrated in the hands of an individual. Where the
reins of government are intrusted to many, various pursuits of family aggrandize-
ment inevitably intercept every wish for national embellishment. One man becomes
individualized with the country over which he presides, and the promotion of national
art, tends to the immediate reputation of his own particular name. All human effort*
are selfish : the stimulus of personal celebrity appears necessary to the exertions of
every state-patron of the arts.

Lateritimn invenit, marmorcam reliquit, was the praise applied to Augustus.
According to the position maintained above, the reason is evident ; and, in addition
to the motive of personal fame, must be mentioned the superior power possessed
by the Emperor. Tributary thousands attended his call, for the employment of
whom no responsibility attached to his government.

The ThermcE Dioclesi(me£ are said to be tiie largest formed in Rome ; yet those
built by Caracalla were, perhaps, more magnificent. The Thermae were divided
into numerous compartments, and formed the places of fashionable resort among
all classes of the people. Some were public institutions, in which no money was
allowed to be received. Others were constructed by private speculators, and to
gain admission to which each person paid a quadrans.* The bathing time was
commonly from noon till evening, and notice (accoi'ding to Juvenal) appears to have
been given by a bell, on the opening of the baths. Those who bathed at unusual
hours, paid much more than the customary price for the freedom of the place.

The writers who profess to give an account of the practices of the Thermae, gene-
rally fall into the error of describing the manners of a particular period as those
uniformly prevalent during every era ; though few circumstances could more entirely
vary. Thus, in the more simple days of the republic, there were separate places
for the two sexes, but under the profligate Emperors, all persons bathed indis-
criminately.

The baths of ancient Rome were places of general amusement. Fiom the fol-
lowing description, a correct idea may be formed of the splendor of these buildings :

" The Thermae consisted of a great variety of parts and conveniences ; the Nata-
tiones, or swimming places ; the Portici, where people amused themselves with
walking, conversing, and disputing together, as Cicero says, In porticibus dcambu-

• About two-pence of our money.
M M

266 FOUNTAIN OF TREVI.

laiites disputabant ; the Basilica: , ^v■here the bathers assembled before they entered,
and after they came out of the bath ; the Atria, or ample courts adorned with noble
colonnades of Numidian marble and oriental granite ; the Ephibia, where the young
men inured themselves to wrestling, and other exercises ; the Frigidaria, or places
kept cool by a constant draught of air, promoted by the disposition and number of
the ^^•indows ; the CuUdaria, where the \\'ater was warmed for the baths ; the Plata-
nones, or delightful groves of sycamore; the Stadia, for the performances of the
Athletcc ; the Extdrce, or resting-places, provided \\\i\\ seats for those that M-ere
weary ; the Palestra, where every one chose that exercise that pleased him best ; the
Gymnasia, where poets, orators, and philosophers recited their works, and harangued
for diversion ; the Eleotesia, where the fragrant oils and ointments were kept for the
use of the bathers; and the Conistcria, where the MTCstlers were smeared with sand
before they engaged."

The number of baths was very great. Publius Victor enumerates " sixteen
warm, and eight hundred and fifty-six cold baths, besides sixteen thousand reser-
voirs, and ponds where people might learn to swim."

The private dwellings of nearly all classes of citizens were likewise cooled and
embellished by artificial water-falls, and every house of consequence had a variety
of baths. Seneca, it will be recollected, congratulates his philosophy on the cir-
cumstance of his possessing only one bath, though a rich man.

The modern Romans have no partiality for he salutary luxury of bathing. The
baths of Caracalla and Dioclesian lie in unheeded ruins. Still, the Romans regard
an abundance of water as the proudest boast of their city, and the numerous foun-
tains of Rome form one of its most powerful attractions in the esteem of every visitor.

" This abundance of water," says Kotzebue, " this vivid motion, this rushing aiid
foaming, this countless multitude of Tritons and Naiads, who in almost every open
place, are seen either throwing the water high up in the air, or pouring it in gur-
gling streams from their urns, give an extraordinary appearance of life and bustle to
the city, and in some degree make amends for, and relieve the eye from, the dulness
occasioned by the want of inhabitants. The fountain Tcrviini, called likewise Aqua
Feliv, is embellished with Christian sculpture : for here a Colossal Moses, with his
wonder-working wand, causes the water to flow from a rock. The idea is certainly
not amiss, if the concomitant objects had been in unison ; but it may be asked how

FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 267

came arcades and Ionic columns to stand so near this rock of Moses in the desart ?
and why should the prophet give himself so much trouble, as Uvo beautiful lions of
black basaltes (of Egyptian workmanship) are already emitting from their wide
mouths thick streams of water ?

" The water in the Fountain of the Campo Vaccino flows into an immense basin
of oriental granite, which served for the same purpose in ancient times. The foun-
tain Paulina surpasses all others, with respect to the abundant supply of water, w hich
was first brought thither by Trajan. At present, it is splendidly decorated with
arcades, columns, and an attic with water-spouting dragons and pompous inscrip-
tions. The materials were taken from the ancient forum of Nerva. Bernini has
overloaded the fountain in Navona's-place with an heterogeneous profusion of
ornaments ; rocks, obelisks, sea-horses, lions, and the like. Here, too, are found
colossal statues of the Ganges, the Nile, the Rio de la Plata, and the Danube.

" The Fountain near the bridge of Sixtus is smaller, but incomparably more
beautiful in its simplicity ; it is only a niche between two Ionic columns : but a
broad undivided stream falls from a considerable height, first into a smaller, and
then into a larger basin. The Tortoise Fountain in ]\Iattei-place is a pretty play-
thing ; four figures of bronze are placing four tortoises on the edge of the basin, from
which rises ajet-d^eatt. In Barbarina-place there are two Fountains by Bernuii ;
//ere dolphins and Tritons squirting out water ; and thei^e even three bees, which are
sitting on a muscle shell !"

Such is the account given of the Fountains by a traveller, certainly possessed of
considerable taste, though perhaps rather too much inclined to satirical animadversion.
From Kotzebue's descriptions, the reader may form such a general idea of the
present aquatic embellishments of Rome,' as may enable him to appreciate justly the
merit of the architectural appendages to the Fountain of Trevi.

The waters of this splendid Fountain are clear, pleasant, and salubrious ; and arc
supposed, by the modern Romans, to possess the faculty of strengthening and revivify-
ing debilitated constitutions. The Fountain is supplied by a spring termed Jgua
Virgine, concerning which, the following legend is familiar with the inhabitants of the
Campagna:— Some Roman soldiers, overcome with thirst, accosted a peasant girl
whom they accidentally met, and requested her to direct them to a spot, where they
might find water so cold, that it would instantly allay the anguish of a parched

268 FOUNTAIN OF TREVI.

throat, and yet so salubrious, that the heated traveller luijiht drink of it with impunity.
This rustic girl had discovered, in a sequestered nook, a spring of water so grateful and
inspiriting, that she thought it likely to answer the wishes of the soldiers, if any water
could possibly possess the combined qualities for which they expressed a desire. To this
favorite spring she accordingly conducted them ; and the thirsty soldiers were so
charmed with the draught Avhich gushed forth in luxurious plenty from the recess, that
they informed their comrades of the secret treasure. The new spring soon attracted
public curiosity, and Marcus Aggrippa* constructed a magnificent aqueduct, by
means of which, he conveyed the stream of Aqua Virgbic to his immense baths in
the city of Rome.

The city was, for a long time, supplied with this famous water, the source of which
is on the Salona estate, about eight miles from Rome. At length, eitlier by acci-
dent or design, the conduits ■were ruined ; but Trajan caused them to be effectually
repaired with all possible expedition. At that period, the Fountain was near the
baths of Agrippa.

During the ferocious incursions of the northern tribes, all that was great and
venerable in the A\estern empire, shared in one conmion devastation. " Tower and
temple" mingled in indiscriminate ruin, and to accident alone are the Romans
indebted for those monuments of national art and glory, which survived the tasteless
fury of the invaders. Among other works of splendor and utility, the aqueduct
which supplied Rome with the pure water discovered to the soldiers by the peasant
girl, experienced the barbarity of the conqueror, and w as completely destroyed. The
regret of the Romans on this occasion may be readily a[)prehended, v\ hen we remem-
ber the peculiar delicacy of their taste in regard to water, both for tlie table and the
bath.

Yet did the Romans suffer themselves to be deprived of the Aqua Virgine for
many ages. It was somewhat more than a thousand years after the destruction of
the aqueduct, tliat Nicolas V. a Pope who certainly deserves the admiration of pos-
terity for his public spirit and the magnificence of his schemes, restored a conveyance
for the stream, and constructed a copious Fountain. The solid benefit conferred on

* M. Agrippa, " the son-in-law, friend, and favorite" of Augustus, is said to have formed seven
hundred resL-rvoire, to have erected one hundred and five fountains, and one hundred and thirty
ctstdia, or conduits in the space of one year.

FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 2f>9

the community by an action like this, cannot be too higlily praised. Vanity may
lead to the elevation of an obelisk, and the love of posthumous celebrity, may prompt
the erection of a pantheon ; but an aqueduct is calculated to pour unostentatious
comfort into the cottage, while it supplies the baths of the palace, and, as such,
entails the reputation of genuine patriotism on the head of him that forms it.

The renovated Fountain received the name of Trivia, from the circumstance of it
discharging itself into three places ; but the colloquial familiarity of the Romans soon
altered the appellation to that of Trevi; the learned acceded to the wishes of the
populace, and Trevi is now considered the due name of the Fountain by the lettered
as well as the illiterate.

There are few great works; which are, in the combined points of ornament and
utility, the performance of a single hand. Nicolas appears to have been, in this in-
stance, merely intent on adding to the convaiitnce of the Romans. It remained for
another Papal ruler to embellish the undertaking, and to raise such an edifice as
should induce the spectator to pause with delight before the Fountain, tliough he
might be personally indifferent to the advantages derived from its waters.

The character of Clement XII. does not occcupy a distinguished place for libera-
lity in the opinion of mankind, yet this Pope repaired the aqueduct of Trevi, at an
immense expense, and added the magnificent front projected by Nicolo Salvi. It
is the misfortune of the ecclesiastical governors of Rome to attain the Pontificate only
at so advanced an age that the cares of government are usually too mighty lor the in-
firmities of nature, and the suffering Pontiff merely lays the foundation of structures
which death prevents his completing. It was thus with the twelfth Clement. He
fondly hoped to plant his fame on the ornamented front of Trevi, after expending
vast sums on improving the aqueduct, but the fatigues of his elevated office were too
weighty for his years, and he left it to the gratitude of posterity to remember, Avithout
the sculptor's aid, that it was one of the great wishes of his Pontificate to advance
the accomodation and increase the ornaments of the Papal cit}'. Clement XIII.
iiappily inlieritcd tlie spirit of his predecessor. Under this Pope, the buililings of
the Fountain were decorated with statues, and bassi-rilieri, together with columns
of the Corintian, Ionic, and Composite orders.

The Fountain joins to the palace of the Duke di Pali* the front of which is cha-
racteristically enibelli.shcd to complete the display of the scene.

* In this place uere some fine paintings. On the right of the Fountain is the oratory of St, ilary in
Fie, famous for the picture on the altar representing the Holy Family.

270 FOUNTAIN OF TREVI.

For the circumstances of our description we refer to the plate, and, considerinij the
reader as a spectator, proceed to observe, that the figure in the centre represents Nep-
tune, standing on a marine car, which is drawn by two sea-horses, guided by Tritons.
The one of these groups is distinguished by Rage and Impetuosity : the other i?
marked by Temperance and Tranquillity : a judicious method of expressing the well
known character of the sea, a perpetual interchange bet\\ccn storms and calms.
Bracci was the sculptor of these groups. The statue on the right of Neptune, re-
presents Abundance ; and that on the left is figurative of Health : both were executed
by Val/e. The basso-relievo on the right is descriptive of IMarcus Agrippa, in the
act of contemplating a plan of the aqueduct, and was performed by Bcrgondi.
That on the left perpetuates the story of the discovery of the spring; the girl is re-
presented guiding the thirsty soldiers to the inestimable pool. This elegant produc-
tion is by Grossi. Four statues surmount the columns. The first, bearing a cornu-
copia, is by Corsini ; the second represents Fertility, and is by Luduviai ; the tiiird,
with the grapes and bowl, symbolical of Autumn, was executed by Queirolo ; and
the last, crowned with flowers, is the Mork of Plncoktti. (3n the top of the build-
ing are the Pope's arms, supported by two Fames, the labor of Benaglio.

From this assemblage of objects a very striking effect is produced. The plan of
the building which forms a back ground to the chief emblematical figures of the
Fountain, is grand yet chaste ; and displays a vein of architectural genius worthy of
Rome in the brightest day of its reputation for art and taste.

It is objected by some, that the whole composition is faulty, inasmuch as it is con-
nected w ith the walls of a palace ; so that the spectator is perpetually tempted to
suppose that the water issues from some of the compartments of the building. In re-
ply to tiiese cavillers, it is observed, that on whatever spot Neptune stands, there he
can produce a spring; and that the same objection would appear of equal force if
the Fountain were seated in the midst of a large market place.

Though the circuu)feronce of the Fountain was originally grand and comprehensive,
it is to be regretted, that buildings have been suffered to accumulate in the neighbor-
hood, to the exclusion of much of the effect of this rare gem of modern achitectural
excellence.

In an age like this, when Rome experiences the desolating consequences of a
fresh subjection, her buildings remain almost her only boast. Among these, the

FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 2/1

decorations of the Fountain of Trevi will long excite the admiration of evei7 casual
visitor. We may be well allowed the term casual, for Rome is only the mournful
shadow of what she was. The queen of cities is fallen ! " Whatever" (observes a
recent author) " venerable or sublime Rome could boast in the fine arts, has fallen
into the hands of those, who, in ages of refinement and civilization, pillaged her with
worse than northern ravage :

Hoc fecere truces non Hunni, non Alemanni,

Non duros cogens Totila ad arma Gothos,
Sed Gallus, Brenno violentior, occupat arces.

Raptor et in medio ponderat aera foro.

France has now become the repository of the fine arts; and Italy, which had little
before to invite attention, has now less. Her public buildings, her churches and pa-
laces, still remain, but the paintings which decorated them, the altar pieces, and
every other superb ornament have been stript away, and carried to enrich the
Louvre.

This " classic ground" will not, M'e believe, often again invite the curiosity of the
traveller. It has frequently been alleged against Italy, that these arts contributed to
her effeminacy and degradation ; and when the French pillaged Rome she was insult-
ingly told so. If this deprivation, however, should produce the eft'ect of raising her
to a level among nations, and inspiring her with a portion of her ancient spirit, it will
be a gain that will amply compensate the loss of a Titian, a Raphael, an Angelo,
and a Caracci.

