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iSe;Scrtptii)e anti l^t^torical account 
 
 OK 
 
 VARIOUS PALACES, 
 
 Sj^c. ^'c Six\ 
 
JJESIGN FOR THE >iasrUMJEWTS IITTHE JlAWTKEOlir AT PARIS. 
 
 I<mJ.m hitUilud, Ir WBWydtHc^ii'itcf . 
 
DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT 
 
 OF 
 
 VARIOUS PALACES 
 
 f iitii 1 1' 
 
 AND 
 
 PUBLIC BUILDINGS, 
 
 (ENGLISH AND FOREIGN:) 
 
 WITH 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THEIR FOUNDERS, 
 
 AND OTHER EMINENT PERSONS. 
 
 BY JAMES NORMS BREWER. 
 
 By B. R. gill, Esq. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED BY W. LEWIS, FINCH LANE, 
 
 FOR WILLIAM GILLING, SUFFOLK STREET. 
 
 1821. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 To each Subject is prefixed an elegant Copper.plate Engraving. 
 
 1. Description of Cotsea Bhaug; with some Account of the State of Architetiiuf 
 
 througliout Hindoostan. 
 
 2. A Descriptive Account of the Stadt-House, Amsterdam; with Remarks on the National 
 
 Character of the Dutch. 
 
 3. Historical Description of the Louvre. 
 
 4. Tower of London, with its Curiosities. 
 
 5. A Descriptive and Historical Account of Somerset-Hoise ; interspersed with a variety 
 
 of curious Particulars concerning the Protector Somerset, and others connected with 
 this building. 
 
 6. Description of Linlithgow Palace. 
 
 7. Historical View of the Marble Palace, St. Petersburg. 
 
 8. Description of the Palace of St. Cloud ; with Anecdotes of the Court of France. 
 
 9. — Kensington Palace and Gardens; with Observations on Picturesque 
 
 Scenery. 
 
 10. The Palace of Holy-Rood House, Edinburgh. 
 
 11. Historical Description of Edinburgh Castle. 
 
 12. Description of the India House, with an Account of the Foundation and Progress of 
 
 the East India Company. 
 
 13. A Descriptive and Historical Account of the EscuRIAL. 
 
 14. An Architectural and Historical Account of Windsor Castle. 
 
 1^^ the Seraglio of Constantinople. 
 
 16. Historical Description of Monte Cavallo, the Residence of the Pope. 
 
 17. Description of Warwick Castle. 
 
 18. the Fountain of Trevi. 
 
 19. Castle of Conway, with an interesting Account of the ill-fated 
 
 Llewelyn. 
 
 20. Descriptive Account of Caernarvon Castle; with some Remarks on the Reign ol 
 
 Edward I. 
 
 21. An Account of the Palace of Madura. 
 
 22. Description of the House in the Wood ; with Remarks on the History and Commereral 
 
 Policy of Holland. 
 
 23. Historical View of Hampton Court. 
 
 24. The Pantheon of Paris, and a Design for a Cenotaph. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Little apology is necessary in presenting a Work of this De- 
 scription to the notice of the EngHsh reader ;— but few circumstances 
 of discussion can be more interesting than an analysis of Fortresses 
 and Mansions of eminence; and more especially, if the reader, at the 
 same time, direct his attention to the history and fortune of those 
 persons who are, or have been, connected with each structure that 
 comes under consideration. It is well known that the temper, the 
 genms, and the pursuits of an historical era, stand delineated in the 
 features of remarkable edifices. This being admitted, it is somewhat 
 surprizing that every work, which has professedly pretended to treat 
 on Public Buildings, or Private Mansions, goes no farther than a 
 mere cursory account of prominent characteristics. 
 
 Desirous to render this work a valuable appendage to the library 
 of the man of rank, as well as to the general reader, the Editor has 
 avoided abstruse and laborious dissertations on architecture as an 
 art ; confining his remarks to such points as involved matters of 
 
via PREFACE. 
 
 o'eiieral taste, or were united with some peculiarity of national 
 manners. Where circumstances admitted, he has endeavoured to 
 esiter largely on biographical disquisition, convinced that an account 
 of the founder would frequently tend to elucidate the character and 
 purposes of a splendid palace ; and confidently presuming 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. 
 
 The Engravings have been executed by artists of the greatest 
 celebrity, and the utmost attention has been paid to exactitude and 
 correctness. The improvements which have been made in this Edition 
 must be left to the judgment of the Reader. One remark, how^ever, 
 will be obvious, that neither pains nor expence have been spared 
 to aid the compilation. 
 
 London: 
 May 30Hi, 1821. 
 

 5 s 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 •s 
 
Siesfcription 
 
 OF 
 
 COTSEA BHAUG; 
 
 ■WITH SOME 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE STATE OF ARCHITECTURE 
 
 THROUGHOUT HINDOOSTAN. 
 
 =One 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, through one article, as spectators of a great 
 building attached to the splendour 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 laborious 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 detailed. Supposing the island of Madeira to be passed, St. Helena 
 visited, and the Cape of Good Hope doubled, we now welcome the reader to 
 the banks of the, river Jumna, and request his attention to the city of Delhi 
 and its vicinity. .,' •, v. 
 
 Delhi (according to the Ayeen Ackbery, formerly called Inderput,) is situ- 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 ated in latitude 31°. In proportion to the decline observable in the ancient 
 capital — termed Canouge, Delhi rose in magnificence and power. "The 
 empire of Delhi," say historians, " was founded by a slave ;" and however 
 degrading this assertion may appear, it is indisputably correct. 
 
 Towards the latter end of the twelfth century, Mohammed waged success- 
 ful war against Candi, King of Delhi, and finally slew the native prince, who 
 fell amidst the flower of his army and most faithful of his subjects. While 
 this Mussulman conqueror 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 Delhi, from the family of 
 Candi Rai. In the year 1193, he also captured the fort of Kole, and making 
 Delhi the seat of his government, obliged all the surrounding districts to 
 admit the supremacy of the arms "of the faithful." 
 
 At this period, the city of Delhi boasted all the beauty and splendour 
 familiar with the eastern world. The native monarchs of Hindoostan had 
 successively lavished on the favorite metropolis every ornament 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 appropriated to the diffusion of science. Beau- 
 tiful 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 \65 coss ;t and its extreme breadth 140 coss. On the east lies Agra ; 
 
 * When Mahmud made a successful irruptiou into the heart of Delhi, in the year 1011, the 
 .plendour of the city captivated hin, in a forcible degree. " As the successive bands of armed 
 plunderers," says the historian, "ranged through the apartments of the Rajah's magnificent 
 abode, enriched with all that the mines and the looms, and the genius of India, could afford to 
 decorate them; as they tore down the gold brocade and embroidered tapestry that lined the 
 walls, and the plates of silver that covered the ceilings, 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 sceptr« 
 to the vanquished Rajah, on the usual terms of paying an annual tribute." 
 + The Indian coss is two British statute miles. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 on the north are mountains ; on the south the boundaries are Agra and Ajmeer ; 
 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 variety of the loveliest flowers. 
 Throughout its whole extent are interspersed many magnificent buildings of 
 stoneand brick ; and it is stored with 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, silk-worms, falcons of various kinds, and 
 plenty of honey." It is therefore not surprising that a city possessed of so 
 many natural advantages, and those of so transcendant a quality, should long- 
 continue the favourite emporium of Mussulman authority. 
 
 At the period of the invasion of Timur (1398) we are told, "Delhi had ar- 
 rived at a point of distinction in regard to wealth and extended commerce, 
 which it never after reached. The capital is described as then consisting of 
 three cities, denominated Seiri, Gehanpenah, and old Delhi. Seiri was in- 
 vested with a strong circular wall ; old Delhi had likewise a circular wall, and 
 was much more considerable in extent; Gehanpenah ran between the two 
 cities, and was considerably larger than either. The metropolis, thus com- 
 posed of three towns, spread over a very wide extent of ground, and, accord- 
 ing to some writers, possessed fifty gates. It was celebrated for a mosque of 
 astonishing dimensions, and for a palace of admirable magnificence, which 
 was ornamented with a thousand marble columns. The city was the seat of 
 voluptuousness, and the 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 
 the delight of her sovereigns, must soon bow her exalted head." 
 
 Timur conquered, and a transaction of lamentable barbarity preceded his 
 conquest. 100,000 Indians had joined him, during his march from the In- 
 dus to Delhi. When these forlorn beings beheld the walls of their great city, 
 and witnessed the exertions of their countrymen, they faltered in the work of 
 
 b2 
 
COTSEA BHAUe. 
 
 fratricide; and Timur feared that they would join the adverse party, in the 
 instance of a general action. 
 
 Their number was considerable, and the slaughter immense, as 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 bless- 
 ino- of his Creator on the sanctified arms of "the faithful." 
 
 It was on the 4th of January, 1399, that the banners of Timur were display- 
 ed on the walls of Delhi. The conqueror seated himself on the gorgeous 
 throne of the subjugated prince, and received the homage of the people. As 
 he thus reclined in all the splendour of eastern ]X)mp, the rhinoceros of the 
 royal stables, and the state elephants, to the nuniberof 120, adorned with gold, 
 and sparkling 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 sovereign, and uttered, it is said, " a sorrowful cry, as if 
 demanding quarter." 
 
 The conquerors of Delhi now filled the imperial city with wassailry 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 Golconda. " 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 the curiosities which it con- 
 tained, the Sultanas who attended the army obtained permission from Timur 
 to enter the city. On this occasion the great gate being thrown wide open, 
 a body of 1.5,000 soldiers contrived to enter with the procession, who, joining 
 a much larger body already within the walls, began to commit the most dread- 
 ful outrages on the affrighted inhabitants. To prevent any further increase 
 of the tumult, the Omrahs on duty ordered the gates of the city to be shut ; 
 but, inflamed with the desire of plunder, the soldiers broke open the gates,. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 and admitted the remainder of the army, which had been encamped without: 
 the walls. A scene shocking to nature and reflection now took place : a ge- 
 aeral 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 distinction, cut oflF, and of their heads pyra- 
 mids were formed— a lasting monument of the barbarity of their invaders." 
 
 The plunder and massacre lasted two whole days, and Timur, to his perpe- 
 tual disgrace, 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, where he devoutly returned thanks to God for the success that had, 
 attended his arms. Touching the holy book of the Mohammedan faith with 
 reverence and awe, Timur looked with confidence to the Almighty, certain of 
 having attended to those laritten lessons which infatuated bigotry induced him 
 to think of superior importance to the sacred lawsof 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 secu- 
 rity, and was for a time the residence of that celebrated monarch, whose po- 
 liteness lent a grace to the dignity of oriental manners, and rendered majesty 
 pleasing, without detracting from the necessary exaltation of its aspect. 
 
 Shah Jehan, in the year 1634., formed the resolution of re-building 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 undertaking from various distances. The Emperor drew the out- 
 lines 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. 
 colour of jasper, brought from the quarries of Fettipore, which Akber had em- 
 ployed in building the castle of Agra. The city was fortified with twelve^ 
 lofty towers, and had as many magnificent gates ; the principal gate fronted the 
 palace, and was of uncommon magnitude and grandeur. The palace itself 
 surpassed every thing of the kind in India; the walls of the principal apart-^ 
 
COTSEA BHAUG, 
 
 ments being lined with marble, and the ceihngs 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 colours. The Bazaars (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, 
 while Shah Jehan^s principal care was to make two gardens of inconceivable 
 magnificence, called the gardens of Slialimar, which alone cost him a million 
 sterling. Here were grottoes of great extent and depth, where the beams of 
 the sun never penetrated ; canals of the fairest water filled with gold and silver- 
 fishes ; fountains that, forever playing, diffused a refreshing coolness around, 
 while the choicest flowers and fruits of Asia, by their fragrance and flavour, 
 on every side administered to the gratification of the delighted senses." 
 
 Delhi now became the resort of the curious ; and the most elevated expec- 
 tation 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 provinces rendered up their dearest treasures, and the palace 
 blazed with tributary diamonds. B}' this emperor was constructed the famous 
 Tukt Taous, 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 the figure of two peacocks 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 eme- 
 
 * An engraving of this superb throne may be seen in the " Indian Antiquities." The num- 
 ber 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 correctness. The jewels appertaining to the Imperial family were never aliena- 
 ted, but continually centered in the person of the reigning monarch. The 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 
 Omrabs of state, or tributary princes, to the Mogul, was a diamond, a pearl, a ruby, or 
 an emerald. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 raid," The precious stones with which this throne was ornamented, were 
 valued at X' 1,9-50,000 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 diflerent 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 was 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. 
 
 Few cities have experienced so many vicissitudes of fortune as Delhi. Al- 
 though repeatedly plundered and burnt by Tartars, Persians, and Mahrattas, 
 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 Jumna, accordingly, are 
 built many costly mansions, among which the Cotseu Bhaug holds a distin- 
 guished place.* 
 
 The palace is built of stone, and covered in part with stucco of a very dura- 
 ble nature. The apartments, as is usual with Mohammedan 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 apart- 
 ments. The roof is smoothly terraced, and commands a fine view of the city 
 of Delhi and the river Jumna. 
 
 The gardens are spacious, and are laid out in straight walks, paved with 
 freestone. Beds of aromatic flowers are tastefully disposed, and numerous 
 fountains ornament the different divisions, and impart a refreshing coolness to 
 the air. In regard to the plantations, Nature, prodigal of her bounty, supplies 
 the place of art. Mangos (the strings of their branches forming a natural 
 arcade) constitute an outward barrier. The guava, the lime, the orange, and 
 
 * Cotsea Bhaug is so called from the Bhaug, or garden, within this quadrangular building, 
 which was erected by the Cotsea Begum, a Mohammedan lady, in the reign of the Emperor Akbar,, 
 about 200 years since. 
 
COTSELA. BHAUG. 
 
 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 wall, there 
 is a mosque; and on the north is the -principal entrance. It exhibits to the 
 traveller a splendid specimen of the genius and opulence of the period in 
 which 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 to the pinna- 
 cle and pyramidal form so frequent in the earlier ages. His regularity of 
 design maybe noted as worthy of praise. In general, his embellishments pos- 
 sess 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 remarks ; 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 informing him on subjects connected with the elementar\' principles of 
 architecture. " That trees were the originals of columns," says a well-known 
 architect, "seems evident from some very ancient Egyptian ruins still remain- 
 ing, in which are seen columns composed of many small trees tied together 
 with 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 which 
 the chief decorative parts of the art are established) were formed in attention 
 to the various modifications of the human form : the Doric presents the image 
 of a stout Herculean warrior ; the chaste Ionic personifies the grave and res- 
 pectable matron ; the Corinthian 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 the sturdy simple 
 labourer. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 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, iiige- 
 niously contrived to make them resemble 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 
 regularavenueof well-grown trees, intermixing their branches over-head, butit 
 presently put him in mind of the long vista through a Gothic cathedral; 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 hitherto been successfully made against 
 the style of Gothic architecture. The arches, he remarks, could not be other- 
 wise 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 growing closely together. 
 
 "On the same principle," he further observes, " the Goths formed the spread- 
 ing ramification of the stone-work in the windows, and the stained glass in the 
 interstices ; the one to represent the branches, and the other the leaves of an 
 opening grove ; and both concurred to preserve that gloomy light which in- 
 spires religious reverence and dread." 
 
 Thus is it evident that, where 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 wild- 
 est excursions ; and, therefore, much praise is due to that sobriety of judgment 
 which kept the eccentric wanderings of imagination within due bounds. In 
 fact, architecture, during the reign of Akber, would appear to have shone with 
 eminent lustre ; which will appear evident from our short account of the gene- 
 ral character of Hindoostan buildinafs.* 
 
 * The city of Delhi, in the neighbourhood of the Cofsea Bhaug, was formerly the seat of 
 Hindoo dominion over northern India. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 The native Hindoo character of building is distinguished by an imposing 
 air of massive dignity. Two round towers, of a very singular construction, 
 are to be seen about a mile N. W. of the town of Bhaugulpore. " They much 
 resemble," says Lord Valentia, "those buildings in Ireland which have hitherto 
 puzzled the antiquaries 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 following description of Benares, by the same noble author : " The streets . 
 are so extremely narrow that it was with diflBculty 1 kept my horse from touch- 
 ing the side. The houses are built of stone, gome six stories high, close to each 
 other, with terraces on the summit. They are whimsically painted, and the 
 architecture is as extraordinary. Bands of carved work run, in general, round 
 each story, bv 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 extremely 
 small, and probably they are formed in this manner to answer two purposes : 
 first, to prevent theopposite 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 bv galleries." The city of Benares is regarded with religious venera- 
 tion by the Hindoos ; the number of Mohammedan inhabitants is not in the 
 proportion of one to ten. 
 
 The Pagoda of Ramiseram is one of the finest pieces of Hindoo architec- 
 ture that the country produces. This building is thus described: "The en- 
 trance to the Pagoda was through a very lofty gateway, 1 should suppose 
 about 100 feet high, covered with carved work to the summit. It was pyra- 
 midicallv oblong, and ended in a kind of Sarcophagus. The door was about 
 forty feJt high,^and composed of single stones placed perpendicularly, with 
 others crossing over. This massive workmanship reminds the spectator of the 
 ruins of Egyptian architecture. 
 
 "A clois'ter was next entered, that led through a triple row of pillars to a 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 square, cloistered all round. The inside was concealed in part by walls, and 
 within 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 (300 feet 
 in size. The whole building is surrounded by a lofty wall. 
 
 " In the centre of the edifice is a small temple, dedicated to Mahadeo ; on the 
 right a very large one, unfinished, dedicated to Rama-swamee ; and on the left 
 a smaller, complete, where his wife Seta resided. The front was ornamented 
 with red painting, and innumerable figures of different deities: before 
 Mahadeo's was a tank." 
 
 Lord Valentia dwells with peculiar admiration on the general effect of this 
 building. The extreme pertinacity with which the Brahmins guard the inte- 
 rior of their temples from the inquisitive researches of foreigners is well known. 
 The " Holy of Holies," therefore, remained impervious to Lord Valentia — 
 for he had sufficient good sense to obey, in the most minute particular, the 
 wishes of the native priests — but, from the entrance of the second temple, he 
 was 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 the 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 wa? 
 beyond, seemingly richly dressed. The Pandaram himself is not permitted to 
 enter the innermost temple, 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 front of himj 
 where the pillar stood in the other." 
 
 The Mussulman buildings in India are generally distinguished by a light, 
 airy elegance of construction. The following extract must be necessarily sup- 
 posed to relate to one of the most costly modern erections of Hindoostan : 
 " The Sungi 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 colour, except 
 the domes that cover the towers at the corner. These are gilt all over; the 
 effect is extremely rich. The centre room is large ; two narrowtron each side 
 make the shape of the whole building a square, with circular towers at the four 
 
 c2 
 
o 
 
 COTSEA BHAUG, 
 
 corners. It is raised one story from the ground, 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 Hummaum attach- 
 ed to the palace. The sides of the bason were covered with coloured lamps, 
 and a complete trellis-work of the same extended on each side of the walk." 
 
 The sublimity of splendour 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 el^ance. 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 gentle- 
 men who entered the Zenana immediately after it was quitted by the females 
 belonging to Tippoo Sultaun, the apartments 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 colour by grease and dirt." 
 
 The buildings erected by the English in India are extremely numerous, 
 arising from the rapid successes of the East India Company. A strange 
 refinement of taste has occasioned the Grecian mode of architecture to be 
 usually adopted by the English builders. Perhaps 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 great an elevation to keep out the sun during the greater part of morning 
 and evening, although the heat is excessive at both these periods. 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 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 most splendid edifices are constructed, is judiciously calculated to repel the 
 penetrating severity of the periodical rains. It would have been laudable for 
 European artists to introduce refinements in the native architecture of the 
 country ; but to have assumed the style of Greece, merely because it is classi- 
 cal, 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 generality 
 of European architects in Hindoostan is to be seen in the mansion erected by 
 the late General Martin. This edifice is termed Constantia, and is thus des- 
 cribed : "It is a strange, fantastical building, of every species of architectui-e, 
 and adorned with minute stucco fret-work, enormous red lions, with lamps 
 instead of eyes, Chinese mandarins, and ladies with shaking heads, and all the 
 gods and goddesses of the heathen mythology. It has a handsome effect at a 
 distance, from a lofty tower in the centre with four turrets, but on a nearer 
 approach the wretched taste of the ornaments only excites contempt, A more 
 extraordinary combination of Gothic towers, and Grecian pilastres, I believe 
 was never before devised. Within the hall is very fine, but the other apart- 
 ments are small and gloomy, loaded with stucco work, painted yellow to imi- 
 tate gilding."* 
 
 The judicious Hindoos must look with contempt on this baby-house of gew- 
 gaws ! We trust that there is not much danger of the General's example find- 
 ing 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 respecting beauty, in its various, 
 modifications, are generally formed. 
 
 Martin 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 wealth. Nature meant the General to earn a fortune : he 
 was void of all compassion, gratitude, and principle. The history of his life 
 
 A portion of this ridiculous structure has been destroyed by ao drthquakc. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. ' 
 
 is chequered with acts of the greatest infamy, so much so, indeed, thai it is 
 not in the remembrance of those best acquainted with Jiim, that any casual 
 flash of generosity or justice was wont to illumine, for an instant, the " vast 
 profound" of such black and frightful iniquity as distinguished his character. 
 
 The tomb of this despicable man is in the centre of his favorite house, 
 Constautia. It is a plain marble slab, relating that he came out to India a 
 private soldier, and died a Major-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 circular 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, with reversed arms, leaning over the tomb ! 
 
 Enough of Major-general Martin! — 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 Akber's life; 
 a subject illustrative of the age in which the Begum Cotsea flourished, and in 
 which her palace was erected, but we are willingly arrested in our purpose by 
 some shining traits in the character of Sultan Mahmud. 
 
 Mahmud, the son of Subuctagi, succeeded to the throne of Gazna at the 
 close of the tenth century. Like all the eastern sovereigns of his era, Mahmud's 
 character was disfigured by ferocity, bigotry, and a love of rapine. But these 
 were the inevitable vices of education: the Sultan had virtues which sprang 
 from the heart, and were entirely his own. As a warrior, his successful irrup- 
 tions into Hindoostan have established him a lasting fame: itis for a love of 
 justice, and an admirationofletters, that we distinguish Mahmud from the crowd 
 of potent Mussulman sovereigns of the early centuries. Concerning his rigid 
 adherence to the dictates of justice, the following 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 ! Mahmud desired him instantly to declare his complaint. He 
 aaid that he was a man in but indigent circumstances, but blest with a beau- 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 tiful wife, whose charms had unfortunately excited the passion of an Omrah 
 of great wealth and rank; that the said Omrah, with armed attendants, came 
 frequently at midnight to his house, and after severely beating him, turned 
 him into the street, while he gratified by force his licentious desires. Tears 
 of resentment and compassion started from the eyes of Mahmud, 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 admit- 
 tance. 'If/ said Mahmud, 'that Omrah should ever trouble you again, let 
 me know it without a moment's delay.' Then ordering the guard to admit 
 him at any hour, however unseasonable, he dismissed him. The third night 
 following, the former outrage being renewed, the complainant hurried to the 
 palace ; but the King having retired to the Harem, was refused admittance^ 
 Encouraged by the promises of Mahmud, he now set up the most violent out- 
 cries, in hopes that the noise would alarm the court, and reach the King. 
 The attempt succeeded, and Mahmud snatching his robe in haste, followed 
 the poor man to his house, attended by part of his guard. When arrived 
 thither, he immediately ordered the light to be extinguished, and cut the inso- 
 lent Omrah to pieces. After the execution, he commanded a flambeau to be 
 lighted, and then looked earnestly 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, was, after the most fervent expressions of gratitude, 
 humbly solicited by the avenged husband to explain why he ordered the 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 he 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 execution of that justice; that finding it 
 was not his son, he prostrated himself with grateful humility before God ; and 
 that he had eaten cheerfully of his repast, however humble, because he had. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 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 Mahmud's love of letters. 
 
 The Sultan, at tlie head of a tremendous force, threatened the dominions of 
 this prince with devastation. While the preparations for bloodshed were 
 arranging, " the soul of Mahmud," says the historian, " relented, and a circum- 
 stance shortly after occurred, that contributed to turn incipient esteem for 
 the llajah into friendship and admiration. Determined by rather a dangerous 
 experiment to try the valour 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 Sultan's 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 suspicious 
 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, excited the applause and delight of the whole court; and Mahmud, 
 flattered and gratified by the compliment, not only left him in quiet possession 
 of his own strong fort, but added to it -fifteen other inferior ones, which he had 
 reduced in the present and preceding expeditions." 
 
 Sir William Jones has stated a circumstance, which must, however, detract 
 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 his- 
 tory, which he thought amenable to the garb and purposes of a poetical com- 
 position. 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 labour of nearly thirty years produced his work, 
 which contained 60,000 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 applaud- 
 ed his diligence, and dismissed him." Ferdusi, incensed by neglect, avenged 
 hinjself in a philippic; taking care to make his escape to Bagdad before his 
 satire met the observance of the despot. 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 The events of thirty years had, in all probability, banished Ferdusi and his 
 poetical 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 ? 60,000 couplets on one 
 subject, written with the strength of Dryden and the sweetness of Pope ! the 
 idea is absurd. With blind and patient labour, Ferdusi had composed a book 
 (or series of books) which it was not to be expected the Sultan would read, 
 and then he was offended because he did not receive the recompense of genius. 
 The infatuation of the poet is subject of surprise ; the conduct of the Sultan 
 appears quite natural.* 
 
 The Emperor Akber is the favorite of European writers. It was Akber 
 who sat on the throne when Elizabeth first made commercial overtures to India, 
 and he deserves the praises, not of Europeans alone, but of mankind at large. 
 There is a principle of vicissitude in human occurrences that generally 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 stepped forth prepared 
 to meet the rudest shocks of unpropitious fortune, and endued with self-com- 
 >inand sufficient to resist the more dangerous blandishments of success. After 
 the important, but unsuccessful siege of Sewen, Humaioon, the second Mooul 
 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 pan-^s which 
 treachery and ingratitude can inflict. He was even denied a few small boats 
 to waft his scanty forces over a river. After repeated endeavours, one of his 
 retinue, by accident, discovered some vessels which had been sunk. These 
 were immediately raised, and the troops passed over the stream. But misfor- 
 tune 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 Shere, who had now usurped the reins of the Mogul 
 
 • Malimud's opinion was pointedly expressed in the reward assigned Ferdusi ;— the poet 
 received as many small pieces of money as there were couplets in the volumes. 
 
COTSKA. BHAUG. 
 
 Empire. Humaioon, discovering the treachery, escaped on horseback, through 
 the darkness of midnight, and fled towards A mercot, attended by a faithful few, 
 whom reiterated calamity strove in vain to separate from his interests. The 
 king's horse fell dead during the flight, through fatigue, 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 cheerless wilds :— no water was to be 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 fright- 
 ful 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 appearance of the bucket, that confusion might be avoided, 
 and no time lost. But the famishing soldiers were so eager for relief, that ten 
 or twelve of them unhappily threw themselves on the first bucket that appear- 
 ed, before it completely reached the mouth of the well. The rope broke, the 
 bucket was lost ; and several fell headlong into the water. The screams of 
 despair which succeeded this fatal accident are described as being horrible 
 beyond expression ; and how acutely must they have sounded on the ear of 
 the suffering king!— The tongues of some swelled till the mouth would no 
 longer contain them. Many rolled themselves in the burning sand, and cursed 
 the hour that gave them birth, while 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 complained of an oppression of the heart and died immediately. It 
 was only a very few that survived 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, aud was shortly constrained to march with his beloved infant (trebly dear 
 
COTSEA BHAUG, 
 
 from fellowship in sorrow, and destined to be the avenger of his family's wrongs) 
 against a threatening 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 who 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 
 acquirements. "Upon the last day of Rigib," says the historian, " when the 
 young 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 the impetuous valour of the young prince, who could 
 not bear to be insulted. He accordingly, having obtained his father's permis- 
 sion, 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 tune. The young prince Akber distin- 
 guished himself by heroic acts of personal valour. The Moguls were so ani- 
 mated 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 familiarity with rapine and plunder had rendered a great 
 portion of the people unfit for contented subjection and domestic life. It re- 
 quired exalted talent to guide so crazy a vessel in so distempered a season. 
 
 The youthful emperor, according to the legend of his reign, himself request- 
 ed Byram Khan, his guardian, to sustain the weight of administration durino- 
 the tender years of the legal sovereign. At any rate, Byram undertook the 
 superintendence 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 insurgent Himu was conquered and deprived of life. Opposite 
 writers give different accounts of his end; one asserts that Himu, when led a 
 captive to the tent of Akber, was destroyed by Akber's own hand. Another 
 says, that, when the rebel was conducted to Akber, faint, wounded, and 
 
 r> 2 
 
COTSEA BHAUG. 
 
 covered with blood, Timur bade the emperor now avenge the injuries sus_ 
 tained by his family, and complete his triumph by inflicting the death-wound 
 of the 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 possibili- 
 ties, we do not hesitate to prefer this latter statement. Hirau, at all events, 
 appears to have been murdered; and even supposing the act to have been 
 perpetrated by Akber's hand, it is not, perhaps, to be imputed to natural 
 inhumanity. 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 resided at Agra, which he preferred to Delhi, and spent his time in 
 hunting and other amusements suited to the gay season of youth. Still he 
 was not inattentive to the interest 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 Jamel, 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 bro- 
 ther, over the gate of his palace at Delhi. 
 
 A war with his own brother Mohammed succeeded ; which was no sooner 
 successfully terminated than Akber returned to Agra, solicitous to enjoy the 
 advantages of peace. It was now that the mind of this great man began to 
 unfold itself for the benefit of his subjects. Instead of sinking to the eflerni- 
 nacies too frequent with his age, Akber bent his attention to the encourage- 
 ment of the arts and the internal regulations of his empire. 
 
 It is to be regretted that the horrors of war should interrupt deliberations 
 <!o universally beneficial as those of Akber. His wisdom and awful demeanor 
 
C0T9EA BHAUG. 
 
 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 improve- 
 ment of human kind. The conquest of Guzurat may be adduced as an instance 
 of the facility with which he punished insurrection. 
 
 That " vice of nobler souls," ambition, was, perhaps, the failing of Akber. 
 The darling object of his meditations was the subjugation of the whole penin- 
 sula of India. It would wear the appearance of a faulty attachment to a 
 particular character, if we endeavoured entirely to excuse this seeming thirst 
 after power. But Akber, in the great majority of his actions, assuredly studied 
 the advancement of human happiness, with views so exalted and comprehensive 
 that thev often soared above 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 possessing a participation in 
 that dubious blessing a balance of power, in detestable scenes of altercation 
 and bloodshed. It is possible that one man might boast so elevated 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 
 capable of so noble a project, certainly it was Akber. 
 
 But this first and dearest wish of the emperor (whatever might be his temp- 
 tation) was perpetually obstructed by calamities from which no virtue or 
 magnificence is free. The father of his subjects was unhappy in his immediate 
 otfspring. The rebellion 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 harbour intentions inimical to the welfare of his parent. 
 But it must be recollected, that Mussulmen children of rank are consigned 
 chiefly to the tuition of the Harem. Slaves are never the teachers of generosity, 
 and the Mussulmen princes have no opportunity of other instruction. 
 
 The rebellion of Selim, which took place during his father's absence, inflicted 
 the most severe agony on the sensitive mind of the Emperor. The insurgent 
 had fortified himself in the castle of Allahabad. Thither Akber dispatched 
 letters full of paternal remonstrance, but free from threats, and endeavored, 
 by liberal argument, to wean the prince from his destructive measures. But 
 Selim, surrounded by parasites, returned messages of defiance : and on receiving 
 continued overtures of kindness, instead of hostile opposition, he transmitted 
 
COTSEA BHAUG, 
 
 to his illustrious father some coins which he had caused to be struck in his 
 own name. Still faltering in the work of vengeance, Akbersent for a learned 
 and venerable man to act as negotiator between himself and his son; but^ 
 with unparalleled barbarit}^ Selim waylaid the aged friend of his parent, and 
 massacred him on the road. Indignation now took place of parental 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 
 jO the grief of wounded affection. This accumulation of trouble on the head 
 of so good a parent, and so upright a king, overcame even the obduracy of 
 Selim, and he threw himself at the feet of his insulted father. Akber, smarting 
 with complicated injuries, treated this tardy condescension with contumely 
 and reproach. Amazed into virtue, the prince drew his sword, and offered 
 to plunge it into his own breast, as an unworthy expiation of his offence. 
 This act renewed the tenderness of the father, who pressed his child in his 
 arms, and wept a forgiveness. 
 
 But the end of Akber approaches ! — He invited a powerful noble, whose prin* 
 ciples he suspected, to share with him the pleasures of a familiar banquet.* 
 A regale of opium, as usual, succeeded the entertainment, and the pill destined 
 for the visitor was imbued with a deadly poison by command of Akber. By 
 mistake, the salutary dose was presented to the traitorous 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 Humaioon to 
 be girded on his thigh. He then resigned himself to his fate, in the fiftieth 
 year of his reign. 
 
 * While we seek not to reconcile crime, we must again remind the reader that concience derives 
 its character of feeling from custom. We know there are nations where infanticide is in common 
 use, and self-destruction deemed a religious duty. There are also countries in which assassinations 
 are regarded as mere justifiable sirokes of policy. It may be, that the jjcople who would not 
 scruple to destroy an adversary by private machination, shudder with horror at the Christian 
 cnstom of duellinj;, (so frequently practised in this country) and term us barbarians. 
 
a 
 
 
 © 
 
 t=3 
 
 «5 
 
 H 
 
Be^criptiiJe ficcotmt 
 
 STADT-HOUSE, AMSTERDAM, 
 
 Remarks on the Dutch National Character. 
 
 According to the celebrated Dr. Johnson, any thing that conveys the 
 inaagination to the past, or extends it to the future, elevates mankind in the 
 scale of thinking beings : and it must be admitted that the propensity to derive 
 pleasure from the contemplation of antiquities, vs^hether at home or abroad, is 
 one of the most honourable inclinations of the human breast. — Some short 
 account of the Stadt-house, Amsterdam, will therefore not be uninteresting or 
 inconsistent with our plan, and more especially as it will display a magnifi- 
 cence of architecture that is rarely to be met with in any country, though, at 
 the same time, inconsistent in many respects with the established rules of 
 architectural science. 
 