THE

CASTLE OF CONWAY

NORTH WALES,

THE name of Conway Castle suggests poetical ideas : —

" Lo ! Conway* still, in plaintive strain, renew*
The woeful day that hapless Cambria rues.
When o'er the frowning brow that crowns the flood.
The hoary bard, with looks of horror, stood —
Struck, deeply struck, the sorrows of his lyre.
And ills unborn portrayed with prophet's fire— •
Fix-'d on the flowing stream the frantic stare.
And gave his tortur'd bosom to despair ;
Then rush'd from life's accumulated woes.
And in their pitying waters found repose."

HE river Conway is, perhaps, for its length, one of the noblest streams in
Europe. It extends but twelve miles, yet in the course of that progress, receives the
aid of so many brooks and rivulets from the adjacent mountains, that it is enabled to
sustain vessels of considerable burden. According to Camden and his early com-
mentator, valuable pearls were formerly found In these waters. One is particularly
noticed which weighed seventeen grains, " and was distinguished, on the convex side,
by a fair round spot, of a Cornelian color, exactly in the centre." These pearls
were usually found in large black muscles, denominated by the vulgar deluge-shells.

* " On a rock, whose haughty brow

Frowns o'er old Conway's foaming flood." — Gray.

Tafiwin, called likewise Pen-5eirc/A, or the Prince of the Bards, resided near Conway. " I am
Taliesin," says this venerable poet, " on the shore of the lake Geirionydd."

CASTLE OF CONWAY. 373

The present Town of Conway, or Aber-Conway, sprang from the ruins of the
ancient Conovium, mentioned by Antoninus, the remembrance of which is still pre-
served by a small village called Kaer-Rhun, or Kaer-Heti, which term signifies
the old city.

The Castle owes its foundation to Edward I. though it is certain that the ancient
Welsh Princes had an abode very near the site of the building.* It is not easy to
ascertain the description of the original palace ; yet, from an account of the house-
hold officers attached to the dignity of the mountain-sovereign, we may be enabled
to form some idea of the construction of an antique \Vclsh residence of the first
class ; and the subject is so curious, that we cannot refi-ain from enumerating the
chief of these domestic attendants on insulated and ferocious princely splendor.

The officers of the household, and twelve gentlemen, whose tenure of land was
by military service, composed the royal guard, and were mounted on horses furnished
by the King.f

The master of the palace possessed authority over every person of the household.
He received a share of all military plunder, and on three festivals of the year, was
obliged to deliver the harp into the hands of the domestic bard.

The domestic chaplain said grace, celebrated mass, and was consulted in all mat-
ters of conscience. He was also secretary to the King, and to the principal court
of justice.

The stexvard of the household managed the inferior domestics, and received, as
perquisites, the skins of all animals " Irom an ox to an eel" killed for the use of the
kitchen. He drank, but did not eat, at the King's table ; and had the office of ar-
ranging the servants in their proper seats in the hall of the palace.

The master of the hawks was required to sleep near the birds : he had his bed in
the King's granary, where they were kept, and not in the palace, lest they should
be injured by the smoke. The King owed three semces to the master of tlie hawks,
on the day when he took a curlew, a hern, or a bittern. He held the horse of

* In the latter periods of the independency of Wales, the Princes usually resided at Diganwy, on
the water of Conway, and at Caer Segont, near Caernarvon.

t This small band appears the only resemblance of a regular force maintained at any period by th«
ancient Princes.

N N

274 CASTLE OF CONWAY.

this officer while he took the bird ; held the stirrup •^^hile he mounted, and dis-
mounted ; and that night honored him, likewise, with tliree different presents.

The judge of the palace presided over the princi))al court of Wale?. It is said
that he always lodged in the hall of the palace, and that the cushion on which the
King sat by day, served the judge for a pillow at night. On his appointment, he
received an ivory chess-board from the King. The tongues of all animals slaugh-
tered for the household were presented to the judge of the palace.

The master of the horse was lodged near the royal stables and granary, and it
•was his duty to make an equal distribution of provender among the royal horses.

The chamberlain was obliged to eat and sleep in the King's private apartment.
If a person walking in the King's chamber at night, without a light in his hand,
happened to be slain, the laws gave no compensation for his death.

The domestic bard was obliged, at the Queen's command, to sing in her own
chamber ; but in a low voice, that the court might not be disturbed in the hall. He
accompanied the army when it marched into an enemy's country.

An officer was appointed to command ailence. This he performed first by his
voice, and afterwards by striking with his rod of office a pillar near which the do-
mestic chaplain usually sat.

The master of the hounds was accounted so important a personage (though
nsuallv lodged in the kiln-house, where corn was prepared by fire for the dogs) that
he was liable to be cited to appear before a court of judicature only before he put
on his boots in the morning.

The door-keeper slept near the gate-house, and was obliged to kneel when he en-
tered the presence of the monarch.

The cook always carried the last dish out of the kitchen, and placed it before the
King, \vho immediately re\\'arded him with meat and drink.

The sconce bearer held wax tapers when tlic King sat in the hall, and carried them
before him when he retired to his chamber.

The Queen had likewise numerous attendants, among whom may be noted : —

The chaplain, who sat opposite to his royal mistress at table.

The chamberlain, who " kept the Queen's ward-robe. His lodging was near the
royal chamber, that he might be at hand when wanted."

The xcoman of the Queen's chamber who " always slept so near her mistress a»
to be able to hear her speak, though in a whisper."

CASTLE OF CONWAY. 275

These, and the various other officers connected with the household, were all called
together by the sound of a horn.*

From this brief survey of the usual establishment of an ancient Cambrian Prince,
it would appear, that though the construction of his abode was simple, it was not
altogether inconsequential. Indeed the rerenue of the Princes appears to have been
somewhat disproportionate compared with the resources of the country. The inha-
bitants of Anglesea, for instance, had been in the custom of yielding one thousand
marks annually to the exigencies of the Welsh government, but Edward, on conquer-
ing the country, readily admitted the exorbitancy of the contribution, and reduced
it to the yearly sum of four hundred and fifty pounds. It may be also observed,
that the ancient Princes were at little personal expense in the erection, or embellish-
ment of their places of residence. According to the code promulgated by Howel
Dha, the King had the power of compelling his subjects to build castles for the
purposes of royalty. But tliis was only a small part of the regal prerogative ; — so
totally, through all the branches of humiliation, were the people the slaves of their
ferocious sovereign, that surely the boasted freedom for which they fought against
their " Saxon" invaders was a chimera as delusive and fantastic as those quivering
shadows thrown across the mountains at moon-light, which the Marni imagination of
the natives embodies in the shape of tutelar fairies ?

Perhaps the most beneficial of the monarch's privileges was that which enabled him
to compel his people to erect fortified palaces ; and the country might, certainly, have
prolonged its independence to a much later period if the Prince had been more
anxious to exert his prerogative in this respect. Yet Wales was not destitute of
fortresses! when it was entered by Edwaid I. These were by no means so formid-
able as might have been expected from the mountainous character of the country,
but still they were found very important obstacles to the progress of tlie invader.

Few warlike operations display more profound sagacity than those of Edward in
regard to Wales. He anticipated every contingency, and was as well prepared for

•For the above account we are indebted to Mr. Warrington's History of Wales,
t So early as the year 876, in the reign of RoJeric, the chief defiles of Wales were gfuarded by
strong fortifications. It is probable that intestine commotions and a continual warfare witli the English,
bad prevented these being preserved in a state adapted to national defence.

K N 2

276 CASTLE OF CONWAY.

defeat as for victory. Everj' stage of a retreat was specified, and he rebuilt the
Castle of Flint, and more strongly fortified that of Rhuddlaii, as places of defence,
should he be obliged to recede from the arms of the Welsh, on the occurrence of any
military casualty.

Far different was the conduct of tlie devoted Lleweli/n. Rude, and disdainful of
art, he trusted entirely to the natural security of his country, content to retire, like
the wolf, to the shelter of the cavern on the approach of a foe. The historians of
that age paint Avith admiration the attachment of the Welsh to their national customs,
and the native writers of later periods cannot refrain from adding to the commenda-
tion bestowed by their precursors ; but every liberal mind must deplore tliat infa-
tuated contempt of foreign improvements which led the mountaineers of Llcvclyns
day to form themselves in a desperate association at the mouth of a natural fastness,
and to oppose their persons, with a disdain of military regularity, to the skilful attacks
of their opponents. It is impossible to read, without emotion, the fate of the gal-
lant Z/en-f/(/«, while we dislike the bigotry of his habits. Tlie adventures of this
unfortunate Prince would, indeed, narrated at length, form a romantic talc of deep
intei-est. His life commenced amidst the ruin of his family. Gri/ff'ijd/i, the father
of Llewe/i/n, was betrayed by his brother into the hands of the English King, by
whom he was committed a prisoner to the Tower of London. Chyffi/dh was in
every respect calculated to please the temper of the \A'elsh nation ; he was comely in
person, and of a bold and enterprising disposition. Unable to brook the tediousness
of confinement, he determined on making a desperate effort for his own freedom and
that of his native country. Having evaded the vigilance of his keepers, he, with the
assistance of his wife and child, who were the partners of his imprisonment, fastened
together pieces of the tapestry of his chamber, the sheets belonging to his bed, and
ihe napkins that covered his table. With this aid, he endeavored to let himself
do\\ n from the window of the turret in which lie was confiiicd. But his weight was
too mighty for the slender line, and he fell into the Tower ditch, with so much vio-
lence, that his head and neck were nearly driven into his body ! — I'oetry itself can
scarcely picture a circumstance of greater distress. — Fancy traces, with acute throbs
of sympathy, the wife and little son lending tlieir feeble aid to strengthen every knot
of that motley fabrication on which a husbaiurs and a father's life was to depend.
It places them at the turret window, watching, with dreadful apprehension, every
inch of the adventurer's descent. But, when the line is rent asunder, the liusband

CASTLE OF CONWAY. 277

dies, the wife sinks pale and senseless to the floor, while the frightened child kneels
by her, and bathes her with innocent tears, — the imaiiination turns sickening from the
spot, willing to fly even to the tumult of war for relief irum so horrible a scene of do-
mestic misery.

The administration of Llewelyn commenced with fraternal warfare. He took
possession of the principality in conjunction with his brother Oue/i. But this Prince,
not enduring a partner in the throne, engaged in hostilities against Lleuelj/n, and a
battle was fought, in which Owen was detieated and taken prisoner.

A more potent rival, Edward, the son of Henry of England, shortly took the field
against tlic Welsh Prince. Edward spent his youth in contests with the principality,
and though often victorious, was once beaten : a circumstance which is supposed to
have made a deep impression on his mind, and to have caused a great portion of that
personal hatred with which he is known to have regarded the Prince of Wales.

Llewelyn found a powerful ally in Simon de Montford, Earl of Leicester, who
openly rebelled against the English King. This nobleman oflTered his daughter, then
resident with her brother in France, in marriage to the \Velsli Prince, and Lkxcclyn
eagerly accepted the alliance. The lady was then too young for the solemnization
of the nuptials, but after a time she quitted France for the purpose of fulfilling the
wish of her father. Llexcelyn was the heir of ill-fortune ; — Eleanor de Montford was
taken prisoner, near the isles of Scilly, by four ships from Bristol, and was conveyed
to the court of England. State-policy was of more interest in the mind of Edward
who now sat on the throne, than those courteous maxims of gallantry instilled by the
chivalric temper of the age, and he detained the bctrollied lady, placing iier, how-
ever, in an honorable attendance on his own Queen.

Transcendant charms, and elevated virtues, are usually bestowed with a liberal
hand on evei-y lieroine of history who is unfortunate enough to be placed in romantic
circumstances. But Eleanor appears to have been really beautiful and worthy ! —
particulars Avhich must have sensibly aggravated the morlitication of Z/frre/y/Mn
beingdeprivedof his aftianccti bride. Unwilling to trust to result of war, he offered
an immense ransom for the captive beauty ; but Edward w as too well convinced of
the importance of his acquisition to resign Eleanor, without the Prince made such
concessions as were likely to promote the growing jiowcr of the English. Patriotism
prevailed over love in tlie breast of Llcxcelj/n, and lie flew to arms with all the ardor
of a Knight in romance. But, at the best, liis troops were only calculated to act

■378 CASTLE OF CONWAY.

on the defensive ; many of his nobles likewise proved treacherous ; and, at length,
necessity compelled him to agree to those arbitrary terms which love had proved in-
sufficient to enforce.

His union with the daughter of De Montford now took place, and the nuptials
were celebrated at Worcester, ihe English King and Queen gracing the ceremony
with their presence.

It is here that we have to notiee a short period of serenity in the tempestuous life of
Lletcelyn. The lovely Eleanor possessed graces to solace him for every disappoint-
ment, and he, for the first time, beheld his native mountains divested of armed mul-
titudes intent on slaughter and devastation. But this soothing calm was deceitful.
His life w as " bound in shallows." Fate pressed onwards, and spread a heavy hand
over his best hopes. The first blow, and the most severe that fortune could inflict,
was the loss of his Princess, \vho died within three years after their marriage. Her
death was the harbinger of ruin. It was her mild influence that had probably re-
strained his turbulent passions from revolt. Whea her voice ceased to sound on his
car, he became again the subject of refractory projects. The vengeance of Edward
was easily provoked, and that war between the nations ensued which terminated the
reign of the Welsh Princes.

We have already mentioned Lkxvclyns impolitic confidence in the mountainous
character of his country. In one of the most remote recesses of Wales he was, how-
ever, beset by his enemies. Still he felt secure from sudden danger, M'hile a bridge
which commanded the passage of an adjacent river was in the possession of his
troops. But the English, though with extreme peril, forded the stream, and burst on
him in the midst of his fancied safety.

So perfectly free was he from apprehension that when attacked he was unarmed
and attended by one Esquire only. In this defenceless state he waited for some
chieftains, with whom he had preconcerted a meeting, in a small grove. On the
first assault of the English, his Esquire came to inform him that he heard a violent
tumult at the bridge. " The Prince eagerly asked if his people were in possession
of tlie bridge ? And being told tliat they were, he calmly replied ' he then would not
stir from thence, though the whole power of England was on the other side of the
river.' This confidence lasted only for a moment ; the grove being instantly sur-
rounded by the enemy's horse. Beset on every side, and cut oft' from his army,
LkiVelyn endeavored, as secretly as he could, to make good his retieat, and to joia

CASTLE OF CONWAY. Qjg

the troops he had stationed on a neighboring mountain, who were eagerly expecting
the return of their Prince. In making this attempt he was discovered, and closely
pursued by Adam dc Fi'ancton, who, perceiving him to be a Welshman, and not
knowing his quality, plunged his spear into the body of the Prince, being unarmed
and incapable of defence. This being done, regardless of the person he had wounded,
Francton instantly joined his own party."

Llewelyn lay for a long time unheeded on the ground. '\\'hen persons, at length
approached, he had just life enough remaining to ask for a priest. A white friar
chanced to be present, and he administered the last offices of the church to the ex-
piring Prince.

The bards paid numerous tributes to the memory of the ill-fated Llewelyn ; from
one of which the reader will not blame us for making the following extract : " The
voice of lamentation is heard in every place, as heretofore in Camlan.* The copi-
ous tears stream down every cheek, for Cambria's defence, Cambria's munificent
Lord, is fallen. Oh Llewelyn ! the loss of thee is the loss of all. At the thought
of thee horror chills my blood ; exhausts my spirits ; and consumes my flesh. Be-
hold, how the course of nature is changed ! How the trees of the forest furiously rush
against each other ! See, how the ocean deluges the earth ! How the sun deviates
from his course ! How the planets start from their orbits ! Say, ye thoughtless mor-
tals ! do not these things portend the dissolution of nature ? — And let it be dissolved.
— Let kind heaven hasten the great catastrophe. — Let a speedy end be put to the
incurable anguish of our spirits : since now there is no place to which we, miserable
men, may flee : no spot where we can seciu-ely dwell : no friendly counsel : no safe
retreat : no way by which we can escape our unhappy doom."

As soon as Edward had obtained a complete triumph over the arms of the prin-
cipality, and had satiated his rage in an unmanly exultation over the lacerated body
of Llewelyn,! he proceeded, with politic caution, to take the steps most likely to

• The place where the great Arthur was slain.
t A prophecy oi Merlin was said to prognosticate that Llewelyn should one day wear the crown of
Brutus. To ridicule this prophecy, the head of the Prince, when separated from his body, was orna-
mented with a silver circle, and placed on the pillory in Cheapside. An aged soothsayer had, likewise
foretold, when the Welsh commenced their last war with the English, that Llewelyn should ride through
Cheapside, with a diadem on his head. In derision of this augury, the blood-stained head of the fatten
Prince was encircled with a wreath of ivy, and in that condition it was carried through the streets oi-
London by a horseman, who bore it aloft on the top of his spear.

gQQ CASTLE OF CONWAY.

secure the obedience of his new subjects. Convinced tliat the interior of the Snow-
donia would ever form tlie chief dependence of the Welsh, he erected three strong
holds in tiic immediate vicinity of that aljnnc district. These were the Castles of
Caernarvon, Beaumaris, and Conway. Edward was too prudent to infringe hastily
on the private rit'hts of the conquered. It is certain that he procured the land on
which he built Beaumaris Castle, by means of an equitable exchange, and it is, there-
fore, probable, that he was not less just in regard to the site of his two other fortresses.

The Castle of Conway was founded by Edward, in the year 1284, and was com-
pleted with such celerity that the natives ascribed its erection to the eftcct of necro-
mancy. The genius of the English King, indeed, excited so much surprise among
the Welsh, that he was universally, in that country, denominated a magician. We
should be tempted to mention this idle conjecture as an indication of the peculiar
barbarism of the principality, did we not recollect that, in the same century, the in-
habitants of England could not account for the extraordinary learning of Bacon, with-
out supposing him conversant in the mysteries of the occult science.

Conway Castle is seated on a rocky hill, at tlie base of which flows " the chief of
Welsh rivers." It is one of the most magnificent military ruins in the island, and
was desiimed with taste and regularity, as well as constructed in so massive a way as
to be nearly impregnable to the utmost art then practised in military operations.
Edward had imbibed a considerable taste for architecture in the course of his
eastern expedition, and this Castle is a proof of the munificence with which he was
anxious to embody his conceptions.

Eiwht round projecting towers ornament and protect the building. On the top
of each, was placed a lofty and elegant turret, \vhich must have bestowed, when the
edifice was complete, an admirable air of lightness on the whole. Little remains
entire on the inner side, except the fragments of stair-cases in most of the towers,
and, one room, one hundred and thirty feet in length, which is adorned with nine
Gothic windows and a large chimney piece. This was probably the hall of state,
in which Edward once sat enthroned to receive the homage of the subjugated chief-
tains. It is impossible to behold the dilapidation to which the building is now sub-
ject without experiencing a sentiment of regret. In vain the spectator seeks consola-
tion from reflecting that the entire harmony which prevails between the two countries
renders politically inconsequential the decay of every fortress once necessary to the

CASTLE OF CONWAY. 281

preservation of tratKiuillity. The ruin of architectural grandeur, the impending dis-
solution of a structure erected by one of the best of our chivalrous sovereigns, com-
pels a sigh, in contempt of every sedate and rational motive of satisfaction. Several
of the lofty turrets are already fallen, while many of the towers, deprived of their
foundation, hang suspended in the air by the cement which attaches them to the
Castle ualls.*

The greater part of the town of Conway was built by Edward I. and a front stone
in many of the houses still bears the date of 1270. Edward made his dependent
town a free borough, when he passed a Christmas there, in great splendor, with
Eleanor his Queen, in 1^84. Thetownis surrounded by a high wall, in which twenty-
six embattled round towers are placed at regular distances : the whole are now over-
grown with a profusion of ivy.

The distant view of tlie Castle, and the town with its embattled wall, now that
age has deprived these of their terrors, is sublime beyond the hope of description.

* The Welsh would appear, from their poetry^ to view the ruin of EJward's fortresses with sensations
very different from those described above as natural to a " Saxon" spectator :—

" Here earth is loaded with a mass of wall.
The proud insulting badge of Cnmlria's fall.
By haughty Edward rais'd ; and every stone
Records a sigh, a murder, or a groan.
The muse of Britain, suffering at its birth,
Eiulting sees it crumbling to the earth.
Ah ! what avails it that the lordly lower
Attracts the thoughtless stare, and vacant hour.
If ev'ry bard with indignation burns.
When to the tragic tale the eye returns r
If, for his haunted race, to distant times.
There's still reserved a vengeance tor his crimes '*'

Yet this poet (Lloyd, the author of Beaumaris Bay, &c.) was the first to rejoice, in prose, over the
solid blessings producad for his country, by the victories of Edward, when the present writer conversed
with him near Conway ; and would scarcely listen to a word of lamentation concerning that Joss, in
point of simplicity of manners, which the Welsh appear really to have experienced from their amalgama-
tion with the more luxtirious inhabitants of the Lowlands.

O o

23*2 CASTLE OF CONWAY.

So august, indeed, is the spectacle, that it seems to rise superior to the character of
artificial compositions, and almost claims a siiareof the adniiration due only to works
of nature. One great cause, perhaps, of the peculiar eftect which this venerable
Castle produces on the beholder, arises from the circumstance of it, assimilating with
the objects around. It raises its majestic head in the neighborhood of a range of
mountains which appears formed to be the theatre of martial enterprise. All is
alike vast, grand, and impressive. Still, at intervals, soft tufts of wood ameliorate
the scene, thrown into a thousand beautiful varieties of light and shade at different-
periods of the day.

Though the exterior of Conway is so truly grateful to the spectator, the town
itself is small and uninteresting. Yet it ap|)ears to have been, two centuries back,
esteemed a very delectable situation. Old Sir John Wynn, characterising the inha-
bitants of three Welsh towns, thus expresses himself : "The people of Caernarvon
are lawyers, those of Beaumaris are merchants, but gentlemen dwell in Conway.'
Mr. Lloyd, however, observes " Sir John's mind was, probably, a little biassed
in favor of the gentility of Conway, by the residence of a branch of his own family
in the Plas Maur there ; and to those who admire the taste and decorations of 1585,
that hutre house will be a gratification, the founder having been lavish in ornament,
and the display of family achievements."

Conway formerly possessed a splendid monastery,* which was the burial place of
the ancient Princes of Wales. According to Holbisked, this monastery occupied the

* The monks of every age and every nation bave been alike. A bard, who wrote in 1450, satirizes
particularly the mendicant friars of his time, who exchanged with the credulous Welsh the images of
certain saints for cheese, bacon, and corn. Among these, he notes the representations of Seiiol and
Curig, as always negotiable. St. Seriol was reckoned infallible for the cure of various disorders ; and
the holy Curig was sure to expel evil spirits from farm-houses, and was a preservative from taking airs:

" Beneath his cloak the begging friar bore
The guardian charm, grey Curig, to the door.
Another, Serial's healing image sold.
And found the useful saints like modern gold."

Perhaps it would be fortunate for the Welsh if these harmless saints were still objects of veneration,
in preference to the demon of methodism, who now is used by religious mendicants, as a mean for ex-
torting " bacon, cheese, and corn," from the ignorant mountaineers.

CASTLE OF CONWAY. 283

site of the present Castle. It is certain that Edward removed the white monks of
Conway to an abbey which he founded near Llanrwst.

A country subject Hke Wales, to perpetual commotions, and the stage on which a
gallant people struggled with enthusiastic ardor for national independence, scarcely
contains a spot that is not rendered interesting by a connection with historical le-
gend. In this respect tlie neighborhood of Conway merits cotjspicuous mention. On
the banks of the river which washes the Castle, wandered those early princes whose
obstinate valor baffled the efforts of the hitherto-victorious Romans ; here Edward
fixed the chief quarters of his invading army ; and here resided the principal of
those patriotic natives who remained faithful to their Prince to tlie last, and who
chose to die amidst their mountains rather than become tributary to the sway of an
alien sovereign.

Passing over the uncertain tales of very early periods, we first notice a battle
fought in the neighborhood of Conway in the year 880. At this time the sovereignty
of Wales was divided between two brothers, Anarawd and Caddh, the sons of
Roderic the Great. The remains of the Strath-Chvyd Britons, severely harassed
by the Saxons, Danes, and Scots, in a conflict with whom they had lately been de-
prived of Comtantine dicir King, applied to Anarawd, Prince of North \Vales,
for an asylum in his dominions. The Saxons now occupied the country between the
Dee and the Conway. Anarawd regarded these neighbors \\ith unavoidable dislike,
and readily granted the Strath-ckod applicants as much land between the two rivers
as they could obtain and preserve by the power of the sv\ ord.

Under the conduct of Hobart, these northern Britons accordingly entered Wales ;
and, equally goaded forward by revenge and interest, dispossessed the Saxons, and
took possession of their lands. But they did not remain long free from interruption.
Eadred, Duke of Mercia, mortified with the disgrace his arms had suffered, speedily
made pieparations to recover the district which had been wrested from him. The
Britons, in consequence of the threatened attack, removed their cattle and effects
beyond the river Conway.

Inflamed by the hostile approach of his hereditary enemies Anarawd, instantly
collected an army, and marched to the support of his allies. The adverse forces
met at Cymryd, about two miles fi-om the present town of Conway, and a bloody
engagement commenced. The contest was long and^ arduous, but the arms of the
North-wallian Prince, were finally triumphant, and the Saxons retreated hastily to

o o 2

284

CASTLE OF CONWAY.

Mcrc'ui, whither they were followed by the conqueror. Anarawd, with honest ex-
ultation, called the achievement of the day by the name of Dial Rodti (or Roderic's
Revenue) in allusion to the death of his father, who fell in a recent action between
the Welsh and Saxons.

The scenery contiguous to the spot on which this memorable battle was fought, is
romantic, wild, and awful, mountains of tremendous height, coluums of thick and
gloomy wood, and impetuous cataracts, unite to form precisely such an appalling
spectacle as a Salvi>tor would be supposed likely to choose for the back ground of
a sanguinary contest.

Kinw John waged a successful war against the principality, in the year 1212.
Yet Joan his daughter, was the wife of Llewelyn Ap Joriveth, Prince of North

Wales.

Abandoned by the most weighty of his chieftains, and closely pressed by the po-
tent army of the English, Litwdyn retired into the Snowdonia, while John passed
the Conway and encamped on the river side. Imprisoned among his steril moun-
tains, the Prince was totally unable to protect even that part of his territory which
lay immediately contiguous to the place of his retreat. Intent on inflicting an exem-
plary vengeance, King John dispatched some troops, with orders to destroy the
town of Bangor. Little resistance was made, and the tov/n was immediately set on
fire. The Bishop was rescued from the flames and made prisoner.* hX this junc-
ture, when fire and bloodshed were carried into the heart of his country, Llewelyn
[)erceived but one measure likely to preserve his subjects and himself from destruc-
tion. All his hope rested on the relationship between his Princess and tlie invader ;
and that illustrious lady readily undertook the office of mediatrix. Penetrating to
the tent of her royal father, on the banks of the Conway, she fell prostrate at his
feetj and conjured him by every tender tie that is wont to join the interests of pa-
rent and child, to grant a pardon to her husband and to recal those dreadful minis-
ters of vengeance who even then w-ere revelling in the blood of innocence.

The Kin<^ was not proof against her tears and intreaties. The existence of a
nation depended on her eloquence, and the pathetic tones with which she appealed
to the tenderest feelings of his bosom were irresistible. He granted her suit, and

* He was afterwards ransomed for two hundred hawks.

CASTLE OF CONWAY. 285

from the banks of the Conway issued those orders of recal which gave life to des-
pairing thousands.

It must be evident that the memory of the Princess Joan deserves the utmost re-
spect which it is in the power of the principality to bestow. A stranger would sup-
pose that her ashes were guarded with religious zeal, and that a costly monument
perpetuated the gratitude of those whom she had rescued from conflagration and
slaughter. How different is the fact ! — A stone coffin, identified as that which for-
merly inclosed the remains of the Princess is now to be seen in the grounds beloncr-
ing to the mansion of Baron-hill, the seat of Lord Bulkeley. This coffin, before
it was placed in its present situation, had been used as a trough for the watering of
horses !

" Yet here the thoughtful Clio stops the gay,
And shews the little space where greatness lay !
Ye sorrowing race, by life's afflictions prest !
For whora a day shall rise in glory drest !
And ye who walk probation's gentle way.
Who pass without a storm your placid day ;
And ye who bask in fortune's brightest blaze.
May pause to think, and profit while ye gaze !"

In the reign of Henry III. a melancholy tragedy took place on the borders of
the Conway. The English proving victorious in a skirmish with a party of the
natives, pillaged the Abbey of Couway of its books and furniture, and set fire to
the offices. Enraged to madness on beholding the mausoleum of their Princes sub-
ject to the licentiousness of the foe, the Welsh, inspirited by tiie strains oT their
bards, rushed down the mountains, and attacked the plunderers with prodigious
impetuosity. The English were incumbered with spoil, and fell an easy prey to the
fury of their opponents. Alany were slain on the spot; others plunged into the
river to escape their pursuers ; and a considerable nun)ber were taken prisoners.
Those w ho surrendered were at first lodged in confinement ; but the Welsh, on
being informed that some Lords of their nation had lately been put to death by the
enemy, ordered all the prisoners to be hanged; then, cutting of!' their heads, and
tearing their bodies to pieces, they threw them limb by limb into the waters of the
Conway !

286 CASTLE OP CO^^WAY.

The Castle was tlie seat of contest at the commencement of the civil war undei-
Charles I. Dr. John Williams, Archbishop of York, took possession of the fortress,
in the King's name, and, after repairing the dilapidations, defended it with heroical
perseverance. Nor would lie at last deliver it up to the repeated attacks of the
parliamentary forces, until he received the express commands of his Majesty to
that effect.

In the immediate neighborhood of Conway are many remains of Roman copper-
works ; and a round piece of copper has been found, somewhat resembling a cake of
wax, on which was an inscription supposed to be the name of a merchant, or the
direction of a correspondent at Rome to whom he transmitted the produce of his works.

A Roman Hypocaust was also discovered near the foot of the hill on \\hich the
Castle stands.