 Every nation has its peculiarities — and every man, more, or less, feels a 
 particular attachment to his native land ; and, perhaps, no region of Europe 
 evinces a more striking instance of that preference than the country to which the 
 present article refers ; to this day it remains an insalubrious swamp. The 
 population of Holland, considered in reference to its contracted limits, has been 
 extended beyond that of any nation, ancient or modern ; and the loathsome 
 fens by which it is encompassed, have been rendered more productive of wealth 
 than the glowing sands of the Peruvian waters. It is wisely ordained, that 
 where man endures a deficiency of physical advantages, his mental powers 
 should be invigorated in proportion to the exigences of his situation, and that 
 
STADT-HOUSE, AMSTERDAM. 
 
 he should find in the exercise of these an ample remuneration for local and 
 exterior evil. 
 
 It is a self-evident truth, which is confirmed by daily experience, that the 
 individuals of every nation have a character peculiar to themselves — a certain 
 disposition, or rather colour of mind, which, arising either from the physical, 
 or moral circumstances of the counlry, distinguishes the members of one civil 
 community from those of another. If we were asked the general character of 
 a nation, it might appear something singular to turn to our map, and examine 
 the parallel of latitude. But they must be as little acquainted with the nature 
 of truth as of logic, who, adopting the once celebrated aphorism, that ridicule 
 is the test of truth, should reject every thing as false which may appear 
 ridiculous. 
 
 In no country is the national character more prominent than in the marshes 
 of Holland. In no country, perhaps, is it so easy to assign the natural cause 
 of this predominance of those moral qualities which constitute what is called 
 the national character. It is only by the constant and unyielding labour of 
 her inhabitants that Holland exists as a country : it is only to this patience^ 
 to this spirit of industry, persevering through every obstacle, that it was in' 
 its origin recovered, and in the present day is still maintained, from the 
 violence of the ocean. Nor are its moral causes less suited to produce these 
 national qualities : the history of Holland is that of the contention of tyranny 
 and liberty, of the impassioned efforts of princes, and the calm, regular, and 
 long continued resistance of the people. With this concurrence of natural 
 and moral causes, the national character of the Dutch cannot be any just sub- 
 ject of surprise, nor can we wonder that they have ever been more distinguish- 
 ed for labour than ingenuity ; and that this labour, different from that of the 
 Germans, is of a nature peculiar to itself; that it has more of patience than 
 ardour, more of the regular motion of a physical principle, than of the starts 
 of vigour and alternate relaxation, which seem inseparable from every quality 
 ofa free agent. It is thus that a Dutchman appears a species of animal machine: 
 his attention, like that of instinct, is fixed to one point, and, like instinct, it 
 accomplishes that point to its utmost perfection. It is an objectionable prin- 
 ciple of the new German philosophy, that reason is but a larger instinct. It 
 is certain, however, that the national character of the Dutch appears to confirm 
 this hypothesis. 
 
STADT-HOUSE, AMSTERDAM. 
 
 In nothing are these national traits more exhibited than in their public 
 buildings ; and in none of their public buildings more than in the celebrated 
 Stadt-house. 
 
 The Stadt-house was commenced in 1640. It is erected upon a foundation of 
 13,6^0 piles of timber. It is built wholly of stone, with pillars of the Co- 
 rinthian order. Though begun in 1640, and continued without the shortest 
 interval of cessation, with the characteristic perseverance of the Dutch, it 
 was not finished till 1655. Instead of one grand portal, the entrance is by 
 seven small gates, parallel to each other. The front is about 300 feet, its 
 height 116, and the breadth 208. In these several dimensions the rules of 
 proportion are doubtless well observed. Upon the top is a statue of Atlas, 
 in brass, which, in allusion to the commercial power of Holland, and the 
 number and extent of its colonies, bears on its shoulders a globe of gilt 
 copper, which is said much to exceed that of St. Peter's in Rome. The piles, 
 according to the registered account which exists at this day, and is open 
 to public inspection, were purchased from Denmark, at the expence of 
 „£,' 100,000; and the whole expence appears, from the same register, to have 
 been little short of a million and a half. As it is only by comparison that we 
 can form an accurate judgment of what by itself is only confused and indis- 
 tinct, it may not be impertinent to our subject to add, that the most splendid 
 palace in Europe, that of Versailles, cost only ,^'800,000. And that the 
 reader may decide upon the comparative magnificence of the Stadt-house, from 
 these documents of the expences of its building, let him reflect but for a 
 moment upon the different value of the same nominal sum, or, in the lan- 
 guage oftheoeconomist, upon its different adequacy in 1640, and the nineteenth 
 century. 
 
 It must be confessed, however, that this expence still falls short of that of 
 St. Peter's at Rome. It stands upon record, that St. Peter's at Rome, with 
 all that is contained in it, has cost near ot'SjOOOjOOO sterling. 
 
 Another trait of the Dutch character is visible both in the structure and 
 application of the Stadt-house. It is at once the most splendid, and, from the 
 incessant activity within its walls, the most useful public building in Europe. 
 The bank, which, till the late revolution, was deemed the richest in Europe, and 
 which has in some degree survived even that shock, is contained under its roof. 
 Here are likewise the courts of justice, the prisons for criminals and debtors, and 
 
 E 
 
STADT-HOUSE, AMSTERDAM. 
 
 the chambers of the senate. Add to this the treasury, the magazine of arrts 
 and ,n a word, all t e public offices, and the reader may at once form an idea' 
 both of the magnitude and utility of the Stadt-house. It is certain that the 
 national character of the Dutch might be intelligibly deduced from this sole 
 structure In the whole circuit of the Stadt-house not one apartment can be 
 found which ,s not dedicated to some purpose of business. The hall of the 
 citizens IS at once the most active and most spacious. It is paved with the 
 whitest marble on which are stained the terrestrial and celestial globes- the 
 sides, the roof, and pillars of this apartment, as well as that of L gre'ates 
 part of the other chambers of the Stadt-house, are all of marble. Sometrin" 
 however, IS said to be still wanting ; there is not light enough to admire the' 
 magnificence of the most splendid apartments. But what is Ls lost one way 
 tnay perhaps be gained another. Sublimity, according to Lon^inus is neare^ 
 a lied to darkness than to light. It is certain, that th^e emotion pro'ducrhy 
 the gloom of Gothic architecture is equally awful as pleasing. ' 
 
 It should not be omitted in this description of the Stadt-house, that it is 
 better secured from fire than any building in Europe. Eight laroe ciste n o f 
 water are so distributed, and annexed to its roof, that m ^hatevt pa ale 
 rn^ght break out, it could be extinguished with equal ease and rapidity. From 
 
 heit:du::::e"r"'"- "^ ^'p" °' ''-'' ^^ '^^^^-' ^° --^ -- -^^-^ 
 
 the Stadt-house; these pipes are inclosed within the walls of every apartment 
 ZJX uZ "'"^ "' '"' '" ""P'^"'"-^ ^'§^^ ^° ^he eye, even their mouths 
 doo^ In the flLr" "^"" '''^'' ''' ^'' ^^"^' '^'^ ''''''' -^'- -^^^ -^P- 
 We could scarcely pardon ourselves, and should doubtless but little deserve 
 It from our readers, if we forgot to mention the most celebrated picture in 
 
 Vandyke. The subject of it is a feast given to the Spanish Ambassado by 
 the Burgo-masters of Amsterdam, upon the peace between the two countries 
 
 ptr t; V H ? f T ""' °''"^' ^° ^"^ ^"* ^^^ h-^- There is another 
 piece, by Vanderhelst, of still superior repute ; it was painted in 1748, and 
 
ffli,iiVll''i",i.'.l|'' 
 
 I I, III 
 '11 Illy 
 
 ^'%:M 
 
 
 1,1,' 
 
 iili'i'i'il 
 
 iii'i 
 
 1 1 
 
 I ii,i I 
 II 
 
 1,1 1 I 
 
 il'l,"{M, 
 
 ,iV'i'|il 
 
 I, I 
 
 ,l'lll"lllv' 
 
 
I^ijstorical Be$cviption 
 
 OF 
 
 THE LOUVRE. 
 
 1 HIS magnificent structure may, with great propriety, be considered one 
 of the most useful and superb buildings in France. Neither applied to the 
 purposes of personal ambition, nor the intrigues of ecclesiastical politicians, 
 it has, for centuries, been devoted to the nurture of those arts which improve 
 the understanding and refine the heart : yet, surprising as it may appear, the 
 founder of this edifice is unknown ; antiquarians have in vain made researches 
 for this purpose. This circumstance has led to a variety of vague conjectures ; 
 and assertions so improbable have been made, that they have naturally raised 
 smiles of incredulity ; and, suspicion once awakened, truth itself failed to 
 profit by the dignity of its aspect. It is a tedious and important task to dis- 
 entangle fact from the injurious mazes of misrepresentation, and thereby reduce 
 those circumstances to the level of rational applause, which have been so tortured 
 into wonders or distended to absurdities. 
 
 The origin of the Louvre, according to Du Boulary, is to be attributed to 
 the royal line of Merovaeus ; others have assigned this honour to Charles the 
 Bald, who terminated his protracted reign A. D. 877. — Rigard, again, positively 
 asserts, that the large to wer of the Louvre was built by Pailly Augustus ; this 
 certainly is bringing it nearer to our own time; but the doubt yet remains, 
 whether the large tower were the commencement of the building, or merely 
 a^ addition made to former structure. — Unfortunately, the «awe leads little to 
 
 E 2 
 
THE LOUVRE. 
 
 the discovery.* The French writers, however, who have distinguished them- 
 selves in architecture, from the revival of letters to the reign of Lewis XVI. 
 are few in number, and give us no assistance in discovering the antiquity of 
 the Louvre. Among the more excellent we may class the antiquary Philibert 
 de Lorme, who, in conjunction with Jean Bulan, laid the foundation of the palace 
 of the Tuilleries in 1564, and three years afterwards published nine books on 
 architecture. At the distance of a century he was followed by R. Freart, who 
 drew the admired parallel between ancient and modern edifices. In 16S1, appear- 
 ed the Cours d'Architecture by Daviler, from the authority of Barrozze de 
 Vigniola; and seventeen years posterior to this date, F. R. Blondel delivered 
 a course of lectures to the Royal Academy of Painting, compiled from the 
 best writers on the orders ; which probably contributed more extensively to 
 the success of the art, than the labours of any other student of his time, if 
 we except Claude Perrault. This last united his strength to that of Philander 
 Barbaro, and vSalmasius, in the laborious undertaking to methodise the prolix 
 works of Vitruvius, whose studies alone remain to us of the numerous 
 artchitects that contributed to the ornament of the Augustan age ; — a period 
 not more celebrated for its historians, its orators, and its poets, than for the 
 sublime monuments of this art, the envy of succeeding ages, more beautiful 
 in ruin and desolation than the most magnificent structures of modern times. 
 Great is the ambiguity in which the foundation of the Louvre is involved, 
 whether we consult the history of the sovereigns of France, or the discussions 
 of her artists. We shall with less difficulty narrate fts progress, and the 
 anecdotes with which it is connected since the accession of Philip Augustus, 
 when we are no longer resigned to the legends of the monk, and the conjectures 
 of the antiquary. 
 
 Whatever uncertainty may involve this structure there is not the smallest 
 
 * By most of the French archaeologists the derivation of the term is said to be from asuvre, 
 with the article making I'eeuvre ; the large proportion of the population of Paris employed in 
 this vast edifice might probably assign it to the name of Vceuvre, as the great work to which 
 the public industry was applied : this supposition is favoured by the ancient orthography oi 
 the word, which, with, the article, was I'auvre ; if we suppress the second letter of the dipthong, 
 and exchange the antepenant into v, according to the modern French, we have the word. 
 I'ouvre, precisely agreeing with the appellatiou. 
 
THE LOtrV'RE. 
 
 doubt but that Philip the Second built that part of it which was called the 
 Grosse Tour du Louvre. Two fortifications of this kind, placed opposite to 
 each other, defended the river Seine in this situation ; the one was that which we 
 have just noticed, the other was called the Nesle. During this reign Ferraud^ 
 Count of Flanders, a feudatory of the kingdom, revolted from his prince; he 
 was defeated, taken prisoner, and immured within this tower as the place of 
 the greatest security. Otho the Fourth, in alliance with this Count, and his 
 GO-vassal the Count of Boulogne, formed a league against Philip. Between 
 Lisle and Tournay stands a small village, named Bouvines: here the hostile 
 armies of the allies and of Philip encountered in the year 1215 ; the number 
 of the former is reported to have amounted to 100,000 combatants, of the 
 latter only to half that number. The heavy cavalry of Philip decided the victory 
 in his favor; two bishops served in the French king's army ; the Bishop of 
 Senlis even ranged the troops in the order of battle: the Bishop of Beauvais 
 hurried amidst the ranks, not armed witb steel, but with a club, urging that 
 to spill human blood was inconsistent with his sacred character. This signal 
 victory rendered Philip as famous in the conduct of war, as he was before 
 considered in the arts of peace, and in the intrigues of negociation ; he was 
 himself thrown from his horse, and preserved only by the temper of his coat 
 of mail : the Emperor Otho was taken prisoner, but rescued by the valour of 
 his friends; the Counts of Flanders and Boulogne were seized in the hour of 
 battle, but were not so fortunate in their escape. These princes were loaded 
 with disgraceful chains, in the savage spirit of the times ; and Ferraud wa& 
 shut up in this dungeon on the shores of the Seine, in the capital where his 
 family had so lately ruled with kingly authority, if not with the regal title. 
 
 The strength of this tower occasioned it, during the reignsof several succeeding 
 princes, to be made the depot of their wealth. The building is at this day 
 distinguished by the appellations of the old and new Louvre ; what remains 
 of the former was founded by Francis First, and at the same time the ancient 
 tower was pulled down. During the reign of this prince, and even much later, 
 learning was confined to the monastic institutions ; almost all the Gothic 
 edifices we admire were planned by the superiors, and executed principally 
 by the numerous dependants of the convents; these holy architects were 
 employed by Francis; the plans of the Italian Sebestian Serlio were rejected,. 
 
THE LOUVRE. 
 
 and those of Clagny the abbot were adopted : the carved ornaments so much 
 admired, were from the chisel of John Gougeon. But, notwithstanding the 
 improvements the structure at this period received, they conduced in a very, 
 small proportion to its regularity and magnificence. Henry the Second 
 supplied this deficiency, and however insignificant the Louvre may appear, 
 when compared with the more modern improvements in the sixteenth century, 
 it was no unworthy specimen of the dignity of the art. In this state, it con- 
 sisted of three stages, the projections were adorned with columns, and the 
 windows of the second order were much admired by the curious. 
 
 Lewis XIIL, assisted by James Mercier, erected the pavilion to the south : 
 this work was performed in the beginning of the seventeenth century, but the 
 prince himself had little concern in the operations of his long reign ; they were 
 all conducted under the sole direction of a successful and intelligent priest, 
 who introduced absolute government into France, and laid the foundation of 
 the future grandeur of her monarchs. 
 
 The pavilion has a square dome : this form is both unusual and inelegant ; 
 the Jesuits' church in the Rue St. Antoine at Paris, is surmounted by a 
 polygonic dome : these deviations are unjustifiable in the artist, and not war- 
 ranted by any of the splendid remains of antiquity. The pediment of the 
 pavilion is likewise objectionable: the Cariates support three pediments, two 
 interior inclosed within the exterior: we know no dignified building where this 
 defect is carried so far; inthefaqade of the church of the Great Jesus at Rome, 
 a lesser pediment is introduced within the tympanium of a larger ; the repetition 
 is an abuse of the art. It is true, modern architects have taken great liberties 
 with this part of their buildings ; they have sometimes even made them round, 
 but no instance occurs in the antique to justify it, excepting in the chapels of 
 the Rotunda, where the motive for this form is obvious. The design of the 
 pediment is for shelter ; the corruption, therefore, of Michael Angelo, in the 
 cut cornice, is the least pardonable ; the architects of the Augustan age were 
 so studious of the simplicity of their pediments, that, according to Vitruvius, 
 they did not consider modillions admissible in this species of superstructure. 
 It has been observed, Cariates are here employed : this is an order of columns 
 or pilasters under the figure of woman : although it varies from the general 
 simplicity of the ancients, it is found in several of their buildings ; perhaps 
 
THE LOUVRE. 
 
 the most striking instance of this deviation from the precise rule occurs in the 
 Athenian temple of Erictheus : it must be false in art, because it is a departure 
 from nature ; females are not formed to sustain loads : to support baskets or 
 corbelles of flowers, as with the Canephorae or Cistiferae, is suited to their 
 inclination and their powers. The origin assigned for this practice is singular. 
 The Greeks having taken the city of Caria, led the women into captivity ; 
 and, to perpetuate their servitude, represented them on their buildings in a 
 state of humiliation and laborious exertion. When the Cariates are seen in 
 modern architecture, they are not represented as symbols of slavery, but under 
 the images of Justice, Prudence, Temperance, or Fortitude ; and the characters 
 they represent are sometimes elegantly adapted to the design of the edifice ; 
 the ancients usually tied their hands, and as they were to do the office of 
 columns, by the confinement of their limbs and their garments, they gave them 
 as nearly as possible that appearance : in the hall of the Swiss guards in the 
 Louvre the arms are amputated, but every man of taste will disapprove of 
 such mutilations. 
 
 The reign of Lewis the Fourteenth, like that of our third Edward, began 
 in glory and terminated in disgrace. The French monarch was determined 
 to erect a structure which should seem capable of setting at defiance the 
 dilapidations of time and the mutability of human aflTairs: he was seconded 
 in this bold design by the great Colbert, who neglected nothing that could 
 contribute to national honour or public utility. With such views he raised 
 the superb fa9ade of the Louvre, which has attracted the attention of Europe, 
 and is the most august monument of talent throughout France. To execute 
 this work, Lewis sent to Rome for Bornini : the sketches drawn by this architect 
 are preserved, but his plan was not adopted. It has been asserted, on very 
 disputable authority, that the undertaking was committed to Lewis de Vau 
 of Paris, and after his decease to his pupil Francis d'Orbac, known by his 
 improvements of the Tuilleries. We are not surprised at the competition for 
 the honor of this performance ; but we are solicitous the merit should be 
 ascribed to the right artist. Claude Perrault, (the brotherof Charles the Poet,) 
 by the indiscreet warmth of Boileau Despreaux, had the misfortune to see 
 his name introduced into the celebrated controversy of the comparative merit 
 of the ancients and moderns, which has in France occasioned almost as much 
 
THE LOUVRE. 
 
 clamour as the Guelfs and Ghibellines in Italy and Germany. Whether it be 
 on this account that a doubt has been raised, we dare not determine ; 
 but we know that, by the most learned men in France, the honor of the design 
 of the facade has been ascribed to Claude Perrault, and even the invention 
 of the machines by which the two stones were conveyed of which the cimaise 
 is formed. 
 
 This front is nearly a furlong in length; it consists of one vast polystyle 
 colonnade ; it has three projections, one in the centre, and two at the extremes : 
 the former is ornamented with eight coupled columns, and is surmounted 
 ■with a pediment of singular magnificence, composed of the two stones we 
 have alluded to, each of them being in breadth eight feet, and in length fifty-two. 
 This facade is to the east: above the first tier is a grand system of Corinthian 
 columns with correspondent pilasters. No description can afford ideas ap- 
 proaching to the magnificent effect of this effort of the art. Mercier, in his 
 observations on the Louvre, introduced into the Tableau de Paris, has shewn 
 more spleen than discernment, and has made a variety of acrimonious remarks 
 which we think unworthy of la^'ing before our readers. 
 
 In all the confusion of civil and external war, the French people have never 
 neglected the protection of the fine arts : wherever their armies have been 
 victorious, (in imitation of an illustrious prince of their monarchy,) they have 
 never waged war with science ; their object has uniformly been, in the classic 
 countries where their banners have been unfurled, to preserve and to collect 
 the monuments of talent, and to transport them to their own countr}^ tiiat 
 Paris, and that the Louvre might become the emporium of all the arts useful 
 and ornamental to man. 
 
 Our Plate, it will be perceived, exhibits the front of the Louvre towards 
 the river Seine ; to the right is a part of the grand facade, and to the left what is 
 called the gallery of the Louvre, an irregular piece of architecture of more than 
 500 English yards in length, and which extends to the pavilion of the 
 Tuilleries, long the residence of the Chief Consul. One arch of the Pont 
 Royal is also introduced ; in this engraving we have not been able to include 
 the whole of the colonnade of Lewis XIV. ; but had we solely applied our 
 attention to that part of the building, we must have given a very imperfect 
 sketch of the general structure. 
 
AN 
 
 HijStocCcal ^ctount 
 
 OF 
 
 THE TOWER OF LONDON; 
 
 WITH A 
 
 Description of its Curiosities. 
 
 Xn the time of the Saxons fortified buildings were so rare that all the war- 
 like ardour of the natives could not account for the deficiency : — yet, from 
 the earliest ages of Enghsh history we can scarcely revert to a period when 
 castles or fortresses of some kind or other did not exist ; however, from their 
 paucity may be attributed the great facility with which William I. over-ran 
 the country. William, with that despotic tyranny for which he was so pecu- 
 liarly characterised, compelled the English to erect towers at their own expense, 
 to defray which he levied on them heavy and oppressive taxes. This was done 
 for his own security. 
 
 Not only the crown and the lay-barons, but even bishops, were possessed 
 of castles; and though this was contrary to the canons of the church, and was 
 distinctly forbidden by the Pope, yet the ecclesiastics retained their fortifica- 
 tions, and thundered the blessings of the faith from frowning parapets of stone; 
 and this conduct of the clergy is not altogether to be ascribed to ambition. A 
 new regulation of William compelled all bishops and abbots to the service 
 of castle-guard, though they were permitted to exercise the duty by proxy. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 When thus forced into a connection with the military service of the country; 
 a wish for command was certainly natural, and, in some respects, may not be 
 considered illaudable. 
 
 In the reio-n of Stephen, buildings of this description were so multiplied, 
 that there were no less than 1 100 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 often miles on every side beyond its mote. 
 In consequence of various-intestine troubles caused by the fortifications of the 
 feudal lords, it was agreed, in a treaty between Stephen and Henry II. (when 
 Duke of Normandy,) that all castles erected within a certain 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 as^ 
 speedily built in one district as were destroyed in another. 
 
 Abstruse and laborious dissertations on architecture as an art is not the 
 object of this work. That every nation is laudably proud of its public struc- 
 tures, and of the extent and variety of the decorated piles raised by private 
 aflfluence,is a truth beyond the power of contradiction. In nothing, indeed, 
 is the progress of refinement so accurately detailed as in the character of 
 national architecture. In the laboured edifice stand recorded the mannere, 
 the passions, the avocations of the period. If astronomy may be truly deemed 
 the thread on which the history of nations depends, architecture may as justly 
 be pronounced the popular barometer that precisely ascertains the elevation 
 to which public spirit rises, or the depth of morbid inertion to which., at a 
 particular era, it is capable of sinking. 
 
 We have frequently witnessed with compassion, and, indeed, with astonish- 
 ment, the restless curiosity of a feeble amateur, placed in the capital of a great 
 empire, fatiguing his corporeal and mental frame in remote excursions to dis- 
 cover insignificant objects, when the manners of an illustrious nation, and 
 the monuments of the arts that have stood the revolutions of ages, have been 
 abandoned and forgotten. Whence this perversion of the human intellect.' 
 Is that knowledge alone desirable which the few possess ? Is this valuable 
 endowment to be resigned to the ridiculous fancies of the virtuoso, who will 
 exhaust his powers by traversing the gelid regions of Sarmatia or the fervid 
 solitudes of Lybia, to obtain a phosphorescent particle, over which he wiU, 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 slowly pour forth the dregs of existence, while he forgets the creative orb of 
 heaven, to whose effulgence this glimmering atom owes its lustre ? That the 
 great mass of mankind should make any considerable attainments in science 
 while these absurd prejudices exist in the minds of the tribe of connoisseurs, 
 is, indeed, a hopeless expectation, and, until knowledge become an affair of 
 common life and of common business, no sanguine opinions can be justified 
 of any extensive improvement in the condition of human beings. 
 
 From such considerations, we now venture to submit to public notice 
 descriptions of adjacent and familiar objects; interspersed occasionally with 
 biographical sketches of the founder, particularly where such descriptions 
 appeared in any way calculated to elucidate the •character and purposes of a 
 splendid palace. 
 
 The Tower of London^ from the Norman conquest to the present time, has 
 been employed as a royal fortress ; every part of its history, for a period of more 
 than 700 years, is connected with the most important facts that relate to the 
 government and laws of this country. In this structure we contemplate a 
 monument originally raised to despotism, and in succeeding ages alternately 
 applied to public security and private oppression. It is not by metaphysical 
 subtleties, and by catechisms, and categories on indefeasible rights, that we 
 gain the love of liberty ; it is by looking attentively into the history of our 
 own country, by comparing the crimes and the virtues of the agents concerned 
 in it, by directing our indignation against the one, and our admiration toward 
 the other, that we are enabled to cultivate with success this patriotic princi- 
 ple, on which national virtue essentially depends. If our Gallic neighbours 
 had examined more correctly the records of tyranny, in their own annals, 
 instead of despising the experience of past times, and refining with political 
 schoolmen on the crudities of the new philosophy, they would have learnt 
 how to detest the principles of the eleventh Lewis, to respect those of the 
 fourth Henry, and by delivering over the former to public execration, and 
 attracting to the latter public gratitude, they would have established some 
 opinions less evanescent than the logic of modern sophists. It is (o divert 
 the attention of our countrymen from this political levity, from this didactic 
 frivolity, to the substantial foundations of British freedom, that we point to 
 the structure where Rochester, More, and Russel, fell victims to religion, 
 
 B S 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 liberty, and virtue; and where Essex, Balmerino, and Kilmarnock, resigned 
 their forfeited lives to the repose of their country. In whatever excesses 
 vanity may indulge on the heroism of the English name, there was a period 
 when the island became a prey to Germain pirates, and more recently to a 
 vassal of the French crown. Until the time of Elizabeth, Britain never under- 
 stood her true interests, and the history of the nation was disgraceful at home 
 and contemptible abroad, excepting during the reigns of the third Edward and 
 of the fifth Henry, when Albion was illumined by a transient gleam of poli- 
 tical glory. The rapid conquest of England by the Norman Duke is one of 
 the most extraordinary instances on record of hardihood on the one side, and 
 of pusillanimity on the other. Against the Roman legions the Britons main- 
 tained their ground for a long period ; with the Saxons we disputed inch by 
 inch the territory of our forefathers; but to the Danes we presented our limbs 
 to be enthralled, and the descendant of the victorious RoUo in a single day 
 reduced us to the condition of the slaves of a slave of the first Philip, and the 
 island of Britain became the island of France, an apiiendage of a bastard of 
 the Capetian court in the French seas. 
 
 William 1. built a fortress on part of the present site of the Tower, with the 
 manifest design of intimidating and controuling the citizens of his new capi- 
 tal ; and from this transaction we may date the origin of the Tower. The like 
 policy induced him to erect other fortresses in the various provinces of his con- 
 quest, and he commanded the emigrant nobility, who were attached to his 
 person, to resort to a similar expedient, as not only conducive to public order, 
 but to private security.* From hence arose the distinction of national and 
 domestic fortresses, of allodial and feudal castles, which, during the successive 
 reignsof virtuous and vicious, of favoured and unfortunate princes, became al- 
 ternately the friendly means of security and the fatal instruments of destruction. 
 
 * Agard, in his Discourse of Castles, says, "For I leade in ihe liistoiie of Normaadie, writ- 
 ten in French, (hat when Sweyne, King of Denmark, entered tiie realme against Kyng Aired, 
 or Allured, to revenge the night slaughter of the Danes, done hy the Saxons in Englande, he 
 Subdued all before him, because there were no fortes or castles to withstand or stop him, and the 
 reason yielded is because Ihe fortes of Englande, for the most part, were builte after the 
 Normans possessed the realme." 
 
 Rex Gulielnius Conquestor ad caslella construenda lolum Angliam fatigabat. — Rous.. Rot. i. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 The English monks, willing to enclose all authority within the pale of the 
 ^^hurch, were loud in their complaints against the military lords. William ot 
 Newbnrgsaid, " there were as many kings, or rather tyrants, as lords of castles." 
 Matthew Paris more indignantly styles these retreats " very nests af devils, or 
 dens of thieves." In the treaty between Stephen and Henry of Normandy, 
 it was a prescribed condition that the baronial fortresses erected within a cer- 
 tain date should be destroyed. John, who was fond of sheltering himself 
 under the papal mantle, procured a bull from Honorius, commanding that no 
 person in England should possess more than two king's castles. These build- 
 ings were greatly multiplied during the contests in the wars of the Roses ; 
 they were erected in profound solitudes, and on the summits of tremendous 
 promontories. Here the baron, the royal beast of the forest, held his lonely 
 reign, and roamed through the heathy desert ; or, perched on a rock, like the 
 imperial eagle, listened unmoved to the boisterous ocean, roaring in the caverns 
 or breaking in hoary waves beneath him. The sanguinary competitors for 
 the British crown being united in the person of Henry VHI. a check was 
 given to this barbarous system. After the Restoration it was completely 
 annihilated.* 
 
 The Tower was used as a royal palace occasionally, fr&m its foundation to 
 the time of Elizabeth ; during the long period of the civil war, and in the reigns 
 of the more feeble princes, it was, as before observed, a place of safety for the 
 person of the monarch, which recommended it under all the inconveniences 
 of its situation. In the treaty of Runny Mead the barons were too prudent 
 to trust to the promises of the perfidious John, and the security required and 
 
 * Many castles were repaired and garrisoned during the reign of Charles I. several of these 
 were destroyed by order of parliament, and others have been demolished by the violence of plun- 
 derers, or by the slower dilapidations of time. Besides the abolition of military tenures by pub- 
 lic law, to which we have alluded, several other causes contributed to the destruction of these 
 fortresses. The change in the art of war, by the invention of Gunpowder, the settled slate of 
 the nation by the union of the discordant families, the increase of luxury, which rendered the 
 feudal dungeon unsuited to modern refinement, and the superiority of the Britisii navy, which 
 secured England fromliostile invasion; all these have converted them into a heap of mouldering 
 ruins, which the moralist views with mingled detestation and triumph, and which the artist con- 
 templates with respect, frowning aloft amid the awful scenery of nature. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 obtained for its performance, was the resignation of this fortress into the hands 
 of the haughty negociators. On some occasions we find the aula regia to be 
 established here, and the courts of the Tower to be as hostile to the citizens as 
 the garrison. In the reign of Henry II. the offices of justices in ej/re, or in 
 itinere, were appointed. Sometimes the best institutions are perverted to the 
 worst purposes. We are informed by the legal antiquarians, that in the fifth 
 and twenty-eighth of Henrv HI., Hubert de Burgo, William Eboraco, and 
 others, in the office of justices mitinere, held in the Tower pleas of the crown, 
 comprehending such crimes and misdemeanors wherein the king, in his own 
 behalf or that of the public, is the plaintiff. Such judges, wholly under the 
 direction of the court, through the means of false charges and convictions, 
 found it extremely easy to " squeeze the city," so as to extract sufficient sup- 
 plies for royal prodigality. These artifices occasioned general discontent, and 
 John de Coudres, a municipal officer, was imprisoned in this reign for having 
 merely said, " that the liberty of the city, and the life or limbs of the citizens, 
 ought to be equally regarded." Such were the rights of England in the thir- 
 teenth century, while the seal of Magna Charta was yet warm. 
 
 We have noticed that the fortress was begun under William I. The archi- 
 tect of the White Tower was the Bishop of Rochester : it has sometimes been 
 called Caesar's Tower, from an absurd tradition ; and by Fitz.Stephen Arx 
 Palatina, with more propriety, from the dignity with which the governor was 
 invested.* In 1092, the ravages of a tempest on this building were repaired 
 by William Rufus and the first Henry; when, for additional security, new walls 
 were raised round it, and some bastions were erected on the shore of the 
 Thames, where was placed the traitor's, or the bloody gate, through which the 
 state-prisoners were conveyed to their confinement. 
 
 According to Baker's Chronicle, under Richard I. William Bishop of Ely 
 built the outer wall and formed the fosse, but was not so successful in the 
 levelling as to supply it with the uaters of the Thames, according to his inten- 
 tion. Matthew Paris informs us, that at great expcnce, and very much to the 
 
 • It has been said by antiquarians, that a round keep, or dungeon, was denominated a Juliiet, 
 from a vulgar opinion that large round lowers were built bj Julius Caesar. The remarkable 
 s^mare keep, or dungeon, which was so long the imperial palace of England, and was called a 
 .lulliet, or Caesar's Tower, inclines us to smile at this assumption of the learned. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 dissatisfaction of the citizens, Henry III. improved the fortifications of the 
 Tower, and erected the gate and bulwark toward the city. The order from 
 that prince to the keepers of the Tower for a variety of repairs and embellish- 
 ments is still extant, and during this reign the menagerie was established. 
 
 In the ninth of Edward II. the indignation of the citizens against this im- 
 perious neighbour, that threatened them with continued hostility, was so great, 
 that they committed some depredations, and " the mayor and commonalty of 
 London were fined for throwing down the earthen wall against the Tower of 
 London." Edward IV. built a brick-wall, and considerably increased the 
 strength of the fortress ; he also erected the bulwark, encroaching yet further 
 on the territory of the city. 
 
 Richard III. in the arbitrary spirit suited to his character, ordered the sur- 
 veyor of the royal works " to take and seize for use, withiji this realm, as many 
 masons, bricklayers, and other workmen, as should be thought necessary for 
 the hasty expedition of the king's works within the Tower of London.'' 
 
 We must not omit to notice that the Church of St. Peter ad vincn/a, 
 within the Tower, was rebuilt by Edward III. and was for many years fre- 
 quented by the Kings of England for their devotion. It appears from records, 
 that it was adorned with shrines and images. 
 
 Of the other principal buildings within the walls of the Tower, the grand 
 store-house was begun by James II. and finished, by King William ; and the 
 small armory was entirelj' built by William. 
 
 The right of the city to Tower-hill was long disputed by the Crown. In 
 the reign of Edward IV. some King's officers having erected a gallows and a 
 scaffold for execution, the citizens remonstrated, and the King disavowed the 
 act by Proclamation ; since which time all persons executed oa Tower-hill, 
 for high-treason, are delivered up to the Sheriffs of London, who preside over 
 the execution there, as in all other places within their jurisdiction. 
 