THE.

FA L A C K

HOLY-ROOD HOUSE,

EDINBURGH.

NDER the article of Linlithgow Palace we had an opportunity of expatiating.
on, tlie customary dwellings of the Scottish Kings, during the periods in which the
aristocracy of the kingdom possessed a plenitude of power. We there noticed those
slow degrees by which the ferocious spirit of intestine contention softened into some
resemblance of regal security, and national refinement of manners. We observed,
that as tlie monarch moved southward in his place of residence the architectural
character of his abode increased in elegance and convenience. From Linlithgow we
now remove the Sovereign of Scotia to Edinburgh, and proceed to a view of the
edifice reared for the purposes of majesty in brighter days, when an acknow-
ledged taste for architecture did not inevitably expose him to the contempt of his
countrymen.

The situation of Holy-rood house is described in such singular, yet apt, terms by
the Historian of Edinburgh, that we present the reader with a literal transcript from
his work :

■' The ralace of Holy-rood house, the eastmost boundary of the city of Edinburgh,
stands on a plain, within two miles of the river Forth, from «hich it rises by a gra-
dual ascent of ninety-four feet from the high water mark. From Holy-rood house
there begins the narrow point, or, if we may be allowed the expression, the tail of a

288 HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

hill, which, gradually extending itself in breadth, rises in a steep, and straight ridge,
from which its shelving sides decline ; tlie ridge terminating in an abrupt precipice
at the distance of a mile.

The ridge of this hill forms a continued and very magnificent street. From its
sides, lanes, and alleys, which arc there called zn/nds and closes, extend like slanting
ribs, so that, ujjon tiie whole it bears a striking resemblance to a turtle, of which
the Castle is the head ; the high street the ridge of the back ; the wynds and closes
the shelving sides ; and the Palace of Holy-rood House the tail."

In thus placing the Palace at the extremity of the city, tlie Scots appear to have
held in attention the practice of the French ; but it seems singular, that the founder
should have removed his court to so considerable a distance from the neighborhood
of the Castle, since the period could not boast sufficient tranquillity to warrant a
total indifference concerning means of local security or defence.

Few regal edifices have undergone more casualties or vicissitudes than that of
Holy-rood. The labor of the founder was doomed to a speedy dissolution.* The
Palace has been almost entirely renovated at different periods, and was constructed
in its present splendid form by King Charles H. ; but we are enabled to present a
brief account of its character and appearance, when inhabited by a Scottish mo-
narch, before we enter on the subject of its existing features.

The ancient edifice having been burnt by the English during the minority of Mary
Queen of Scots, a new Palace was erected on a much larger scale than either the
original or the present structure. " It consisted of five courts, the western, which
was the outermost court, being more splendid and larger than the rest. It was
bounded on the east by the front of tlie Palace, ijihich occupied the same space
with its present front, and also extended further south. The three remaining sides
of the outer court were bounded by walls ; and at the north-west corner there was
a strong gate, vvith Gothic pillars, arches, and towers. The next court occupied the
same site with the present central court of the royal Palace, and was surrounded with
buildings. On the south there were two smaller courts, also surrounded with build-
ings ; and there was another court on the east, which was bounded on the north by

' A fragment of the ancient Palace still remains. This consists of tlie north-west towers. Below
a niche in one of these towers (in which formerly was a statue) the name of the founder is still to be
seen.

HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 289

the chapel royal ; on the west by a line of buildings covering the same space with the
present east front of the Palace ; on the south by a row of buildings ; and on the
north by a wall, which divided it from St. Ann's yards."

From this description, though confessedly vague and unsatisfactory, we may form
some idea of the increased refinement of the Scottish sovereigns of the sixteenth cen-
tury. In Queen Mary's Palace we find no towers erected solely for defence, but,
on the contrary, convenience and splendor of domestic arrangement, appear to have
been studied in every particular of the building. A small area, secured by immense
masses of unshaped stone, was judged sufficient for the dwelling of the early mo-
narchs : in the sixteenth century five spacious courts were wanted for the retinue
and accommodation of the fearless sovereign. The barons were now in some mea-
sure humbled by civilization, and were more frequent visitors at the court of the mo-
narch, where they were entertained with a comparative splendor of hospitality.* The
meats provided for a banquet in the royal Palace boasted considerable variety, and
their quantity appears to have been enormous. " There were purchased," we ai-e
told, " for a Christmas dinner at Holy-rood House, for jellies alone, five hundred
ox feet, fifteen hundred sheep's feet, and thirty-six cocks (for of these ingredients
were their jellies composed.") — So common, indeed, had become at this time a luxu-
rious manner of living, that it was judged necessary to restrain the expenses of the
table by a sumptuary law. Accordingly, all under the rank of Archbishop or Earl,
were prohibited having more than eight dishes; an Abbot, Lord Prior, or Dean
was allowed six; a Baron, or freeholder, four; and a Burgess was permitted to en-
tertain his guests with three. The King, of course, had as many dishes as he
thought desirable.

Still, the furniture at this time was mean. Glass had recently been introduced,
and appears to have been procured in plenty, for " at an entertainment given
by the Earl of Murray, to the Patriarch of Apuleia, A. D. 1544, the Earl, although

* That a spirit of sociableness prevailed generally at this period seems evident from tiie following
anecdote. When certain fanatics lay in wait for Carm tcAoe/, Chamberlain to the Primate, with the in-
tention of assassinating him, they were about to separate, on the intended victim not appearing, wheo
" an unlucky boy coming up, told them that the Archbishop's coach was at Ceres, and that his Grace
himself was then smoking a pipe with the parson of the parish, and that he would pass by, in hi*
coach, in a very short time, in his way to St. Andrews ; on which the wretches instantly resolved on

his death."

P P

290 HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

he had a good store of silver plate, ordered his cupboard to be provided vvitli \tne-
tian crystal glasses, and gave his servant instructions to overturn it, as if by acci-
dent, in the midst of dinner. The noise of its fall alarmed the company, who ex-
pressed their regret for the loss ; but tlie Earl, making no account of it, commanded
his servant to fill the cupboard anew with glasses still finer ; and the Patriarch af-
firmed that no Venetian glass could excel them."

But, in general, the " only furniture in the hall of a great Baron, consisted
of large standing tables, forms, and cupboards without locks or keys. Queen
INIary brought with her from France, arras hangings, carpets, and various kinds of
household furniture ; and it is uncertain if these were known in Scotland at an earlier
date ; even then they were so rare and valuable as to be used only upon high fes-
tivals, after which the hangings were taken from their tenter hooks, and carefully
deposited till returning Christmas."

A people so moderate in their wishes must have appeared truly barbarous to
Mary, after quitting the polished court of France.

The palace built for the reception of Queen Mary \\as nearly destroyed by the
soldiers of Cromwell ; but, on the restoration, Charles II., unwilling that the Scots
should view themselves deprived of every exterior badge of royalty, ordered the
building to be restored. This charge he committed to his well-known architect Sir
William Bruce, who drew the plan of the present fabric, the executive part of w hich
was performed (as a stone in the building bears reconl) by a mason named Robert
Mylne.

" The Palace of Holy-rood House* is of a quadrangular form, \vith a court in the
centre, surrounded by piazzas. The front is two stories high, and flat in the roof,
but at each end, where the front projects, and is ornamented witii circular towers at
the angles, the building is much higher; the rest of the Palace is three stories high.
Over the door in the front of the Palace is a small cupola for a clock, the roof of
which is an imperial crown in stone-work.

" The only apartments which are worth viewing are those possessed by the Duke of
Hamilton, who is heritable keeper of the Palace. These occupy all that remains of
the old Palace. The young chevalier lodged in them during his residence in Edin-
burgh, and a few weeks afterwards the Duke of Cumberland occupied the same

* For this descriptive part of the article we are indebted to Mr. Arnot.

HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 291

apartments and the same bed, which is still standing. In the second floor are
Queen Mary's apartments, in one of which her own bed still retnains. It is of
crimson damask, bordered with green silk tassels and fringes, and is now almost in
tatters. The cornice of the bed is of open figured work, the execution of which is
admirably light. Close to the floor of this room a piece of wainscot, about a yard
square, hangs upon hinges, and opens to a trap stair which communicates with the
apartment beneath. Through this passage the conspirators rushed in to murder Rizzio.

" Those chambers which are called the royal apartments occupy three sides of the
square on the first floor. On the north is a spacious gallery, of which, however, the
height bears no proportion to the length. This apartment is entirely hung with pic-
tures of a race of a hundred and eleven monarchs, through an imaginary series of
upwards of two thousand years. The folly of the legend, and the baseness of the
execution in portraying these monarchs, whether real or imaginary, would make it
for the honour of the country that they were utterly destroyed.* We saw, indeed,
that an attempt had been made at their destruction, which was not easily to be ac-
counted for. Not only were most of them hacked and slashed, but in many of
them large pieces cut out. This we afterwards learned was owing to General
Hawley having thought proper, after the defeat of the King's army at Falkirk, to
quarter his troops in the gallery of this Palace, and these zvell disciplined troops
thought they could not better manifest their loyalty to King George than by defacing
and hewing to pieces every representation of the Scottish monarchs.

" We afterwards went through a suite of rooms, one of which has been intended for
a state bed chamber, and the two next for a drawing room and dining room. In
the last of these we saw some wooden forms, and, upon inquiring what purpose they
served, were told that they were to accommodate the Scottish peerage, as the election
of the sixteen was held in that apartment. In this suite the rooms are wainscotted
with oak ; the festoons of flowers, and foliage over the doors and mantle pieces, are
well executed ; but the stucco ornaments of the roofs, similar to all those of that pe-

* These fanciful portraits were painted by order of James Duke of York, (afterwards James II.)
when he repaired the chapel-royal of Holy-rood House. They were executed by De ly'itt, a well-
known artist of the Flemish school. The pictures are universally allowed lo be bad, but it is not per-
haps quite so universally known that De Witt was never paid for painting them.

P P 2

2C)2 HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

riod, are heavy. The apartments on the south side of the square have never been
finished but in a very pitiful manner. We found the.^n made use of as lumber rooms
for some of the nobihty who have lodgings within the Palace.

" We had heard of a picture of Charles I. and his Queen being in what is called
Lord Dunmore's lodgings, wliich induced us to visit them. The apartments are {ew,
of a piiiful size, miserably finished, and no furniture in them except the picture al-
ready mentioned, and those of their present majesties. That picture represents
Charles I. and his Queen, in a sort of vandyke riding habit, as going out a hunting
attended by a dwarf, spaniels, &c. The figure of the King is done in a masterly
manner, but the painter has not bestowed on Henrietta those graces which she pos-
sessed. The Queen's palfrey, led by a negro, and a horse for his majesty, arc also
introduced ; but the palfrey is out of all size and proportion, the body being by
much too gross for the size of the horse.* The pictures of their present majesties
are full length portraits by Ramsay.

" The environs of the Palace afford an asylum for insolvent debtors. Adjoining to
it there is an extensive park ; first inclosed by James V. all of whicii is a sanctuary.f
This is a very singular piece of ground to be in the near neighborhood of a populous
city. It is little else than an assemblage of hills, rocks, precipices, morasses, and
lakes. At the bcnnning of the eighteenth century the level strip at the foot of the
hill which, from the Duke of York having delighted to walk in it is called the Duke's
walk, was covered with tall oaks. But now there is hardly a single tree in its whole
boundaries. Indeed, it is extremely doubtfid if, except at the bottom, there ever
were any trees on these hills, the height of the ground and barrenness of the soil being
very unfavorable for their growth.

" The most considerable of these hills are called Arthur's seat and Salisbury craigs.
The genius of modern criticism has displayed itself in deriving all Scots names from
the Erse, and the profound critics, under the grave mask of ingenuity, argue learned-
ly upon the derivation of names from certain words in a language of which they do

* This picture is confidently supposed by many to be the peifor nance of Jameson. The Queen is
painted with a lovelock, and with browner hair and a darker complexion than usual. Jameson was the
son of an architect at Aberdeen, and studied under Rubens, at Antwerp. He always drew himself
with his hat on. His price for a head was 20/. Scots, or U. 13s. 4d. English.

f When a part of the Palace was recently fitted up, by order of government, for the accommodation
of the Count d'Artois, that nobleman, though a foreigner, claimed the benefit of this asylum.

HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 293

not understand, and perhaps cannot pronounce, one syllable. We are not able to
combat these champions with their own weapons ; but, after all ihe learned deriva-
tions of Arthur s seat and Salisbury craigs, we must be pardoned for supposing
the former to be derived from Arthur, the Bntich Prince, who, in the end of the
sixth century, defeated the Saxons in that neighborhood ; and the latter to take their
name from the Earl of Salisbury, \tho, in the reign of Edwaid III. accompanied
that Prince in an expedition against the Scots. What makes the latter of these the
more probable is that, in old authors, the name of these hills is indifferently spelled
Salisbury and Sarezbury ; so also is the name of that lord.

" Arthur's seat, the largest of these hills, rises by a steep and rugged ascent till it
terminates in a rocky point, seven hundred feet higii from the base. Upon the
west are Salisbury craigs, which present to tlie city an awful front of broken rocks
and precipices, forming a sort of natural amphitheatre of solid rock. Among these
rocks are rich ores, spar, and great variety of rock plants,* so that they are an ex-
cellent field for the naturalist. Sometimes, also, auiethysts, and other precious
stones have been found among them. But the rocks themselves arc far more valu-
able, aftbrdiug an inexhaustible supply of hard stone for paving the streets, and of
these stones considerable quantities are sent for paving tlie streets of London. Be-
tween Arthur's seat and Seilisbury craigs is a recluse valley, the bottom of which is
a morass. Immediately upon descending into this valley, the view of Edinburgh is
totally lost ; the imperial prospect of the city and Castle, which these rocks in a
manner overhang, is intercepted by Salisbury craigs. Seldom are human beings to
be met in this lonely vale, or any creatures to be seen, but the sheep feeding ou the
mountain, and the hawks and ravens winging their flight among the rocks. After
the eye passes the ruins of St. Anthony's chapel, at a distance beneath are seen a
magnificent mausoleum, and the ruins of the church of Kestalrig, and the fields
gently sloping to the Forth. The Town of Leith, the navigation in the river, and
the island of Inchkeith enliven the prospect, which is terminated by the bold shores
and mountainous parts of Fife.

" On the south, Arthur's seat is, in many parts, a perpendicular rock, composed of
natural pillars regularly pentagonal or hexagonal, about three feet in diauieter, and
from forty to fifty feet high. At the bottom of the rock is a lake belonging to the

* The hilts contiguous to Arthur's leat present specimens of four hundred different species.

2.Q4 HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

Earl of Abercorn, called Duddingston Lock; beyond it are seen his Lordship's ele-
gant villa, Craigmillar Castle, the village of Inveresk, Musselburgh Bay, the
southern banks of the Forth, and at a great distance, North Berwick Law, like a vast
cone, seeming to rise from the waves."