 In the reign of his late Majesty, the ditch which surrounds the Tower re- 
 ceived a thorough. cleansing, and the brick and stoue-work, was repaired: It 
 is however a place of no strength.. 
 
 The extent of the Tower within the wall is twelve acres five roods. The 
 exterior circuit of the ditch, which entirely surrounds it, is 3156 feet. The 
 ditch, on the side of Tower-hill, is broad and deep; on the side next to the 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 river it is narrower. A broad and handsome wharf runs along the banks of 
 the river, parallel with the Tower, from which it is divided by the ditch. On 
 the wharf is a platform, mounted with sixty-one pieces of cannon, nine- 
 pounders. These are fired on state-holidays ; and in time of war, on all victo- 
 ries gained by the army or navy. At each end of the wharf is a wooden gate, 
 which divides it from the streets, and is open only during the day. 
 
 From the wharf into the Tower is an entrance by a draw-bridge. Near 
 this is a cut, connecting the river with the ditch, having a water-gate, called 
 Traitor's Gate, state-prisoners being formerly conveyed by this passage from 
 the Tower to Westminster, for trial. Over Traitor's Gate is a building con- 
 taining the water-works that supply the fortress with water. 
 
 Within the walls of the Tower areseveralstreets, and a variety of buildings.* 
 The principal buildings are the church, the white toxver, the ordnance-office, 
 the mint, the record-office, the jewel-office, the horse-armory, the grand store- 
 house, the new or small armory, houses belonging to the officers of the Tower, 
 barracks for the garrison, and two suttling-houses, commonly used by the sol- 
 diers of the garrison. 
 
 The white tower is a large square building, situated in the centre of the for- 
 tress. On the top are four watch-towers, one of which, at present, is used as 
 an observatory. Neither the sides of this building, nor the small towers, are 
 uniform. The walls are not covered with plaister, but white-washed, as will 
 be supposed from its name. 
 
 It consists within of three lofty stories, beneath which are large commodious 
 vaults, used to keep salt-petre in. In the first story are two grand rooms, one 
 of which is a small armory for the sea-service, and contains various sorts of 
 arms, curiously laid up, which would serve upwards of 10,000 seamen. In 
 the other rooms, in closets and presses, are abundance of warlike tools, and in- 
 struments of death. In the upper stories are arms and armorer's tools ; such 
 as chevaux-de-frize, pick-axes, spades, matches, sheep-skins, tanned hides, &c. 
 In a room in the white tower, called Caesar's Chapel, are kept various records 
 of the Court of Chancery, consisting of Bills, Answers, Depositions, and other 
 
 * In the suttling-house, the Royal Humaae Society have provided a drag-net, &c. incase of 
 accidents on the river. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 proceedings of that court in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, James I. and 
 Charles I. On the south of this chapel are Warrants of Privy Seal from the 
 reign of Edward I. to the year 1483, and many in the reign of Richard III. 
 On the north side are bills under the signet from the reign of Richard II. to 
 that of Charles I. inclusive. 
 
 The models of all new-invented engines of destruction, which have been 
 presented to government, are preserved in this tower. On the top is a large 
 cistern, filled from the Thames by a water-engine, which supplies the garrison 
 with water in times of need : it is seven feet deep, nine broad, and sixty in 
 length. 
 
 The Mint includes one third part of the Tower, having houses for all the 
 officers employed in the coinage. 
 
 The Grand Store-house, which stands north of the White Tower, is a plain 
 building of brick and stone, 34-5 feet long, and 60 feet broad. 
 
 The Jewel-office is a little to the east of the Grand Store-house ; it is a dark 
 and strong stone room. 
 
 The Horse-armory is a brick building, eastward of the White Tower. 
 ' The Record-office is in the Wakefield Tower, opposite the platform. The 
 rolls from the time of King John, to the beginning of the reign of Richard III. 
 are kept here in fifty-six wainscot presses. They contain the ancient tenures 
 of land in England, the original laws and statutes, the right of England to the 
 dominion of the British seas, the forms of submission of the Scottish kings, 
 and a variety of other records, &c. 
 
 Parallel to the wharf, within the walls, is a platform called the ladies' line. 
 It is a very fine walk, and is often crowded with well-dressed people in 
 summer. 
 
 There are a number of batteries on the walls ; but they do not deserve 
 particular notice. 
 
 The principal entrance to the Tower is on the west, and is wide enough to 
 admit a carriage. It consists of two gates on the outside of the ditch ; a stone 
 bridge built over the ditch, and a gate within the ditch. The gates are opened 
 in the morning with the following ceremony : the yeoman-porter, with a Ser- 
 jeant and six men, goes to the governor's house for the keys ; having received 
 them, he proceeds to the innermost gate, and passing that it is again shut. 
 
 G 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 He then opens the three outermost gates, at each of which the guards resttheiB 
 firelocks while the keys pass and repass. On his return to the innermost gate^ 
 he calls to the wardens on duty, to take in King George's keys; when they 
 open the gate, and the keys are placed in the warder's hall. At night the 
 same formality is used in shutting the gates ; and as the yeoman-porter, with 
 his guard, is returning with the keys to the governor's house, the main-guard, 
 with their officers, are underarms, who challenge him with, Who comes there ? 
 he answers, The keys; and the challenger replies, Pass keys. The guards,. 
 by order, rest their firelocks ; and the yeoman-porter says, God save King 
 George ; the soldiers all answering. Amen. He then goes on to the governor's, 
 house, and there leaves the keys. 
 
 After the keys are deposited with the governor, no person can enter or leave 
 the Tower, without the watch-word for the night. If any person obtains 
 permission to pass, the yeoman-porter attends, and the same ceremony is 
 
 repeated. 
 
 The Tower is governed by the constable of the Tower, who, at coronations 
 and other state-ceremonies, has the custody of the crown and other regalia. 
 Under him is a lieutenant, deputy-lieutenant, commonly called governor, tower- 
 major, gentleman-porter, yeoman-porter, gentleman-gaoler, four quarter- 
 gunners, and forty warders. The warder's uniform is the same as the yeomea 
 of the guards; their coats having large sleeves and flowing skirts, made of fine 
 scarlet cloth, laced round the edges and seams with several rows of gold lace,, 
 and a broad laced girdle round their waists. On their backs and breasts is the 
 king's silver badge, representing the thistle and rose, on which are the letters 
 G. R. Their caps are round, flat at top, and tied about with bands, of party- 
 coloured ribbands. 
 
 The Tower is garrisoned by the guards, and a detachment from his majesty's 
 third regiment. 
 
 The Tower is. used as a state-prison, and in general the prisoners are con- 
 fined in the warder's house ; but, by application to the privy-council, they are 
 usually permitted to walk on the inner platform, during part of the day, in 
 company of a warder. The whole has recently undergone a thorough repair^ 
 and is open as a public promenade ouly on Sundays. 
 
 It would be impossible for us, in this cursory view, to enter minutely inta 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 the history of those unfortunate individuals to whom this fortress has been the 
 last place of abode ; it would be to detail the vices and the virtues which have 
 either stained or embellished our annals during the reigns of two-and-thirty 
 princes ; all that we can perform is to select a few insulated examples, to ex- 
 pose the spirit of the times and the character of the human mind in some of 
 the most remarkable periods of English history. For this purpose we shall 
 notice three extraordinary examples, which occurred nearly at equidistant pe- 
 riods. The first happened when the intrigues of the court began to govern the 
 popular elections of representatives, and when the obsequious judges formally 
 declared the king to be above all law ; the second in the very year in which the 
 sanguinary laws were passed, comprehended in what has been called the Bloody 
 Statute ; the third, when a similar complaisance to the sovereign was exercised 
 by the judges, and when a similar fate awaited the authority by which they 
 were constituted. 
 
 Fitz-Allan, Earl of Arundel, was one of the first victims within the precincts 
 of the Tower; he had conducted himself with bravery in an engagement with 
 the French fleet, and had acquired the love of the country; the court used the 
 utmost diligence to undermine his reputation ; and, not satisfied with this, they 
 seem to have endeavoured to take away his life by private assassination, under 
 circumstances which strongly indicate the barbarism of the times, for they at- 
 tempted to make the chief magistrate of the city of London the instrument 
 for the perpetration of this enormity. At a public feast, to which this noble- 
 man and the Duke of Gloucester were invited by the lord-mayor, (Sir Nicholas 
 Exton) poison was to have been administered. The magistrate, shocked with 
 the turpitude of the project, gave private notice to the Duke of Gloucester of 
 the intention, and the diabolical design was frustrated. A short time prior to 
 the deposition of the profligate Richard, a more successful attempt was made 
 on the life of Arundel. In 1397, he and his brother, the archbishop of 
 Canterbury, were accused of treason. The latter pleaded his ecclesiastical pri- 
 vileges, and preserved his life from the vengeance of his enemies: such was 
 the respect for the church, at the time when every principle of religion and 
 morality were disregarded by the court. The charge against the earl was for 
 obsolete attempts against the crown, which had been obliterated by repeated 
 pardons : the pardon granted for six years was annulled, as an act of indiscreet 
 
 g2 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 precipitation. Arundel, in his defence, pleaded the general pardon he had 
 received and the especial pardon of his sovereign, and he offered the trial ot 
 judicial combat in vindication of his innocence. All was ineffectual : he pro- 
 ceeded to the scaffold, throwing money to the people in his progress ; and, on 
 noticing some of his relations, who were present at this solemn spectacle, he 
 said to them " It had been more decent for you to have been absent, but smce 
 you please yourselves with my misfortunes, I can foretel your miseries will be 
 as remarkable as those you see me endure." He then examined the sword, 
 returned it to the executioner with the utmost composure, resigned himselt to 
 his fate, and his head was severed at one blow. To the auditors he seemed to 
 have spoken in the true spirit of prophecy, for while his wounds were yet 
 green in the sepulchre, his malicious relatives were sacrificed to public venge- 
 ance, and Richard was murdered in the castle of Pontefract. 
 
 Maro-aret, Countess of Salisbury, was grand-daughter to George Duke of 
 Clarence, who was brother to Edward IV. In the reign of Henry VIII. 
 when she was seventy years old, she was attainted of high-treason on the most 
 frivolous pretences, two years elapsed before her execution, when, on the 
 occasion of a trifling insurrection in Yorkshire, which was falsely attributed 
 to her, this hoary and venerable woman, the last descendant of the royal line 
 of Plantagenet, was brought to the scaffold. She possessed an undaunted 
 mind, and had resisted the introduction of the creed of the mutable Henry 
 amongst her dependants. The fears of the most absolute prince in Europe 
 could not be alarmed by this decrepid competitor, had she aspired to the crown ; 
 but the pedant pride of the defender of the faith was mortified by her resist- 
 ance to his tenets ; to enslave the body was not sufficient, the quibbling bigot 
 would extend his empire over the mind. Having ascended the scaffold in the 
 Tower, she was commanded to lay her head on the block; she replied to the 
 mandate, " So should traitors do, but I am none." No persuasions would 
 avail ; she told the executioner, that if he would have her head, he must secure 
 it as he could, and she turned herself in every direction to avoid the blow, her 
 grey hairs floating in the wind. Under these circumstances she was massacred 
 by the man of blood, and exhibited one of the most hideous scenes that was 
 ever exposed during a public execution. 
 
 Whatever might be the merits of the question with respect to the political 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 contests that occurred during the interregnum, the spirited discussions occa- 
 sioned the diffusion of opinions favorable to the rights of the people, which 
 having once transgressed the boundary crafty tyrants had prescribed, proceeded 
 with the impetuosity of a torrent, and forsaking the channels through which 
 they advanced, overspread the face of England. This general inundation could 
 not be restored to its former limits by the re-establishment of royal power, but 
 when the reins of government trembled in the feeble grasp of James II. in the 
 person of Jeffries, an agent of legal murder was found as profligate as Tresiliau 
 in the reign of the son of the Black Prince. The times had changed, while 
 the character of the government was the same : three centuries had elapsed, 
 the art of printing had been invented, the feudal system had been destroyed, 
 and men had been informed that they were fitted as well for active as for pas- 
 sive duties. Such was the state of society when the Duke of Monmouth rose 
 into notice. 
 
 The vagrant affections of Prince Charles, eleven years prior to his acquiring 
 the regal authority, were directed to Lucy Walters, and the offspring of this 
 connection was a boy, whom they named James Scot. This was the first time 
 that indulgent nature had granted a progeny to his wishes, and Charles felt all 
 the paternal tenderness. The child was born at Rotterdam, in 1649, was af- 
 terwards sent, for his education, under the direction of the queen-mother to 
 Paris, where the sensibility of his heart, and the beauty of his form, made an 
 irresistible impression on every one who approached him. In his fourteenth 
 year he was received at Hampton Court, by his father, with that ardour of 
 affection not unusual with princes, who are precluded from the enjoyments of 
 friendship, and find a consolatory substitute in the ties of blood. Sufficient 
 time had been given to moderate the public expectation with respect to the 
 father, but all the fair promises of the son were fully performed. His power- 
 ful attractions justified the royal favor ; he was successively created Duke of 
 Orkney and Monmouth ; he was invested with the order of the garter ; the notice 
 of the court was not confined to titular distinctions ; he was advanced to posts 
 of honour and emolument, and he received from the hand of Francis Earl of 
 Buccleugh, Anne, his lovely daughter, who Avas acknowledged to be the great- 
 est fortune and the finest woman in the three kingdoms. Added to all these 
 recommendations, he acquired military fame in the service of his father, and 
 
TO^^'ER OF LONDON. 
 
 such was the discredit of the Duke of York, the presumptive heir to the crown, 
 and so easily can public credulity be imposed upon, where inclination favours 
 the delusion, that the legitimacy of this gallant youth was generally believed, 
 and a story was successfully propagated of a certain black box, which was 
 secretly preserved, and contained a contract of marriage between Charles and 
 his favorite Lucy.* Thus was the young duke honoured not only with royal 
 indulo-ence, but his generous heart was gratified by the confidence and affec- 
 tion of a brave people. Five years elapsed between this period and the acces- 
 sion of James, when the versatility and fondness for novelty, so frequently 
 exhibited in the Athenian state, visited England, and assisted the cause of the 
 Duke of York. By promises, which are liberally made when not designed to 
 be performed, he gained the reputation he did not deserve: the parliament 
 granted him a revenue, which rendered future parliaments unnecessary, and 
 the infamous Jeffries was nominated lord-high-chancellor of the realm, and 
 not only civil but military agents were quickly appointed, who would have 
 disgraced the government of the savage Ethiop.t To prevent the enormities 
 which threatened the extinction not only of every valuable sentiment, but of 
 every valuable life in the country, Monmouth, goaded onward by the restless 
 importunity of his friends, landed at Lyme, from the Texel, with arms and 
 ammunition, but with followers so few in number that they might have been 
 seized and inclosed in an ordinary watch-house. His force soon increased to 
 five or six thousand men ; but, instead of giving a decisive blow with the sword, 
 
 * She is repeatedly styled his u-i/e, in letters to him from his sister the Princess of Orange, 
 who makes this curious apology for Lucy's intriguing with other men: " 'Tis a frailty, they say, 
 is given to the sex, therefore you will pardon her, I hope." Secret Hist. Cha. IL 
 
 i Colonel Kirke was one of these military instruments; he had served against the Moors. 
 From the numerous instances of barbarity we will only select the following from Hume : " A 
 young maid pleaded for the life of her brother, and flung herself at Kirke's feet, armed with all 
 the charms that beauty and innocence, bathed in tears, could bestow upon her : the tyrant was 
 inflamed by desire, not softened into love or clemency. He promised to grant her request, pro- 
 vided that she would, in ber turn, be equally compliant with him. The maid yielded to the 
 condition, but next morning, after she bad passed the night with him, the wanton savage shewed 
 her, from' the window, her brother, the darling object for uhom she had sacrificed her virtue, 
 hanged on a gibbet, which he had secretly ordered to be there ready for his execution. Rage, 
 .despair, and indignation, took possession of her mind, and deprived her for ever of her senses." 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 he employed his pen in tedious manifestoes, and after a most indiscreet delay, 
 he attaclied the King's troops at Sedgemoor, where he was defeated with great 
 slaughter, and where he sullied his reputation by abandoning his companions 
 in arms before the victory was finally decided. From thence he rode as far as 
 his horse could support him ; he then arrayed a peasant in his owni military 
 trappings and honorary insignia, and assumed the rags of the countryman, and, 
 with a German attendant, laid down in a ditch, concealing himself under a 
 quantity of fern. Perhaps the vamty of the peasant, consoling himself by 
 momentary adulation for habitual servility, exposed him to notice, and gazing 
 with a self-complacent stare on the gorgeous attire, he was rendered an easy 
 captive. Confession was soon extorted. A dog belonging to the pursuers 
 discovered the lowly retreat: Monmouth was seized, and disgraced himself by 
 ignoble tears, and by clinging round the fond expectation of life. 
 
 The King had the indecency to hold a personal interview with him after his 
 death was fully determined; but James's endeavor, on this occasion, to dis- 
 cover his accomplices, was ineffectual: the unfortunate victim, if not above 
 the fear of death, was superior to private treachery. He was executed on 
 Tower-hill, and it seems the human butcher was unfit for his employment. 
 The Duke, who met his fate at this crisis with heroism, had given him a mo- 
 derate reward, had cautioned him against conducting the business in the slo- 
 venly way under which Russel had suffered, and told the man where a further 
 gratuity was ready if he boldly and skilfully performed his duty. The execu^ 
 tioner was intimidated ; he struck a feeble blow, when Monmouth raised his 
 head, and looked him in the face ; he gently laid his head down again, and a 
 second time the executioner struck to no purpose ; when throwing away the 
 axe in despair, he declared himself incapable of finishing the bloody deed.. 
 The sheriff interfering, compelled him to renew the attempt, a third and a 
 fourth blow were received by the mangled carcase before the head was. 
 severed from the body. The Duke, at the time of his decapitation, was only 
 thirty-six years old, and tke attachment and credulity of the people was so 
 extravagant, that they persuaded themselves some person had offered himself 
 up at the shrine of friendship and patriotism, and that Monmouth yet lived 
 to rescue Britain. 
 
 Stuart was more merciless than the tyrant of Syracuse, and the fidelity of. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 Damon and Pythias was not revived, yet by a singular coincidence in history, 
 the popular expectations were not wholly disappointed. Three years poste- 
 rior to this event, a native of the same country, embarking from the same shores, 
 entered England a successful candidate for the same imperial crown which was 
 wrested from the head of the prince to whom Monmouth was sacrificed. 
 
 Having briefly passed through our Historical Account of the Tower of 
 London, we presume it will not be uninteresting to the reader to give some 
 account of its Curiosities, with the Prices of seeing them.* 
 
 The Lions, and other Wild Beasts, Sfc. 
 These are kept in a yard on the right hand, at the west entrance. A figure 
 of a lion is over the door, and there is a bell at the side to call the keeper. 
 The visitor pays one shillingheTe, for which the keeper shews him all the wild 
 beasts, &c. explaining their several histories. The principal of these at 
 present in the Tower, are : 
 
 1. Miss Fanny, a fine lioness, but discovers so much ferocity, beyond that 
 of any other lion in the Tower, that the difterence of disposition in the same 
 species is in this instance very striking. 
 
 2. Young Hector and Miss Jenny, a lion and lioness, from the Gulph of 
 Persia, three years old, of the same litter, presented to his Majesty by the 
 late Marquis Cornwallis on the 6th of March, 1800. These are extremely 
 fine animals. 
 
 3. A young Lion and Lioness, sent to her Majesty by the Emperor of 
 Morocco. 
 
 4. Two African Lionesses, a present from the Dey of Algiers to the King, 
 and brought to the Tower in October 1800. 
 
 5. A fine young £ton, a present from the Emperor of Morocco to the Duke 
 of Kent, and extremely tame and docile. 
 
 6. Traveller, a panther from Algiers. 
 
 7. Miss Peggy, a black leopardess. This animal is a great curiosity : al- 
 
 * We are indebted to a little work entitled the "Picture of London," published by Sir Richard 
 Phillips, for these observations ; for the accuracy of which we hope the name and celebrity of 
 Sir Richard will be deemed a sufficient guarantee. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON, 
 
 though her skin is black, it is varied with spots of a deeper black, and her form 
 is the most delicate that can be imagined. 
 
 8. Miss Naiicy, a bright spotted leopardess. Both these animals were sent 
 from Anjengo, by Governor Hutchinson, in 1799. 
 
 9. Duchess, a remarkably handsome leopardess brought from the Malabar 
 coast, presented to his majesty by Lord Carlisle. The brightness of the 
 colours of this animal is beautiful in the extreme. 
 
 10. Miss Maria znd Master Bobby, a leopard and leopardess from Prince 
 of Wales's Island, in the East Indies. 
 
 11. George, a leopard presented to the Prince of Wales, by Mr. Devaynes. 
 
 1 2. Harry, a royal tj'ger, from Bengal, and one of the finest ever seen, given 
 by Mr. (now Sir Evan) Nepean in 1791. This noble animal is very tame, 
 and is fond of a little dog, which often plays with it in the den. 
 
 13. A cux'\oy\% Ring-tailed Ti/ger, from Bengal, presented to her majesty 
 by Admiral Rainier. 
 
 14. A Wolf, from Mexico, presented by Admiral Masserano to Lord St. 
 Vincent, and by him to his majesty. 
 
 15. A Spotted, or Laughing Hyena, from the Cape; presented by David 
 South, Esq. 
 
 16. A Racoon, bred in the Tower. 
 
 17. A very large African Deer, from the Cape of Good Hope, presented 
 by General Dundas, and the only one ever brought to England. 
 
 18. A large Greenland Bear. 
 
 19. Ant Bear, from Canada. This is a curious animal, and is extremely 
 gentle. 
 
 20. A White Fox, from Owhyhee. 
 
 91. A Jackall. 
 
 92. A large Eagle of the Su7t. 
 
 The care taken by the keepers to prevent injury to the visitors, is very great ; 
 and the wholesome cleanly condition of the dens deserves praise. The dens 
 are very commodious. They are about twelve feet in their whole height, being 
 divided into an upper and lower apartment; in the former they live in the day 
 and are shewn, and in the latter sleep at night. Iron-gratings inclose the 
 
 H 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 front of the dens, most of which have been recently rebuilt, with every pre- 
 caution to prevent accidents. 
 
 These animals are, in general, very healthy. It is remarkable that those 
 which have been whelped in the Tower are more fierce than such as are taken 
 wild : strangers should be cautious not to approach too near the dens, and 
 avoid every attempt to play with them. 
 
 A considerable augmentation has been made, of late years, to this depart- 
 ment of the Tower. But from the various changes to which descriptions of 
 this kind are, of necessity, subject, it is impossible that they can be otherwise 
 than erroneous after any lapse of time ; and even whilst we are now writing, a 
 variety of circumstances may contribute to render our present account incor- 
 rect. We have, however, availed ourselves of the most accurate and respec- 
 table sources for our information, and have presented the result of our resear- 
 ches to the readers of this work. 
 
 Spanish Armory. 
 
 Here the visitor is shewn the trophies of the famous victory of Queen 
 Elizabeth over the Spanish Armada. Among these the most remarkable are 
 the thumb-screws, intended to be used to extort confession from the Englisli 
 where their money was hidden. In the same room are other curiosities; 
 among which is the axe with which the unfortunate Anne Bullen was behead- 
 ed, to gratify the capricious passions of her husband, Henry VIII. A repre- 
 sentation of Queen Elizabeth in armour, standing by a cream-coloured horse, 
 attended by her page, is also shewn in this room. Her majesty is dressed iit 
 the armour she wore at the time she addressed her brave army, in the camp 
 at Tilbury 1588, with a white silk petticoat, ornamented with pearls and 
 spangles. 
 
 Small Armory. 
 
 This is one of the finest rooms of its kind in Europe. It is 345 feet in 
 length, and in general it contains complete stands of arms for no less than 
 100,000 men. They are disposed in a variety of figures, in a very elegant 
 manner, A piece of ordnance from Egypt has been lately added, sixteen feet 
 long, and seven inches and a half bore. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 Other curiosities are shewn in this room ; among which are arms taken at 
 various periods from rebels ; the Highland broad-sword deserves particular 
 notice. In many respects this room maybe considered as one of the wonders 
 of the world. 
 
 The Volunteer Armory. 
 This is in the White Tower, and contains arms piled in beautiful order fof 
 30,000 men, with pikes, swords, &c. in immense numbers, arranged in stars 
 and other devices. At the entrance of this room stands a fine figure of 
 Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, in bright armour, and having the very 
 lance he used in his life-time, which is 18 feet long. 
 
 The Sea Armory. 
 This is also in the White Tower, and contains arms for nearly 50,000 
 sailors and marines. In this room are two elegant pieces of brass cannon, 
 presented by the City of London to the Earl of Leicester, and various similar 
 curiosities. 
 
 Royal Train of Artillery. 
 
 Part of this is kept on the ground-floor, under the small armory. The room 
 is 380 feet long, fifty feet wide, and twenty-four in height. The artillery is 
 ranged on each side, a passage ten feet in breadth being left in the centre. In 
 this room are twenty pillars that support the small armory above, which are 
 hung round with implements of war, and trophies taken from the enemy. 
 
 There are many peculiarlj" fine pieces of cannon to be seen here ; one (of 
 brass) is said to have cost ^^SUO in ornamenting. It was made for Prince 
 Henry, eldest son of James I. Others are extremely curious for their anti- 
 quity. Among them is one of the first invented cannon. It is formed of 
 bars of iron, hammered together, and bound with iron-hoops. It has no 
 carriage, but was moved by six rings, conveniently placed for that purpose. 
 
 Horse Armory. 
 This is a noble room, crowded with curiosities that will highly gratify the 
 visitor. The armour of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, and son of Ed- 
 ward III. is seven feet in height. The sword and lance are of a propor- 
 
 H 2 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 tionable size. A complete suit of armour, rough from the hammer, made for 
 Henry VIII. when eighteen years old, is six feet high. 
 
 The kings of England, on horseback, are shewn in the following order: 
 
 I. George. II. on a white horse, with a sword in his hand. His armour 
 is richly gilt ; the horse has a Turkish bridle gilt, with globes, crescents, and 
 stars : velvet furniture laced with gold, gold fringe^ and gold trappings. 
 
 S. George /. in a complete suit of armour, on a white horse, with a trun* 
 cheon in his hand. The horse has a Turkish bridle, gilt, with a globe, cres- 
 cent, and star; the furniture is of velvet, laced with gold, with gold trappings. 
 
 3. William III. on a sorrel horse, with a flaming sword in his right hand. 
 The horse's furniture is green velvet, embroidered with silver. His suit of 
 armour was worn by Edward the Black Prince, in the famous battle of Cressy. 
 
 4. Charles II. has a truncheon in his hand, and his horse is decorated with 
 crimson velvet, laced with gold. His armour was worn by the champion of 
 England, at the coronation of George II. 
 
 5. Charles I. His suit of armour was a present to him from the city of 
 London, when he was Prince of Wales, and is curiously wrought and gilt. 
 
 6. James I. of England, and VI. of Scotland, has a truncheon in his right 
 hand, and his armour is figured, 
 
 7. Edward VI. in his right-hand bears a truncheon. He has a very curi- 
 ous suit of steel armour ; on which, in different compartments, are depicted 
 a variety of scripture histories, alluding to battles and other memorable facts. 
 
 8. Henry VIII. is in his own armour of polished steel, with the foliage* 
 gilt, or inlaid with gold ; and has a sword in his right-hand. 
 
 9. Henry VII. A sword in his hand ; his armour is of curious workman- 
 ship, and washed with silver. 
 
 10. Edward V. In his right-hand holds a lance ; his armour is finely deco- 
 rated. The crown is hung over his head, because he was proclaimed king, 
 but never crowned. 
 
 I I . Edward IV. Has a sword in his right-hand, and his armour is studded. 
 
 12. Henry VI. Crowned king of France at Paris. 
 
 13. Henry V. The conqueror of France: the companion in his early days 
 of the celebrated Sir John Falstaff. 
 
 14. Henry IV. Son of John of Gaunt. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 15. Edward III. In a suit of plain bright armour, with a venerable grey 
 beard. On his sword are two crowns, alluding to his being crowned king di 
 France and England. 
 
 16. Edioard I. Has a battle-axe in his hand. His armour is gilt, and his 
 shoes are of mail. 
 
 17. William the Conqtieror. His armour is quite plain. 
 
 For the Spanish Armori/, Small Armory^ Train of Artillery^ and Horse 
 Armory, the price is one shilling only. 
 
 Jewel-^ce. 
 
 This is shewn for owe shilling each person in company; a single person 
 pays one shilling and sixpence . Its curiosities are : — 
 
 1. The imperial crown, with which the kings of England are crowned. It 
 is of gold, enriched with diamonds, rubies, emeralds,^ sapphires, and pearls ; 
 within is a cap of purple velvet, lined with white tafFety, and turned up with 
 three rows of ermine. 
 
 2. The golden globe. This is put into the king's right-hand before he is 
 crowned ; and when he is crowned, he bears it in his left-hand, having the 
 sceptre in his right, upon his return into Westminster Hall. It is about six 
 inches in diameter, edged with pearl, and ornamented with precious stones. 
 On the top is an amethyst, of a violet colour, in height an inch and a half, set 
 upon a cross of gold, and ornamented with diamonds, pearls, &c. The whole 
 ball and cup is eleven inches high. 
 
 3. The golden sceptre, and its cross, upon a large amethyst, decorated with 
 table diamonds. The sceptre has a plain handle, but the pummel is surround- 
 ed with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Each of the leaves of the Jleur-de- 
 lis, rising from the top, of which there are six, is enriched with precious stones ; 
 and from them issues a ball which is made of part of the amethyst. The cross 
 IS covered with precious stones. 
 
 4. The sceptre, with the dove, the emblem of peace, resting on a small Jeru- 
 salem cross, which is decorated with jewels and table-diamonds, of great 
 value.* 
 
 * A bpld attempt was made in the reign of Charles II. to carry off these ensigns of royalty. 
 The projector of this robhery was Colonel Blood. He disguised himself in the habit of, a. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 5. St. Edward's staff. It is four feet seven inches and a half long, and 
 three inches and three quarters round, made of beaten gold. It is borne 
 before the king in the coronation-procession. 
 
 6. The gold salt-seller of state. In make it resembles the square White 
 Tower, and is of excellent workmanship. At the coronation it is placed on 
 the king's table. 
 
 7. The sword of mercy. It has no point ; the blade is about two inches 
 broad, and thirty-two inches long. At the coronation it is carried before the 
 king, between the two swords of justice, spiritual and temporal. 
 
 8. A grand siluer font, double gilt^ and elegantly wrought. This is used 
 for christenings of the royal issue. 
 
 9. A large silver font, a present from the town of Plymouth to Charles II. 
 It is curiously wrought, but not equal to the other. 
 
 10. The crown of state, that his majesty wears in parhament. It has a 
 pearl, the finest ever seen ; a ruby of inestimable value ; and an emerald seven 
 inches round. 
 
 1 1. The crown which is placed before the Prince of Wales in Parliament, 
 to shew that he is not come to it. 
 
 When the king goes to the parliament-house, the keeper of the jewel-office, 
 
 ■ attended by warders of the Tower, privately carry, in a hackney-coach, the two 
 
 last-mentioned crowns to Whitehall, where proper officers are appointed to 
 
 doctor of divinity, except the gown, in lieu of which he chose rather to wear a cloak, as more 
 proper for his design. Having in this disguise made it his business to form an intimacy with 
 the keeper of the regalia, Talbot Edwards, whom he treated and caressed, the doctor told 
 Edwards, who was a very old man, that he had some friends at his house that wished to see the 
 regalia, but that they were to go out of town pretty early in the morning, and hoped he would 
 gratify them with the sight a little before the usual iiour. These pretended friends were Blood's 
 accomplices, and accordingly two of them, accompanied by the doctor, came about eight in the 
 morning. Old Edwards received them with great civility, and admitted them into his office, 
 when Blood and his accomplices knocked him down with a wooden mallet and gagged him. 
 They then instantly made flat the bows of the crown, to make it more portable, seized the scep- 
 tre and dove, and putting them into a wallet, were preparing to escape, but the old man's son, 
 ■who had not been at home for ten years before, having been at sea, came at the instant, and 
 seeing his father weltering in his blood and the regalia gone, he instantly alarmed the guard ; the 
 gates were shut, and the thieves secured. 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 receive them ; who, with some yeoman of the guard, carry them to the rooms, 
 where his majesty and the prince robe themselves. When they are disrobed, 
 the crowns are conveyed back to the Tower by the persons who brought them. 
 
 1 2. Queen Mary's crown, globe, and sceptre ; and the diadem she wore 
 proceeding to her coronation with King William. 
 
 13. An ivory sceptre, with a golden dove enamelled with white, perched 
 on the top, the garniture of which is gold. It was made for the queen of 
 James II. 
 
 1 4. The golden spurs, and the bracelets for the wrists ; they are very ancient, 
 and worn at the coronation. 
 
 1.5. The golden eagle, which contains the holy oil for anointing the kings 
 and queens of England. The head screws off in the middle of the neck, which 
 is made hollow to hold the oil; and when the bishop anoints the king and 
 queen, he pours it from the bird's beak into a spoon. The eagle and pedes- 
 tal on which it stands are about nine inches high, and the expansion of the 
 wings is nearly seven inches; the weight of the whole is about ten ounces, 
 and is curiously engraven. 
 
 16. The golden spoon, into which the bishop pours the oil. These two 
 pieces are very ancient. 
 
 In this office are all the crown jewels, worn by the princes and princesses 
 at coronations ; and abundance of curious old plate. Independantly of seve- 
 ral of the jewels, which are inestimable, the value of the precious stones and 
 plate contained in this office, is not less than two millions sterling. 
 
 The Mint. 
 
 Visitors are not permitted to see any part of the Mint. The manner of 
 stamping is performed by an engine, worked by a spindle like a printing-press. 
 To the point of this spindle is fixed, by a .screw, the head of the dye ; and, in 
 a cup beneath, which receives it, is placed the reverse. The piece of metal 
 being cut round to the size (and, if gold, exactly weighed) is placed between 
 the cup and the point of the spindle, and by one stroke of the spindle the 
 stamp is complete. The manner of stamping gold, silver, and half-pence, is 
 
TOWER OF LONDON. 
 
 exactly the same. The silver and gold are previously milled round the edges, 
 which is done privately. 
 
 The Chapel. 
 
 The chapel, situated at the north end of the parade, is a small low building ; 
 t contains a few ancient monuments. Near the gallery-stairs, two alabaster 
 figures are elevated on a tomb; on the inscription around, in the old charac- 
 ters, the name of Cholmondelei/ is visible ; here were interred the celebrated 
 Lords Kilmarnock, Lovat, and Balmerino. Near the altar are monuments 
 of Sir Michael Blount, who died in 1 .592 ; Samuel and Mary Payler, 164.6 ; and 
 Sir Allen Apsly, Knight, 1630; with some account of their marriages and 
 issues. On a flat stone is an inscription in memory of Talbot Edwards, who 
 was keeper of the regalia when Blood stole the crown. He died in 1674, 
 aged 80. The chapel otherwise forms no object of attraction ; it may be 
 seen by applying to the pew-opener, at any time, for a small fee. 
 
 From the preceding description, it will be perceived that the Tower of 
 London is a depository of some of the greatest curiosities of this, or any 
 other country : — and when we contemplate on the White Tower, Ordnance* 
 Office, Mint, Record-Office ; Jewel-Office, Spanish-Armory, New or Small 
 Armory, Volunteer-Armor}^ Sea-Armor}^ Horse-Armory, Royal Train of 
 Artillery, Grand Store-House, Houses belonging to the Officers of the Tower, 
 Barracks for the Garrison, and the two Suttling-Houses, commonly used by 
 the soldiers of the garrison, (as before observed) it may justly be pronounced 
 the greatest and most useful depot of Great Britain. 
 

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DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL ACCOUNT 
 
 Of . 
 
 SOMERSET-HOUSE, 
 
 interspersed with a variety of curious Particulars concerning Protector 
 ■Somerset, and others coimected with this Building.. 
 
 Every European State can lioast its palaces and pavilions, the seats of 
 regal splendour and national munificence. In this respect, the East may vie 
 vi^ith 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, on the other, the chief official resorts, connected with 
 the routine of general business, are concentrated. 
 
 The increase of commerce, and the correspondent exaltation of the arts, had 
 long suggested to several persons 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 where the palace of the Protector Somerset form- 
 erly stood ; which, in time, became reduced to a mere fragmentary and useless 
 memorial of departed greatness ; and was ultimately allotted to the service of 
 
 I 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 the arts, and the gratification of national ambition, which, in every point, was 
 admirably adapted to those purposes. 
 
 That part of the Strand on which Somerset-house stands, may be denominated 
 nearly central, in regard to the various offices which the building combines. 
 The adjacency of the Thames must be considered a prominent advantage, as 
 relating both to the utility and beauty of the structure ; while the very exten- 
 sive character of the Protector's buildings, and the spaciousness of the gardens 
 which appertained to his mansion, afforded ample room for every architec- 
 tural effort that splendour or convenience might suggest. 
 
 In the year 1774, an Act of Parliament was obtained for embanking the 
 River Thames before Somerset-Place, and for building on the ground thereof 
 various specified public offices. 
 
 The liberal countenance bestowed by the King on Sir William Cham- 
 bers, (who was then Master of the Board of Works) 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 500 feet in depth, and nearly 800 in 
 width. This astonishing extension of site is distributed into a quadrangu- 
 lar court, S+O feet long, and 210 wide, with a street on each side, lying parallel 
 with the court, 400 feet in length, and 60 in breadth, leading to a terrace (50 
 feet in width) on the banks of the Thames. The terrace is raised fifty feet 
 above the bed of the river, and occupies the entire length of the building. 
 
 The Strand-front of the building is no more than 135 feet long. In so 
 small a compass, no exalted flights of fancy were to be expected from the 
 artist ; but all that candour could desire has been performed. The style is 
 eminently bold and simple ; and may be safely affirmed one of the best modem 
 attempts to unite the chastity and order of the Venetian school, with the 
 majesty and grandeur of the Roman. This division of the building consists of a 
 rustic basement, supporting Corinthian columns, crowned in the centre with 
 an attic, and at the extremities with a balustrade. 
 
 Nine large arches compose the basement; the three in the centre are opeii» 
 and form the entrance to the quadrangle; the three at each end are filled 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 with windows of the Doric order, and adorned with pilasters, entablatures, 
 and pediments. The key-stones of the arches are carved, in alto relievo, with 
 nine colossal masks, representing Ocean and the eight chief rivers of Great 
 Britain, viz. Thames, Humber, Mersey, Dee, Medway, Tweed, Tyne, and 
 Severn ; all decorated with suitable emblems. 
 
 Above the basement rise ten Corinthian columns, on pedestals, with regu- 
 lar entablatures, correctly executed. Two floors are comprehended 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 
 ornamented with Ionic pilasters, entablatures, and pediments. The three 
 central windows have likewise large tablets, covering part of the architrave and 
 frieze, on which are represented, in basso relievo, medallions of the King, Queen, 
 and Prince of Wales, supported by lions, and adorned respectively with gar- 
 lands 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 the sides having oval windows, enriched with festoons of oak 
 and laurel. The four statues represent venerable men in senatorial habits, 
 each wearing the Cap of Liberty. In one hand they have a fasces, com- 
 posed of reeds firmly bound together, emblematic of strength derived from 
 unanimity; while the other sustains respectively the Scales, the Mirror, the 
 Sword, and the Bridle; symbols of Justice, Truth, Valour, 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 arches form the only entrance. They open to a vestibule, 
 uniting the street with the back-front, and serving as the general access to 
 the whole 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 entab- 
 latures support the vaults, which are ornamented with well-chosen antiques, 
 among which the cyphers of their late Majesties and the Prince of Wales (now 
 our most gracious sovereign George IV.) are intermixed. 
 
 i2 
 
S03rERSET-H0USE. 
 
 Over the central doors in this vestibule are two busts, executed in Portland- 
 stone, by Mr. Wilton; that, on the Academy side, represents Michael 
 An^elo Bonarotti; that, on the side of the learned Societies, Sir Isaac 
 
 Newton. 
 
 The back-front of this part of the building, which faces the quadrangle, the 
 architect was enabled to make considerably wider than that towards the Strand. 
 It is near 200 feet in extent, and is composed of a corps de logis, with two 
 projecting wings. The style of decoration is, however, nearly the same ; the 
 principaWariatimis consist in the forms of the doors and windows, and in the 
 use of pilasters instead of columns, except in the front of the wings, each of 
 which has four columns, supporting an ornament composed of two sphmxes, 
 with an antique altar between them, judiciously introduced to screen the 
 chimnies from view. 
 
 The masks on the key-stones of the arches are rntended to represent Laresy 
 or the tutelar deities of the place. 
 
 The Attic is ornamented with statues of the four quarters of the globe. 
 America appears armed, as breathing 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 British Arms surrounded by sedges and 
 sea-weeds, and supported by marine gods, armed with tridents, and holding 
 a festoon of nets, filled with fish aad other marine productions. 
 
 The other three sides of the quadrangle are formed by massy buildings 
 of rustic work, corresponding with the interior of the principal front. The 
 centre of the South side is ornamented with an arcade of four columns, having 
 two pilasters oh each side, within which the windows of the front are throwa 
 a little back. On these columns rests a pediment; in the tympanum of 
 which is a hasso relievo representing the arms of the navy of Great Britain, 
 supported by a sea-nymph, riding on sea-horses, and guided by tritons blow- 
 in^^ 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. 
 
 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 bronze statue of his late Majesty. 
 
 The front next the Thames corresponds with the South front of the quad- 
 rangle, 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 orna- 
 mented 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 con- 
 siderably more lofty than the others, and serves as a landing-place to tlie ware- 
 houses 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 ofl3ices held in Somerset-House are those of the Privy Seal 
 and Signet; the Navy; Navy Pay; Victualling, and sick and wounded Sea- 
 men's ; the Stamp ; Tax ; Lottery ; and Hawker's and Pedlar's ; the Sur- 
 veyor-General of Crown Lands ; the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster ; the 
 Auditors of Imprests; the Pipe; the Comptroller of the Pipe; and the Trea- 
 surer's Remembrancer. When the streets on the two sides are finished, there 
 will be dwelling-houses for the Treasurer, 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 
 reside here. There are, also, commodious apartments in each office for a 
 secretary, or some confidential officer, and for a porter. 
 
 On Somerset-House upwards of <£500,000 have beeo expended, which 
 will not appear enormous when it is understood that the building was 
 commenced when the nation was plunged in its destructive war. with the 
 colonies. 
 
 In many respects, Sir W. Chambers was called to the performance of a 
 novel and arduous task. The Temple, the Palace, the Theatre, had Ipng exer- 
 cised the ingenuity of architectural talent. A building, destined as a national 
 emporium for the equal resort of art and commerce, demanded fresh exertions,, 
 and invited the fancy of the artist to a path which self-dependence alone couldv 
 enable him to tread.. 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 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, will necessarily call for discussion respecting the 
 peculiar taste 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 architec- 
 ture : 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 perfect maturity in Italy, among the Romans." Greece, 
 even 'in the zenith of her greatness, had more ambition than power. We find 
 Athens flattering herself with the conquest of the universe, yet unable to de- 
 fend her own territories against the incursions of her neighbours. This pau- 
 city of population occasioned so great a dread of luxury, that the sumptuary 
 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 axe ; 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 rever- 
 ence was entertained for the edicts of Lycurgus, that, even m their best time, 
 domestic decoration they accounted folly and effeminacy.—" All the States of 
 Greece," says Plutarch, " clamoured loudly against Pericles for ornamenting 
 Athens Hke 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 wearing a purple cloak, and of sleeping upon 
 a bed with a canvas bottom,) does not seem to have excelled his neighbours 
 in splendour of habitation, except in the single circumstance of his house 
 being painted ! 
 
 For wealth, splendour, and power, the Romans are acknowledged to stand 
 distinguished as the first people of their era. They began, at an early period, 
 
 * This law was so scrupulously obserred among the Lacedaemonians, that when King Leoty- 
 chidas saw at Corinth a ceiling of which the timbers were neath wrought, it is said to have been 
 a sight so new to him, that he asked his host " if trees grew tquare in that countrt/?" 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE, 
 
 to cultivate domestic architecture. According to Suetonius, Julius Ccesar 
 not only embellished Rome with various costly palaces, but raised consider- 
 able structures in Italy, France, Spain, Asia, and Greece. Augustus is well 
 known to have boasted on his death-bed that he had converted 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 intelli- 
 gence of the Roman people was employed, through many centuries, in endea- 
 vours to perfect each indistinct conception of foreign genius, and to reduce to 
 practice each glittering theory that accident had prevented neighbouring talent 
 from carrying beyond mere visionary existence. 
 
 Vespasian not only erected the temple of Peace, and that dedicated to 
 Minerva, (two of the richest and largest covered buildings of antiquity,) but 
 encouraged the construction of various superb palaces; and obliged the 
 proprietors of ruined houses to rebuild them with an attention to symmetry 
 and taste. The palaces of Caligula and Nero were, in extent, like townsj 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 accessary 
 to splendor of religious worship, while the Romans carried the art through; 
 every avenue of taste, grandeur, and domestic conveaience, is it not surprising 
 that when the Gothic mode began to decline in England, and lettered fervour 
 looked for embellishment to the antique, that the Grecian, and not the Roman 
 
 style was adopted as the standard of imitation ? Such, however, was indis-. 
 
 putably the case. 
 
 The first building produced in this country in attention to the modes of clas- 
 sical antiquity, was the sumptuous palace presented by Cardinal Wolsey as a 
 peace-offering to the active apprehensions of an irritable monarch : and this, 
 primary recurrence of improved taste to the style of lettered predecessors was 
 a monument of the mode and character of Grecian architecture. The second, 
 in point of splendour and eminence, 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 pre- 
 vailed, to which, it appears, English eccentricity may lay a positive claim, as 
 it militates against all established character, and seems little other than the 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE, 
 
 feeble effort of convenience to modify the Gothic and castellated style used in 
 the earlier and more barbarous ages ; but if ever, in this period, the classical 
 ancients were 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 ar- 
 chitecture. 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. Yet even Jones, at times, descended to the incongruities 
 
 of his period. 
 
 It is to be regretted that Sir Christopher Wren'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 ex- 
 alted 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 the correctness 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 mis- 
 took houses for temples, and stands forth a memorable instance, that though 
 painting and architecture may most happily unite in the same professor, archi- 
 tecture 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 Ro- 
 man school: and this, whatever defects may be ascertained in his structure, 
 he certainly has achieved. FreefromtheserviJity of mere imitation. Chambers 
 availed himself of the brightest emanations of Roman talent, and, while the 
 building in question remains in support of the assertion, we maybe sanctioned 
 
 * A perspicuous specimen of the motley attempts at classical correctness in this age, may be 
 seen at Dean in Wiltshire, where the chief entrance and lateral divisions of the building are in 
 the non-descript manner of Elizabeth's period, while the garden-front is Grecian, highly em- 
 bellished. 
 
 t Candour demands our observing that Sir Joshua Reynolds was a strenuous admirer of Van- 
 burgh's genius. Sir Joshua contended that there was more picturesque effect in his designs than 
 in tliose of anj other architect, ancient or modern. 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 m affirming, that, " not until the time of the architect of Somerset-House were 
 rhe genuine proportions of all the orders correctly ascertained, and the orna- 
 ments and style of construction, peculiar to each, accurately distinguished." 
 
 While we allow Sir William the full praise of establishing the Roman style 
 as a model, it must be admitted that defects of no trivial import occur in his 
 great undertaking. 
 
 The columns introduced in the upper section of the fagade to the Thames, 
 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 eleva- 
 tion, we do not hesitate to say that, without the least injury to the general de- 
 sign of his building, Sir William might have rendered the entrance to the quad- 
 rangle more respectable and spacious. Nor can 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, Protec- 
 tor 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 were termed) of the Bishops of 
 Chester and Worcester. The church of St. Mary-le-Strand stood near the 
 inn of the latter Prelate. This church was extremely ancient, and had pro- 
 bably become superfluous from the junction of the parish of St. Mary-le-Strand 
 with that of St. Mary-le-Savoy. The church, therefore, shared the fate of the 
 episcopal palaces, and was removed in favor of the Protector's intended edi- 
 fice.— The building was formed from materials that had formerly composed 
 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 
 
 » This church was famous for the beauty of its tower, which was "graven, gilt, and enamel- 
 4ed." The tower was blown up, when the materials were wanted by the Protector. 
 
 K 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 on the banks of the Thames. The front next the Strand was adorned with 
 columns, and other decorations, aflfecting 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 
 (next 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 apartments 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 Catherine, 
 Dowager of Charles 11. 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 
 Catherine-street. Latterly, in this yard were built coach-houses, stables, and 
 
 a spacious 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. 
 
 The building was commenced in 1549, and was completed with great ex- 
 pedition. Mr. Pennant observes, that " possibly the founder never enjoyed 
 the use of this palace, for in 1552 he fell a just victim on the scaffold."* la 
 this, however, Mr. Pennant is wrong:— The Duke did reside at his palace in 
 the Strand ; for his recommendatory preface to the " Spiritual Pearle," is con- 
 cluded in these words : — " From oure house at Somerset-Place, the vith day 
 
 of May, anno 1550." 
 
 To this palace Queen Elizabeth was in the habit of resorting, as a visitor 
 to her kinsman. Lord Hunsdon ; to whom, with characteristic frugality, her 
 Majesty lent Somerset-Place. 
 
 Anne of Denmark, (consort of King James I.) kept her court here. Wilson 
 says, " that the Queen's court was a continued mascarado, where she and her 
 
 * Vide some Account of London, p. 129. 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 ladies, like so many sea-nymphs, or nereides, appeared in various dresses, to 
 the ravishment of the beholders."* 
 
 Through the shady, sequestered recesses of Somerset gardens, a more luck- 
 less Queen wandered, and struggled to hide the chagrin that fed on the best 
 virtues of her bosom — virtues, that all its silent asperity, through a long suc- 
 cession of years, could not have the triumph of consuming! — Catherine, the 
 amiable, but neglected, wife of the onhj genius of the house of Stuart, dwelt 
 in the palace of the once-potent Protector. The extent of insult to which this 
 exemplary character was subjected, by the profligacy of her ingeiiious consort, 
 the " airy" Charles, was not correctly known till Mr. Pegge ascertained that 
 she was obliged to receive Eleanor Gwynne as a lady of her privy-chamber ! 
 
 Charles I. appears to have been considerably attached to Somerset-House. 
 He prepared it for the reception of the Infanta of Spain, when a marriage with 
 that Princess occupied his romantic fi\ncy. — Queen Henrietta Maria shared 
 the partiality of her consort, in regard to this residence. In 1662, the old 
 palace was repaired and beautified by Queen Henrietta, who then flattered 
 herself with the soothing hope of passing the remainder of her life in England. 
 — Two of our most eminent poets, (Cowley and Waller) have, in some ele- 
 gant stanzas, complimented her Majesty's attention to Somerset-House. 
 
 Few objects can be more dissimilar than the neighbourhood of Somerset- 
 House in the days of the Protector, and the same neighbourhood in our own 
 time. In no respect does custom seem more entirely to have varied in the 
 course of a very few centuries, than in the situation chosen by English nobi- 
 lity for their town-mansions. — Thomas Lord Cromwell built a palace in Throg- 
 morton-street. John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, lived in the Savoy. In 
 1410, a magnificent building in Cold Herbergh {CoXd Harbour) lane, Thames- 
 street, was granted to the Prince of Wales, (afterwards Henry V.) The Mar- 
 quis of Dorchester, and the Earl of Westmoreland, lived in Aldersgate-street; 
 and Edward the Black Prince could find no more eligible a place of abode 
 than Fish-street-hill ! 
 
 This strange distribution of noble seats is to be explained only by one cir- 
 cumstance : — till the accession of Elizabeth, the Tower of London afforded 
 
 * During the occupancy of this Queen, the building was called Denmark-place. 
 
 K 2 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 an occasional residence to our monarchs, and was uniformly the theatre ofi" 
 their first deliberations on coming to the crown. The power of attraction^ 
 therefore, oscillated between East and West, and the majority of noble families 
 chose the site of their castellated inns as nearly equidistant, in regard to the 
 tower and western-court, as possible ; — with this special observance — that the 
 vicinage of the Thames was ever a primary consideration ; for, before the use 
 of close-carriages, water-conveyance was the most luxurious appendage pos-v 
 sible to the dignity of baronial splendor.* 
 
 Considerable improvements, as might have been expected, have been made 
 during a lapse of two centuries, on the Strand-side of the original Somerset- 
 Place. — In the reign of Edward II. the Strand was an open highway, inter- 
 spersed with a few solitary houses, but in 1353, its ruggedness was such, that 
 Edward appropriated a tax on wool^ leather, &c. to its improvement. 
 
 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 occu.-. 
 pied simply by posts, rails, and chains. 
 
 At the commencement of the last century, the Strand' was lighted only by. 
 lanthorns, hung gratuitously by the inhabitants, without any resemblance of 
 parochial uniformity. Both road and foot-path were paved with rough flints. 
 Indeed, the Strand 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 
 were the only carriages of passage. — Access to the court, whether held at tlie 
 Tower, Whitehall, or Westminster, was most readily found by means of the 
 Thames. 
 
 As we have interesting documents in our possession concerning the foun-- 
 der of the ancient edifice, and the architect connected with that great national 
 building that has risen from the ashes of private magnificence, we presume they. 
 will not be unacceptable to the Reader. It will be recollected, that the family 
 of the Seymours was of great respectability before the notice of the reigning 
 monarch (Henry VIII.) elicited all its talents, and placed it as a mark for the- 
 
 * James I. in a capricious mood, threatened the Lord-Mayor with removing the seat of roy- 
 ally, the meetings of parliament, &c. from the capital. " Your Majesty at least," replied the 
 Mayor, " will be graciously pleased to leave us the river Thames !" 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 envy of the great, and the admiration of the obscure. Shortly after the nup- 
 tials of Henry with Jane Seymour, he created that lady's brother, Sir Edward 
 (the celebrated subject of our present inquiry,) Lord Beauchamp ; and, six 
 days after the birth of Henry's son by Queen Jane, the earJdom of Hertford 
 was added to the baronial title before-mentioned. During the whole of 
 Henry's reign the Earl enjoyed a considerable portion of his confidence. 
 
 Hertford served in Scotland, in 1342, under the Duke of Norfolk, and shared 
 in the glory obtained by the English force at the memorable battle of Solvvay. 
 In 1545, the Earl was likewise engaged in the Scottish war. At the head of 
 a considerable body of trxiops he committed 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) occa- 
 sioned the return of the commanders, after engaging in some skirmishes of 
 small moment. 
 
 In some degree, the fortunes of H-ertford were 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 Gover- 
 nor of' Boulogne ; and, though his personal bravery was undoubted, he had 
 been unfortunate in some skirmishes with the French. The King, in conse- 
 quence, displaced him in favor 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 the accomplished Surrey 
 will occur to the reader, without the painful circumstance of repetition. 
 
 It was in, the reign of Edward VL 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. \Vriothesly,* the Chan-v 
 
 * Wriothesly was a raan of a yiolent and sanguinary temper. If Fox, Speed, and Baker may, 
 be depended on, (a dependance, perhaps, not altogether secure) wien Anne Aseue, in the pre^ 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 cellor, stood alone in opposition to tliis measure. A solitary dissenting voice 
 was, of course, over-ruled ; and on Hertford the nomination rested, as a man 
 interested in the prosperity of the minor sovereign, from the circumstance of 
 a tie of blood unconnected with any personal pretensions to the crown. 
 
 According to the intention of the late monarch (as was proved by sufficient 
 witnesses) Hertford was now created Duke of Somerset, and appointed 
 Mareschal and Lord Treasurer. His brother, at the same time, was 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 encouragement by no means unfrequent in periods 
 immediately subsequent to the dissolution of monasteries. 
 
 The constant aim of the Protector evidently appears to have been the in- 
 crease of his individual authority in the Council. Wriothesly, (now Earl of 
 Southampton) had, from his own authority, put the Great Seal in commission. 
 This act, decidedly illegal, caused Somerset to remove the Chancellor. It 
 may, however, be safely affirmed that the removal of an enemy, both political 
 and religious, was Somerset's primary motive for stigmatizing the conduct of 
 the Earl of Southampton. 
 
 Not satisfied with the degradation of the Wriothesly faction, Somerset pro- 
 cured 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 see how the Pro- 
 tector conducted himself. — Somerset was inclined to what was called the 
 reformation of religion, at this juncture so critical in regard to ecclesiastical 
 affiiirs. 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 
 
 ceding reign, was put to torture, on a religious question, Wriothesly, with pitiless, unmanly zeal, 
 ordered the Lieutenant of the Tower to stretch the rack still farther; and ou that officer re- 
 fusing, the Chancellor performed the operation with his own hand ! 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 idolatry, and to instruct the people not to treat with contumely such cere- 
 monies as were not yet abrogated, but only to beware of such ridiculous supersti- 
 tions as " the sprinkling of their beds with holy water, and the ringing 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 
 opposition he was confined for a time in the Fleet ; but no faggot was lio-hted 
 to settle the religious sentiments of the vehement Bishop, 
 
 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 the Scots to enter into 
 an amicable intermarriage with this country, he went to war with them ! The 
 conflict was supported, for a considerable time, with alternate success and 
 perplexity ; but, in the issue, it redounded to the honor 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 
 
 crowns. 
 
 At the battle of Pinkey, the Protector acted with much self-command and 
 valour; and though his array, at one time, was placed in the most perilous 
 situation, he so signalized himself as to obtain a complete victory over the 
 enemy with a loss of only 200 men, whilst that of the Scotch was estimated 
 at above 10,000. 
 
 A war with France succeeded the Scottish contest. Aware of the disordered 
 state of the national finances, and disappointed in his hope of assistance from 
 the emperor, Somerset attempted all the palliative arts of negotiation. In 
 these attempts he appears to have been, in no small degree, actuated by 
 a genuine conviction that not any real cause of hostility existed between 
 the two powers. So liberal a motive must certainly do him honor 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 cha- 
 racterised by mildness and urbanity. He expunged the offensive rigour of 
 
 * See Hume, 291. Burnet, 28, &g. 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 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 unprincipled 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. His intemperate 
 resolves seemed indeed prophetic of abrupt ruin. He was committed to the 
 Tower, tried, and condemned. The warrant under which he suffered was 
 necessarily signed by the Duke of Somerset ! To such severities of circum- 
 stance are those subjected, who act officially for others, while they cannot 
 avoid feeli7ig 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 commonality of England experienced very 
 severe afflictions at this period from the suppression of monasteries (the super- 
 fluities of which were uniformly distributed in charity) and the frequent 
 inclosures, which drove the cottager even from the bare-worn heath, and 
 robbed him at once of fuel, sustenance, and freedom. Somerset, who 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 the 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 
 tbrlorn outweighing, in the estimation of government, that of the potent and 
 disdainful. — In so much was this the case with the Protector, that he instituted 
 a Court of Requests in his own house, for the purpose of hearing (as Styrpe 
 
 * Thomas Lord Seymour married the Queen-Dowager of Heury 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 ofCatherine, her husband entertained designs on the Princess Eli- 
 zabeth. He was favorably 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, niaj 
 be seen a detail of Lord Seymour's conduct. 
 
SOMERSET- HOUSE. 
 
 informs us) "the petitions and suits of 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 bulk of the commonwealth, gave, as 
 may be supposed, high offence to the gentry and nobility. 
 
 The embarrassments occasioned to government by the French war gave 
 opportunity to tl^e faction, inimical to Somerset, to effect his downfall. The 
 youthful Edward appears to have been the easy dupe of every artful man that 
 could gain access to him. He now withdrew his shelter from his uncle, and 
 Somerset was committed to the Tower. So great was the humiliation of the 
 Duke, that he submitted to confess on his knees, before the Council, all the 
 articles of charge exhibited against him. On this confession, his enemies 
 were, for the present, satisfied with depriving him of all his offices, and fining 
 him <i,'2,000 a year in land. But the jealous ambition of Warwick 
 (shortly dignified with the title of Duke of Northumberland) caused 
 him to look with dislike on the popularity Somerset still possessed, in spite 
 of comparative poverty and degradation. Even the alliance that existed be- 
 tween the families, (Northumberland's son had married the former Protector's 
 daughter) availed nothing. Northumberland gained, by sinister means, the 
 confidence of Somerset's principal servants. The unguarded Duke often 
 " broke out into menacing expressions against his enemy. At other times, he 
 formed rash projects, which he immediately abandoned, and his treacherous 
 confidents carried to their employer every passionate word which dropped 
 from him."— At length these very betrayers suggested to Somerset a plan for 
 murdering Northumberland, 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 ni<jht, 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 attend- 
 ants, were thrown into prison. 
 
 Somerset was tried on the double charges of high-treason and felony. 
 With indecent malignity, Northumberland, Pembroke, and Northampton 
 composed three of the jury. Still the treasonable part of the charge was so 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 weakly supported that a majority of the Peers gave a verdict in favour of the 
 accused. 
 
 The intention of assaulting privy-counsellers was, however, so far established 
 by evidence, that he was convicted of felony, and received sentence accord- 
 ingly. The crowds without, who waited with deep anxiety the issue of this 
 important trial, expressed their opinion of the question by loud and reiterated 
 shouts when the prisoner 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 scaflTold of 
 Tower-hill. He was attended by immense throngs of spectators, whose 
 clamorous friendship broke forth in demands for his pardon, even to the 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 him these symbols of his crime. 
 
 The character of the Protector Somerset has certainly been much misrepre- 
 sented by many historians ; and indeed Mr. Pennant,* who, as far as regards 
 his biographical delineations, appears to have travelled with a post-haste expe- 
 dition through the realms of literature that allowed him time only to take a 
 superficial view of the objects that occurred, brings a charge of a most curious 
 nature against him. Alluding to the ecclesiastical buildings destroyed by 
 Somerset for the purpose of using their materials in his new mansion, Mr. P. 
 observes, "The crime of sacrilege is never mentioned among the numerous 
 articles brought against him. Mortals should be very delicate in pronouncing 
 the vengeance of heaven on their fellow-creatures, yet in this instance without 
 presttmption, without superstition, one may suppose his fall to have been 
 marked out by the Almighty as a warning to impious men I He fell lamented 
 only because his end was effected by a man more wicked, more ambitious, and 
 more detested than himself." — The name of Pennant has obtained, in many 
 points, a deserved respectability in letters. How much is it to be lamented 
 that a conceit of fanciful piety should have betrayed him into the use of such 
 
 * Vide Pages 67 and 129 of " Some Account of London," 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. "^ 
 
 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? — That it was common in the times 
 which immediately followed the dissolution we can easily substantiate. — "On 
 the east of the church-yard of St. Paul," says Lambert, " was a clochier, or 
 bell-tower, wherein were four great bells, called Jesus' bells, from their belong- 
 ing to Jesus' chapel, in St. Faith's church ; but these, together with a fine image 
 of St. Paul, on the top of the spire, being won by Sir Miles Partridge, of 
 Henry VIII. at one cast of the dice, teere by that gentleman taken down and 
 sold." 
 
 Historians may term Somerset weak, and Mr. Pennant may, indeed, pro- 
 claim him wicked, but it must not be forgotten that he was ever the Friend of 
 the People, and that he retained a popularity unparalleled through the whole 
 of his administration. 
 
 It now only remains to take notice of the life of Sir "William Chambers ; 
 some particulars of whom, we have had the honour of receiving from one of 
 the most illustrious characters connected with the science and letters of this 
 kingdom. 
 
 Sir William Chambers (Knight of the Polar Star, Surveyor-General of his 
 Majesty'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 Chalmers is of consider- 
 able antiquity in Scotland, and formerly possessed the Barony of Tartas, in 
 France. Concerning his family-derivation, however. Sir William appears not 
 to have entertained any pride. He probably never inquired into the situation 
 of his Scottish connexions, and certainly never used the nominal orthography 
 to which he was by birth entitled. 
 
 His grandfather was a merchant of some eminence, 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 by 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 
 
 l2 
 
SOMERSFT-HOUSE. 
 
 supercargo to a Swedish East-India ship, a situation which he occupied to 
 the full satisfaction of his employers. He, however, at a very early age, quit- 
 ted the Company's service, and devoted his attention to the art in which he 
 afterwards attained so considerable an eminence. 
 
 Shortly after his application to architectural studies, he visited England, and 
 ventured to appear before the public in capacity of author. His first work was 
 a " Dissertation on Oriental Gardening." A second edition soon appeared, 
 to which was annexed An Explanatory Discourse, by a Chinese writer. This 
 discourse was so skilfully burlesqued in the ■' Heroic Epistle," that Chambers 
 would gladly, at a subsequent period, have suppressed his Oriental specula- 
 tions, 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 Chambers was employed to erect 
 the brick Pagoda which stands in the south-east corner of the royal gardens 
 of Kew, at which place her Royal Highness the Princess Dowager of Wales 
 then resided. 
 
 It was here, no doubt, while employed in this work, that he profited by the 
 continual opportunities he possessed of soliciting the notice of bis late majesty, 
 who made it an invariable rule never to relax in good offices to the merit that 
 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 appointment, Sir William underwent 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) immediately put him in receipt of a consider- 
 able 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 ven- 
 tured 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 flatter- 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 rng description to name the architect of Somerset-house as the most active 
 person concerned in founding the Royal Academy. 
 
 The first effort towards any resemblance of an association of the artists of 
 this country occurred in the year 1724-. Sir James Thornhill 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 patronage inefficient, Sir James opened an Academy for Drawing at 
 his house in Covent-garden. 
 
 In the year 1750, the painters of Great Britain entered into terms of an- 
 nual subscription^ and rented a house in St. Martin's lane, where they assem- 
 bled for the pupose of painting from living 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, 1765, the associ- 
 ated artists obtained a royal charter of incorporation. The jealousy of those 
 persons who, from various motives, were not included in this charter of incor- 
 poration, broke forth shortly after ; and they not only withdrew their contri- 
 butions from the Society's annual collection, but instituted an exhibition of 
 their own. This, however, at^er 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 1769, to institute a Royal Academy of Paint- 
 ing, 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; which he did, at different times, to the amount 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 
 Chambers, enabled him to render the embryo society the most important, 
 services. — Wilson, West, Sandby, and Stubbs, were the principal artists with, 
 whom the scheme originated ; but Sir William joined efficiency to inclination, 
 and every lover, of the arts must unite in honouring the memory of the manj. 
 
SOMERSET-HOUSE. 
 
 to whose exertions, in a considerable degree, is owing that freedom of public 
 competition that is the foster-nurse of merit, and the best stimulant of youth- 
 ful perseverance and ambition. 
 
 Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his discourse delivered at the opening of the Royal 
 Academy (October 16, 1780) pays the talents of Sir W. Chambers a marked 
 compliment; " 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 who gaze with wonder at the structure, may not 
 be disappointed when they visit the apartments."* 
 
 Sir William Chambers does not appear to have been misled by any of those 
 , eccentricities 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, SirWiUiam certainly is not entitled to exalted commendation. 
 Besides the work already mentioned, he published " Designs for Chinese 
 Buildings," — " Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Perspective Views, of the Gar- 
 dens and Buildings at Kew." — And a " Treatise on Civil Architecture." All 
 of these works were, in 1769, incorporated into one folio volume. The trea- 
 tise on civil architecture is the most useful of his performances; but there his 
 plagiarisms are numerous, and his style of composition the most uncouth 
 imaginable. 
 
 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, whither 
 they were attended by many members of those dignified societies to which Sir 
 William had belonged. In the Abbey, the procession was joined by the prin- 
 cipal tradesmen concerned with the Board of Works, who 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. 
 
 * Discourse ix. &c. — Reynolds' Works. 
 
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 LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 IjINLITHGOW is a royal Scottish borough, and contains nearly 4,000i 
 inhabitants. The precise period of its creation cannot be accurately ascer-. 
 tained, 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 
 formidable 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 hum-., 
 bled with the dust. On the same site the Scottish monarchs 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 con- 
 tinual warfare, 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 splendour, 
 ornamental architecture held a place. Of so little consequence was this noble 
 art esteemed, that it was formerly objected to James III. that too much of his. 
 time was devoted to poetry, music, architecture, and such light toys. 
 
LINLITHGOW PAL.A.CE. 
 