From the foregoing description the reader will be convinced that the situation of
Holy-rood House is replete with natural ctiarms of tlie most fascinating as[)ect, but
it must likewise be evident that tlie buildiuij itself has no Icjiitimate claim to grandeur,
and is entirely destitute of all regularity of architectural character. Gothic turrets
and Ionic pilasters are intermixed without any regard to taste or consistency. The
quadrangular form of the edifice prevents the accomplishment of a striking display of
the whole, without any necessity existing for such a mode of conformation. Yet ac
quadrangular form of structure, by producing a variety of fronts, affords the archi-
tect an opportunity of exhibiting fertility of genius. In some quadrangular buildings
we see such variations of beauty as possess a separate whole of magnificence, with-
out violating the leading characteristic of the edifice. But this is not the case
with the Palace of Holy-rood House. Tlic reign of Charles, was indeed, not fa-
vourable to the arts. The King preferred the drama, when debased by a meretri-
cious jingle; and, in architecture, he was pleased only with tinsel extravagance, and
such a combination of minute particulars as was pretty, rather than chaste or grand.
Of this, his alterations at Windsor Castle afford a proof; and, if they are not
vouchers of sufficient authority, perhaps Holy-rood House may be adduced as a fur-
ther testimony of the justice of the assertion. Still, Bruce was the great architect
of the day, and has proved that if he had beeen fortunate enough to meet a patron
of correct judgment, he would have raised buildings which must have highly ho-
nored his name and country.

The remains of the monastery of the holy cross, or rood, join to the Palace.
This abbey was founded by King David I. and the following story is told concerning
its oriiiin. — As the Kin" was huntina; in the forest of Dnimselch, in the immediate
vicinity of Edinburgli, he was assailed by an enraged stag, who unhorsed him in an
instant, and would probably have put a very speedy termination to his royal existence,
had not this Scottish ^fonarch, like the first Christian Emperor, been an especial
favorite with the saints. As a reward for the piety of King David, and in considera-
tion of his great liberality to churchmen, a cross descended from heaven, in the mo-

HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 295

ment of his danger, with which he stoutly attacked the beast, who soon found what
sort of a weapon was raised against him, and was glad to make the best of his way
to the woods, leaving the King and tlie cross a complete triumph. King David
would have been little better than a brute if he had not allowed that this was an
ui/coi/Diion exertion oi the ndints m his favor, and he very properly determined to
prove his gratitude by some lasting mark of his veneration for the church. Accord-
ingly, in the year 1 128, he founded the abbey of Holy-rood for the canons-regular of
St. Augustine.

In addition to many other valuable privileges, these canons were permitted to
erect a borough between the town of Edinburgh and Holy-rood church, \\hich still
retains the name of Canongatc. Various succeeding monarchs added to the gifts
of the founder, so that Holy-rood abbey was deemed the most opulent religious
foundation in Scotland. Its annual revenues, at the period of the reformation, ap-
pear to have been as follows: four hundred and forty-two bolls of wheat; six Imn-
dred and forty bolls ofbsct/- (barley?) five hundred and sixty bolls of oats;, five hun-
dred capons; two dozen of hens; two dozen of salmon; twelve loads of salt; be-
sides a number of swine, and about two hundred and fifty pounds sterling, in
money.

When Charles II. resolved to rebuild the Palace of Holy-rood, lie ordered the
abbey church to undergo a complete repair, and to 1)C set apart as a chapel-royal.
A throne was now erected for the Sovereign, and twelve stalls for the Knights of the
order of the Thistle. An organ was likewise provided. But this latter circumstance,
in conjunction with the fact of mass having been celebrated in the chapel during the
reign of James VII. caused the barbarous populace, at the revolution, to despoil the
building of every ornament. The bare walls were alone left standing. The unhal-
lowed rioters even profaned the vault which had been used as the royal sepulchre.
There, among other illustrious personages, lav James Y. JNIagdalcne of France, his
Queen, and the unfortunate Earl of Darnley. The ruffians broke open the leaden
coffins, and carried away the lids ; but as the royal bones were not negotiable arti-
cles, these anti- papists were pleased to leave them behind.

In the middle of the last century, the roof of the church was pronounced to be in
so ruinous a state, that the Duke of Hamilton, as heritable keeper cf the Palace,,
represented its condition to the Barons of Exchequer ; by whom an architect andi
mason were appointed to examine the alleged dilapidations.

296 HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

The walls of the church had stood for six hundred years, and were now in a very
crazy state, yet the architect appointed by the Barons, proposed to deposit on them a
new roof composed of weighty flag-stones. The Barons relished the idea, and a
covering of flag-stones was accordingly placed on the church. But, in a very few
years, the building fell to the ground, in one mighty heap of ruin, as it appeared
that the walls had never been inte7ided to sustain so vast a load !

Thus is the august fabric of King David reduced to that state which is only cal-
culated to lend " point to a moral," or to excite melancholy feelings in the breast
of the traveller. The poet now calls the faded region his own, and forms stanzas
like these as he ponders over the memorials of disjoined grandeur : —

" How many hearts have here grown cold,

That sleep these mould'ring tombs among !
How many beads have here been told !
How many matins here been sung !

" On this rude stone, by time long broke,
I think I see some pilgrim kneel,
I think I see the censer smoke,
I think I hear the solemn peal !

" But here no more soft music floats.
No holy anthems chaunted now.
All's hush'd, except the ring-dove's notes.
Low murm'ring from yon baechen bough."

A visit made to the chapel, about thirty years back, is thus described by the his-
torian of Edinburgh ; " We saw scattered in wild confusion, the broken shafts qf
the columns which had been borne down by the weight of the roof. Upon looking
into the vaults, the doors of which were open, we found that what had escaped the
fury of the mob at the revolution, became a prey to the rapacity of the mob who
ransacked the church after it fell. In the year 1776, we had seen the body of
James V. and some others, in their leaden coffins. The cofiiiis were now stolen.
The head of Queen Magdalen , which was then entire, and even beautiful, and the
skull of Darnley, were also stolen !"

HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 397

Strangers visiting the ruins are still shown some bones which are said to be Lord
Darnley's. If they are really so, he appears to have been above the ordinary sta-
ture.* In the belfry is a statue of Robert, Lord Belhaven, well executed in m hite
marble, but which partakes of the state of dilapidation into which the building has
fallen.

Many of the actions of those full-dressed characters of human life, who form the
dramatis persona of national history, are connected with the Palace of Holy-rood
House. From the operation of various oppressive circumstances, the early annals
of Scotland are known to be peculiarly imperfect. Little, therefore, of the familiar
history of the sovereigns who preceded Mary is attainable to the most laborious in-
vestigator. A circumstance assuredly deserving of much regret, as the private his-
tory of those w ho gave a bias to national manners in remote periods is fretjuently a
subject of important information to the philosophical student of human nature.
Since the general dissemination of letters, all the tittle-tattle of courts is preserved in
folios ; so that the reader of history, two centuries hence, will probably complain
of a redundancy of anecdote, rather than feci cause to deplore that paucity of intel-
ligence to which the writer of the present article is subject.

It was in 1544 that the English entered Edinburgh, under the command of the
Earl of Hertford, afterwards Duke of Somerset and Protector. As they advanced to-
wards the city they were met by the Provost and the principal inhabitants, who offered
to deliver up the keys on the moderate conditions of being granted permission to re-
move their effects, and of receiving a promise that the city should not be subjected
to conflagration. But the English General (influenced by the sanguinary spirit of
Henry VIII.) rejected the propositions, and demanded from the citizens an uncon-
ditional surrender of their persons and estates. The Provost replied, " it were better
the city should stand on its defence ;" when he was haughtily commanded to retire.
An assault now took place : an entrance was gained, and many of the inhabitants
killed. The castle was next attacked, but the garrison retorted so vigorous and
well-directed a tire, that the assailants were speedily compelled to desist from the at-
tack of that fortification. The English then set the city on fire in so many places "that
the smoke thereof obliged them to quit for awhile the scene of their devastation."

* The writers of Lord Darnley's era affirm that he was seven feet high.

Q Q

298

HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

For seven miles round Edinburgh the country was laid waste, and the palace con-
structed by James V. in the vicinity of Holy-rood Abbey, was nearly levelled with
the ground.

A due apprehension of the extent of mischief perpetrated on this occasion, may be
formed from the account preserved, in Robertson's History, of buildings destroyed in
the course of a subsequent incursion made by tiie English under the Earl of Hert-
ford. From this narrative, it appears that the invaders burned and razed, in the
counties of Berwick and Roxburgh only:

Monasteries and Friar-houses - - 7

Casiles, Towers, and Piles - - l6

Market Towns - - . 5

Villages - - - - 243

Milns ... - 13

Hospitals - • - . 3

History does not mention whether the conqueror had a triumphal arch erected to
his honor, on returning to his native country.

The misfortunes of Queen Mary commenced at a very early period. On the
Sunday after her arrival a mob beset Holy-rood Palace, for the purpose of instruct-
ing her majesty respecting the proper way of worshipping God. To such a pitch
of insolence had the spirit of these religious instructors risen, that it was with difficulty
they were restrained from hanging the priest wlio was then officiating in J^Ioly-rood
chapel. What a sad specimen of the popular manners of Scotland to be presented to
the polished and Catholic Mary ! The disease of religious enthusiasm is well known
to have rasjed to an alarming extremity at this period ; — certain precursor of the con-
fusion and downfal of the best cemented government, unless a salutary antidote be
timeously applied ! Who can avoid contempt, or pity, (or an intern)ixture of both)
when he sees numbered among the " heinous crimes," stigmatised by the enthu-
siasts of this era, the sins of walking in the street, and of gazing profanely from house
windows, on the seventh day ?*

* It is observed " that these Puritans seem not to have been ignorant of the maxim that all things
are lawful to the saints. The Earl of Arran enjoyed his mistress peaceably^ but when the Marquis de
Elbeuf and the Earl of Bothwell, in a drunken frolic, paid her a visit, addresses were presented to the
Queen, and tumults in the streets were headed by the Protestant Lords, to repress the horrid impiety."

HOLY- ROOD HOUSE. 29.9

It was natural for the Queen to look with indignation on the insolent fauaticism of
subjects who threatened to hang her priest, while they professed to be actuated by
the genuine spirit of Christianity, but, unhappily, she was as entire a bigot as them-
selves, only in a different way. Locked in Holy-rood House, with her mass-book
and father-confessor, she vicNved all the " reformed" part other subjects as persons
hurrying to eternal condemnation; while the tumultuous mob of zealots who as-
sailed the gates, pronounced themselves certain that her majesty was making the
same dreadful progress, and must soon be utterly lost, unless she listened to John
Knox, and adjured beads and images. This mutual pertinacity of opinion, led the
way to those events which deprived Mary of her crown.

In 1566, David Rizzio was murdered in Holy-rood House. The particulars of
the assassination are thus narrated in a letter, written immediately subsequent to the
transaction, by the Earl of Bedford, to certain Lords of the English council: " Upon
Saturdaye at night, neire unto viii of the clock, the King conveyeth himself, the
Lord Ruthen, George Duglas, and two others, throwe his owne chamber by the
privy stayers up to the Queen's cliamber, going to which there is a cabinet about
xii foot square, in the same a little low reposing bed, and a table, at the which theyr
were sitting at supper the Queene, the Lady Argile, and David, with his capp upon
his head. Unto the cabinet there cometh in the King and Lord Ruthen, who willed
David to come forth, saying that was no place for him. The Queen said that it was
her will. Her ho\yscband answcrede that yt was against her honour. The Lord
Ruthen saide that he should lerne better his deutie, and offering to have taken him
by the arm, David took the Queen by the blychtes of her gown, and put himself
behind the Queen, who wolde gladlee iiave saved him : but the King, having loosed
his hand, and holding her in his arms, David was thrust out of the cabinet throw
the bed-chamber into the chamber of Presens, whar were the Lord Morton,
Lord Lyndscy, who intending that night to have reserved hym, and the next day to
hang hin), so mane being about him that bore hym evill will one thrust him into the
boddie with a dagger, and after hym a great many others, so that he had in his
bodie above wonds. It is told for certayne that the Kinges own dagger was
left sticking in him. Wheather he stuck him or not we cannot be here certayn.
He was not slayne in the Queen's presens, as was said, but going down tlie stayres
out of the chamber of Presens."

Q Q 2

300 HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

Amion£» other circumstances, the letter then states " that of the great substance
Davkl had, there is much spoken. Some say in gold to the value of 1 1". c^. His
apparel was very good, as it is said, 28 pair of velvet hose. His chamber well fur-
nished, armour, dagger, pystoletts, harquebuses, 22 swords. Of all this nothing
spoykl or lacked, saving 2 or 3 dagger. He had the custody of all the Queen's
letters, which all were delivered unlooked upon. We hear of a juill that he had
hanging about his neck of some price, that cannot be heard of. He had upon his
back, when he was slayn, a night gown of damask, furred, with a satten dublet, a
hose of russet velvet."

The room in which the Queen and her secretary were sitting, and the stairs
on which the murder was committed, are still shoun to the visitor of Holy- rood
Palace.*

In the year 1587, King James, unable to cope with the growing power of the ec-
clesiastics while his nobles remained distracted by family feuds and personal animo-
sities, effected a reconciliation between the leaders of the latter body, and celebrated
the wrateful circumstance by a splendid banquet at Holy-rood House. After which
the newly-reconciled noblemen walked hand in hand to the cross of Edinburgh,
where they ate together, and each drank to tlie health of the other. Thus giving, as
it were, a public pledge of amity and good fellowship.

King James appears to have lived in a state of unreserved intercourse with the
chief persons of the realm. The following letter is connected with the Scottish
Palace, and is a pleasing voucher for the simplicity and conviviahty which prevailed
in the court over which the writer presided :

* It is surprising that Dr. Robertson should give it as his opinion that Rizzio was innocent of the
crime innputed to him by the King. If there were any satisfactory motive for the discussion, it would
not be difficult to prove that the arguments advanced by the historian are possessed of very liule weight.
— We cannot quit the subject of Rizzio, without reminding the reader of the error committed by those
who ascribed to him the exquisite melodies which are justly the pride of Scottish musicians. " The
science of music," observes a judicious writer, " was well understood, and we had great masters, both
theorists and performers, more than a century before Rizzio came to Scotland. He is by no contem-
porary writer said to have been a composer. He is not even extolled as a great performer ; nor is
there tradition for his being the author of any one particular song ; and allowing him to have had abi-
lity, the short time he was in Scotland (scarce three years) was lou iusy irilh him to admit of such
amusement."

• HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 301

From James VI. to llie Laird of Balfour.

" Right trusty Friend !

We greet you well. Having appointed the Baptism of our dearest daughter to
be here at Haly-rood House, upon Sunday the fifteenth day of Aprile next, in such
honourable manner as that action craved ; we have therefor thought good, right,
effectually to request and desire you to send us such offerings and presents against
that day as is best then in season, and convenient for that action, as you regard our
honour, and will merit our special thanks. So not doubting to find your greater
willingness to pleasure us herein, since you are to be invited to take part of your
own good cheer, we commit you to God. From Haly-rood House, this tenth day
of February, 1598.