 The revenues of the chieftains of those periods were expended in the politic 
 hospitality familiar to a feudal age. Each baron was a petty monarch, supe- 
 rior in almost all points, save those of form and ceremony, to the jurisdiction 
 of the sovereign. Not only was he agitated by a dread of the reo-al veno-eance 
 too often provoked 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 insecure in periods of turbulence by an expo- 
 sure 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 famiiy-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 favoured a 
 captivating magnificence of residence. Nature lent an abundance of her florid 
 charms to the chieftain's gloomy pile of unshaped stone. Down the tremen- 
 dous precipice that frowned derision on the assailant's utmost boldness, a con- 
 fluence of streams rolled an awful cascade ; the birch, the cypress, the heath, 
 the arbutus, tinted the mountain-side with the choicest of autumn's fluctua- 
 ting hues ; while the towering flight of the eagle and the falcon added to the 
 majesty of the scene. 
 
 It cannot be concealed that the Scots chief had another motive to prefer 
 strength to elegance in the form of his dwelling. Tempted by the frequent 
 commotions 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, without apprehension or remorse. The marriage-arti- 
 cles 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 micfwehnas 
 moon, or, in plainer language, 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 
 <levastation, the chief never ventured abroad, unless attended by an armed 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 band, while his castle was constantly stored with the arms and provision 
 requisite in a state of siege. Locked in the self-imprisonment of his own 
 Donjon,* the baron was insensible to everything partaking of mental refine- 
 ment, 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 pro- 
 geniture appears, indeed, to have been the most active principle in the antient 
 chieftain's breast. To so absurd an extent was this retrograde species of 
 self-exaltation carried, that, in one instance, it met with the discountenancing 
 rebuke of James I. — When that monarch, 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 period far too distant to obtain credit, when James interrupted him 
 with "3/on, ga7ig ?ia farther / let ma digest the knawledge I ha gaitied ; for, 
 by my saul ! I did na before hen that Adam's name was Lumley." 
 
 Among a nobility so locally insecure, so ferocious in inclination, and so 
 prone to substitute hereditary grandeur for personal merit and reputation, little 
 splendour in domestic architecture was to be expected ; even the king himself, 
 with respect to architectural grandeur of residence, aspired only to the dignity 
 of the first land-holder, in a steril and harassed country. Little pomp, amon©- 
 the early monarchs, attended the seat of regal power. Their mansions were, 
 formerly, strong holds of defence, not embellished ornaments of royalty. — 
 Still, by degrees, even during the prevalence of the feudal system, the harsh- 
 ness of the Scottish character became sensible of some amelioration ; and this 
 pleasing improvement may be accurately noted both in the character of build- 
 ing, and circumstances of locality adopted by the 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. Dunstaffnage 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 
 
 * The Keep, or chief residence of the castle, was so entitled. 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 to that track which is bounded by the courses of the Forth and the Tay, on 
 the south and the north ; on the west by the mountains ; and on the east by 
 the ocean. From the lofty battlements of Stirling-Castle, the royal eye sur- 
 veyed, with pride, the bold outlines of an unconquered kingdom. The 
 Grampians, the Ochills, and the Pentland Hills, conveyed a just idea of it<« 
 natural strength ; and the whole course of the Forth, with its tributary streams, 
 exhibited a pleasing prospect of its natural resources in fishing." — 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. The waters of the Avon meander 
 among the distant scenery, while Linlithgow lake (an expanse possessino- an 
 exquisite variety of picturesque points) reposes in the immediate vicinity of 
 the palace. Of the building itself, a magnificent ruin alone remains. From 
 that relic we learn that convenience, as well as safety, was studied by the 
 founder. 
 
 Linlithgow was a castellated mansion ; not, 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 fleece. n^iiund 
 
 The eminence on which the palace was seated may be supposed to have 
 rendered many circumstances of artificial security superfluous ; yet it is impos- 
 sible to note, without a considerable degree of pleasure, that increase of civi- 
 lization near the capital that warranted the absence of the donjon-keep, the 
 yawning moat, and apprehensive draw-bridge. 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 The interior of the three divisions yet remaining are marked by gloomy 
 grandeur. Long halls and passages communicate with the different ranges of 
 ruoms. The windows are very numerous and large, but the massive thick- 
 ness of the walls in which they are placed, must have considerably diminished 
 the effect of the rays which struggled to gain a passage through each half-trans- 
 parent section of stained glass. In computing the dulness of the state-rooms 
 of an antient Scottish palace, we must recollect, however, that little use was 
 made of them during the day. The hardy courtiers of the middle ages spent 
 nearly every hour, till the approach of darkness, in the open air. The chase, 
 the joust, or manly games of gymnastic recreation, were the regular employ- 
 ments of the most illustrious princes, when not engaged in warlike under- 
 takings. 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 mer- 
 riest measure succeeded, or haply, the " masking quaint and pageant bright." 
 ^-The revelry was ended ere the tapers were extinguished, and no eye disco- 
 vered 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 the Round 
 Tower and Cross of antient Ireland," observes an intelligent tourist, "excite 
 ideas which cannot fail to make a considerable impression upon the mind of a 
 classical reader and spectator : nor do the ruined castles and houses of the feudal 
 ages lessengageour attention, by recalling 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 bosom. 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 prosperous day, with the contem- 
 plation of the solitude and decay to which the pile has since become subject. 
 Who can view the sculptured shield, nowo'ergrown with moss, in a venerable 
 hall, and not pant to know the history of the mighty personage whose bear- 
 ings it announces } But, if that long-vanished hero should boast a name and 
 
 * Antique chandelier. 
 M 2 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 title distinguished in the historic tales that first engaged our fancy, how pecu- 
 liar 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. 
 
 In respect to a subject, indeed, that presents little other than majestic ruin, 
 we are necessarily debarred from all resemblance of lengthened architectural 
 disquisition. The object chiefly interests, as the decayed theatre of former 
 acts of alternate contention and magnificence. Each tottering stone arrests 
 the 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 dwelling " in Scotland. 
 He met his fate at Flodden-field, in an engagement which proceeded from a 
 paroxysm of thoughtless anger. The sculptured stone that yet retains the 
 memorial of the orders worn by James V. speaks incontestibly the affection 
 with which he 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 various changes his life of sceptered care underwent, Linlithgow was still 
 regarded as the home of dear enjoyment ! For the banquet luxurious and 
 uncontrolled ; the humourous masque and festive dance; or the more exqui- 
 site felicity of doymestic affection, he never failed to direct his exhilirated steps 
 to the well-known portals of Linlithgow palace. 
 
 The end of this prince is, in every shape, unpleasing 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 
 the great battle on Flodden-field,* they resisted 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 entrusted the com- 
 mand of the army that came in opposition to the English at Sol way Moss, to 
 
 • It is slated that at this battle twelve Scottish earls, thirteen lords, five eldest sobs of noble- 
 men, snd an incredible number of barons, were slain. 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 Oliver Sinclair.* Indignant at this supposed affront, the barons refused to 
 obey the favorite, and surrendered their forces (10,000 strong) to 500 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. 
 
 It would be unjust to quit James V. without observing, that his humanity 
 was so great that he was entitled "The Poor Man's King." His eagerness 
 to curtail the power of the predatory Barons, sometimes caused him to spend 
 whole days on horseback ; and his exertions produced so much internal secu- 
 rity, that it was a saying among the peasants, during his reign, " the rush-bush 
 keeps the cow." 
 
 While James was engaged in the English war, he placed his queen in the 
 favorite retirement of Linlithgow, and here, even in the palace where his 
 own infant hours had found security, was his royal consort delivered of a 
 daughter. The intelligence 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 king- 
 dom 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-omened daughter (destined to be the heroine of 
 many an historic tale, under the name of Mary, Queen of 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 ; — her beauty, lier 
 accomplished tenderness, her unshaken fortitude, — and her errors. The out- 
 lines of her story are too generally familiar for repetition ; yet we may be ex- 
 cused for bestowing a cursory glance on some parts of her eventful life, while 
 particularizing the spot on which she first engaged the hopes and fears of a 
 
 • One of the Sinclairs of Roslyn Castle. 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 TOyal parent, who derived consolation for the melancholy death of a husband, 
 in flattering presentiments regarding her orphan child. 
 
 There appears little room to doubt that the origin of Mary's misfortunes 
 may be ascertained in the mode of her education. No court in Europe 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, Mary rose to 
 the world well qualified to shine as a woman, but devoid of every adventitious 
 circumstance that could recommend her as a queen. With every thought 
 refined to the subtlety of love, and, at the same time, very lax notions respect- 
 ing the necessity of domestic duties, she 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 those 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 the 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 eflfected their purpose, and plunged her country 
 in calamity and bloodshed. 
 
 From the unhappy pertinacity with which she adhered to her religious sen- 
 timents, Mary derived her first misfortunes as a queen ; but it is to her mis- 
 conduct as a woman, 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 Darnley was a mere gust of passion. His lordship 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 consumma- 
 tion of a hasty union. 
 
 The tragical fate of this nobleman is well known. Whether the queen was 
 privy to the assassination or not, the indifference with which she shortly 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 treated him is well known to have proceeded from her affection for Bothwell'. 
 During the first frenzy of her passion, no court was more gay than that of 
 Queen Mary, and Henry Darnley. At Cruickston-castle they passed several 
 weeks of love and splendour. The lofty hall in which they regaled is still 
 exempt from the ruin that has befallen the other parts of the castle ; and there 
 to this hour, thrives the queen's favorite yew, which she has so often impressed 
 on her copper coins. — Linlithgow, 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 woundino- 
 through every accessible pore, nh fbiisi ju /isad oi ijgdJKbeii. 
 
 Another act of dissimulation in which Mary bore^ sfta'fe, was performed at 
 Linlithgow.— When determined on a nnarriage with Bothwell, the queen, 
 conversant in all the intriguing wiles of the French court, surrendered herself 
 at Linlithgow a voluntary prisoner, in order to evade the censures of the world 
 by an appearance of constraint.; 3i'j(ttfi2 9-1!: 
 
 Abandoned by Bothwell,* and opposed in the field by a icombination of 
 the Scottish nobles, Mary soon experienced ail the miseries of a real confine- 
 merit. The common people of Scotland appear to have been peculiarly invet- 
 erate in their dislike of the queen's conduct. When Mary entered the camp 
 of her own nobles, abandoned 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 utteringthese words, ' Judge and revenge 
 my cause, O Lord !'— It w;as. nqvv th^t. Mary felt ■ the woe of real captivity 
 
 * Few men have experienced so compleVe'a reverse of fortune as tins ambitious Earl. A frer 
 his fligiit from Pinkey, he lurked; ftr some tinier among hii vassals at Dunbar ; and, driven thence 
 he retired to the Orkney Islei. Hunted from place to place, accompanied by a few retainers 
 •s desperate as himself, he endeavoured to procure subsistence 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, he fell in with a vessel richly laden, and immediately 
 engaged it. After a desperate fight, Bothwell and all his crew were taken prisoners. His name 
 and quality preserved him from the infamous death to which his associates were consigned, but 
 did not mitigate the hardships of his imprisonment. He lang'uished teii' yttrSin this unhappy 
 condition. Melancholy and despair deprived him of reason, and aMast he'tndtd' his davs in a, 
 Norwegian dungeon, unpilied and unlaroented. , ., :. ,;,nt>i.i ..,.:, . ■ 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 .... she melted into tears, and was with difficulty kept from sinking on the 
 ground. jd ^v v 
 
 The unjust severities of Queen Elizabeth were, tit 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 
 Csesar had not disdained to hear, or read, the complaint of an advertiser, he 
 had not so died. Why should princes' ears be stopped, 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 basilisk, and less of 
 the camelion, to turn you to my likeness ; and, though I should be so danger- 
 ous and curst, as men say, you are sufticiently armed with constancy and 
 justice, which I require of God^.whe give you grace to use it well, with Jong 
 and happy life." - ■ : ■ n '.U; I -.•■-,•.> 
 
 There is no period of history more popular in this island than that which 
 comprises the adventures of Mary, Queen of Scots. This does not appear to 
 result from any peculiar point of interest contained in the political events 
 of her reign, but from the picturesque situations in^ which the 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 from 
 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, " Fare- 
 well, France ! Farewell, beloved country, which I shall never more behold !" 
 
 The person of Mary, though undoubtedly beautiful, gains fresh charms, in 
 imagination, from the contrast presented by Elizabeth. Those writers who 
 describe her as ascending the scaffold (in her last awful hour) with " alacrity," 
 forget that she grew extremely fat as she advanced in years, and that, for some 
 time previous to her death, she had been atflicted with a rheumatism which 
 deprived her of the use of her limbs. 
 
 One remaining historical circumstance, connected with Linlithgow, cannot 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 properly be omitted, though the story may be said to appertain 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 Mary. Just and penetrating; courageous and unpolished; Murray 
 possessed the chief qualifications requisite in a ruler of the Scots at this junc- 
 ture. The two rival parties in religion now maintained their dispute with 
 the most zealous acrimony. This contest was the touchstone of legislative 
 ability. Murray was decidedly in favour of the Protestants ; but seems to have 
 been perfectly aware of the political coolness necessary in a governor during 
 every period disgraced by violent religious dissentions. 
 
 This nobleman, who had retired to France after the murder of Darnley, was 
 promoted to the regency during the confinement of the queen at Lochlevin. 
 Immediately on his return, he waited on Mary in her solitude. "This visit " 
 says Dr. Robertson, " 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 with the queen concerning her past conduct, and 
 charged her faults so home upon her, that Mary, who had flattered herself with 
 more gentle and brotherly treatment, melted 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 opportunity of trying his strength and his talents. Mary soon 
 collected an army of 6000 men ; while the regent, on whom these events 
 suddenly burst as he m-as holding a court of justice at Glasgow, was provided 
 with no greater train than was usual to times of peace. In this exigency 
 the superiority of Murray's genius appeared. His friends warmly pressed him 
 to retire ; but he firmly stood his ground, and amused the queen with pretend- 
 ed terms of negotiation, while he drew together his adherents from every part 
 of the kingdom. With these he took the field. The queen was a spectator 
 of the conflict from a hill no great distance; and from this eminence sh« 
 witnessed the destruction of her last hope, and the complete triumph of the 
 regent. 
 
 N 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 In a conference held at York, during which Elizabeth wished him to prefer 
 an accusation against Mary, as a party concerned in the murder of her husband, 
 Murray evinced real compassion for his royal sister by declining the task. So 
 many political intrigues, however, darken this period of Scottish history, that 
 it is plausibly contended, that his forbearance was caused by the influence of the 
 Duke of Norfolk, who entertained 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 English sovereign. 
 
 In his conflict with the Duke of Chatelheraulr, Murray shewed his accus- 
 tomed promptitude. The Duke, with the high dignity of the queen's lieu- 
 tenant-general in Scotland, and the fantastic appellationof her adopted father, 
 endeavoured to exhilirate Mary's party to activity ; but the regent watched 
 his opportunity, seized the Duke in his own house, and conveyed him pri- 
 soner 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 his character of birth, he had, at the 
 commencement of life, obtained provision in the church. The perturbed 
 events that succeeded the improvident marriages of his sister, called his abili- 
 ties into full display ; and it may be confidently aflSrmed that no administra- 
 tion but his own was likely to afford anysemblanceof tranquillity to Scotland 
 at this period. Many failings, detestable in a tranquil era, candour may pass 
 over as venial in the man possessing a plenitude of power that has been 
 snatched from the ruins of an adverse faction. The dignified austerity of the 
 prior of St. Andrew's certainly degenerated to pride in the person of the Lord 
 Regent of Scotland, and the pity of the brother was absorbed in the indigna- 
 tion 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 any of those gloomy murders to which the age was 
 addicted ; and, all circumstances duly weighed, 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. 
 
LINLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 While beset with numberless anxieties, and replete with schemes of high 
 national import, the regent was assassinated in the 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 his 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 ; where, before next 
 morning, she became furiously mad. This injury made a deeper impression 
 on him than the benefit he had received, and from that moment he vowed to 
 be revenged on his presumed oppressor. Party-rage strengthened and inflamed 
 his private resentment. His kinsmen, the Hamiltons, applauded the enter- 
 prize. The maxims of that age^' justified the most desperate course he could 
 lake to obtain vengeance. He followed the regent for some time, and watch- 
 ed for an opportunity lo strike the blow. He resolved, at last, to wait till 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 towards the street ; spread a feather-bed on the floor, to hinder the 
 noise of his feet from being heard; hung up a black cloth behind him that 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 indistinct information of the danger which threat- 
 ened him had been conveyed to the regent, and he paid so much regard to it, 
 that he resolved not 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 was 
 great, and he unacquainted with fear, he proceeded directly along the street ; 
 
 ■* The crime of assassination was held in an insignificant light at this period, both by the French 
 and the Scots, between whom there was a remarkable affinity of manners. It was not before the 
 royal authority acquired additional vigour, from the accession of James VI. that a stop was put 
 to the practice in Scotland. In 1417 it required all Ihe eloquence and authority of the famous 
 Gerson to prevail on the Council of Constance lo condemn this proposition, " that there are some 
 cases in which assassination is 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 remem- 
 brance by the reader, w ho forms a judgment of the human character from the representations of 
 history. 
 
 N 2 
 
UNLITHGOW PALACE. 
 
 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 
 other 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 passage, 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 his character :— " Injured 
 affection 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. The rebellion of 1716 transferred that 
 honor to the house of Hamilton ;— a lucrative trust, which it still possesses. 
 
 * Robertson, vol. i. p. 435. 
 
Wi^totmX 'FteUj 
 
 OF 
 
 THE MARBLE PALACE, 
 
 ST. PETERSBURG. 
 
 A HERE is no illustrious character of antiquity, or of modern times, which 
 has attracted less notice or merited more admiration, than Peter the Great. 
 
 His history deserves peculiar attention. The country which Alexander could 
 not conquer was subdued by Peter, not by rapine and violence, by war and 
 desolation ; but by virtue, urbanity, and science. Historians condescend to 
 venerate the plunderers and destroyers of mankind, but those who have dis- 
 tributed peace and happiness through all the degrees of rank, from the cottage 
 to the throne, are neglected and forgotten. History is only useful as it conduces 
 to the welfare of the species: the Iliad of Homer formed the mind of Philip's 
 son, the curse of the human race: the history of Peter is adapted to infuse 
 those pacific principles, which, in every age, are the blessing of society. 
 
 Whatever may be said of the ferocity of the Saracen, or of the barbarity of 
 the Muscovite, the reigns of the Emperors of Turkey and of Russia, for a 
 considerable period, were the most tranquil and durable of any of the potentates 
 of Europe and Asia. Peter the Great ascended the throne in the year 1682, 
 and, during his protracted government, founded Petersburg, the new capital of 
 a dominion more extensive than the Roman Empire. The success of all the 
 plans of this illustrious Prince, for the welfare of his people, depended on 
 his skill in effecting an important change in the public mind : in the attempt^ 
 he had to contend with the ignorance and ferocity of the Sarmatian horde, 
 
THE MARBLE PALACE, ST. PETERSBURG. 
 
 and perhaps nothing shews more conspicuously his wisdom and sagacity, 
 than the humane and familiar means he employed to accomplish this great 
 design. 
 
 One of the most remarkable events connected with his reign, was the 
 removal of his capital nearly 600 miles from the ancient seat of barbarian 
 empire. Petersburg is built in the gulf of Cronstadt, intersected by artificial 
 channels of the Neva, which limit the districts of the city. This magnificent 
 capital, in the year 1702, was a putrid fen. 
 
 The first Admiralty division is in the centre of the residence. It is the 
 smallest, but the most elegant. What the quartier du Palais Royal was to 
 Paris, this division is to St. Petersburg, the heart of the city, in which luxury 
 and wealth have established their seat, the centre of amusement and business, 
 the brilliant resort of pleasure and fashion. Within its circuit are three-and- 
 twenty structures of magnitude, of which the imperial winter palace is the 
 most conspicuous. Next in rank is the Marble Palace; itfonrs a quadrangle, 
 and atone extreme are two projecting wings. The main tront has a spacious 
 court, bound by the manege of the palace. This gigantic pile is composed 
 of three stories, and the general effect is in a high degree magnificent: the 
 basement is of granite, the superstructure of gray marble, decorated with 
 columns and pilasters of red marble ; the roof is supported by iron bars, and 
 is covered with sheet-copper ; the window-frames are of brass richly gilt, and 
 the balconies of the same material. The marble and metallic ornaments 
 meet the eye in every direction, and call to the mind ofthe astonished spectator 
 the oriental tales of golden palaces ; but when the first paroxysm of admiration, 
 has subsided, and time is allowed to survey the edifice with the eye of an 
 artist, he observes some defects. The colour of the marble is too dark, and 
 the general character is too ponderous. The principle facade ought certainly 
 to have been erected toward the Neva, from whose shores it would have risen 
 ^like a splendid temple dedicated to the gods of this imperial river,[ viivwh Ann 
 
 The palace was built originally for the favorite of Catherine II. before 
 she ascended the throne ; his name was Gregory OrlofF. Of the family of 
 Orloff there were five brothers, who rose to consideration in the state ; and if we 
 may confide in the authority of a French writer, one of them, Alexis, afterwards 
 admiral in the Turkish war in 1768, was instrumental in the barbarous 
 
THE MARBLE PALACE, ST. PETERSBURG. 
 
 regicide committed on the person of Catherine's husband. Gregory neither 
 possessed the advantages of birth or education ; but he was endowed with 
 personal courage and manly beauty. It was a species of vanity with Count 
 Peter Schuwaloff, commander of the corps of artillery to which OrlofFbelonged, 
 to employ the handsomest men to attend his person in the office of aides-de- 
 camp, and on this account he selected Gregory. For the same reason the 
 Princess Kourakin, who was the commander's mistress, preferred the new 
 attendant to his general : Schuwaloff discovered their intrigue, and threatened 
 to cool his ardour amid the snows of Siberia. The adventure attracted aeneral 
 notice ; the more clamorous the mortified commander, the greater was the 
 risibility he excited : the profligate maxims of a court on such occasions, 
 admit a very small degree of compassion to be exercised toward the sufferer, 
 and very little resentment to the intruder. Orloff rather attracted envy than 
 indignation, and the Arch-Duchess Catherine wasextremly curious to see this 
 irresistible aide-de-camp. Iwanoffna, her woman, procured an interview ; the 
 connection was frequent; Orloff became the partner of her pleasure, and the 
 associate of her ambition : in the latter he was at this time probably her sole 
 confidant, in the former he had many coadjutors. 
 
 It is computed, as nearly as possible, that Catherine expended on the com- 
 panions of her sexual pleasures, during the thirty-four years of her reign, a sum 
 equal to ^'20,000,000 sterling, so that the imperial establishment dedicated 
 to Venus, may be estimated at the annual charge of nearly ^'600,000, 
 After Orloff had been rejected, he unexpectedly appeared at the resi- 
 dence of the Court; the Empress knew the violence of his temper, the 
 guard of the palace was double, and the military were stationed to protect 
 the person of the new favorite. These precautions were unnecessary, the 
 unsupported valor of Orloff must prove ineffectual; he was disgraced, and 
 therefore he was abandoned. The intrepidity of the discarded lover was not 
 easily shaken : messengers on the part of the Empress demanded of him the 
 resignation of his employment— he sent them back unsatisfied. The Empress 
 could easily punish the subject who resisted her will, but she was disposed 
 to treat with indulgence the friend she had cherished in her bosom. Orloff, 
 who would not submit to violence, yielded to the condescension of his royal 
 mistress, whose generosity conferred upon him, as the price of his submission, 
 
THE MARBLE PALACE ST. PETERSBURG. 
 
 100,000 rubles, a pension of 50,000, a silver vessel of singular magnificence 
 and an estate (in the Russian mode of computation) of 6000 peasants He 
 had already obtained the diploma of Prince of the Empire ; as it was his 
 intention to travel, Catherine wished him to assume the title, ambitious no 
 doubt, that he should appear at foreign courts with the dignity due to the 
 imperial favorite. 
 
 The liberality of the Empress could not administer consolation to Orloff- he 
 had married a young and beautiful woman, but the accession of the new 
 favorites was to him insupportable. He endeavoured to amuse his mind by 
 travelling:— during his stay at Lausanne his wife died, which involved him in 
 the most poignant grief. Soon after this event he returned to court, where he 
 affected the most extravagant gaiety, to the malicious amusement of the 
 courtiers, who were well acquainted with the history of his disappointment. 
 OrlofF at length retired to Moscow, where he died in despair. 
 
 On this event the Marble Palace devolved back to the Empress; and during 
 her life it remained uninhabited. Paul, her successor, having invited Stan^- 
 islaus Poniatowsky, King of Poland (her early favorite) to Petersburg, he 
 made this the place of his residence, where he terminated his inglorious life 
 
 The view we have given of the Marble Palace, in the plate, is sufficient to 
 shew It to be a building of considerable magnificence. It is of the composite 
 order; the columns are tolerably correct in the base and the shaft, but not 
 perfectly so in the capital and entablature. When we consider that so short 
 a period has elapsed since the time when almost every building in the Russian 
 empire was of unhewn wood, we are astonished at the rapid improvement in 
 the arts, which exhibits, in so striking a view, the wisdom and energy of the 
 Imperial Throne. 
 
P ,^ 
 
 c 
 a 
 
 I U 
 
mmviption 
 
 OF 
 
 THE PALACE OF ST. CLOUD; 
 
 WITH 
 
 ANECDOTES OF THE COVHT OF FRANCS. 
 
 The gallantry of the French people has exposed their government, in a 
 peculiar degree, to the influence of women ;* accustomed, in the ordinary 
 intercourse of life, to prostrate themselves before these idols of their vanity 
 or their passion, the imperial command devolved so naturally into female 
 hands, that it appeared the only exercise of legitimate power, the only means 
 to deprive authority of the character of brutal force, and to invest it with the 
 awful form of divinity, to which perfect obedience is an unceasing obligation 
 What is the history of Europe during the eighteenth century ? There is no 
 great public transaction in which Madame de Maintenon, Elizabeth Farnese 
 Maria Theresa, the second Catherine, and Maria Antoinette, have not been 
 the tiiost powerful agents ; and it is well known that a grizette, a courtesan, 
 
 • Women, in all ages and in all countries, have had a peculiar influence on the manners, tastes 
 and pursuits of mankind ; yet, surprising as itmay appear, their education has ever been marked 
 by the most disgraceful inattention. « Why mankind (says a recent author) have so uniformly 
 neglected the heart and understanding of a creature whose person has called forth their 
 warmest panegyrics, and whose shrine they, have approached with the richest incense of idolatry 
 and adulation, IS a phenomenon which has never yet been satisfactorily accounted for "-See 
 Desultory Remarks on Female Education, by a late Kingswood Scholar, published by F. Westley 
 The reason is there, in some degree, explained. ' 
 
PALACE OF ST. CLOUD. 
 
 and three prostituted sisters, exercised an undisputed controul over the most 
 dio-nified monarchy of the continent.* These women were not contented with 
 the humble office of pulHng the strings for the royal puppet behind the scenes, 
 but they advanced forward on the stage, glittered beneath the imperial canopy, 
 and held audiences of state, in the array of Indian magnificence. Embassadors 
 to these Cytherean queens were not chosen for the profundity of their wisdom 
 or the dignity of their station, but for their skill in intrigue, their insinuating 
 address, and the virility of their form. If the hoary annalist feel it an insult 
 to the importance of his profession, to detail the history of the toilette, let 
 him read the official instruments which passed during the reign of Lewis 
 XV. between the courts of Versailles, Vienna, and Potsdam; let him 
 repair to Berlin, and examine the vessels of massive gold, and the gems of 
 purest ray, which once embellished the apartments, and decorated the person 
 of the authoress of the " Seven Years War," and reduced the domain of Frederic 
 the Great to the narrow boundary of the encampment his army occupied. 
 After he has been so employed, he will condescend to repair with us to the 
 Palace of St. Cloud, and will acknowledge himself to be more advantageously 
 mstructed in affairs of state, in the Pavilion de la Felicity, than in the eleven 
 parliaments of the kingdom. 
 
 St. Cloud is watered by the river Seine, at the distance of about six miles 
 from Paris. The origin of the name is from Clovis, the founder of the French, 
 monarchy. It has been called by the continental lawyers a ducal peerage,, 
 and was attached to the archbishopric of Paris, the incumbent of which, from 
 this qualification, attained the rank of Duke of St. Cloud and peer of France. 
 The approach to the village is over a stone bridge, which leads to the Palace 
 through a protracted avenue. It was occupied by the royal family in the 
 troublesome reign of Henry III. and here that prince fell under the hand of 
 
 the assassin. 
 
 James Clement, a young Dominican monk, worked up to religious frenzy 
 by his fanatical companions of the cloister, issued from the darkness of his 
 
 * The first is Mile. Lange, from the stews of Paris; the second is, Madame de Pompadour, 
 who expired by poison in 1764. The three Paphian sisters were Mesdaraes de Mailly, de Vin- 
 tiinille, and de Chateauroux. Of Vintimille it was said, by Mad. de Flavacourt, that she hjct^ 
 the size of a grenadier, the necjc of a crajie, and the smell of an ape. 
 
PALACE OF ST. CLOUD. 
 
 cell to the splendors of the palace, confident of obtaining a heavenly crown 
 
 by wresting the earthly diadem from the head of his sacrilegious prince. He 
 
 procured false letters of credence, and was admitted to the royal cabinet. 
 
 Having delivered his papers, he approached his sovereign, as if to impart 
 
 some matters of great moment; at that instant, he drew a poniard from 
 
 beneath his tunic, and sheathed it in the vitals of Henry. The prince himself 
 
 drew it forth from the wound, and screaming aloud for assistance, struck the 
 
 monk with the reeking weapon on. the forehead. The attendants rushed in, 
 
 pierced the delinquent with an hundred swords, and, in the fury of their 
 
 indignation, threw the mangled carcase from the window, from whence it 
 
 appeared, dashed to pieces on the platform. Thus fell the last prince of the 
 
 illustrious house of Valois. 
 
 The palace afterwards devolved to the Goudy family, from which it was 
 
 obtained by Lewis XIV. for his brother the Duke of Orleans. It is considered 
 
 one of the most beautiful royal residences of the kingdom ; the situation, the 
 
 views, the cascades, the woods, the statuary, and the architecture, all contribute 
 
 to reward the curiosity of the spectator. Two courts appear in the front, the 
 
 nearer being a terrace considerably elevated above the more remote. The 
 
 building is composed of a centre and wings, the latter being united to the 
 
 main building by the mediation of two pavilions. The central facade is about 
 
 one hundred and fifty feet wide, and rises to the altitude of about seventy-five. 
 
 On entering the inner court, in the niches of the right wing we observe four 
 
 statues, representing Eloquence, Music, Youth, and Jollity. On the left 
 
 are Momus, a Bacchante, Peace, and Riches. The most remarkable of the 
 
 apartments are the celebrated gallery of Apollo, and the two saloons to which 
 
 the left wing is devoted : these are connected in one line, and, at the extreme, 
 
 open to an orangery, through which is seen, in the distance, as on the disk 
 
 of a telescope, the city of Paris, and the expansive vale where it reposes. 
 
 In the great saloon, which precedes the gallery, are beautiful paintings, 
 
 giving the progressive history of the loves of Mars and Venus. Cupids are 
 
 represented as disarming the god of his beamy terrors before he approach the 
 
 yielding form of his divine mistress : but the discreet artist has given a lesson 
 
 of caution to sensuality in the figure of the son of Latona, who appears as 
 
 the effulgent orb of day, discovering to Vulcan the lascivious dalliance of 
 
 o 2 
 
PALACE OF ST. CLOUD. 
 
 liis wife with her ardent paramour. In the gallery are represented the birth 
 of Apollo and Diana, and various amorous stories from the classic poets. 
 
 The gardens are not in the modern style, but in the formality of the last 
 century. .,.. . 
 
 If the reader should have condescended to accompany us thus far in 
 this little circuit, and shall have considered that some conclusion may be 
 drawn on the sensuality and the pride of courts from this description, he 
 perhaps will not be less instructed in the characters of public life, by a few 
 moments attention to its late occupants. 
 
 It is confidently reported that Egalite (Duke of Orleans) lost this mansion 
 and its dependencies to Marie Antoinette at the gaming-table. While it was 
 in his princely possession, we know that the orgies of Bacchus were held 
 there, and that all the pranks of the Ascolia and Dionysia were permitted and 
 performed. When it devolved to the successful female competitor, it still 
 continued a temple worthy of the son of Semele. The Queen of France 
 forsook the magnificent palaces of the line of Bourbon, and in the Trianon 
 and St. Cloud, devoted herself to those festivities which were inconsistent 
 with her station as a princess, and her delicacy as a woman. We are not dis- 
 posed to soil our pages with the obscenities described by the pen of Soulavie ;* 
 but our annalist will acknowledge, that it is the duty of the historian to pro- 
 claim the vices of distinguished characters, that mankind may not entrust 
 their dearest interests to panders and harlots, but attend to every means of 
 defence they can derive from equal laws and legitimate power. It is a fact 
 which cannot be disputed, that the acknowledged consort of Lewis XVI. 
 condescended to become an instrument as destructive to France, as the 
 concubines of his predecessor ; that the Pavilion de la Felicity, (for such was 
 the name she assigned the retreat of lascivious indulgence), was not only the 
 scene of her amours, with the Dillons and Cognis of her pleasures, but 
 that the arcana of the political and Cyprian cabinets were unveiled at the 
 same jnstant, and St. Cloud was thus rendered the theatre of public and 
 private prostitution. .ni ,i'. 
 
 * Memoires Hist, et Polit. de Louis XVI. par Soulawe. 
 
2_ ^^ 
 
 % 
 
 
 lll|INIINilllll1lllllllllllllllllll[lllllllirilll'lillill[llllll|lll|IIINII|[|llllllllllill1lllNI!IHIillll|lllllili 
 
^Btmi^tion 
 
 OF 
 
 KENSINGTON PALACE AND GARDENS ; 
 
 WITH 
 
 OBSERVATIONS OS P^ICTVRESQUE SCENERY. 
 