James, R."

Edinburgh was once visited by King Charles I. while in the zenith of his power.
His majesty ^\■as received by the Lord Provost, magistrates and town council, in
their robes, attended by two hundred and sixty armed youths, dressed in doublets of
white sattin, and black velvet breeches. The streets were hung willi carpets and ta-
pestry, and guarded by the trained bands. Pompous and expensive pageantry was
exhibited in conspicuous places, and on the King reaching Holy-rood Palace, he
was complimented with an adulatory address.

The Duke of York, afterwards James H. maintained a s|)lendid court at Holy-
rood Palace, where he resided as commissioner to the Scottish parliament, accom-
panied by his Duchess and the Princess Anne, afterwards Queen of England. It
was tlien that dramatic pieces were performed in the tennis-hall of the Palace ; but
according to the satirical verses of Dryden, the Comedians were not very eminent
for talent, and not very well stocked with those glittering articles wh.ich enable the
heroes of the buskin to seem " every inch," Kings and courtiers, while they strut
their short hour upon the stage. The lines have been frequently quoted, yet we vea-
ture on an extract :

302 HOLY-ROOD HOUSE.

" Our brethren have from Thames to Tweed departed.
To Edinburgh gone, or coach'd or carted.
Our trusty door-keeper, of former time.
There struts and swaggers in heroic rhime.
Tack but a copper lace to drugget suit.
And there's a hero made without dispute.
And that which was a capon's tail before.
Becomes a plume for Indian Emperor :
But all his subjects, to express the care
Of imitation, go like Indian bare !
Laced linen there would be a dangerous thing ;
It might perhaps a new rebellion bring ;
The Scot who wore it would be chosen King."

On the landing of tlie Prince of Orange, the populace of Edinburgh testified their
patriotism, and joy on the occasion, by breaking open the cellars of the Earl of
Perth (a friend to the family and religion of James.) After which those who were
able marshalled in the streets, and with vociferations of " no popery !" attacked the
chapel of Holy-rood House. A hundred soldiers stationed in the abbey fired on the
mob, and compelled ihem to retire, but they speedily returned, and defeated the
King's party : killing some and making the others prisoners. We have already stated
the merciless fury with which they then despoiled the obnoxious building.

In the year 1745, the chevalier St. George took possession of Holy-rood House.
From this Palace, as from head quarters, he issued divers proclamations, in which
a liberal spirit of humanity is known to have been conspicuous.

The ambitious temper of the house of Bourbon suggested those measures which
caused the chevalier St. George to become a temporary inmate of Holy-rood Palace.
How far was it distant from the reflection of the Princes of that enterprizing house
that their own descendants would shortly be compelled to seek refuge in the same
shell of British royalty? Yet such was the fact ; and it will be recorded to the honor
of great Britian that she afforded a ready shelter to her once determined enemies,
when misfortune had taught them " what others are to feel," and to " own them-
selves men."

Many of the Scottish nobility have, at present, occasional lodgings in the Palace
of Holy-rood House.

EDINBURGH CASTLE.

" Once more, O North ! I view thy winding shores,
Climb thy bleak hills, and cross thy dusky moors."

T has hitherto been our aim to select such articles for discussion as were calculated
to produce variety, in regard to local description and historical allusion. In tlie
present instance we depart from that mode of conduct, under the influence of the
following consideration : — Edinburgh is conspicuous for two edifices seated at the
opposite extremities of the city, which equally solicit the notice of the traveller to
whom works of architectural magnificence present objects of interesting speculation.
ThuSj it appeared that the volume could not be satisfactorily completed without an
account of that Castle which unites with Holy-rood House in decorating the city of
Edinburgh with the vestiges of ancient splendor.

We have mentioned, in the preceding article, that agi'eeable though singular fancy
of Mr. Arnot's, which ventures to compare the city of Edinburgh, with its two
magnificent appendages, to the unseemly but delicious animal a turtle. Although
the numerous buildings which have been constructed since tlie period of Arnot's
work, interfere with the propriety of the simile, its former correctness is evident
from the slightest investigation ; and certainly the inhabitants of the celebrated " Dun
Edin," could not wish their city to be characterised by any resemblance more indi-
cative of luxurious plenty or solidity of organization. According to I\Ir. Arnot's
system, Holy-rood House presents tlie tail ; Canongate, the High Street, Castle
Hill, &c. express the spinal centre of the back ; and the old Castle (source of the-
consequence of the whole body) Mr. Arnot denominates the head^

304 EDINBURGH CASTLE.

To descend from the figurative style of the worthy historian, we inform the reader,
without a trope, that Edinburgh Castle is seated on the western extremity of the
hill on which the most ancient part of the city is built. This hill, or rock, is about
thifu hundred feet hi^h,* and is of so precipitous a description that the summit is
accessible only from die eastern side. At some points the rock is nearly per-
pendicular.

Though the High Street is generally said to unite the Castle and Holy-rood
House, the former is, in fact, separated from the buildings of the city by a space of
about three hundred and fifty feet in length, and three hundred in breadth. This
space is denominated Castle Hill Walk.

It is evident that the Scots were sensible at a very early period, of the political
propriety of erecting strong holds of defence in every district of their possessions. '
The incursions of foreign enemies are ever, eventually, productive of great national
improvements ; thus it seems highly probable that the invasions of the Danes, who
uniformly built rude but substantial fortresses on every spot distinguished by their
successful irruptions, first suggested to the Scots the policy of fortifying the most ac-
cessible points of their country. But that which was at first purely intended as a
mean of defence against the common enemy, soon became the instrument of tyranny
among a throng of nobles, too nearly equal in power to live in neighborly amity,
and too rude to perceive the general advantages which must accrue from submitting
to one great head, capable alike of preventing open aggression and of redressing
covert injuries. Thus, Scotland was strong in fortified recesses, while England
depended on her arms in the field ; but the very Castles intended to defend the
former from the encroachments of a foreign power, proved the cause of actual
slavery to the great bulk of the people.

Where nature does much it is well known that art will do little. In no period
do the Scots appear to have constructed their fortresses with much attention to the
artificial modes of defence prevalent with the inhabitants of the lowlands. Like
the mountaineers of Wales, they placed their great dependence on natural circum-
stances of security. Their castles were erected on the summits of hills which were
so lofty and precipitous, that open force was unable to hope for success in an

* From its base ; but it is elevated precisely _two hundred and ninety-four feet above the le\el of the
tea.

EDINBURGH CASTLE. 305

assault ;* or, perhaps, a rocky peninsula was chosen for the site of the fortress.
Here the wild uproar of the Scottish waters defended the building from the arms of
rival clans, while the dreary caverns of the sea-washed rock, presented natural
retreats for the garrison in times of extreme danger, and, likewise, cells for the
reception of those who were miserable enough to become captives to tlie Lord of the
domain. Of this latter description was the fsstlc of i^re«a/cA', which occupied the
top of a narrow rock that projected into the open ocean. Through the little isthmus
which connected this rock with the main land, a deep chasm was effected, with
much labor, over which was thrown a drawbridge. All around were lofty cliffs and
tempestuous waters.

Edinburgh Castle, on the contrary, depended for security on the elevation of its
site ; and seems to have been intended rather to strike awe into the refractory chief-
tains of the interior, than to present an obstacle to tlie boldaess of invaders. The
Castle of Edinburgh was originally denominated Castelh Mynyd Agncd, that is,
" the fortress of the Hill of Agnes ;" and the hill itself was termed Mynyd Agned
Cathre-gonion, which implies, in the language of the ancient Britons, " the Hill
Agned, nigh the fortress." From which appellations it would appear that the Castle
was founded after the introduction of Christianity to Scotland. At a subsequent
period, the fortress was called Castrum Puellarum, because, as some assert, the
daughters of the Pictish chiefs received "their education" in the Castle. It is beyond a
question that a very short period would have been sufficient for all the instruction
which the rude chieftains of the Picts were anxious to bestow on their daughters ;
but the Castle answered a more needful purpose, by protecting those high-born
damsels from the indignities to which they might have been subject in a residence of
less strength, while their fathers and brothers were despoiling neighboring territories,
and making free with the families of conquered rivals. Some persons have wished
to ascribe a very remote origin to Edinburgh Castle ; but it is certain that a battle
was fought on the site of the building by Arthur, King of the Britons, towards the
close of the fifth century.

The ground-plot of the fortress occupies about six acres. At the western extremity
is the outer barrier, which is formed of strong palisadoes. Beyond this are a dry

* In some instances (as in that of Dunstaffnage) the rock which formed the site of the Castle vra«
«ut, or pared, to render it precipitous, and to make it agree with the shape of 'he building.

R R

S06

EDINBURGH CAST1.E.

ditch, a draw-bridge, and gate, defended by two flanking batteries. A lialf-moon,
mounted witli twelve eighteen and twenty-four pounders, commands the whole en-
trance. Close to the gate is a guard-room, for the sentinels of the standing guard,
and likewise a reservoir lately constructed for the purpose of serving the garrison
with water ; — a very necessary erection, as the Castle was formerly supplied from a
draw-well, upwards of a hundred feet deep. This water was not only very bad,
but it was found that, in the event of a siege, the concussion produced by a con-
tinued dischai<JC of artillery caused the water to subside. Beyond the guard-room,
on a road windin» upwards towards the north, are two gateways, the first of which
is secured by two portcullisses. Immediately beyond the inner gateway, is a bat-
tery, mounted with eighteen and twelve pounders, near which are store-rooms calcu- .
lated to receive gun carriages, and other implements of artillery. On the north are
a orand store-room and arsenal, which are extensive enough to contain eight thou-
sand stand of arms. Other apartments are now dedicated to the same purpose, so
that, on the whole, thirty thousand stand of arms might be deposited in the Castle,
with perfect order and convenience. The powder magazine adjoins the arsenal, and
this most essential part of the fortress is supposed to be bomb-proof. In the neigh-
borhood of the magazine are tlie fort-major's, the governor's, and the store-master's,
houses. Beyond which are a mortar and some gun-batteries.

The most elevated part of the building contains several half-moon batteries ; a
chapel for the use of the garrison ; a parade for exercise ; and a considerable num-
ber of houses, which are designed in the form of a square, with a court in the
centre.* On the eastern side of this square were formerly the royal apartments.
The ancient tenements inhabited occasionally by many of the Scottish sovereigns
have, long since, sunk to ruin and been removed. Several of the present houses
within the Castle walls were rebuilt (as appears from an inscription on the front) in
the year \556, others bear the date of iClfT.

In the south-east quarter of the Castle, state-prisoners were formerly kept, and
liere in an apartment called the crown-room, it is by some pretended that the rega-
lia of Scotland are still deposited. It is well known that they were lodged here, with

* King Robert III. at the latter part of the fourteenth century, conferred on the whole burgesses of
Edinburgh the privilege of erecting houses for themselves within the Castle walls, under no other re-
striction than that of their being persons of good fame.

EDINBURGH CASTLE. 307

much formality, on the 26th of March, 1707. But, since that day, they have not
been seen by any person who has communicated the result of his inspection to the
public. Some years ago, Arnot entered his protest against the privacy with which
they were preserved, if really retained in the Castle ; and observed " that if, after
his general surmise, so publicly thrown out, the officers of state and governor of
Edinburgh Castle will not make personal inquiry whether the regalia of Scotland be
still in the castle, the public will be entitled to conclude that they arc no longer
there." The glittering treasure was not produced on this public appeal of Mr.
Arnot ; and a recent writer informs us that, " a few yeai's back, several gentlemen
visited the Castle, with a design to inspect the regalia ; but, for some reason or
other, stopped short in their research." From these accounts it appears likely that a
search after the regalia of Scotland would prove nearly as fruitless as one concerning
the philosopher's stone ; and indeed, after a completion of that most desirable cir-
cumstance a union of the crowns, there would seem to be very little propriety in
keeping the emblems of royalty separate.

The meetings of parliament formerly took place in a house situated in the great
square of the Castle, and the Monarch possessed gardens which occupied a part of
the marsh afterwards called the North Loch. The King's stables were on the south-
ern side of the Castle ; " and the place to the south-west where the bams were
established, is still known by the name of the Castle barns.

The Castle, long since deprived of those terrors which once rendered it so formid-
able a resource in cases of national exigency, is now chiefly used as a station for
the soldiery of the united kingdoms. Some additional barracks have lately been
erected, which are capable of quartering one thousand men. The ancient military
architects involuntarily bestowed such features of sublimity on their works, as create
a species of shuddering adn)iration in the bosom of the modern spectator. But
gunpowder has nothing of the picturesque in its constitution. This fatal mixture
depopulates empires, without leaving the traveller a single relic to sooth him in the
moment of melancholy reflection. It disdains the embattled turret and lofty ram-
part. The drawbridge becomes useless at its approach, and the barbican soon falls
before its gigantic violence. " The age of chivalry is over," and modern legions are
sheltered in barracks which might be compared with barns. In language like this
must the pictorial traveller declaiu), while he contemplates the new military build-

rr2

308 EDINBURGH CASTLE.

ings within the precincts of the ancient fortress of Edinburgh. It would have been
too much trouble for an architect to pay attention to the characteristics of the edi-
fice (though not any additional expence would have been incurred by such a token of
respect) and, therefore, the new barracks have been constructed destitute of all
proper allusion to the prevailing character of the fortress. They entirely destroy
the picturesque effect ol tiic ancient structure, but still, in all probability, tlicy are
sufficiently substantial, and certainly they are vi-ry cornniodioas.

We have observed that the Scots chiefly relied tor security on the mountainous
situations which they chose for their places of defence. Thus, Edinburgh Castle
was built without the least attention to the rules of military art, and the fortifications
vary in conformance to the irregular character of the precipice on which they
stand. Yet, the spectator would be tempted to imagine that a Castle so situated
must have been impregnable before the use of gun-powder in war. But, in our
observations on the historical incidents connected with this building, we shall show
that experience and speculation are at variance, and that the regal fortress has been
compelled to bow her " cloud-capped" head, before the thunder of artillery was
employed against her massive walls.

At present it is evident that the Castle could not withstand a siege conducted with
the skill of modern assailants, since no part of the building, except the powder ma-
gazine, is proof against a bombardment ; and as the area of the Castle is chiefly
composed of rock, the destruction produced by an enemy's bomb-shells, would be
<Treatly increased by tl^e splinters which every explosion would cause to fly around.

The hill on which the Castle stands commands fine views over a fertile and ro-
mantic extent of country. These prospects are thus described by Mr. Pennant : —
" From this fortress is a full view of the city and its environs ; a strange prospect of
rich country, with vast rocks and mountains intermixed : on the south and east are
the meadows, or the public walks ; Ilerriot's hospital, part of the town overshadowed
by the stupendous rocks of Arthur a seat and Salisbury craigs; the Pentland hills,
at a few miles distance ; and, at a still greater, those of Muir-foot, whose sides are
covered with verdant turf.

To tlic north is a full view of the Frith of Forth, from Queen's ferry to its mouth,
'with its southern banks covered with towns and villages. On the whole the prospect
is singular, various, and fine."