 Kensington Palace was purchased by William III. for the sum of 
 ^20,000, of the Earl of Nottingham, soon after his accession, and it con- 
 tinued to be the residence of the royal family during the three succeedintr 
 reigns. It is a large, irregular edifice, the architecture of which admits no 
 general description, because it violates every principle of the art. The state-^ 
 apartments consist of a suite of twelve rooms. The ceilings and the great 
 staircase were painted by Kent. The latter exhibits a groupe of portraits, 
 amongwhich ishis own ; and his humour has assigned to himself as a companion 
 Peter the Wild Boy, with whom he might study nature in her rudest form.* 
 In one of the galleries there is a very fine drawing in chalk, six yards in length, 
 by Casanova, of an altar-piece, from Raphael. The only statuary deserving 
 notice is an antique in the privy-chamber, representing Mariniana, the niece 
 of Trajan. The green-house is near the north-east angle of the principal 
 structure; within, we observe the absurdity of Corinthian columns; and 
 without, rusticated pilasters and projections, to prevent, as much as possible, 
 the access of the solar beam. We understand Queen Ann was partial to. 
 taking her evening refreshment within this edifice. The aflfected stateliness 
 
 * Our readers may find a catalogue of the Euglish portraits in this palace, in " The Environs 
 of London," by the Rev. DaniaLLy sons, 4to. Vol. III. pages 183 and 184., 
 
KENSINGTON PALACE AND GARDENS, 
 
 of the structure is certainly much better adapted to a banquetting-room than 
 to the purpose for which it was designed ; and the architect was indebted to 
 the complaisance of his royal mistress, who, when the building was wholly 
 inefficient to the original intention, contrived to apply it to another use, to 
 which it was much better adapted. 
 
 Accustomed to the contracted limits of Dutch horticulture, William con- 
 tented himself with the grounds in their original state, comprising only twenty- 
 six acres. Queen Ann added thirty more, which were squared out in the 
 native formality of her gardener, Mr. Wise. 
 
 " Hinc et nexilibus vineas e frondibus hortos, 
 
 " Implexos late muros, et moenia circdm 
 
 " Porrigene, et latas ^ ramis surgere turres."* 
 
 But, on these gardens devolving to the care of Mr, Bridgeman, a beautiful 
 
 * It seems highly probable, that the lawn before the south fayade of Kensington Palace was 
 a Roman military road. London was the terminus of many itinera, which were anciently known 
 by the names of Watling-street, Hermin-street, Fosse, and Iknild-street ; and so important did 
 that Tictorious people consider the preservation of these to the purposes of their government, 
 that a system of laws was established for the regulation of these great outlets from the capital, 
 known by the name of Pax Quatour Cheminorum. 
 
 The military road of which we are speaking is the first we have named ; which, occupying 
 a line due-west, entered the country of the Atrebates, over the bridges of the Tamesis, at 
 Pontes ; it then extended north-west to Calleva ; from thence it advanced to the coast, in a 
 line due-south, passing Venta in its progress, and meeting the sea at Clausentum, which it left 
 in a right angle, and, proceeding east, terminated at Regnum. Clausentum is the county of the 
 Segontiaci ; the latter is the capital of the Regni. 
 
 The modern names of th ese are as follow : 
 
 Atrebates Bucks, and part of Berks. Caleva Silchester. 
 
 Pontes Old Windsor. Venta Winchester. 
 
 Clausentum Old Southampton. Regium Chichester 
 
 Segontiaci Hampshire. Regni Surry and Sussex. 
 
 Chester, in "the name of towns, denotes Castra Stativa, or Roman stations. In the preceding 
 observations we have followed Dr. Horsley in his Britannia Romani, comparing his curious 
 itinerary of Antoninus with the maps of the celebrated D'Anville. The inquisitive student will, 
 Jiowever, discover a material difference in the distances calculated by these two learned geogra- 
 phical antiquarians ; the computation of the former is 96 miles, the latter extends it to about 
 100 miles, so illusive are sometim es the labours of the profound scholar. 
 
KENSINGTON PALACE AND GARDENS. 
 
 sweep of 300 acres, inclosed from Hyde Park, was united to the gardens^ 
 and they were thus rendered worthy the royal occupation. But the prin- 
 cipal picturesque embellishments were from the taste of Mr. Kent, and, 
 subsequently, of a gentleman whose talents acquired him the familiar appellation 
 of Capability Brown. 
 
 The premises, in their present state, comprehend something more than 
 350 acres, their figure approaching the quadrangular form. The boundaries 
 by the Acton and Kensington roads, by Hyde Park, and by the fields 
 adjacent to the Holland estate, are too well known to need a particular 
 description. 
 
 It is an acknowledged principle that the mansion to which extensive gardens 
 belong, should be placed nearly in the centre ; that it should not be elbowed 
 by church-yards, roads, and cottages, but have ample room on every side. 
 The reader will immediately perceive that the situation of Kensington Palace 
 is not consistent with this rule of taste. 
 
 Besides several obvious inconveniences from the awkward position, the 
 beauty of the Serpentine road, in which all the magic of the scenery is to be 
 gradually disclosed, is lost, for we cannot justify giving our friends a circuitous 
 course when a direct road is obvious to the eye, and hence the artificial inter- 
 position of water or wood is necessary where any deviation is introduced from 
 the right line of approach. 
 
 Another acknowledged maxim is, that where the ground itself is flat, every 
 possible variety should be given in the wood and water. Notwithstanding 
 the ingenuity of Messrs. Bridgman,. Kent, and Brown, we yet discern the 
 folly of Mr. Wise, which rendered the equality of surface more insipid by 
 the uniformity of his designs. The most remarkable defect of this kind is 
 adjacent to the green-house or banquetting-room. Here are not, indeed, 
 giants, dragons, and dolphins, in yew, box, and holly, but these monsters 
 are metamorphosed into walls, niches, and columns, in the true style of the 
 gardens of our universities, where they, prefer Lais to Lucretius, and Pbryne 
 
 to Pliny. 
 
 The terrace and the walks adjacent to the house are in the style of Bridgman. 
 Notwithstanding this improver had introduced cultivated tracts, and even 
 small portions of forestrscenery into ornamental horticulture, of which we 
 
KENSINGTON PALACE AND GARDENS. 
 
 have pleasing examples in these gardens, yet he still preserved his attachment 
 to strait walks and high sloped hedges in the neighbourhood of the dwelling, 
 and this error is not only seen in the entire west-side from one extremity to 
 the other, but is discerned in by far the greater part of the northern and 
 southern enclosures. In all ornamented ground, the limits should be com- 
 pletely hid from every place where curiosity would lead the step of the wan- 
 derer : the expedient for this purpose is either by a shrubbery intermixed with 
 umbrageous trees, or by a narrow grove where small trees, or a portion of 
 underwood, is admitted, to obstruct the step of the inquisitive. Some of our 
 readers will recollect that, at the south-west and north-east angles, this deception 
 is agreeably employed. The greater part of the boundary of Kensington 
 gardens is of the most offensive kind ; it consists, to the north and south, of a 
 heavy dark brick wall, and to the west principally of a cut quick-hedge, the 
 formality of which, however appropriate to aferme ornee, is not adapted to 
 embellished horticulture. 
 
 The fertile imagination of Mr. Kent suggested the highest improvements 
 in artificial scenery, and he is justly complimented in the harmonious num- 
 bers of Mason, who introduces into a few lines the instructive lessons of 
 his art. 
 
 " Say, lovely lawn, that felt his forming hand. 
 How soon thy surface shone with verdure new; 
 How soon obedient Flora brought her store, 
 And o'er thy breast a shower of fragrance flung: 
 Vertumnus came, his earliest blooms he bore. 
 And thy rich sides with waving purple hung. 
 Then to the sight he called yon stately spire. 
 He pierc'd the opposing oak's luxuriant shade. 
 Bade yonder crowding hawthorn low retire. 
 Nor veil the glories of the sylvan mead." 
 
 The boldest embellishment is from this artist : it consists in the fosse or 
 ha ! ha ! toward Hyde- Park, which connects with the gardens the beauty of that 
 tract of ground, and the whole range of the Serpentine river, by which it is 
 intersected. From the instant the ha I ha! was resorted to, all the subsequent 
 improvements must in course occur to the man of taste ; the contrast between 
 
KENSINGTON PALACE AND GARDENS. 
 
 the formality of the gardens and the free character of rural scenery was too 
 disgusting to be long admitted. It became now necessary to combine the 
 style of the one with the other ; tameness and foppery were abandoned, and 
 the energy and liberty of nature prevailed. The gradation, however, is not 
 correctly preserved in the grounds of Kensington: the extreme richness and 
 luxuriance of the garden is precipitately interrupted by the deficiency of wood 
 in the Park, and if the projections of the fosse and the copses with which 
 the enclosed tract is surmounted, in some small degree relieve this defect, 
 yet it is much too obtrusive, and ought to be corrected by extensive plan- 
 tations, to harmonize the general character. The only portion where the 
 correspondence is at all preserved, is on the shelving banks of the Serpentine 
 river, and even here the few straggling trees of the Park, although of consi- 
 derable magnitude, are very far from accomplishing the design. 
 
 Ail the views from the south and east facades of the edifice suflTer from the 
 absurdity of the early inspectors of these grounds. The three vistas opening 
 from the latter, without a single wave in the outline, without a clump or a few 
 insulated trees to soften the glare of the champagne, or diminish the oppressive 
 weight of the incumbent grove, are among the greatest deformities. The 
 most exquisite view in the gardens is near the north-east angle at the ingress 
 of the Serpentine river, which takes an easy wind toward the Park, and is 
 ornamented on either side by sloping banks, with scenery of a different 
 character.* To the left the wood presses boldly on the water, whose polished 
 bosom seems timidly to recede from the dark intruder: to the right, a few 
 truant foresters interrupt the uniformity of the parent grove, which rises at some 
 distance on the more elevated part of the shore, and through the boles of 
 the trees are discovered minute tracts of landscape, in which the eye of taste 
 can observe sufficient variety of light and shade of vegetable and animal life, 
 
 * This river, wlikli expands its l)road surface in these grounds, shows tiie fociht) witii whicls 
 an insignificant rill maj be converted into an object of greai beauty. The spring first forms a 
 
 contemptible stream near the base of Hanipstead Hill (which is part;of a continued chain extending 
 from the borders of Essex, nearly to the confines of Buckir>ghams"hite), from thence it proceeds 
 south by West End, Kilborue, and Haddington, entering the gardens at Bayswaler, where it is 
 artificially widened till it leaves Hyde-Park, from whence it hurries onward, in a contract^ 
 channel, to the Thames, in which it disappears at Chelsea. 
 
KENSENGTON PAL-ICE AND GARDENS. 
 
 CO gratify the imagination and disappoint the torpor, which the more sombre 
 scenery to the east is accustomed to invite. 
 
 The pencil of Claude and Poussin was employed on general landscape ; 
 and the transport inspired by their works is from the composition and general 
 effect, not from the exact resemblance of objects, to which Swanevelt and 
 Waterlo were so scrupulously attentive. In the landscape of nature, as well 
 as in the feeble imitations of the artist, individuals deserve some attention. 
 The largest and most beautiful of all the productions of the earth is a tree. 
 As the effulgent tints of the insect must yield to the elegance and proportion 
 of the other orders of animals, when contemplated by our imperfect optics, 
 so the gorgeous radiance of the flower must bend its coronal honors to this- 
 gigantic offspring of nature, whose ample foliage receives all the splendid 
 effects of light and shade, and gives arrangement and composition to landscape. 
 The trees that conduce to the sublime in scenery are the oak, the ash, the 
 elm, and the beech. It is a defect in the gardens at Kensington, that, 
 excepting the elm, the whole of this beautiful fraternity is excluded, so that 
 all the variety of tint in the spring and autumn is lost, and the gardens burst 
 into the luxuriance of summer, and hasten to the disgrace of winter, without 
 those gradations which indulgent nature has contrived to moderate our transport 
 on the approach of one, and to soften our griefs on the appearance of the other. 
 The dusky fir is the only melancholy companion the elm is here permitted 
 to possess, who seems to raise his tall funereal head to insult his more lively 
 associate with approaching decay. If in spring we have not here all the 
 colours of the rainbow, in the forms of nascent existence ; if in autumn the 
 yellow of the elm, the orange of the beech, and the glowing brown of the 
 oak, do not blend their fading honors, it must be acknowledged that the elm 
 is one of the noblest ornaments of the forest; it is the medium between the 
 massive unyielding arm of the oak and the versatile pliancy of the ash ; it 
 out-tops the venerable parent of the grove, and seems to extend its mighty 
 limbs towards heaven, in bold defiance of the awful monarch of the %vood. 
 
 Besides the disadvantage from the uniformity in the umbrageous furniture 
 of these gardens, there is another, which we hardly know whether to attribute 
 to design or accident. A tree rising like an artificial pillar from the smooth 
 earth, without exposing any portion of the bold angles of its root, not only 
 
KENSINGTON PALACE AND GARDENS. 
 
 loses half its strength, but almost all its dignity. Pliny, desirous of giving a grand 
 idea of the Hercynian forest, describes the magnitude of the trees in that 
 ancient domain of the Sylvani to be sufficient to admit cavalry mounted to 
 pass beneath the huge radical curves.* Whatever ornament Pliny's extrava- 
 gance might attribute in this respect on the broad expanse of solitary nature, 
 this gigantic wildness would not be at all adapted to these pigmy haunts ot 
 man ; but some resemblance, some approach, should be attempted to the 
 magnificence of her operations. 
 
 -" A huge oalc, dry and dead. 
 
 Still cull'd with relics of its trophies old, 
 . Lifting to heaven iis aged hoary head." 
 
 Such an object, with some of our readers, would be considered a venerable 
 inmate of these gardens, and to us it would be infinitely preferable to the 
 trim expedients of art. The insulated majesty of this ancient possessor of 
 the soil would prevent the intrusion of the timid hand of man, and the character 
 which this parent of the forest would impart to the general scenery, would 
 secure it from sacrilegious profanation. 
 
 We have, therefore, regretted that these primeval inhabitants have been 
 submitted to the axe, and we are inclined to coincide with Kent, in the pro- 
 priety of introducing dead trees to heighten the pleasures of contrast. The 
 most accomplished artists have considered this necessary in the composition 
 of landscape ; and where the face of nature is grossly distorted in artificial 
 gardening, it may be sometimes proper to restore her by these expedients. 
 The naturalist, Lawson, who never lost sight of the profits of a timber-mer- 
 chant, complains of the numerous trees, whose stems have been shattered 
 by winds, or whose lofty branches have been scathed and withered, while the 
 lower part remains in vigour. Had this gentleman contemplated the produc- 
 tions from the pencil of Salvator Rosa, he would have seen, that these objects, 
 which he considered monsters of vegetable deformity, were those that artist 
 
 * In eiidem Septentrionali plaga Hercyniae silvae Roborum vastitas intacta aevis, et congenita 
 mundo, pro])e immorlali sorte niiracuia excedit. Ut alia imilantar fidecaritiira: constat attolli 
 «olles occursantium inter se radicum repercussu : Aut ubi secuta tellns non sit, arcusad ramos 
 ■usque, et ipsos inter se rixantes, curvari porlarum patentium modo, ut turmas equkum txans- 
 iniltant.— P/»nj^ dc Nat. Hist. Lib. x»i. cap 2. 
 
 P2 
 
KENSINGTON PALACE AND GARDENS. 
 
 has often selected for his foreground. The duty of the painter and the poet 
 is not to unfold the phenomena of nature in detail, but, by a prominent object, 
 to convey to the mind of the observer, ideas of her beauty and magnificence. 
 Rosa would not, therefore, choose a bush or a tender tree for an adjacent 
 object, for he was sensible this would not impart dignity, like the mighty 
 ruins of an ancient oak, filling the active imagination with all the terrors of 
 the storm. 
 
 Delightful as may appear the wonders of vegetable life, and extravagantly 
 as we may have toold the subject, the visitor of Kensington Gardens cannot 
 be less pleased with the features of animal existence, when these walks and 
 groves are filled with company, dressed in their gayest apparel, seeking the 
 laughing hours on the level lawn, or beneath the umbrageous canopy, and, 
 in imitation of the fair inhabitants of Paradise, gaze, in transport, on the 
 most exquisite works of the Deity, reflected on the pellucid mirror of the 
 waters. 
 
I 
 
 
 < 
 
7S:f)t palace 
 
 or 
 
 HOLY- ROOD HOUSE, 
 
 EDINBURGH. 
 
 J. HE Palace of Holy-rood House* is of a quadrangular form, with 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 with 
 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, thereof 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 Edinburgh, and a few weeks afterwards the Duke of Cumberland 
 occupied the same apartments and the same bed^ In the second floor are 
 Queen Mary's apartments, in one of which her own bed still remains. Close 
 to the floor of this room apiece of wainscot, about a yard square, hangs upon 
 hinges, and opens to a trap-stairj 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, 
 
 • This Palace was erected by the direction of Charles II. under the superintendance of Sir 
 William Brewer. 
 
HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 
 
 however, the height bears no proportion to the length. This apartment is 
 entirely hung with pictures of a race of monarchs, — through an imaginary series 
 of upwards of 2,000 years ! 
 
 We afterwards went through a suite of rooms, one of which hasbeen.intend- 
 ed 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 apartujent. 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 period, are heavy. The apartments 
 on the south side of the square have never been finished but in a very pitiful 
 manner. We found them made use of as lumber-rooms for some of the 
 nobility, who have lodgings within the Palace. 
 
 The environs of the Palace afford an asylum for insolvent debtors. Adjoin- 
 ing to it there is an extensive park; first inclosed by James V. all of which is 
 a sanctuary. * This is a very singular piece of ground to be in the near neigh- 
 bourhood of a populous city. It is little else than an assemblage of hills, rocks, 
 precipices, morasses, and lakes. At the beginning 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 doubtful if, except at the bottom, there ever were any trees on these 
 hills, the height of the ground and barrennesss of the soil being very unfa- 
 vorable for their growth. 
 
 The most considerable of these hills are called Arthur's Seat and Salis- 
 bury Craigs. The former, the largest of these hills, rises by a steep and rugged 
 ascent till it terminates in a rocky point, 700 feet high from the base. Upon 
 the west are Salisbury Craigs, which present to the city an awful front of broken 
 rocks and precipices, forming a sort of natural amphitheatre of solid rock. 
 
 • When a part of the Palace was recently fitted up, by order of government, for Ihe accom- 
 modation of the Count d'Artois. that nobleman, though a foreigner, claimed the benefit of this 
 usyliini. 
 
HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 
 
 Among these rocks are rich ores, spar, and a great variety of rock plants, * so 
 that they are an excellent field for the naturalist. Sometimes, also, amethysts 
 and other precious stones have been found among them. But the rocks 
 themselves are far more valuable, affording an inexhaustible supply of hard 
 stone for paving the streets, and of these stones considerable quantities are 
 sent for paving the streets of London. Between Arthur's Seat and Salisbury 
 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 over- 
 hang, 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 on 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 Restalrig, 
 and the fields gently sloping to the Forth. The Town of Leith, the naviga- 
 tion 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, com- 
 posed of natural pillars, regularly pentagonal or hexagonal, about three feet in. 
 diameter, and from forty to fifty feet high. At the bottom of the rock is a 
 lake belonging to the Earl of Abercorn, called Duddingston Lock ; beyond it 
 are seen his lordship's elegant 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 it will appear that Holy-rood House is 
 replete with charms of the most fascinating aspect, though it is evident that 
 the building itself has no legitimate 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 
 a quadrangular form of structure, by producing a variety of fronts, affords the 
 
 * TUe hills contiguous to Arthur's seat preseat spjeciment of 400 different species.. 
 
HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 
 
 architect an opportunity of exhibiting fertility of genius. In some quadran- 
 o-ular buildings we see such variations of beauty as possess a separate whole of 
 magnificence, without violating the leading characteristic of the edifice. But 
 this is not the case with the Palace of Holy-rood House. The reign of 
 Charles was, indeed, not favorable to the arts. The King preferred the 
 drama, when debased by a meretricious jingle; and, in architecture, he was 
 pleased only with tinsel extravagance, and such a combination of minute par- 
 ticulars as was pretty, rather than chaste or grand. 
 
 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 
 concernino- its origin: — As the King was hunting in the forest of Drumselch, 
 in the immediate vicinity of Edinburgh, 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 monarch, like the first 
 Christian emperor, been an especial favorite with the saints. As a reward 
 for the piety of King David, and in consideration of his great liberality to 
 churchmen, across descended from heaven, in the moment 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, 
 leavin''- the king and the cross a complete triumph. King David would have 
 been little better than a brute if he had not allowed that this was an uncom- 
 mon exertion of the saints in his favor, and he very properly determined to 
 prove his gratitude by some lasting mark of his veneration for the church. 
 Accordingly, in the year 1198, 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, 
 which still retains the name of Canongale. 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, appear to have been as follows : 442 bolls of wheat ; 
 (iiO bolls of bear (barley ;) ^60 bolls of oats ; 500 capons ; two dozen of hens ; 
 two dozen of salmon ; twelve loads of salt ; besides a number of swine, and 
 about 250 pounds sterling, in money. 
 
"HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 
 
 When Charles II. resolved to rebuild the Palace of Holy-rood, he ordered 
 the abbey church to undergo a complete repair, and to be 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 cele- 
 brated 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 unhallowed rioters even profaned 
 the vault which had been used as the royal sepulchre. There, among other 
 illustrious personages, lay James V. Magdalene 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 articles, 
 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 of the 
 Palace, represented its condition to the Barons of Exchequer ; by whom an 
 architect and mason were appointed to examine the alleged dilapidations. 
 
 The walls of the church had stood for 600 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 ! 
 
 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 ordi- 
 nary stature. * In the belfry is a statue of Robert, Lord Belhaven, well exe- 
 cuted in white marble, but which partakes of the state of dilapidation into 
 which the building has fallen. 
 
 Many of the actions of those fuU-dressed characters of human life, who form 
 the dramatis personee of national history, are connected with the Palace of 
 Holy-rood House. From the operation of various oppressive circumstances, 
 
 * The writers of Lord Darnley's era afliini that he was seven feet liJgh. 
 
HOLY-ROOD HOUSE, 
 
 the early annals of Scotland are known to be peculiarly imperfect. Little^ 
 therefore, of the familiar history of the sovereigns who preceded Mary is attain- 
 able to the most laborious investigator; to which must be attributed that pau- 
 city of intelligence to which the writer of the present article is subject. 
 
 It was in 154+ that the English entered Edinburgh, under the command of 
 the Earl of Hertford, afterwards Duke of Somerset and Protector. As they 
 advanced towards 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 remove 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 VHI.) rejected the 
 propositions, and demanded from the citizens an unconditional 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 inhabi- 
 tants killed. The castle was next attacked, but the garrison retorted so vigo- 
 rous and well-directed a fire, that the assailants were speedily compelled to 
 desist from the attack 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." For seven miles round Edinburgh the coun- 
 try was laid waste, and the palace constructed by James V. in the vicinity of 
 Holy-rood Abbey, was nearly levelled with the ground. 
 
 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 
 instructing 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 who was. 
 then officiating in Holy-rood chapel. 
 
 It was natural for the queen to look with indignation on the insolent fana- 
 ticism of subjects who threatened to hang her priest, while they professed to 
 be actuated by the genuine spirit of Christianity ; but, unhappily, she was^ 
 equally as enthusiastic, and equally as bigoted. Locked in Holy-rood House,, 
 with her mass-book and father-confessor, she viewed all the reformed part of 
 her subjects as persons hurrying to eternal condemnation ; while the tumultu-- 
 
HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 
 
 ous mob of zealots who assailed 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 abjured 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 particu^ 
 lars of the assassination are so well known that it will neither be necessary nor 
 consistent with our plan to enter into them. The room in which the queen 
 and her secretary were sitting, and the stairs on which the murder was com- 
 mitted, are still shown to the visitor of Holyrood Palace. 
 
 In the year 1587, King James, unable to cope with the growing power of 
 the ecclesiastics, while his nobles remained distracted by family feuds and per- 
 sonal animosities, effected a reconciliation between the leaders of the latter 
 body, and celebrated the grateful 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 
 the 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 conviviality 
 which prevailed in the court over which the writer presided : 
 
 From James VI. to the Laird of Balfour. 
 Right trusty Friend ! 
 
 We greet jou well. Having appointed the Baptism of our dearest daughter to be here at 
 Haly-rood House, upon Sunday the 15th day of Aprile next, in such honourable manner as that 
 action craved ; we have therefore 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." 
 
 Edinburg-h was once visited by King Charles I. while in the zenith of his 
 power. His majesty was received by the lord-provost, magistrates, and town 
 
HOLY-ROOD HOUSE. 
 
 council, in their robes, attended by 260 armed youths, dressed in doublets of 
 white satin, and black velvet breeches. The streets were hung with carpets 
 and tapestry, and guarded by the trained bands. Pompous and expensive 
 ])ageantry was exhibited in conspicuous places, and on the king reaching 
 Iloly-rood Palace, he was complimented with an adulatory address. 
 
 The Duke of York, afterwards James II. maintained a splendid court at 
 Holy-rood Palace, where he resided as commissioner to the Scottish parlia- 
 ment, accompanied by his Duchess and the Princess Anne, afterwards Queen 
 of England. It was then that dramatic pieces were performed in the tennis- 
 hall of the Palace ; but, according to the satirical verses of Dryden, the come- 
 dians were not very eminent for talent, and not very well stocked with those 
 glittering articles which enable the heroes of the buskin to seem "every inch" 
 kings and courtiers, while they strut their short hour upon the stage. 
 
 On the landing of the 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 sta- 
 tioned in the abbey fired on the mob, and compelled them to retire, but they 
 speedily returned, and defeated the king's party : killing some and making tho 
 others prisoners. 
 
 In the year 1743, the chevalier St. George took possession of Holy-rood 
 House. From this Palace, as from head-quarters, he issued divers proclama- 
 tionSj 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 com- 
 pelled to seek refuge in the same shell of British royalty ? Yet such was the 
 fact ; and it will be recorded, to the honour of Great Britain, that she afforded a 
 ready shelter to her once determined enemies, when misfortune had taught 
 them "what others are to feel," and to "own themselves men." 
 
 Many of the Scottish nobility have, at present, occasional lodgings in the 
 Palace of Holy-rood House. 
 

 
W^totml Bmviption 
 
 OP 
 
 EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 " Once more, O North ! I view thy winding shores, 
 Climb thy bleak hills, and cross thy dusky moors." 
 
 XT 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 the 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. Thus, it appeared that our volume 
 eould not be considered complete without an account of that Castle which 
 unites with Holy-rood House in decorating the city of Edinburgh with the 
 vestiges of ancient splendour. 
 
 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 30() 
 feet high,* and is of so precipitous a description, that the summit is acces- 
 sible only from the eastern side. At some points the rock is nearly perpen- 
 dicular. 
 
 * From its base ; but it is elevated precisely 294 feet above the level of the sea,. 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE, 
 
 Though the High-street is generally said to unite the Castle and Ho!y>rood 
 House, the former is, in fact, separated from the buildings of the city by a 
 space of about 350 feet in length, and 300 in breadth. This space is deno- 
 minated 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. Thus, Scotland was strong in fortified recesses, while England 
 depended on her arras 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 theartificial modes of defence prevalent with the inhabitants of the 
 lowlands. Like the mountaineers of "Wales, they placed their great depen- 
 dence on natural circumstances 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 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 the Lord of the domain. Of 
 this latter description was the castle of Freswick, 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 labour, over which was thrown a draw-bridge. 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 chieftains of the interior, than to present an obstacle to the boldness 
 
 • In some instances (as in that of Dunstaffnage) the rock which formed the site of the Castle 
 was cut, or pared, to render it precipitous, and to make it agree with the shape of the 
 building. 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 of invaders. The Castle of Edinburgh was originally denominated Castelh 
 Mynyd Agned, 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. 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 ditch, a draw-bridge, and gate, defended by two flanking bat- 
 teries. A half-moon, mounted with twelve eighteen and twenty-four pounders, 
 commands the whole entrance. 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 100 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 continued discharge of artillery 
 caused the water to subside. Beyond the guard-room, on a road winding 
 upwards towards the north, are two gateways, the first of which is secured 
 by two portcullisses. Immediately beyond the inner gateway, i& a battery 
 mounted with eighteen and twelve-pounders, near which are store-rooms 
 calculated to receive gun-carriages, and other implements of artillery. On 
 the north are a grand store-room and arsenal, which are extensive enouah to 
 contain 8,000 stand of arms. Other apartments are now dedicated to the 
 same purpose, so that, on the whole, 30,000 stand of arms might be deposited 
 in the Castle, with perfect order and convenience. The powder-magazine 
 adjoms the arsenal, and this most essential part of the fortress is supposed 
 to be bomb-proof. In the neighbourhood of the magazine are the fort-major's,, 
 the governor's, and the store-master's, houses. Beyond which are a mortar 
 and some gun-batteries. 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 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 
 number 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 1556 ; others bear the date of 1616. 
 
 In the south-east quarter of the Castle, state-prisoners were formerly kept ; 
 and here, in an apartment called the crown-room, it is by some pretended 
 that the regalia of Scotland are still deposited. It is well known that they 
 were lodged here, with 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, A mot 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 
 c^littering treasure was not produced on this public appeal of Mr. Arnot ; and 
 a recent writer informs us that, " a few years back, several gentlemen visited 
 the Castle, with a design to inspect the regalia ; but, for some reason or other, 
 stopped short in their research." 
 
 The meetings of parliament formerly took place in a house situated in the 
 o-reat square of the Castle, and the monarch possessed gardens which occupied 
 a part of the marsh afterwards called the North Lock. The King's stables 
 were on the southern side of the Castle ; and the place to the south-west, 
 where the barns 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 
 
 * Kill? Robert 111. at llie laltei jwrl of the fourteenth century, conferred on the wliole bur- 
 gewes ot-'tdiuburgh the privilege oi erecting houses for themselves vsithiu the Castle «aUs, 
 «naer no otiier restriction tlian that of their being persons of good fame. 
 
^EDINBURGH CASTLIG, 
 
 Ibrmidable 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 1,000 men. The 
 ancient military architects involuntarily bestowed such features of sublimity 
 on their works, as create a species of shuddering admiration 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. 
 We have observed, that the Scots chiefly relied for security on the moun- 
 tainous 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 gunpowder 
 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-magazine, 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 greatly increased by the splinters which every explosion 
 would cause to fly around. 
 
 Neither history, nor tradition, records any circumstance in which Edinburgh 
 Castle is conspicuous, till the year 1093. On the authority of Fordun and 
 Dalrymple, the following story concerning that period is related .-—when Mal- 
 colm Cantnore was slain in battle, his widow, Queen Margaret, took refuge in 
 the Castle of Edinburgh, where she very shortly died, "Donald Bane, uncle to 
 Malcolm's children, having usurped the throne, nowbesieged the Castle in which 
 the orphan-heir to the crown resided. The usurper presuming, from the steep- 
 ness 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 
 
 R 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 to the church of Dunfermline, where it lies interred : and the children escaped 
 to England, where they were protected and educated by their uncle, Edgar 
 
 Atheling." 
 
 The year 1 174 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, 
 possessed several of the northern counties of England, for which, however, 
 thev performed homage to the English sovereign. A part of Northumberland 
 being unjustly withheld by Henry II. from William I. of Scotland, known 
 by the appellation of William the Lion, the Scots, headed by their king, 
 entered the English territories. In the neighbourhood 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 for his whole kingdom. William referred 
 these proposals to the consideration of his subjects. The struggle must have 
 been severe between patriotism on the 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, aad among these the Castle of 
 Edinburgh, were delivered as pledges for the performance of this treaty. 
 But, upon William's marriage with Ermengarde, cousin to King Henry, Edin-. 
 burgh 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, ever thought of bestowing ! 
 
 When Alexander III. was betrothed to the daughter of Henry HI. of 
 England, Edinburgh Castle was named as the residence of the young queen. 
 But the lady appears to have been highly dissatisfied with her situation. 
 She is said to have complained " that she was confined in the Castle of Edin- 
 burgh, a sad and solitary place, without verdure : and that she was denied 
 the society of her royal consort, who had by this time completed his four- 
 teenth year !" 
 
 Upon the death of the IVIaid of Norway, grandchild to Alexaiider 111. the 
 dispute between Bruce and Baliol, each of whom demanded the crown, 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 afforded Edward I. an opportunity of advancing his claim to a right of supre- 
 macy 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 questionable policy, the Scottish 
 monarch ordered the fortress to be immediately destroyed, lest it should again 
 become serviceable to the English in the instance of a future irruption. 
 
 Edward III. while professing to contend for the interest of Edward Baliol 
 invaded Scotland, with a powerful army, aided by a considerable fleet. The 
 shipping entered the Forth, and the creAvs plundered and burnt the towns on 
 both sides of that river. The Scots had not recovered from the consternation 
 produced by the successes of Edward I.; and instead of opposing the Eno-lish 
 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, when the king returned 
 to England, the Scots commenced a vigorous attack on the monarch who 
 had been imposed on them by Edward. The English King soon returned 
 with a numerous army, and encamped at Perth. A large body of foreio-ners, 
 under the command of Guy, Count of Namure, now entered Scotland for 
 the purpose of reinforcing Edward ; but, as these foreign troops were pursuing 
 their march, they were attacked, near Edinburgh, by Lord Moray, the 
 governor, and a sanguinary contest took place. The foreigners were not only 
 courageous but well-disciplined, and the Scots were nearly overpowered, when 
 William 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 Edinburgh in good order, though 
 severely harassed by Douglas and the Earl of Moray. 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 
 
 R 2 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 all their horses, and formed a sort of rampart with the carcases. But, on th& 
 next morning, convinced of the impossibility of permanent resistance, they, 
 surrendered, on the sol« 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 these desperate invaders their lives, but permitted 
 the Count of Namure to carry with him his effects; and, to complete the 
 chivalric generosity of the action, accompanied him to the borders, in person,^ 
 to preserve him from the possibility of molestation while in the Scottish 
 territories. It is with regret we state the conclusion 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 re-built 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 gentlemen (among whom was the 
 celebrated William de Douglas) drew the plan. One of them feigned himself 
 to be an English merchant. He went to the governor of the Castle, and told 
 him that he had got a cargo of wine, strong beer, and. h\9cn\\., exquisitely^ 
 spiced, in his vessel just arrived in the Forth ; which provisions he 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 dehver the provisions 
 uext 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 thegates were open for their reception. Upon entering 
 the Castle, they contrived to overturn the carriage, upon which the provisions 
 were supposed to be heaped, and instantly killed the porter and sentries. 
 Upon the sound of a horn, (the appointed signal,) Douglas, with a band of 
 ^rmedmen, sprung from their concealments in the neighbourhood, and rushed 
 into the Castle ; where, having joined their companions, the garrison, altera 
 sharp confllict» were mostly put to the sword, and the fortress recovered by tlm 
 Scots." 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 After the murder of James I. at Perth, the son and successor of that 
 monarch, who inherited the crown at the age of seven years, was placed 
 under the care of Crichton, the chancellor, while Sir Thomas Livingstone 
 was 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, which 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 wrested 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 through which it was likely the king would pass. 
 James 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 £arl 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-conse- 
 quences of a division in the state, while the ambitious Douglas was daily 
 increasing in authority and turbulence. Convinced of the inefficacy 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 
 Ghancellor decoyed him into the Castle. Lord Douglas was treated with so 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 •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 assur- 
 ances of attachment. But, towards the conclusion of the entertainment, a 
 hull's head 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.* 
 
 The Scottish monarch, James III. was kept in a prison 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 offensive qualities appear to have sprung from too ardent a love 
 of refinement for the age in which he lived. 
 
 On the accession of the Earl q/"ikir?<7T«y to the regency of Scotland, he was 
 particularly anxious to gain possession of the Castle of Edinburgh, which he 
 ultimately obtained for the sum of <X5,000, and the priory of Pittenweem, 
 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 William Kirkaldy, 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 Mary 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 aflfairs of the sister-kingdom, to deny their request. Accordingly, she 
 dispatched a body of 1 ,000 foot, and 300 horse, under the command of Sir 
 William Drury, which troops encamped, 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 
 
 * Arnot informs us, " that, in the year 1753, some workmen, digging for a foundation to a 
 new storehouse within the Castle, found some golden handles and plates for a coffin, wliicli 
 are supposed to have belonged to the cotHu in which the Earl of Douglas was interred." 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 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 " fur 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, which was carried on with the greatest cruelty ; till at length, wearied 
 by the miseries of civil discord, a treaty was concluded between the leaders 
 of the opposite factions ; but Kirkaldy refused to be comprehended in the 
 agreement, actuated, as Robertson supposes, by a fallacious hope of receiving 
 assistance from the French, by which means 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 rescue Scotland from the dishonor- 
 able dependance on the latter, under which it had fallen." When a reinforce- 
 ment of the king's party arrived from England, and the governor was again 
 summoned to surrender, he, in token of defiance^ unfurled his family-ensign 
 on the top of the garrison. 
 
 Five batteries were now erected against the Castle, and though the cannonade 
 was unceasing, Kirkaldy defended the shattered ramparts, with inflexible 
 obstinacy, for thirty-three days. At this period the fortifications were nearly 
 destroyed, and the garrison destitute of water. The spirit of the governor 
 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. To-- 
 gether 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 160 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 delivered, without a struggle, into the hands 
 of the party which took arms against the king, under the command of 
 General Lesly . 
 
EDINBURGH CASTLE. 
 
 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 sufficiently 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 
 \74-5, the governor of the Castle, fearful that the garrison might be straitened 
 for provisions, informed the Lord Provost that, unless a free communication 
 was preserved between the city and Castle, he should be constrained to 
 dislodge the highlanders at the weigh-bouse, by means of artillery. A deputa- 
 tion accordingly waited on the chevalier to explain to him the danger with 
 which the city was threatened. 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 discharged from the Castle, which damaged 
 the houses, and wounded many of the inhabitants. A scene of great con- 
 fusion now took place. A regular cannonade was 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 immediately stopped. 
 
 Such are the scenes of public enterprise and private machination most con- 
 spicuous in the history of Edinburgh Castle; — scenes which, like the once 
 potent battlements with 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. 
 
Y, 
 
 fe 
 
^t^ctiption 
 
 IN DI A-HOUSE, 
 
 An Account of the Foundation and Progress of the East-India Company. 
 
 TT iTH the extension of the commerce appertaining to the great city of 
 London, it would be flagrantly injudicious if the magnificence of the build- 
 ings, connected with mercantile pursuits, did not keep pace: and among the 
 various buildings which reflect dignity on the commercial interest of England, 
 the East-India House, and its vast appendages, hold a distinguished place. 
 
 Before 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 was common with the London inns of noblemen at the 
 time it was built. " The rooms of the house now owned by Sir William 
 Craven," says a contemporary of Sir William's, " are noble monuments of the 
 taste of the last century. This house is so ancient, that I cannot discover 
 when it was built ; — it has often been repaired ; but the divisions and orna- 
 ments of the 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, however 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 company. Accord- 
 ingly, in the year 1726, a regular official building was erected on the site of 
 Craven-House. But even this edifice was of too contracted a character for 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 the business and dignity of so powerful an association. In the year 1799, 
 therefore, a very considerable enlargement took place, in regard to the inter- 
 nal departments, and a new front was constructed under the 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 offices connected with India concerns. In this court are triumphantly 
 placed two of Tippoo^s long tiger 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 account-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 Britannia 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 with 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, contains good paintings of Fort St. George, Bombay, 
 Fort William, Tellicherry, the Cape of Good Hope, and St. Helena. 
 
 In other apartments there are collected a considerable number of pictures, on 
 subjects interesting to those engaged in Asiatic undertakings. Among these 
 may be particularised an excellent portrait of Mr. 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. 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 It already contains specimens of manuscripts and printed works from Hin- 
 doostan, Persia, and China, and a set of materials for printing a book in the 
 Chinese language. A museum of natural curiosities is also constructing. 
 
 The front of the India-House is not uniformly superb. The decorations of 
 the main entrance comprise its chief pretensions to architectural magnificence. 
 — The portico 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 in this groupe represents his majesty leaning on his sword 
 (which is in iiis 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 respec- 
 tive 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 architec- 
 ture, say these critical observers, ordains that the parts should not only hear a 
 relation to the whole, but that every part should have a relation peculiarly its 
 own : — the front of the India-House is objectionable in both points of this 
 rule. Its ornaments and designs are likewise much too general. The figures 
 are too thickly grouped, and the mob of deities is very ill-placed. The want 
 of general allusions to the Asiatic possessions of the Company, censured in the 
 design of the India-House, is, certainly, an error of no trivial consequence. 
 There is nothing relative to the eastern world that presents itself to obser- 
 vation. 
 
 Tbe warehouses belonging to the Company are extremely spacious, and 
 situated in different streets bordering on the India-House. The extent of 
 
 s 2 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 these may be estimated from the particulars of one range. The great reposi- 
 tory of the teas is erected on the site of the old Navy-office, and is a regular 
 oblong of about 250 feet by 160, inclosing a court of 150 by 60, which is 
 entered by an arched gateway. The multitude of windows, 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 
 continually forming ; each of which, by supplanting an assemblage of misera- 
 ble tenements (the nidus of penury and vice) presents a pleasing picture of the 
 good effects of successful commerce. * 
 
 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 connection 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 
 trade with India was chiefly carried on by the way of Egypt, and from that 
 important branch of traffic was derived the many jewels, fine clothes, pearls, 
 perfumes, and rich silks, with which the Roman empire formerly abounded. 
 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. When the discovery of the passage round the Cape of Good Hope 
 threw the Indian trade into the hands of the Portugueze, Lisbon became the 
 great mart for the productions of the East. The merchants of London now 
 imported Indian goods from that city on their own account ; and conveyed 
 them to the Thames in their own ships. 
 
 The first Englishman that went to Indiabythe Cape of Good Hope deserves 
 
 * A stranger, on casting his eyes over the warehouses of a Company which has swallowed up 
 so many houses, his ideas become so enlarged of the commerce that fills thera, that he imagines 
 he has almost exaggerated the bulk of the building: but when he reflects on the extensive terri- 
 tories of which, till within these few years, the Company were sovereigns;— of the revenues which 
 they drew from their territories ;— and of the powerful princes, and number of subjects that obeyed 
 their authority, his astonishment will soon subside, and he must confess that he has much under- 
 rated thf nature of the business. 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 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 witness. In 1579 he made a voyage to Goa, in a Portu- 
 guese 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. * 
 
 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 Portu- 
 guese ships on their return to Europe. Their voyage, however, proved disas- 
 trous. — 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, by explaining to the 
 public the facility with which a trade might be established in Hindoostan. 
 The effects of this conviction soon appeared with considerable importance. 
 The merchants, aware that they possessed sufficient capital to attempt a com- 
 petition with the Portuguese by the way of the Cape of Good Hope, presented 
 (in 1594) a memorial to Queen Elizabeth, praying her majesty to make over- 
 tures 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 with the merchants of Syria and Egypt. The queen immedi- 
 ately dispatched letters to Constantinople, and the emperor readily acceded 
 to the request. From this period, the commodities of India were brought to 
 England in Euglish ships, and this interchange with the Turkish empire con- 
 tinued to prevail for many years after the establishment of the East-India 
 Company. 
 
 But the number of hands through which the goods passed, before they 
 reached the consumer, caused the price to be so exorbitant that the English 
 merchants were easily undersold by the Dutch (now possessed of considerable 
 
 • Extensive speculations iu foreign trade were much promoted at this juncture, by the prac- 
 tice of insurance. Some assert that the Romans used this judicious plan of mutual preservation. 
 It, certainly, was not known to modern Europe till the year 1560, when the first office for (h«> 
 purpose of insurance was erected in Lombard-street, 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 strength in India) even at the London markets. The chief merchants of 
 London, therefore, resolved to attempt a direct trade wkh the continent of 
 Asia; and the celebrated George Earl of Cumberland, and a number of gentle- 
 men of independent 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 onlv 
 agreeable to the proposal, but had actually anticipated the measure; to effectu- 
 ate 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 highly accomplished and urbane, could not 
 be persuaded to grant a freedom of traffic between the English and his subjects; 
 but Elizabeth (whose overture was formal rather than apprehensive) had not 
 waited the emperor's reply. On the 3 1st of December, 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 215 knights, 
 aldermen, and merchants. They were constituted a body politic and corpo- 
 rate, 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 bv the 
 ciown, 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 liberally patronised, proceeded in l60I to raise a sum 
 of money in order to commence their trade. It is observable, that though their 
 interests were condensed in a corporate association, the merchants did not 
 ^aise 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 £m each, yet 
 the money paid into the treasurer's hands shortly amounted to o6'72,000. 
 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 
 
INDIA-HOUSE, 
 
 violent clamour was raised against the novel institution, and a number of books 
 were written, which proved the Company to possess not the least solid 
 prospect of success, perfectly to the satisfaction of the narrow-minded and the 
 respective 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 com- 
 plement of seamen, in all these different ships, amounted to 480. The com- 
 mand of the little fleet was given to Captain Lancaster, a man of good natural 
 talents, and who possessed some knowledge of the Indian seas. The cargo 
 consisted chiefly of tin, lead, iron-cannon, muskets and cutlasses ; and was in 
 value ^'27,000; a small speculation, but all that was left for adventure after 
 the equipment of the ships. 
 
 It may be necessary to observe, that when Hindoostan was first penetrated 
 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 Decan, then under the govern- 
 ment of the sultans of Golconda, Bijapur, Calberga, and Telinga. 
 
 At the commencement of the sixteenth century, the Emperor Akbar 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 hierar- 
 chy placed in the ancient government, above the prince in the order of society, 
 was by him degraded from its precedence in the political code. Under 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 restrained 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. Articles of mer- 
 chandise were subject to few taxes, and yet the revenue of the monarch was 
 .£'36,000,000 annually ! 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 An unlimited religious toleration prevailed, though, in all criminal matters, 
 the entire supremacy of the Mohammedan jurisprudence was insisted on. The 
 civil polity of Asia was admirably prudent and systematic. Each subah, or 
 province, was governed by an officer termed a Subahdah, who was the imme- 
 diate 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 his power depended on his " obtaining a know- 
 ledge 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 Cazy and Meer Adul) presided over the Mohammedan 
 courts of civil and criminal law. In the former of these courts were adjusted 
 all disputes between Mussulmans, or Mussulmans and Hindoos ; but litigated 
 points between the Hindoos themselves were discussed by two Pundits, who 
 decided according to the ordinances of the 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 cutwall (or master of the police) 
 took cognizance of each province. If any theft was 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 cutwall, if it could be proved that any remissness occurred in regard 
 to their search after the offender. 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 circumstances that transpired. 
 Armed patroles ranged the country during night, and crushed the slightest 
 tendency to disturbance in its origin. By these rigid precautions, the most 
 profound security reigned through the whole extent of Akbar's empire. 
 
 The military establishment of Hindoostan was very extensive. The regu- 
 lar 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 4,000,000 
 of men, and were composed almost entirely of Hindoos; the regular army 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 ■ ("00,000 strong) consisted of Mussulmans. Each mtmsub (or regiment) pos- 
 . sessed a small train of artiller}^, and in every province there was an artillery- 
 establishment, which consisted of 100 pieces of iron-ordnance and oOOO men. 
 Twelve thousand men, a body of chosen infantry, were appointed to guard the 
 regaJ palaces and the emperor's person : yet, with respect to external com- 
 inerce^ they had no relish. Surrounding nations we have seen, from the earliest 
 periods, soliciting 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 valu- 
 able metals of the known world. This partial acquisition of wealth did not 
 fail to awaken dormant feelings of avarice in the simple Hindoo's bosom ; but 
 the most powerful fortuitous hint proved insufficient to stimulate him to the 
 fatigue of exportation.* 
 
 The internal trade of the country was 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 another in caravans drawn by oxen, and attended by an innumerable 
 cavalcade. 
 
 The character of the Hindoo dealer appears to have been a fit model for 
 merchants of every clime. According to the Abbe Raynal, bags of money, 
 ticketed and sealed by the bankers, would circulate for years without 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 mercan- 
 tile 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 consequence. Such was 
 
 * One sdlilaiy excepliou occurs to this statement. The cowries (shells used as lower classes 
 of money in Hindoostan) were procured from the Maldive Islands by Indian vessels, which car- 
 ried thither rice and coarse cottons as articles of barter. The Maldive Islands, however, were 
 not very distant, and these trivial adventures were the greatest, in a maritime way, ever iiiider- 
 laivtu Liv the Asiatics. 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 the state of Hindoostan at the commencement of its connexion with this 
 country. 
 
 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 British fleet. On the 15th of June, 1602, he arrived in the road of Acheen, 
 and delivered 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 commerce 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 valuable presents. 
 The King of Acheen, whose innocence and integrity rendered him slow in 
 conceiving the evils that it was probable would result to Asia from the differ- 
 ent foreign powers to whom settlements were awarded, approved the terms of 
 the treaty, and invited the English agent and other chief officers to share the 
 hospitality of his palace. 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 women of the country, richly attired, and 
 ornamented with bracelets and jewels, enlivened the party by dancing and 
 music. 
 
 When the preliminaries of an English colony at Acheen were completely 
 arranged, 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. 
 
 • During the remainder of Elizabeth's reign, the infant trade with Asia was 
 not attended with any very eminent success. The Portugueze and Dutch, 
 from the priority of their connexion with the east, had made themselves mas- 
 ters 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 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 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 mercantile institution. 
 By him, their charter was enlarged, and the advancement of their interests 
 attentively cultivated. Animated by the royal favor, the Company sought 
 a confirmation of their settlement in India with redoubled ardour. 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 1900 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 military devastation over a country which had opened its friendly arms to the 
 supposed blessings of a commercial alliance ; it still must gratify, in the 
 dearest point, every genuine patriot to find that nautical valour, guided by the 
 enterprising disposition of two gallant marine commanders, first enabled the 
 India Company to profit by the pacific wishes 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 
 Middleton and Best, whose skill was able to surmount each destructive obsta- 
 cle which their temerity appeared to invoke. 
 
 With the " Trade's Increase" and " Pepper-Corn," Sir Henry Middleton 
 sailed from England, instructed to gain, if possible, a settlement on the coasts 
 of Malabar and Guzerat. Passing the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of 
 
 * From a treatise published by Sir Dudley Diggs, in the year 1615. it is learned that the bur- 
 then of 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 1293 tons burthen; one of 1100, one of lOGO, and the rest 
 smaller. The whole number they had employed from the beginning was twenty-four, of which 
 four had been lost. 
 
 T 2 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 Babelmandel, he proceeded to Mocho, where an unlucky affair, in which he 
 was embroiled with the government, prevented all commercial speculation, and 
 retarded the progress of his voyage. — A quarrel took place in the street, 
 between someof 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 him- 
 self 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 
 depended on the person of the chief, they immediately loaded Middleton with 
 chains and threw him into a dungeon. A deputation from the government 
 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 intre- 
 pidity 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 Ij ood 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 country." 
 
 It is the prerogative of magnanimity to awe the cruel. The Arabs had 
 little motive to inflict punishments that were despised ; and contented them- 
 selves with keeping Middleton in confinement, under the hope of his propo- 
 sing a ransom for his deliverance. 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 reached them, and resumed his command. 
 
 He now sent a message to the government of Mocho, intimating that if they 
 did not immediately give him satisfaction for the injury experienced, he would 
 sink all their ships 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 as he felt disposed to admit equivalent to the grievance sus- 
 tained by the Company's service. 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 Thus foiled in his projects concerning Arabia, he shaped his course for India: 
 and, repassing the Straits of Babelmandel, 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-vi'ar and twelve galleys, was stationed at the bar of the river 
 of Surat, for the express purpose of preventing any nation, except their own, 
 fiom 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 hostile 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 rein- 
 forcement of six vessels, which had lately arrived from England. With his 
 united squadron, he sailed fearlessly against the Portugueze 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 advantage 
 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 conflict. 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 the utmost trepidation. 
 
 The victor proceeded up the river in triumph ; but though the glory of this 
 conquest commanded the respect of the natives, the Jesuits possessed such 
 power over the councils of the Mogul government, that it was found impossi- 
 ble for the English to supplant the Portugueze trading interest in that quarter. 
 
 Compelled thus to quit, for the present, Surat, with only the wreath of vic- 
 
 * Guzerat is situated at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. The name is derived from the 
 Pexsisui, or Arabic word Gezeret, a peninsula.. 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 torv as a recompence for his exertions, Middleton detennined to prosecute 
 the war against his insidious foe ; and being informed that two Portugueze 
 vessels, richly laden, were lying at Damaum, he proceeded thither, and cap- 
 tured them without difficulty. On his return to the Red Sea, he met with a 
 valuable Arab fleet, of seventeen sail, bound to Mocho, 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. 
 
 Though Middleton has been censured for his conduct on this occasion, it 
 must not be forgotten that the Arab government had seized, in times of pro- 
 found peace, the commander of a fleet; had thrown him into prison, and 
 insisted on a ransom for his enlargement. That this forfeit was not received 
 by them was not owing, in the least, to their lenity, but entirely to the adroit- 
 iiess with which the captive effected his escape. It appears that policy sug- 
 gested the propriety of reprisal ; as nothing but a firm conviction of the neces- 
 sity of mutual rectitude of conduct could be likely to preserve a lasting friend- 
 ship between two quarters so remote and dissimilar as England and the east. 
 Jt is not asserted that the Arab fleet was despoiled of any part of its valuable 
 freight. It is certain that no act of severity 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 contiuued materi- 
 ally to obstruct the permanent 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 ships, the Company formed (in I6l2) their 
 individual shares into one general capital, or joint stock, which amounted to 
 i; 1,500,000. 
 
 In conformity with this design, the Directors, in 1613, fitted for sea an 
 armament consisting of four ships, which mounted 30 guns each. Captain 
 Thomas Best was appointed to the command — accompanied by persons 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 skilled ill political and commercial agency, who were instructed to accompany 
 him, for the purpose of promoting an effectual negociation with the Mogul 
 emperor. At this period the Portugueze priests were engaged in polemic 
 arguments, when suddenly an action was announced 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 supposed quite sufficiently powerful for their entire destruction. 
 It consisted of four large galleons and twenty-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) weighed anchor the moment he descried the enemy, and heroically 
 stood out to sea to give them battle. It was evening when the conflict com- 
 menced. After a partial action, the decision of the struggle was postponed 
 till the ensuing day. The English appeared determined to conquer or fall. 
 At day-break they recommenced, and the Portugueze received the attack with- 
 out 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 board- 
 ing; but this manceuvre was so ill-performed that it occasioned the utmost 
 confusion among their whole fleet. Captain Best did not fail to take advan- 
 tage of this circumstance, and poured in his broadsides with fresh ardour and 
 redoubled effect. The Portugueze found themselves incapable of withstanding 
 the unabated impetuosity of the English ; and their admiral, sensible of the 
 inefficacy of further exertion, made sail and steered for Goa, in the greatest 
 disorder. The EngHsh fleet had sustained so much damage that Best, who 
 united prudence with courage in an eminent degree, thought pursuit too 
 hazardous, and returned to Suratin triumph. 
 
 Most fortunately for the English interest, the engagement took place within 
 sight of shore, where the natives where assembled in great numbers. Among 
 the spectators was Seided Khan, anOmrahof high rank, who commanded the 
 Mogul troops in the district of Surat. From the sympathy that naturally 
 exists between men of real bravery, the Omrah became instantly the friend of 
 the English captain. He invited him to his camp ; caused the soldiers to treat 
 bjixi with those honors which it was customary to bestow only on the most 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 distinguished military characters ; and presented him with a great number of 
 costly and warlike presents. 
 
 While Captain Best was employed in repairing his fleet, the Portugueze 
 government of Goa, enraged at the inglorious fate of their formidable arma- 
 ment, equipped, with all possible celerity, another of still greater force, con- 
 vinced of the importance of attempting to retrieve their character for naval 
 prowess. — Best was still at Surat when this second armament made its 
 appearance. It was now that his diligence reaped its reward. No hurry or 
 confusion was evinced at the sight of so formidable a foe. His ships were 
 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 : — A 
 desperate conflict ensued, in which, Best was, at length, successful. The 
 carnage was immense, and the shattered remnants of the Portugueze fleet 
 reached their harbour with difficulty, leaving the English 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 in the applauses due to his distinguished 
 gallantry. 
 
 It was clearly perceived by the East-India directors, that a combination of 
 favorable circumstances rendered the present the most auspicious moment 
 for a grand effort at establishing the authority of the Company in Asia, on a 
 footing at once elevated 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. His majesty 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 treaty 
 of commerce and amity between the two countries. 
 
 It was in I6l4 that Sir Thomas Roe arrived at Surat. His retinue bespoke 
 his official consequence, and Jehangeer, the Mogul emperor, sent an envoy 
 to Surat to invite him to court. 
 
 Sir Thomas arrived at Ajmere, (the residence of the emperor,) in a happy 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 season. Sumptuousness and splendour 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 universalh' 
 blessed! When he Waited on the emperor. Sir Thomas presented a magnifi- 
 cent state-coach and other costly articles, and was received, not merely with 
 the pomp and ceremony customary to Asiatic courts, but with an extraordi- 
 nary 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 merchants afforded so flattering a specimen of English 
 principles, that the Emperor of Hindoostan congratulated himself and his sub- 
 jects on having, at length, found a European ally whom brave and undesign- 
 ing men might venture to take by the hand with confidence. 
 
 After some delays, occasioned by the intrigues of the Portugueze mission- 
 aries, 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 allowed to reside at certain advantageous places. 
 That all the subjects of the Mogul empire should receive those of England in 
 any the most friendly manner; that the English merchants be protected 
 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 empire, free from 
 any additional duty ; and that the property of any English subject should, 
 i« 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. 
 
 Thus did the East-India Company attain the gratification of its most san- 
 guine wishes. During the first years of the Company's existence, it appears 
 that the greatest value of the exports, in any one year, did not exceed ^'36,000, 
 while the saving of the nation, in the prices of pepper, cloves, raace and nut- 
 megs, for home-consumption only, was annually <i.Yo,000 ; and the value of 
 the same spices exported in the year l6l4 amounted to ^'218,000, besides 
 JHidigo, calicoes, China silks, drugs, &c.— Though, from the mention of China 
 
 u 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 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 1619, 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 the reign of 
 Charles I. In 1647, East-India shares were sold at 50 or 40 per cent. loss. 
 
 The distracted state of the country during the civil wars was so inimical to 
 all public 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 protectorate, threw the trade entirely open. This project proved 
 inefficacious, 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 amounted 
 to ^'739,782. Only 50 per cent, was called for; their real capital, there- 
 fore, 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 transferable 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 had credit in the Company's books, and his proportionable dividend ou 
 the profits of each respective voyage." The corporation, according to its 
 construction at that time, was liable to dissolution at three years' notice. 
 
 Several disputes had arisen concerning the legality of the Company's mono- 
 poly during the reign of Charles II. In 1684, 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 endeavour to prove the illegality of the Company's monopoly 
 according to the tenor of Magna Charta and subsequent statutes, was sup- 
 ported by the Lord-chief-justice Polexfen, but the king issued a prohibition 
 against the sailing of the ship.* 
 
 In 1699, the House of Commons addressed King William, praying that he 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 would dissolve the Company at the end of three years, according to the power 
 reserved to the crown by the provisions of their charter. This petition, how- 
 ever, was so contrary to the views of King William, that in the course of the 
 ensuing two years he granted them three additional charters. 
 
 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 ,^'80,000 had been expended by the directors in secret ser- 
 vice-money ; when the governor and some others 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 seve- 
 ral successive years, produced, at length, so serious an interference of the 
 House of Commons, that it was thought expedient to propose advancing, 
 as a legal investment, X'700,000 for the public service, at four percent. 
 
 But the influence of the directors, in regard to the ministry, was defective, 
 A number of merchants offered to advance the sum of X2,000,()00, at eight 
 percent., on condition that the trade was perverted from its original channel, 
 and exclusively granted to themselves, with a proviso, however, that the sub- 
 scribers 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 pos- 
 session 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 impor- 
 tant 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 separately for seven years, after which 
 all traffic was to proceed on the joint account. 
 
 This arrangement received the sanction of parliament in 170S. 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 
 
 u 3 
 
INDIA-HOUSE. 
 
 years. By the same act the capital of the Company was augmented to 
 .£'3,200,000. 
 
 In consequence of the union of the two Companies, the following regula- 
 tions 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 them^ 
 were 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 junction took place, the Company's charter has been repeatedly 
 renewed. Their territorial possessions and the consequent necessity of mili- 
 tary assistance, have experienced such a rapid augmentation, that, since the 
 year 1784, the civil and military government of India has been subject to 
 the superintendance of a board of controul, consisting of the secretary-of-state, 
 the chancellor of the exchequer, and seven other privy-councillors nomi- 
 nated by his majesty. The commercial affairs are managed by a court of twenty- 
 four directors, chosen for four years, six of whom are changed annually. 
 From these directors are selected committees, under whose cognizance is trans- 
 acted each peculiar branch of the Company's extensive business. 
 
 The shippingemployed in the commerce between England and India belong 
 to persons who build them 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 number of tons mentioned in the charter, beyond the 
 bounds of which the Company is not to speculate, is 80,000. The national 
 revenue derived from India by Great Britain, is said, on the whole, to exceed 
 £'8,000,000 sterling. 
 
#■ 
 
 >c • • • • 
 
 r I 
 
i9e$friptii)e anti W^tovitHl Account 
 
 OF THE 
 
 E S C U R I A L.* 
 
 Few buildings have attracted more general curiosity than the Escurial ; and 
 were we to credit the assertions of various travellers and writers, this building 
 may justly be considered the greatest phenomenon in architecture. 
 
 The history of Spain, in regard to arts and sciences, may be divided into 
 three distinct classes, arising from the circumstance of different nations (each 
 eminent in the walks of art) maintaining alternate supremacy in that country. 
 
 The seven earlier centuries of the christian epoch form one period ; during 
 which the Spaniards were first tributary to the Romans and afterwards to the 
 Goths. In the year 712, the Saracens and Moors entered Spain, in greal 
 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 Granada, and expelled the Moorish. 
 King, Abdalla. From that day a new period in the history of Spain com- 
 mences : but our limits are so circumscribed, that we cannot give even an, 
 analysis of the genius exhibited by each respective power ; we shall, therefore, 
 immediately proceed with a descriptive account of the Escurial. 
 
 * This, and other buildings mentioned in the course of the present article, arc described 
 precisely as they appeared before those convulsions which have so fatally disorganised a great 
 part of Spain, 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 The pile of building so termed is situated in 40° 34' latitude, and is six 
 leagues and a half (thirty miles) distant from Madrid. It is seated on an 
 acclivity, which forms part of the chain of mountains that extend to Segovia, 
 where, taking a direction north-west, they unite with the Pyreneans, and assist 
 in separating the territories of France and Spain. In the vicinity of the 
 Escurial, these prodigious elevations are chiefly devoid of all alleviating cir- 
 cumstances of wood or verdure, though some few are crowned by forests of 
 pine, or softened by long ranges of firs. This situation for a royal palace, 
 raised with so much preseverance, and at a prodigious expense, would appear 
 unquestionably to be ill-chosen; and in many respects it certainly is so. A 
 back ground containing such ponderous natural phenomena as the frowning 
 army of mountains that look down on the Escurial, must necessarily diminish 
 the seeming consequence of the noblest work of art; while the absence of 
 intermingled wood and water, of gentle slope and fertile valley, cannot be 
 denied to tend, in a painful degree, to the communication of the most gloomy 
 ideas. 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 native dulness of perception, or rudeness of feeling, when we 
 recollect 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, which trans- 
 plant 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. — Where poetry and painting are mute, that feeling 
 which suggests an enthusiastic admiration of natural beauties will generally lie 
 dormant also. In consequence, very few 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 usually 
 placed amid the uninteresting lameness of the provincial town. — Custom, 
 therefore, might operate materially with the founder, in regard to the cheerless 
 situation of his palace; but it is highly probable that convenience might do 
 more. The Escurial is composed of that species of stone termed hiroquena, 
 which resembles a kind of granite. It is of a grey colour, and though not so 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 hard as granite, is calculated to resist all severities of weather, without loss of 
 colour. This stone the neighbouring quarries produced in surprising abun- 
 dance ; and when the magnitude of the building is explained, and the 
 immense sums its elevation required are stated, it would appear that neither 
 the treasure nor life of one prince would have been sufficient to mature such 
 an edifice in a country like Spain, where the difficulties of conveyance 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 against the Pope, at the very com- 
 mencement 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 (the key, in the sixteenth century, to the 
 territories of the Gallic monarch) was invested by the Spaniards and English 
 conjointly, under the command of Philibert, Duke of Savoy. St. Quintiii 
 was on the point of falling a prey to the united valour of its besiegers, when 
 timely succour from the side of France suspended its fate, and produced the 
 horrors of bloody conflict before its walls. On the day consecrated by the 
 Roman calendar to the memory of St. Laurence, the armies of France and 
 the allies, the one headed by Montmorency, the other by the Duke of Savoy, 
 met in the field and struggled for the palm of victory with heroic ardour. 
 Fortune seconded the valour of the allied powers ; and when Philip, who 
 waited the issue of the contest, at Cambray, was informed of the signal success 
 of the Spanish arms, he fell on his knees, and made a vow^ to build a church, 
 a monastery, and a palace, in honor of the saint and martyr on whose day 
 the battle had been won. 
 
 * When the Duke of Braganza (in the time of Philip) was introduced to the Escurial, and 
 told that it 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^ reii- 
 dered him at all times extremely fond of these religious vows. 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 extirpation of heresy.— The rigid punctuality with which he 
 fulfilled his holy engagement was cause of lamentation to many of his subjects. 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 The name of the building that dates its origin from so mistaken a notion 
 of piety, has afforded subject for a controversy equally perplexing and unim- 
 portant. One writer maintains that 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. . .the character of the whole country surrounding 
 the palace being of a rocky description. — Another observes, that Escoria (from 
 the Latin Scoria) is the term, in the Spanish language, for metallic dross ; 
 and that Escurial is the topographic derivative signifying the place of reception 
 for this dross. — And this second opinionist is equally supported by local 
 circumstance, for there certainly are abundance of ferruginous ores in the 
 neighbouring mountains. — Where the arguments are so equal, and the result 
 of so little consequence, we rest contented with merely observing, that the 
 village called El Escurial, directly adjacent to Philip's palace, was in exist- 
 tence 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 1563, and was not completed till the expiration 
 of twenty-two years. The expense to Philip II. is said to have been six mil- 
 lions of gold, though many additions have been made since the time of the 
 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 Villacestro. 
 
 There can be no circumstance more mortifying to an architect of vivid 
 imagination and excursive powers, than such a prescriptive outline, from 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 very serious inconvenience Monegro appears 
 to have laboured.— St. Laurence, the tutelary Saint of the Escurial, is said to 
 have been broiled alive on a gridiron, in 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.— 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 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 {mirabilc 
 dictu.'J 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 splendour, he placed the king's apart- 
 ments in the /umd/e. Determined, if possible, to wear his sovereig°n's fancy 
 thread-bear, the artist proceeded on the broiling system, even beyond the 
 necessity 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 gridirons in the galleries. Never was instrument of martyrdom 
 so multiplied, so celebrated, so highly honored !— And, notwithstanding this 
 circumstance, 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 assume the aspect of an immense quarry of stone, thrown 
 into those 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 thirty-seven windows in breadth ; and 
 measures, from end to end, exactly 6.57 feet. It is turned towards the 
 mountains, which are only at the distance of 100 paces, and, consequently, 
 it is dark there half-an-hour before it is so at the back front, which commands' 
 a fine prospect that reaches quite to Madrid. The sides are 494 feet in depth. 
 There is a square tower at each end of the four corners, nearly 200 feet in 
 height. There are about 4,000 windows, and 8,000 doors in this building ;— 
 1,1 10 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 Uiis occasion from 
 Arabia ; the carving of which is affirmed to have cost 60,000 crowns. In a 
 niche, a little higher up, guarded by marble columns, stands the statue of 
 
 • The stone is, iu fact, unusually fine. Its surface ha, a polish that would appear the result 
 of laborious art, and veins of blue and brown undulate over it in every direction. 
 
 X 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 St. Laurence, in a deacon'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 Monegro,* and is of the heroquena 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 were 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 
 eflFect of the church extremely obscure. — Here are 216 choral books, in folio, 
 written on parchment, with exceedingly fine miniatures. But the circum- 
 stance 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 production of the celebrated Benvenuto Cellini, " whose 
 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.— Cellini, in his book on 
 sculpture, printed at Florence, in 1568, says, " Though I have many statues 
 of marble, yet I shall only mention one, it being one of the most difficult 
 parts of the art to represent dead bodies :— this is the image of Christ 
 crucified ; in carving of which I took great pains, working with all the atten- 
 tion and care which such a subject requires ; and I knew that I was the first 
 who had ever carved 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 hard that it is 
 difficult to cut it." 
 
 » Architecture, sculpture, and painting, were frequently, at this period, united in the same 
 
 person. 
 
 t Miscell. by Johnson and others, vol. iii- page 297. 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 Cellini presented this, the masterpiece of his art, to the Duke of Florence. 
 By the grand Duke, Cvsimo, 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 men's shoulders. At the foot of the cross is inscribed, " Benvenutus 
 zeliniis cives Jforeiiiinus, faciebat, 1562." — It is fortunate that Cellini was 
 not living to see the priestsof the eighteenth century tie, by way of ornament, 
 a gold laced petticoat of purple velvet round the waist of the statue, the skirts 
 of which were made to descend below the knees ! 
 