Neither history, nor tradition, records any circumstance in which Edinburgh Cas-

EDINBURGH CASTLE. ^09

tie is conspicuous, till the year one thousand and ninety-three. On the authority of
Forduu anf' Ddrymple, the following story concerning that period is related : — when
MtilcoliH Canmore was slain in battle, his widow, Queen Margaret, took refuge in
the Castle of Edinburgh, where she very shortly died. " Donald l!ane, uncle to
Malcolu/s children, having usurped the throne, now besieged the Castle in which the
orphan-iieir to the crown resided. The usurper, presuming from the steepness of the
rock that Malcolm's children could escape only at the gates, ordered them alone to
be guarded. But those in the garrison, knowing this, conveyed the body of the
Queen through a postern gate on the west side of the Castle, to tlie church of Dun-
fermline, where it lies interred : and the children escaped to England, where they
were protected and educated by their uncle, Edgar Atheling."

The year 1 1 74 was not only calamitous to the Scottish people, but disgraceful to
the character of their arms. The Scottish Kings had from a very early date, pos-
sessed several of the northern counties of England, for which, however, they perform-
ed homage to the English sovereign. A part of Northumberland being unjustly
with-held by Henry II. from William I. of Scotland, known by the appella-
tion of William the Lion, the Scots, headed by their King, entered the English
territories. In the neighborhood of Alnwick, the invaders were defeated, and their
leader taken prisoner. Aware of the great advantage he possessed, Henry refused
to enlarge the Scottish Monarch, unless he would consent to surrender the principal
places of strength in his dominions, and would promise to pay homage lor his whole
kingdom. William referred these proposals to the consideration of his subjects.
The struggle nuist have been severe between patriotism on tlie one hand and loyalty
on the other. But affection for a brave and suffering Prince prevailed. " The
Scots," observes a modern writer, " impatient at the captivity of the King, purchased
his freedom by surrendering the independency of the nation. Many hostages, and some
of the chief garrisons in Scotland, and among these the Castle of Edinburgh, were
delivered as pledges for the performance of this treaty. But, upon W'iUiams mar-
riage with Ermengardc, cousin to King Henry, Edinburgh Castle was restored, and
given in dower to the Queen.'' In this instance the Castle presented one of the
most singular marriage gifts that a Prince, in the excess of his liberality to a cousin,
evrr thoi!i;ht of bestowing !

When Alexander III. was betrothed to the daughter of Henry III. of England,
Edinburgh Castle was named as the residence of the young Queen. But the lady

510 EDINBURGH CASTLE.

appears to have been highly dissatisfied with her situation. She is said to have com-
plained " that she was confined to the Castle of Edinburgli, a sad and solitary place,
without verdure : and that she was denied the society of her royal consort, who had
by this time completed \\h foiirteentJi yeavT

Upon the death of the Maid of Norway, grandchild to Alexander III. the dispute
between Bruce and lialiol, each of whom demanded the crown, afiordod Edward I.
an opportunity of advancing his claim to a right of supremacy over Scotland. In the
course of the wars consequent on this arbitrary assumption, the Castle was besieged
and taken. It remained in possession of the English for twenty years, when it was
recovered by the skill and bravery of the Earl of Moray. Influenced by a ques-
tionable policy, the Scottish Monarch ordered the fortress to be immediately des-
troyed, lest it sliould again become serviceable to the English, in the instance of a
future irruption.

Edward III. Mhile professuig to contend for the interest of Edward Baliol, in-
vaded Scotland, with a powerful army, aided by a considerable fleet. The shipping
entered the Forth, and the crews plundered and burnt the towns on both sides of that
river. The Scots had not recovered from the consternation produced by the suc-
cesses of Edward I. and instead of opposing the English in the field, with the usual
desperation of men who fight for their homes and families on their own land, they
retired with their goods and cattle to the recesses of the mountains. The progress
of Edward, therefore, was attended with no opportunity of new glory to his arms,
but every step of his forces produced fresh distresses for the timid foe. But, ^^ hen
the King returned to England, the Scots commenced a vigorous attack on the
Monarch who had been imposed on thftm by Edward. The English King soon
returned with a numerous army, and encamped at Perth. A large body of foreigners,
under the command of Guy, Count of Namurc, now entered Scotland for the pur-
pose of reinforcing Edward ; but, as these foreign troops were pursuing their march,
they were attacked, near Edinburgh, by Loj'd Moray, the governor, and a san-
auinary contest took place. The foreigners were not only courageous but well
disciplined, and the Scots were nearly overpowered, \\\icx\ JVilHam de Douglas entered
the field to their assistance, and turned the fortune of the day. The forces under
the Count of Namure were unable to maintain their ground, but they retreated to
Edinbur<'h in good order, though severely harassed by Douglas and the Earl of

EDINBURGH CASTLE. 311

\foray. When the enemy reached the city, their ranks were broken, and a dreadful
slaughter ensued. Those who escaped, fled for safety to the rock on which lay
spread the ruins of the Castle. The fugitives were now driven to extreme distress.
They were destitute of lodging and provision, but still determined to act on the
defensive, while the least hope of success remained. Accordingly, they killed all
their horses, and formed i sort of rampart with the carcases. But, oo the next
morning, convinced of the impossibility of permanent resistance, they surrendered,
on the sole condition of not being put to the sword.

The conduct of the Earl of Moray was highly to the honor of his age and nation.
He not only granted tiiese desperate invaders tlieir lives, but permitted the Count of
Namure to carry with him his effects ; and, to complete the chivalric ganerosity* of
the action, accompanied him to« the borders, in person, to preserve him from the
possibility of molestation ^^ hile in the Scottish territories. It is with regret that we
state the canclusion of the tale : — after parting with the Count, Lord Moray fell into
an ambush laid by the English, and was carried prisoner to their camp !

Edward III. like the Scottish King Robert, considered the existence of a castle at
Edinburgh, to be favorable to the English interest during these turbulent periods,
and he accordingly rebuilt the fortress, and placed within it a strong garrison. The
result proves that his policy was erroneous, for the Scots shortly obtained possession
of the Castle, and pointed their arrows against the invader from his own towers.
The stratagem by which the Castle was recovered is thus described : — " Four gentle-
men (among whom was the celebrated irutiain dc Duuglas) drew the plan. One
of them feigned himself to be an English merchant. He went to the governor of the
('astle, and told him that he had got a cargo of wine, strong beer, and biscuit
txqumtdy ii'^ktJ, in his vessel just arrived in the I'uith ; wuich provisions he

* The Scots eagerly imbibed, at an early date, that ipirit of chivalry which shoDC forth with »u much
splendor among the French. Touriiamci!'s were held in E.linburgh. in the reigii of William ihe Lion.
!n after periods, these celebrations were maintained with much grandeur, and all the romantic fervor
usual with the fan'iful nation from which the Scots appear to have b'jrt.iwecl th'ir chi' alr.c c^de.

We have o( served, under the b^'atl of LvdilhgDW Castle, that James IV. of Scotlai'f), professed
himself the Knight of Ann, Queen of Francej but we omitted to notice that his majesty h.id never seen
the bright mistress of his devotion ! In which respect (among many others) the unfor tun.-^.e Kin" James
resembled Don Quixotte, who wai an entire stranger, as the reader will recollect, to the person of hii
dnlcinea.

312 EDINBURGH CASTLE.

wished the governor would buy from him. He produced, as a specimen, a bottle
of the wine, and another of the beer. The governor relished the liquors; they
agreed about the price ; and this pretended merchant was to deliver the provisions
next morning early, that he might not be intercepted by the Scots. He came,
accordingly, at the time appointed, with a dozen armed men, disguised in the
habit of sailors, and the gates were open for their reception. Upon entering the
Castle, they contrived to overturn the carriage, upon which the provisions were sup-
posed to be heaped, and instantly killed the porter and sentries. Upon the sound of a
horn, the appointed signal, Douglas, with a band of armed men, sprung from their
concealments in the neighborhood, and rushed into the Castle; where, having joined
their companions, the garrison, after a sharp conflict, were mostly put to the sword,
and the fortress recovered by the Scots."

After the murder of James I. at Perth, tlie son and successor of that ]\fonarch,
who inherited the crown at the age of seven years, was placed under tlie care of
Crichton, the chancellor, while Sir Thomas Livingstone %\as appointed regent.
But a quarrel occurring between the two great officers of state, James was detained,
in splendid confinement, at Edinburgh Castle, by Sir William Crichton. But the
Queen-dowager, who favored the opposite party, resolved to rescue her son, and
place him in the hands of the regent. In pursuit of this purpose, she paid a visit to
the youthful Sovereign, during which she affected to display great friendship towards
the chancellor, and asserted an intention of never interfering in matters of state.
Crichton was deceived by these assurances, and readily granted the Queen permission
to remove certain articles from the Castle, which would be wanted by her in the
course of a pilgrimage to a church in East Lothian, Avhich she was on the point of
undertaking. These effects were conveyed from the Castle at an early hour of the
morning, and among them, concealed in a trunk, was removed the young King, who
was supposed to be asleep and secure in his chamber. A vessel was ready, and he,
the same night, reached Stirling, where he was received with open arms by the
triumphant Queen and regent.

But the fruit of the Queen's ingenuity was soon Miested from her by the superior
address of the chancellor. Crichton knew that the King hunted frequently in the
woods near Stirling, and he watched an opportunity, during the absence of the
regent, to conceal himself, and a determined band, in the deep shade of a wood

EDINBURGH CASTLE. 313

through which it was hkely the King would pass. Jaines fell into the snare, and the
chancellor, with many protestations of respect, and much real show of courtesy,
conducted him to his former place of secluded residence.

The over-weening power and extreme insolence of the Ea)-l of Douglas caused a
reconciliation to take place, shortly after this event, between the chancellor and the
regent, who were mutually apprehensive of the ill consequences of a division in the
state, while the ambitious Douglas was daily increasing in authority and turbulence.
Convinced of the incfficacy of the executive power to inflict justice on the Earl, or
to put a stop to his oppressive proceedings, the two new co-adjutors resolved on
proving the sincerity of their alliance by the assassination of their rival ; and, for
this purpose, the chancellor decoyed him into the Castle. Lord Douglas was
treated with so much well-counterfeited respect that he felt assured of security, and
consented to share a banquet with the King and the two great officers who ruled in the
Monarch's name. Here smiles and hilarity prevailed : the regent flattered the pride
of Douglas, and the chancellor pressed his hand, with warm assurances of attach-
ment. But, towards the conclusion of the entertainment, a bull's liead was set
before the unsuspicious guest. Douglas understood the fatal symbol, and sprang
from the table; but he was instantly surrounded by armed men, who dragged him,
in spite of the King's tears and supplications, to the outer court of the Castle, where
he was murdered.*

It was only when the Scots were subject to an extremity of fanatic enthusiasm,
that they were capable of forgetting the respect due to depressed royalty and suflering
greatness. The wretched bigots who sacrificed Charles I. and insulted Charles II.
had no example for such conduct in the annals of tlieir forefathers. When Henry VI.
fled to Scotland for shelter, not long before the conclusion of his disastrous career,
the inhabitants of Edinburgh received him with deference, conmiiseration, and hos-
pitality. So deep an impression was effected on the mind of the " uncrowned" Kingi
by the consolatory exertions of the Scots, that he granted to the citizens of Edin-
burgh " Liberty to trade in all his ports of England, subject to no other duties than
those payable by his citizens of London." The grant still exists, as a memorial

• Aruot informs us "that, in the year 1/53, some workmen, digging for a foundation to a new
storehouse within the Castle, found some golden handles and plates for a coflin, which are supposed
to have belonged to the coffin in which the Earl of Douglas was interred."

S S

314 EDINBURGH CASTLE.

highly honorable to the inhabitants of the northern metropolis, though the unfor-
tunate Henry never regained sufficient power to render his gratitude beneficial to
them in any other point of view.

The Scottish Monarch, James III. was kept as a prisoner for many months in
Edinburgh Castle, through the intrigues and audacity of his turbulent nobles. But
the Duke of Albany, brother to the King, in concert with the citizens of Edinburgh,
surprised the Castle, and liberated the abused Sovereign, whose most oftcnsive
qualities appear to have sprung from too ardent a love of refinement for tlie age in
which he lived.*

During the troubles into which the kingdom was precipitated by the imprudent
conduct of Queen Mary, and the blended enthusiasm, hypocrisy, and ambition of
her subjects, the Castle of Edinburgh was the theatre of a contest memorable for the
obstinate gallantry of the besieged party. On the accession of the Earl of Murray
to the regency of Scotland, he was particularly anxious to gain possession of this
important fortress. To achieve this point it was not necessary to resort to arms : in
a well replenished purse the regent boasted a more efficacious mean of assault : and
the price publicly paid for the surrender of the builduig was five tliousand pounds,
and thepriory of Pittemteem. But the regent did not long retain his purchase, for
while the city hesitated between the party of the Queen, and that of the regent, and
was in equal danger from both. Sir JViUiam.Klrkahly, the governor of the Castle,
declared for the Queen, and united with Maitland in those vigorous measures which
caused so much perplexity to the administration of the Earl of Murray..

The Scottish lords who favored the interest of Murray (or rather that of the King,
for the protection of the youthful son of JNIary, was ostensibly the object for which
they took arms) now applied for assistance to Elizabeth, and that Princess was too
well pleased with the view of thoroughly embroiling the affairs of the sister kingdom,
to deny their request. Accordingly, she dispatched a body of a thousand foot, and

* The reader would almost suppose that a monk of the fourteenth century, and not the polished Dr.
Robertson, had written that page of the Scottish history, which asserts that James, "who both hated
and feared his nobles, kept thera at an unusual distance, and bestowed every mark of confidence and
affection on a few mean persons of professions so dishonorable as ought to have rendered them unworthy
of his presence. Shut up with these, in his castle of Stirling, he seldom appeared in public, and
amused himself with arthilecture, music, and other art!, which were then little esteemed."

EDINBURGH CASTLE. jl5

three hundred horse, under the command of Sir JVilliam Drury, which troops en-
camped in conjunction with a Scottish force, at Leith. Kirkaldy was required to
surrender, and a form of negociation took place, but a circumstance speedily occurred
which put an abrupt termination to the treaty. A large body of the inhabitants of
Edinburgh, suspected of disaffection to the Queen, had been commanded to leave
the city while the adverse parties were arranging the terms of a capitulation, but
instead of obeying the order, they assembled in a hostile manner under a banner on
which was inscribed " for God and the King." By this decisive step one side was
as much elated as the other was enraged, and each party prepared for war.

Various skirmishes ensued, in which a difference of religious sentiments impelled
the unhappy Scots to slaughter each other with an ostentation of cruelty. To so
disgusting a pitch of fury had their mutual hatred risen, that, in one instance, when
the adverse factions were on the point of engaging, the English General interposed,
and besought them to retire to their respective quarters, without a useless efiusion
of native blood.

To all appearance, this amicable proposition had the desired effect ; but the
treacherous Morton made a circuit with his troops, and falling unexpectedly on the
Queen's friends, put fifty persons to the sMord.

Determined to leave no avenue of offence untried, the King's troops destroyed the
mills on the water of Leith, and not only prohibited all supplies from being for-
warded to the garrison, but actually hung two men for exposing sheep to sale in the
market of the city, and scourged several women for endeavoring to dispose of other
articles of provision at the same place.

This rancorous spirit increased daily ; and the prisoners taken on either side
were immediately executed on gibbets erected within sight of their friends.

Wearied by the miseries of civil discord, a treaty was at length concluded between
the leaders of tlie opposite factions ; but Kirkaldy refused to be comprehended in
the agreement, actuated, as Robertson supposes, by a fallacious hope of receiving assist-
ance from the French, by which mean he might still be able " to deliver the Queen
from captivity, or, at least, to balance the influence of France and England in such
a manner as to reseue Scotland from the dishonorable dependance on the latter
imder which it had fallen." When a reinforcement of the King's party arrived from

s s S

3l() EDINBURGH CASTLE.

Eogland, and the governor was again summoned to surrender, he, in token ot defi-
ance, unfurled his family ensign on the top of the garrison.

The man who exhibits such undaunted courage in so desperate a situation neces-
sarily becomes the favored hero of every reader, and we press with interest to the
sentence that explains his fate. Five batteries were now erected against the Castle
and though the cannonade was unceasing, Kirkaldy defended the shattered ramparts,
witii inflexible obstinacy, for thirty-three days. At this period the fortitications
were nearly destroyed, and the garrison destitute of water. The spirit of the go-
vernor was unbroken ; but his soldiers were not animated with the same strength of
resolution, and they called loudly for a surrender. Thus circumstanced, the fire of
the garrison ceased, and the Castle was resigned to the English. Together with the
governor, were taken prisoners, on this occasion, James Kirkaldy, his brother ; Lord
Home ; Maitland ; Sir Robert Melvil : a few citizens of Edinburgh ; and about one
hundred and sixty soldiers. While Kirkaldy and his associates remained in the
custody of the English General, they were treated with becoming liberality ; but
Elizabeth, neglectful of the honor of her General (who had assured the governor of
favorable treatment) gave them up to the disposal of Morton, the regent, by whose
order Kirkaldy and his brother were hung at the cross of Edinburgh !*

In the year 1639, the Castle was dehvered without a struggle, into tlie hands
of the party, which took arms against the King, under the command of general
Lesly.

In 1650, Cromwell besieged and wrested the fortress of Edinburgh from those
who were adverse to his individual interest.

In 1689, the Castle was held for the unpopular sovereign, King James, by the
Duke of Gordon, its governor. But an assault taking place, the garrison (which
was not sufliciently supplied with provisions) quickly surrendered.

In 1715, the party who favored the " Pretender" made an unsuccessful attempt
to seize the fortress by surprise.

During the residence of the chevalier St. George at Edinburgh, in the year 1745.

* The seat in which Sir William Kirkaldy resided, before his country experienced those troubles
which tore him from domestic enjoymentj and eveutiially deprived him of life, is still shown to the cu-
rious traveller. The seat is denominated the house of Grange, and is " a turretted mansion," about
three miles distant from Edinburgh.

EDLNBURGH CASTLE. 317

The govevnor of the Castle, fearful that the garrison might be straitened for provi-
sions, informed the Lord Provost that, unless a fiee communication was preserved
between the city and Castle, he should be constrained to dislodge the high-
landers at the weigh-house, by means of artillery. A deputation accordingly Mait-
ed on the chevalier to explain to him the danger with which the city was tiireatened.
He refused, however, to withdraw his guard ; and on the sentinels firing at some
people who were carrying provisions to the garrison, several great guns were dis-
charged from the Castle, which damaged the houses, and wounded many of the
inhabitants. A scene of great confusion now took place. A regular cannonade
« as commenced : houses were set on fire : and the citizens endeavored to remove
their effects to places beyond the reach of the artillery. The firing was resumed on the
next day, which induced the chevalier to issue a proclamation in which he asserted
" that he thought it no disgrace to alter his resolution, when thereby innocent lives
could be saved," — and, therefore, he pronounced " the blockade of the Castle taken
off." On the governor being informed of this proclamation, the firing was imme-
diately stopped.

Such are the scenes of public enterprise and private machination most conspicu-
ous in the history of Edinburgh Castle ; — scenes which, like the once-potent battle-
ments w ith which they stand connected, are gloomy, deformed, and appalling, in
themselves ; although they acquire a powerful, and not unpleasing, interest from the
mellow tints bestowed by the hand of time on their original rudeness.

THE

PANTHEON OF PARIS,

AND

A DESIGN FOR A CENOTAPH.

HE name of this building is derived from the temple constructed at Rome by
M. Agrippa, in honor of the gods. The Roman structure was in a circular form,
and the concave of the dome was intended to represent the heavenly regions. When
the rituals of Christianity supplanted the romantic mythology of the ancients, this
edifice was transformed into a church. At Paris the precise reverse has occurred.
The church of St. Genevieve was one of the most auqust buildings of the time of
Lewis XV. But that tremendous fermentation in politics which Mr. Burke did not
hesitate to pronounce, " an entire revolution in the mind of man," caused the cap of
liberty to assume the place intended for the cross, — and the church was transferred
into a Pantheon,* where the remains of those who had deserved well of their country,
might be deposited, in witness of public gratitude, and in hope of exciting emulation.

* The original edifice was built by Souffleur; the alterations were arranged by Ronielet, who was at
one time commissary of public works, and a member of the council of civil architecture. Rondelet hag
-written an historical memoir, on the dome of the French Pantheon, in which are some plates illustrat-
ing the comparative dimensions of the four great structures of Europe, surmounted with spherical roofs:
St. Peter's, at Rome ; St. Paul's, London : the Pantheon, and the Invalides, Paris. He, likewise,
wrote a paper, in answer to M. Patte. in which he opposed the common opinion, respecting the exte-
I'ior pressure of the cupola.

PANTHEON OF PARIS. ' 319

The cold politician, and the generous enthusiast, must surely agree as to the pro-
priety of paying public and lasting honors, to the memory of the virtuous and the
wise. The philosopher may question, whether posthumous fame is a personal good,
but that " longing after immortality," which prompts to heroical enterprize and self-
denial, can scarcely fail to be of high value in the esteem of the statesman.

" How ambiguous and disputable," writes Johnson, " is the love of fame! What
is it but the desire of filling the minds of others with admiration, and of being cele-
brated by generations to come with praises which we shall not hear? Is it not to
pant after that which can never be possessed, to endeavor to secure what can never
exist, until we ourselves are in the grave r It is a splendid madness, a flame kindled
by pride, and fanned by folly. To gain the favor and hear the applauses of our
contemporaries is, indeed, equally desirable with any other prerogative of superi-
ority, but to what end shall we be the darlings of mankind, when we can no longer
receive any benefits from their favor ?

Fondness of fame is avarice of air."

The frigid selfishness of these observations, is discountenanced by the feelings and
the practice of every age and nation ; yet it remained for revolutionary France to set
the world an example of the public respect due to departed worth ; — an example
that might have well been expected to arise, in a less tempestuous and more pros-
perous season. The Greeks and Romans treated the corse of a lost friend with
pious attention, as they imagined that the rites of interment were essential to a
speedy admission into Elysium ; but neither religion nor state-policy prescribed any
particular spot, as desirable for a national place of burial. A strange omission in
the conduct of nations so fond of inspiring virtue through the hope of posthumous
renown !

There was a period during the revolutionary attempts of France when every honest
man wished succe?r> to the cause of the people ; and at which a galaxy of splendid,
yet solid, characters appeared, who almost rivalled the dignified patriots of antiquity.
It was during the short but glorious public existence of these men that the design
was formed for a national mausoleum. Alas ! how deep is the regret, and how potent
tlie disdain of the examiner, when he looks in vain for the hallowed names of these

520 PANTHEON OF PARIS.

great iiien in the temple which their own generous minds had projected ! but ivhere
sell-interest aud vulgar ambition (the vices of every knave whom the waves of con-
tention throw to the surface) prevail over a spirit of virtuous emulation, and a love
of human-kind, to be forgotten in the court calendar of canonized worthies is the
highest honor that plain integrity can receive. " Would the sacrifice be offered,"
observes a recent writer and the Pyrrhic tlance be performed, in honor of the
Gracchi, by Nasica and Oph/ii us? Would the funeral wreath be reposed on the
bier of Cassias and Thrasea by Augustus and Ne7'o ?

The building now termed the Pantheon, is of a cruciform shape, surmounted by
a dome of stone, which is covered, in the mode of Turkish architecture, with sheets
of lead. But (strange to say, considering the solemn purpose to which the building
is devoted) this lead is painted in alternate stripes of yellow and blue. The Pan-
. theon is the most prominent object viewed by the traveller on an approach to Paris,
as St. Paul's announces the architectural magnificence of London, to persons jour-
neying towards the metropolis of England. But the English cathedral possesses a
decided precedence in regard to splendor of distant effect. And, when the traveller
draws closer to the Pantheon, and views the party-colored vestment of its cupola, he
hails the incongruous pile as a prototype of the temper of modern Transalpine-Gaul,
which has a tendency, quite its own, to degrade the noblest resolves of art by the
most ridiculous frippery of affectation.

In many respects the Pantheon, notwithstanding the tasteless decorations bestowed
by those who prefer gaudiness to simplicity, is a rare instance of architectural skill.
The vestibule is simple, correct, and grand. The columns which support tiic trian-
gular pediment are six feet and a half in diameter; and, as they are of the Corin-
thian order, necessarily ascend to the height of sixty-five. A bas relief adorns the
pediment, in which the goddess of Liberty is the principal figure ; and, to the credit
of the artist, this celestial being is portrayed in the attitude of tender benignity : a
vulvar or factious imagination, would have described her as the destroyer of tyranny,
and have armed her look with vengeance. On either hand of the grand portal are
placed colossal statues on pedestals ; and over each statue is seen a bas relief, one of
which illustrates the necessity of veneration for the laws, and another describes Inno-
cence, projected by Justice. Our engraving (which is after a drawing made on the

•^i^^wMmwmi^^^^m^^^MMm

^^g^^^^^iJM^^^rHr^H

JOESIGX FOR THE >I0I«X'ME:XTS IM'THE PAJTTHEOJC AT P-^RIS

lan^TuhihU/fusd^ h% W.BW/att^cr''i.1^aa.

PANTHEON OF PARIS. 321

spot, in 1802) explains the dissimilar texture of the walls which compose the bra-
chia of the crucifix, and the delicate divisons of the vestibule.

When we observe that the extreme height of the building is two hundred and sixty-
five English feet, it will be readily believed that the effect produced by the interior
of the dome is eminently grand and impressive. The inner parts of the edifice are
entirely composed of stone, and are ornamented with a variety of pannels beautifully
executed. The cemetery is beneath the pavement, and thither were removed, with
great solemnity, the ashes of Voltaire and Rousseau. If the shades of these great
writers could visit the solemn spot, would they not feel indignant to behold the urn
of Marat placed close beside their own ? But how should faction form a due esti-
mate of the value of genius ?

So great was the hurry of the moment in which the niches of the Pantheon w ere
allotted to men intended for immortality, that a mere temporary erection of wood,
painted to imitate bronze, was placed in honor of each of those who were first
named by the existing power as deserving objects of public gratitude and applause.
But it is the merit of the French to design with sublimity; and the annexed sketch of
a plan for a cenotaph, in this august pile will show that the virtues of the most exalted,
would have been consecrated with conespondent magnificence, had not a diminution
of public spirit impeded the intentions of those enlarged minds which projected the
modern Pantheon.

The reader will perceive from our plate, tliat a pyramidal Egyptian monument was
intended to intervene between the arches that form the basement of the dome. It
was proposed to engrave hieroglyphical devices on the more elevated part of this
erection, explanatory of the talents or achievements of the deceased. The chief
efforts of the sculptor would have been required for the superb base of the monu-
ment, on which it was proposed to inscribe the honest eulogy dictated by the sen-
timents of the nation at large. Here, likewise, it was judged desirable, to place the
bust of the departed hero, in conjunction with groups of figures, or such sculptured
emblems as might strongly express his peculiar pursuits and virtues. The columns
in the design are, it will be perceived, of the Corinthian order ; the architrave, the
frieze, and the cornice, are in a suitable style of richness.

Of such a description was it intended to compose the monuments of the Pan-
theon; and, though the rigid critic may certainly detect many errors of judgment,

T T

322 PANTHEON OF PARIS.

the magnificence of the design captivates the imagination, and sets the arguments o>
criticism at defiance. But " the Fabii and Bruti of Gallia," sleep beneath unho-
nored sods ! — Amidst all the imposing splendor of the new empire ; — its legions of
honor, its Mameluke guards, its coronation festivities, and its fireworks and illu
minations, surely the forlorn patriot must stand aloof, and heave a sigh of bitter
regret, while he beholds the building intended for the consecration of public virtue*
perverted to the uses of superstition, or tributary to the sordid views of per-
sonal ambition ?

It is impossible to quit the subject of public sepulture, without noticing the
thoughtless want of respect with which the memory of departed excellence is
treated by our own countrymen. The public benefactor, and the ornament of
his nation dies, and vulgar hands place an undistinguished turf over his remote and
obscure grave. What passion and prejudice denied at first, a most scandalous
species of inattention or indifference neglects afterwards ; and, at length, the very
spot where the ashes of genius are deposited, is forgotten. The remains of Sir
Richard Steele, whose active life was entirely dedicated to the service of his country,
lie interred in one of the most remote churches of the principality of Wales, without
a tablet to inform the traveller, tliat he is to tread with reverence over dust so sacred.
A long catalogue of similar instances might be stated ; but let the above suffice ;
to enumerate the whole would be painful to recollection, while the scroll would be
far from honorable to the character of the nation at large.

A writer, w hose sensibility is unquestionable, and whose elegance of language is
at least as efficacious as his arguments, has lately published " An Essay on Sepul-
chres," in which he proposes, by means of an extensive private subscription, that a
cheap and slight memorial, as " a white cross of wood, with a wooden slab at the
foot of it, (where the body had been interred in the open air)" should be erected,
and rcNtued xchtn subject to decay, " in all ages, on the spot where the remains
of the illustrious dead have been interred." The author, likewise, states the pro-
priety of forming a map, " wliich might be called the atlas of those "who have lited,
and might be marked with meridian lines and circles of latitude so as to ascer-
tain, with incredible minuteness, where the ashes of eminent characters repose,"
Thus, time itself, though the tomb of brass, and the city strong in a million of
inhabitants should fall victims, would in vaia struggle to triumph over the tender

PANTHEON OF PARIS. 325

uties which kindred feeling must ever be prone to perform at the grave of heroism
or genius.

The cold calculator will term this scheme romantic ; and the prudent may, per-
haps, unite in doubts concerning its feasibility; but any scheme that has liberality
for its basis, merits serious consideration. All the noblest feelings of the human
breast, call on us to awake from that lethargic indifference with which we have
hitherto regarded the ashes of the truly illustrious.

FINIS.

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