 Niear to this altar, in a niche, is a marble statue of St. Laurence, in a deacon's 
 habit, as large as 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 
 11. by his ambassador 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 magnifi- 
 cence of which almost defies description. The ornaments are chiefly em- 
 broidered with pearls and precious stones; the candlesticks and lamps are of 
 pure gold. The py.r (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 with those of his empress, daughter, and two 
 sisters, are represented kneeling, as large as life, in ^ilt bronze. On the 
 other side is the monument of Philip II. who, together with two of his queens, 
 is represented in like manner. All these are by Pompey 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 from the Indies. 
 
 The tabernacle on the great altar is of porphyr}'-, gold, and jewels. It is 
 sixteen feet 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 remains 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 l654, according to the design of John Bat Cresenzio. 
 It is thirty-six feet in diameter, and thirty-eight feet in height, and is entirely 
 
 X 2 
 
E6CURIAL. 
 
 composed of the most valuable marbles, highly polished, intermixed with 
 ornaments 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 disposed 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 shield 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 Fineli, of Carrara, 
 a disciple of Algardi, and by others to Pedro Taca. The body is of gilt 
 bronze, the size of life ; the cross of black marble, and the back ground of 
 porphyry. The cupola of the Pantheon is of marble, with foliages of gilt bronze. 
 From 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 window. 
 
 The arms of Spain are represented over the door, in a kind of mosaic com- 
 posed of different coloured marbles, gold, silver, and lapis lazuli. 
 
 In the sacristy is kept a pectoral cross, worn about the neck of the prior 
 on solemn days. It consists of five diamonds, eight emeralds, four rubies, and 
 five pearls ; of which the largest is of the size of a pigeon's egg. 
 
 In the small chapel, de la santa forma, is a very fine custodia d' ostia, of 
 si Iver^/a^r ana, which was made in China, and presented to Charles II. by 
 the Emperor Leopold. 
 
 The library consists of two rooms, and contains about 21,000 volumes. 
 About 4,300 of these are in manuscript, of which 577 are Greek, 76 Hebrew, 
 and 1800 Arabic* 
 
 The largest room is 194- feet long. Five marble tables are placed in it. 
 On one of them stands an equestrian statue of Philip II. four feet in height, 
 
 * According to Hettinger's catalogue, there were in the Escurial near 3,000 Arabic manu- 
 scripts, before the fire of 1661, which consumed a part of the library. — 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 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 neighbouring mountains is preserved in this apartment. If properly 
 mounted, this magnet might be made to suspend an iron weight of 750 pounds. 
 In a small room called El camerino is a portable golden altar, which was 
 made use of by Charles V. The cross is ornamented with a topaz, as large 
 as a hen's (i^g, and with a diamond and ruby, each the size of a common 
 bean. -• f . 
 
 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 Escurial is almost unrivalled, both in 
 regard to number and excellence. — There are upwards of 1600 in oil colours, 
 exclusive of the paintings in fresco, in which 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 pan- 
 nels. There was, indeed, scarcely an artist of taste or celebrity, that was over- 
 looked 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. In 1671 this superb and elegant edifice 
 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. 
 
 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 sovereigns 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 arts 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 tenanted by the brotherhood of a religious order. St. Jerome is. 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 the second patron of this place, and the monks (to the number of 200) are 
 Jeronyraites.* 
 
 The particulars we have detailed cannot possibly fail to communicate high 
 esteem for the liberality and taste with which the interior of the 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 cultivated as was the fancy of Monegro, 
 we have every reason to suppose that he would have produced a design far from 
 unworthv of the superb scale on which he was allowed to act, had not such 
 a svstem been imperiously delineated as compelled the dullness of uniformity 
 and precluded the possibility of striking architectural effect. 
 
 Restrained as were iSIonegro's powers, he has never glaringly violated the 
 rules of taste. The proportions are just, the combinations are chaste. From 
 the slight retrospective 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 classical correctness from the buildings of his predecesors. 
 — Tumultuary and immethodical grandeur was the only aim of jNIoriscan 
 builders. The Spanish artists, who succeeded the era of Moorish predomi- 
 nancy, were chiefly employed in arranging niches for statues, and disposing 
 marble fountains through formal, though luxurious, gardens. — Monegro, despis- 
 ing 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 eflfect. 
 
 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, 
 
 * Though the revenue of the monks of the Escurial was diiiiiiiisliecl by the resumption, 
 on Philip's demise, of an estate in lands, called campiUo, to the yearly amount of 18,000 
 crowns, their income is still very great. As an instance, tlie annual value of the wool pro- 
 duced by the flocks belonging to this convent, is said to l)e not less than £20,000. It is 
 imported into this kingdom, under the title of the " Escurial pile," and it supplies the raw 
 Kiaterial for some of the most beautiful specimens from the looms of the \>est ot England, 
 
ESCURIAL, 
 
 departing from the progressive simplicity of a whole, is too much broken 
 into parts. Admitting the existence of this want of architectural excellence, 
 the ingenuous will perceive that it is a necessity 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 splendour 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 character of Philip II. — The reputation of no man has been more variously 
 reported than that of this monarch. The Protestant powers, with our own 
 country at their head, have exhausted the epithets of acrimony in stigmatising 
 his alleged cruelty, duplicity, and unsanctified and peculiar superstition. — 
 Philip stands depictured to the reformed 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 the sublimest 
 pitch of mortal attainment; — with them his wisdom is oracular, his clemency 
 angelic, and his humility indescribable.* — Anxious to divest interest and pas- 
 sion 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 
 statesmen to be unsafe in regard to politics, is still very frequently the pre- 
 ferable 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 with the middle ages, Ferdinand appears indebted for celebrity. 
 His mean jealousy of the talent which supported him, and his base ingratitude 
 
 * In 1026, 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 Madrid, in 1748, and was deemed too precious a treasure to be 
 dedicated to any mundane personage.— It was accordingly addressed to " the most sacred 
 Empress of Heaven and Earth, Mary, mother of God, Lady of the Universe, and Queen of 
 the Angels." 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 to Columbus, materially diminish 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. It is seldom, indeed, that 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 the people, and expend 
 their eloquence in praise of a toy, while all that is solid and beneficial they 
 set aside as not sufficiently elevated for a page of so much fanciful importance. 
 — The bravery of Charles was rendered injurious by the alloy of unboimded 
 ambitionj; and his wisdom was disgraced by the insidious and fraudulent cast 
 of his political transactions. — His base detention of Francis, and the mean 
 hypocrisy 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 entirely by the influence of Charles himself; — these 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 personal 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 suffice. — When that formid- 
 able armament which Spain equipped against this country, was so signally 
 defeated by English valour, 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 the zeal he 
 
 • Humanity appears eminently conspicuous in the single minute in which Philip was known 
 to depart from the most rigid equality of temperance. — When the Diikepof Savoy, immediately 
 jubsequent 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, bloodlesi victory.' 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 had displayed in the service, and while the voice of envy accused the Prince 
 of Parma of negligence, Philip rejected with indignation the unworthy 
 calumny, and honored that gallant commander with Vresh marks of esteem 
 and confidence. 
 
 A series of events contributed to exalt the power of Philip at thecommence- 
 ment of his reign. The victory of St. Quintin opened France to his troops, 
 and laid the 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 equitable 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 
 equanimity of temper. Through fifty days of almost unprecedented suffering, 
 the king lay in the arms of death. No murmur escaped his lips. Smiles of 
 hope, and exemplary patience, mocked the most unkind attacks of lassitude 
 and pain. 
 
 Tvvo days before his dissolution, he summoned to his bed-side, his son and 
 daughter. He discoursed with them on the vanities of human greatness • im- 
 parted 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 h.s funeral, and caused his coffin to be brought into his chamber 
 and placed within his view. This solemn object he conti^nued 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 
 prade the Spaniards never could discover.-In fact, he possessed not any 
 peculiar dignity of reserve. His temper and manners were precisely those of 
 the Spanish cavalier of his own time. His bitterest reviler describes him as 
 having exhibited pride in manner, 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, mu^t 
 have rendered Philip an object of contempt to his own subjects. 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 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 penmen 
 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 territories 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 fol- 
 lowed by open acts of insurrection. 
 
 But, waving the plea of political inducement, the writer who would soften 
 the terrific 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 the 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 the 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 victims 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 religious zeal, il appears no more than 
 charitable to affirm, that the bigotry of Philip was the vice of the time, rather 
 than 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, through all christian countries, occupied the place now possessed 
 by cool discussion and polemic argument. 
 
 * So great was the terror inspired by the Christian arms in the " holy land," that even now, 
 mothers who wisli to terrify their babes into silence, are in the habit of crying " Hush! or I will 
 c^U King, Richard to you! " 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 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 feeling. That step once taken, probably 
 even the power ofPhilip was insufficient to the speedy enlargement of the 
 offender.* The death of the prince, many writers of opposite opinions to 
 the court of Spain, were ingenious enough to find occasioned by poison 
 admmistered by a hand which 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 natural brother, Don John of Austria, was entrusted by him with the 
 highest military commands. Though the popularity of this youthful compe^ 
 titor was not overlooked by the watchful eye of Philip, he scrupled not to 
 resign to him the conductof the war in the Netherlands, when the public wel- 
 fare appeared to demand that appointment. 
 
 Perseverance, pursued by ill-fortune, becomes inflexibility :— this species of 
 obstinacy may, in many cases, be alleged against Philip. The times increased 
 the propensity to severity ever observable in his temper; so that pity and 
 urbanity are certainly not to be numbered among his merits. Perhaps it may 
 be truly said, that he had very few virtues of an attractive cast; for mere tem- 
 perance, love of justice, and economical activity, 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 generosity. While we regret that the fail- 
 ings of this prince should be so bitterly augmented by one party, and his 
 accomplishments so ridiculously elevated by the other, we will venture to 
 
 * The Inquisitor general was nominated by (he king, but confirmed by the pope. His 
 power was such, that, in several instances, the authority of the sovereign was unable to contro- 
 vert 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 
 iscal he displayed for the operations of that court. 
 
 Y 2 
 
ESCURIAL. 
 
 bestow unqualified 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." Alonso Coello, and Antonio Moro, were not only encouraged by 
 his bounty, but were admitted by him into habits of the most familiar friend- 
 ship. Coello's painting-room communicated with the royal apartments at 
 the Escurial, Here Philip was a frequent visitor, and tasted hours of tran- 
 quil enjoyment which the pomp of crowns must ever strive in vain to 
 communicate. 
 
i: ^ 
 
 ^ N^ 
 
AM 
 
 ^tct)itutmAl mtf W^totml 'Account 
 
 WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 X HOUGH it is evident, from the testimony of several English historians, that 
 castles, or fortified places, are of early date, it does not appear that they were 
 by any means numerous, because, 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 his progress," nor was it till 
 after the Norman conquest that buildings of this sort were encouraged.* 
 
 This politic people easily perceived the advantages likely to accrue from 
 massive fortifications, tenanted by their own partizans, among a nation whose 
 allegiance they retained on the most precarious of all possible tenures. Ex- 
 ercising 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 accomphshment of their 
 subjugation. The perilous exigency of the times enforced the propriety of 
 fortifying these buildings with such scrupulous caution, that the baroji, 
 entrenched in his recess of stone, became virtually superior to the jurisdiction 
 of the monarch for whose safeguard the fortress was erected. Each baron, 
 chiefly from the circumstance of possessing a fortified abode, became a petty 
 monarch. This gave rise.to various intestine troubles ; and we are informed, 
 
 * See our account of the Tower. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 when Henry II. ascended the throne, several fortresses were dismantled, and 
 all persons were prohibited from constructing castellated mansions without 
 the king's especial licence. Royal castles, however, were erected at the 
 public expense " for the defence of the country," which were committed ge- 
 nerally to the charge of some trusty person, who was styled governor or con- 
 stable. They were sometimes in possession of the sheriff of the county, who 
 was responsible at the Exchequer for the rents of the dependant lands. 
 
 The construction of castles of defence appears to have been as nearly 
 uniform as situation would allow. The walls were generally faced with stone ; 
 the inside was of the same materials. The angles were always coigned, and 
 the arches were turned with stone squared. The most advanced part of the 
 building was the barbican, or watch-tower. This elevation does not appear 
 to have possessed any determinate place of occupancy. Tt was, however, 
 always an outwork, and sometimes formed the entrance into the castle. Next 
 in order was the moat, or fosse, which was either wet or dry, but generally 
 the former. In dry ditches were sometimes subterranean passages, through 
 which the besieged were in the habit of sallying. Over the moat was a stand- 
 ing, or a draw-bridge, leading to the ballium. Within the moat were placed 
 the walls of the ballium. The entrance was through an embattled gate, 
 between two towers. The porter's lodgings were usually over the gateway. 
 The keep, or dungeon, commonly stood on an eminence in the centre, and 
 various buildings for the reception of soldiery, &c. were placed with little re- 
 gularity around it. The keep was generally square, and consisted of four or 
 five stories, with turrets at each angle. Staircases were always placed in the 
 turrets, and frequently a well. The walls were of an extraordinary thickness. 
 Instead of windows, loop-holes served to admit light, and afforded the be- 
 sieged convenient space for the discharge of arrows. In the days of baronial 
 turbulence, little delicacy of feeling prevailed, and all notions of elegance, and 
 even of comfort, were necessarily sacrificed to the one great, needful object — 
 security. In the keep were always placed the apartments designed for the 
 baron, or governor, and his family ; and beneath those apartments, in the 
 same keep, or dungeon, were the cells dedicated to the imprisonment of the 
 conquered. A melancholy picture of the barbarity of our ancestors. 
 
 Before the use of gunpowder, castles constructed in this manner were so 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 formidable, that a regular siege often occupied a very considerable portion of 
 time. That of Calais may serve as an instance, where the works were so ex- 
 tensive, and the labourers so numerous, that a complete town was built near 
 the lines of the offensive party. Market days were established, and the be- 
 siegers entered into all the formalities of domestic arrangement. 
 
 Among the first fortresses of this order, erected by the conquering Norman, 
 was one at Windsor.* The manor of old Windsor 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 
 Westminster. William the Conqueror procured it again from that monastery 
 by exchange. 
 
 In the reign of William I. old Windsor contained "an hundred houses, 
 whereof twenty-two were exempt from tax ; out of the rest there went thirty 
 shillings." The site of the royal palace of old Windsor is not known. It 
 continued to be the occasional residence of the monarchs 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 was held there in 1072. William Rufus kept there his Whitsuntide, 
 in 1095, his Christmas in 1096, and his Christmas in IO97. It is usual to 
 ilescribe these celebrations as taking place at the castle of new Windsor, but 
 such accounts have little probability of correctness. King Henry I. certainly 
 kept his Christmas at old Windsor, in 1105, and his Easter in 1107; but, 
 having enlarged the castle with many " fair buildings," he removed the court 
 to new Windsor; and, for the first time, kept the festival of Whitsuntide at 
 Windsor 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 importance in the romantic and chivalrous days of the first 
 Richard. It passed through various hands during that monarch's expedition 
 to the Holy Land. 
 
 Maud, the wife of William de Braose, was confined in Windsor Castle by 
 
 * The origin of the name is supposed to be found in the winding character of the Thames in 
 the vicinity. The word is immediately derived from the Saxon, and the conjecture has autiS- 
 cient probability to support it. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLB. 
 
 King John. Historians report that her resolute behaviour, under circum- 
 stances of captivity, incensed the sovereign so highly, that he caused her to 
 be starved to death in the dungeon of his regal abode. 
 
 In 1215, King John retired to Windsor Castle, as a place of security,* 
 during the popular tumult which then prevailed. It vi'as from Windsor that 
 the king issued to sign Magna Charta at Runneymede, the barons having re- 
 fused to attend him in his own castle. He remained at Windsor for some 
 time afterwards. 
 
 Shortly after, Windsor was besieged by a large army in the interest of the 
 barons. Captain Inglehard de Achie, with a party of only sixty soldiers, de- 
 fended the Castle so gallantly, that every effort of the besiegers was without 
 success. During the remainder 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 with intestine warfare. Edward I. 
 and II. frequently resided at Windsor, and it was here that Edward III. was 
 born. 
 
 The English character was now aoout to undergo an alteration. The 
 period was arrived when unembossed iron was not judged sufficient 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 thesolidity of the structure. The ramparts, 
 the turrets, the barbican, were the great objects of attention with the royal 
 builders before the time of Edward of Windsor : while the queen's possibly 
 needed less delicacies of accommodation than the rural housewife of the 
 present <lay.-|* Edward III. was happily enabled to lead the English genius 
 
 * It was esteemed the strongest fortress at that time in the kingdom, except the Tower of 
 London. 
 
 t Edward I. and Queen EJeanor 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 tlie roads being imp;issil)le for her conveyance by waggons. — That the roads 
 were not very desirable may be readily credited. Within the last forty years, ihey were so bad, 
 that a coach, with four horses, was usually ten hours in performing a journey to London. The 
 same journey is how generally completed in four hours. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 to pursuits beyond the merely useful. As usual, the temper of the age may 
 ■be ascertained through the medium of its buildings. From a survey of the 
 edifice under consideration, it would be easy to pronounce (without historical 
 erudition) the reign of Edward marked by a spirit of embellished warfare. 
 
 Edward always evinced a decided fondness for the place of his nativity. 
 Walsingham relates that, in 1344, he 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 
 William de Wyckham 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 works, 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 shilUngs a-weelc. In 1359, the architect was appointed keeper of the 
 manors of old and new Windsor. The next year, 360 workmen were im- 
 pressed. The small rate in which they were paid by the king induced some 
 to quit Windsor clandestinely, but writs were immediately issued to prohibit 
 all persons from employing them on pain of forfeiting their goods and chattels. 
 Such of the workmen as were apprehended were committed to Newgate, 
 The plague having carried off a great number of the king's workmen, in 1369, 
 writs were issued to the sheriffs of several counties toimpress 302 masons and 
 diggers of stone. The counties of York, Salop, and Devon, were to furnish 
 sixty men each. Glaziers were impressed in the year 1363. Very few com- 
 missions were issued after the year 1369, and none after 1378, so that it may 
 be presumed the building was then finished. Thus, it was about seventeen 
 years, from the appointment of the architect to the probable completion of 
 the building. No part of William the Norman's castle was preserved, except 
 three towers at the west end of 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 
 Chapel of St. George, the Canons' houses in the lower ward, and the whole 
 circumference of the walls, with the towers and gates. 
 
 2 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 Those progressive improvements which have brought the Castle to it^ 
 present magnificent 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 upper ward. Henry VIH. rebuilt the great gate in the lower 
 war^d, leading to the town. King Edward VI. began, and Queen Mary per- 
 fected, the bringing of water from Blackmoor park into a fountain in the centre 
 of the upper court. Queen Elizabeth made a terrace-walk on the north side 
 of the building. 
 
 Under Charles II. the Castle experienced material 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 judgment. 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-walk, on the north-sWe 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 
 m'onarchs have effected slight alterations, but none have been so splendid in 
 their attentions to this noble pUe as his late majesty. 
 
 The Castle consists of two courts, or wards, between which is the keep, or 
 Round Tower, usually termed the middle ward. The circumference of the 
 whole Castle, according to Langley's admeasurement, is 4180 feet ; the length 
 from east to west 14-80 feet; and the area, exclusive of tire terrace-walks, 
 
 about twelve acres. 
 
 The upper ward is a spacious quadrangle, formed on the west-side by the 
 Round 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 bronze, of Charles II. ornaments the centre of the square. 
 This 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 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 of 100 stone steps, at the top of which is planted a piece of cannon. Seven- 
 teen pieces of cannon are mounted round the curtain of the tower, which is 
 the only battery now in the Castle. The apartments of this tower belong to 
 the constable or governor.* 
 
 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 other officers of the foundation ; and, on the south 
 and west sides of the outer part of this court, are the houses of the alms, or 
 Poor Knights of Windsor.-j- 
 
 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 Salis- 
 bury. The work was not completed till the reign of Henry VIII., the beau- 
 tiful roof of the choir was put up in the year 1508. Sir Reginald Bray suc- 
 ceeded Bishop Beauchamp in superintendance of this extensive work, and 
 was a liberal contributor to several parts of the fabric. The rood loft and 
 ianthom were erected in 1516. The present organ gallery, and screen at the 
 west end of the choir, have been lately erected. The stalls of the knights- 
 
 • The office of governor is of great antiquity and honor. The first governor, who was ap- 
 pointed by William the Conqueror, under the name of Castellan, was Walter Fitz-other, an- 
 cestor 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. 
 
 t This charitable institution owes its origin to Edward III. who intended it exclusively for 
 tlie benefit of military men fallen to decay. Their number was originally twenty-four, but 
 afterwards increased to twenty-six, to correspond with the Jiumber 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 eighteen. The annual income of each knight is about fiftj' pounds 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 accommodation. 
 
 Z 2 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 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 
 workmanship ; 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 the 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, which goes by his name. This building being 
 then unappropriated, was granted by Henry VIII. to Cardinal Wolsey, who 
 began to erect there a most sumptuous monument for himself. The design of 
 this monument, which was never finished, is said to have exceeded in splendour 
 that of Henry VII.* 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 than half, is said to have 
 amounted to 3S0/. King Charles I. is reported to have designed this chapel 
 for the burial-place of himself and family. The civil war, however, frustrated 
 this intention. The fate of the king is well known, and the unfinished monu- 
 ment 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 Morship, according to 
 the rites of the Roman Catholic church. Verrio was employed to paint the 
 ceiling and walls. This chapel remained in ruin and neglect, till the year 
 1800, when it was repaired by order of his late majesty. 
 
 » The monument is described, in liie reign of Queen Elizabeth, as "consisting of white and 
 black marble. Eight large brazen columns were placed round it, and, nearer the tomb, four 
 othersj in the shape of candlesticks.'.' It was then thought that Queen Elizabeth intended to be 
 buried in Woisey's Chapel. 
 
 t The dei)redations committed by the popular pa-rty were very extensive at this period. lii 
 the year 1642, the ornaments and vessels belonging to the chapelof St. George, and appropriated 
 10 the use of the altar, amounting to 3580 [ounces of wrought plate, were seized by the parlia- 
 mentary forces under Captain Fogg. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 A minute description of each apartment in this regal castle, would be much 
 R)0 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 
 assembled. 
 
 No monarch, since the time of Edward, has, perhaps, effected greater alter- 
 ations in Windsor Castle than George III. ; and certainly no alterations 
 have been executed with so much taste. The interior has experienced con- 
 siderable improvements, and received various superb embellishments. 
 
 Some idea of the chief ornaments and curiosities formerly contained in the 
 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 Henry VI. was born ; Queen Elizabeth's bed-chamber, 
 where is a table of red marble with white streaks ; a gallery every where orna*- 
 mented with emblems and figures ; a chamber, in which are the royal beds of 
 Henry VII. and his queen ; of Edward VI. ; of Henry VIII. and Anne 
 Boleyn ; all of them eleven feet square, and covered with quilts, shining with 
 gold and silver ; Queen Elizabeth's bed, with curious coverings of embroideryj 
 but not quite so long or large as the others ; a piece of tapestry, in which is 
 represented Clovis, King of France, with an angel presenting to him the Jleurs 
 de lis, to be borne in his arms ; for, before this time, the kings of France bore 
 three toads in their shield, instead of which they afterwards placed three Jleiirs 
 de lis on a blue field. This antique tapestry is said to have been taken from 
 a king of France, while the English were masters there. We were shewn 
 here, among other things, the horn of a unicorn, of above eight spans and a 
 half in length, valued atabove 10,000/. Thebirdof paradise, three spans long, 
 and a cushion most curiously wrought by Queen Elizabeth's 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. 
 Vandyke and West occupy the places possessed by the bird of paradise and 
 unicorn's horn ; while even the cushion, " most curiously wrought by Queen 
 Elizabeth's own hand," is equalled, if not eclipsed, by the works of elegant taste, 
 produced by those princesses whose pursuits are an honor to their country. 
 
 We have endeavoured to give, in our plate, the most accurate representation 
 
VnXDSOR GAaglX. 
 
 «ke MrtlhAiMl, mdiauis « Gttie to ll« eKt, wad 
 
 he ^ikiy, (vkilis called BlealKiM Tover, fioM 
 
 sofib coMMi^ Ike bMMr pnswfeBd by the Dake of MmI- 
 
 Kik.) Md tlK R<MHd Tower, as sees tnm the littfe intk. PeikipB this 
 
 : of the Mosi ialERStii^ bat k «B deeHMd «a|nGB% iksuabfe. IS 
 
 , m jw Hw fiflii ibi mpiniiifir of Ae ai%;nfd suudare, pienoas to the 
 
 ) tiUag plaoe lader the direcfMMi of 3ir. WjaUL 
 
 Tke aewOsdeof inadbor catndly provsa verf csoKid^ 
 
 whilMiiiJ chwacler of tbe kiagdoBidarag the 
 By Kiui^ t» be seea of NoRBHi casiks, we aaj jodge 
 of tberrfmr^ of Ki^ HHjh— 'sattachre. TIk raus of KcmU, Kmcs- 
 Poateinct osdes, aad tbe preseat aawe pedect cnadittioaof 
 Cawder,«Ml GlMiys, (whaoh woe witated fios the XonBM)skiNr 
 Ih liiiBailj awliaiiiMiiiMwatM rflhi imnni ri rurrtrd <r tbit tiair ^ 
 
 Wkil wehave aaidof Ike baOdii^ need by£dwanln|dies that k was Bot 
 l¥e RoiBHl To««r bad on^aalfy a sooog wall aad 
 hatao a w wt wisdBewedaeoKaaiytotke jjm a aky oftke en h aiui 
 ioflkecasde. Wine ike waMof the oatorbaHMaoocapkd its fiowau^ 
 ■a Ike }MnaM castls, n^ bid^iags were pfaced by the coafideat 
 md. Feiki^ Ike baddii^atWiBdsar was tke fine aiieiifitiathk fciBg- 
 I ao solder tke i ■iMiiiil»iiil ihiiiMlii of edifioe aoKaafafe to paipoees of 
 
 gkkinaraDlkeMeMinrof £dw»d. ffis feariegaeg of ili^ii prores 
 tabne beea ike fiiker of kk people ; aad cjoariaoes as tkift ke had ob- 
 
 I J aki bmi ml whwiaiiiia of J rialrr br windnai roanrr lad aihiailj 
 Fka we nodlBCt libCai tke Xoivaa wJ&ttiy aRkilBiAnew Ike walk were 
 nstenmly ikkk, dbtf Ike apotncs woe otko- M iia ll a j. offtke»ckes 
 iiairia aad iMipiMliiHl by cft«sy piBKB, aad cxiaaidertke hack, op- 
 
 apiuwjd bete ia hk B* iliihai Castle; 
 
 le baildiag a wfc d tke iiiftaiaaj eMfly 
 
 WoHisarCastle. » kft by Wp^ki^ 
 
 s.tkm akamiaiaas coMbmHiina of 
 
%MXDSOR C-\STLE. 
 
 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 have produced a building more con- 
 sonant in its leading features, and, therefore, more striking in its general edect. 
 It must, however, be reiollected that the architects of the early centuries la- 
 boured under great disadvan^ages. They were generally deficient in leamiiiG:. 
 The remuneration usually received was not calculated to promote vigorous ap- 
 plication, while the want of taste io their employers too frequently forbade the 
 possibility of excursive experiments. Scarcely one architect had travelled to 
 examine the works of contemporaries or explore the remains of antiquitj\ 
 
 It was on the interior of St. George's-hall, and the chapel, that all the de- 
 licacies of architecture then known were bestowed. The former is allowed to 
 be one of the finest rooms in Europe; the latter was rebuilt bv Edward IV. 
 but the original structure was, in all probability, worthy of the royal founder. 
 
 The situ-atiou of Windsor Castle is known to be one of the most delishil'ul 
 m the kingdom. The forest dependant on this building, 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 l:?$t>. 
 Norden^s map of the forest, taken in the year 1007, makes its circuit seventy- 
 seven miles and a half, exclusively of the liberties, which extended into Buck- 
 inghamshire, the true limits of which he could not ascertain. It was then 
 divided into seventeen walks. The circuit of the forest, as describetl in 
 Rocqne's map, appears to In? about fitty six 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 conuiiued 5S00 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, consisteil of only ?S0 acres, was enlarged, and enclosed with a brick- 
 wall, by Kin^r William III. It now contains about JOO acres. The ground 
 on the north side, which was laid out as a gardep by Queen Anne., has beeii 
 
 • The forest, on the Surry side of the Thames, jncludevi Cobbam and Cbertsey : and, 
 ipUowing the course of the rixrWej, extended up to the town of Guildiurd. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 since converted into a lawn. In this park stood the celebrated Heine's oak, 
 immortalized by Shakspeare in the " Merry Wives of Windsor." 
 
 The proo-ressive fortunes of a town so immediately dependant as Windsor 
 on the residence of the sovereign, can scarcely fail to be considered a subject 
 of curiosity.— New Windsor was declared a free borough by King Edward I. 
 in the year 1276, who granted various privileges to the burgesses. They 
 were incorporated by Edward IV. King Charles II. gave the corporation the 
 manor of Underore, within the limits of the borough. The market-cross 
 (afterwards destroyed in the civil war,) was erected in the year 1380. The 
 Guildhall was built in 1686. 
 
 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 Berkshire, 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 de- 
 cided negative to the petition, declaring that he would have the county-gaol 
 in no other castle than his own. The borough sent two burgesses to parlia- 
 ment in the reign of Edward I. The number of inhabitants, in 1555, was 
 only 1000; the number in IS 10 was 6156. An act for paving the town 
 passed in 1585. 
 
 We have already given a brief review of the historical incidents associated 
 with the ancient fortress " de Windesor," we must now proceed with some 
 account of the present building. 
 
 The reign of Edward III. is remarkable in our annals, as, by his regulations, 
 all the orders of the state acquired a dependance 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 im- 
 mured in his castle, or appeared abroad surrounded by vassals cased in iron. 
 A spirit of sociability and splendour pervaded the upper walks of life, while the 
 inferior classes began to feel their consequence in the scale of society, and to 
 taste the sweets of rational freedom. 
 
 An alteration so important was not likely to be effected without some cor- 
 respondent evils. It could not be expected that mankind would instinctively 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 possess talent to join pertinacity of morals with the novel charms of elegance 
 and gallantry. Historians represent the kingdom as plunged, at this period, 
 in extreme licentiousness. The character peculiar to the middle ages, joined 
 with the natural bent 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 precursor, 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 lis- 
 tened to the tradition of Arthur, his magnanimous predecessor, 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 was at the time frequented by some of the 
 most powerful nobility of Spain, Italy, Flanders, Germany, and France ; he 
 was preparing 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 the establishment of 
 the woollen manufactories, his thoughts were fitly directed to the exterior : 
 the arts of negociation were now to be employed, and it was expedient 
 Edward should place himself on a footing of equality 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 tourna- 
 ment at Windsor; in consequence of which an amphitheatre was run up, in 
 the style of the Roman buildings of this kind prior to Statilius Taurus, and the 
 knights assembled distinguished themselves by feats of arms, the king mixing 
 himself in the throng, bearing the device of a white swan, and this familiar 
 challenge on his shield : — 
 
 ' Hay, hay ! tlie while swan. 
 By God's soul, I am thy man. 
 
 " The active and dangerous amusements of the joust were succeeded by the 
 hospitality of the feast. In imitation of the reputed founder of the castle, a 
 
 2 A 
 
o 
 e 
 
 WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 round table was introduced, that prince and subject, native and foreio-ner, 
 might join in the conviviality of the hour without distinction ; and it is 
 probable that, during these festive moments, the foundation was laid of Eng- 
 land's future greatness ; for, while the curiosity and admiration of Europ 
 were yet attracted by the far-famed splendour of this 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 pri- 
 soner 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. 
 " 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 Mensa Rotunda of Kino- 
 Arthur. In imitation of this establishment, as appears from Rastel's Chronicle, 
 Richard I., at the siege of Acre, sanctioned this incorporation, and twenty-six 
 knights, who firmly 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 ^he 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 strano-e 
 story given in Polydore Virgil, about some Countess of Salisbury, or Pem- 
 broke, who, 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 consonant with Edward's character, that we do not 
 wonder at the credit it obtained. Our best antiquaries have, however, aban- 
 doned 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 hence 
 this distinction of the knights became not only a symbol of their union, butr 
 a commemoration of that important victory. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 " Peter the Great, of Russia, much nearer our own times, was not more sen- 
 sible of the tendency of public exhibitions to soften and refine the manners of 
 his ferocious clans, than our Edward of Windsor, who revived the tournaments 
 with extraordinary splendour. Letters of safeguard were delivered to the most 
 accomplished foreigners, and females of remarkable beauty were appointed to 
 superintend on these festive occasions. In England this romantic amusement 
 was first practised under Stephen, about the year 1 140 ; but it was not usual 
 until the reign of CcEur de Lion, when it was celebrated, with some magnifi- 
 cence, in the tilt-yard in St. James's. A most magnificent tournament was 
 solemnized at Windsor, in the year 1358, at the feast of the Knights of the 
 Garter, at that time usually distinguished as the Knights 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 
 precincts of the Castle. The Duke of Brabant, and several sovereign princes, 
 assisted at the ceremonies. Those knights who attended were required to be 
 in complete military equipage, with arms on their shields and surcoats ; and 
 with caparisons on their horses, their esquires riding before, bearing their 
 tilting spears, with their pennons and their helmets adorned with wreaths of 
 silk, corresponding with the tinctures of their arms and of their liveries. The 
 tournament being proclaimed, the proper officer suspended two shields upon a 
 tree. He that offered to fight as a pedestrian (which was the more honorable 
 way) made his public challenge by touching the shield on the right-hand ; the 
 cavaliers, on the contrary, touched that on the left. 
 
 " When a knight came near the barriers, he blew a trumpet, on this signal 
 the heralds approached, and registered his name, armorials, and other proofs 
 of his nobihty, in their books; which is deemed the origin of heraldry. 
 
 " The champions being admitted within the circle, exchanged those cere- 
 monies which the urbanity of chivalry had established, and paid their 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, couqhed 
 their lances, and, spurring their indignant steeds, ran fiercely at each other; 
 and the spear being directed at the armour, a terrible shock was given, the 
 clangor of arms resounded, and the shivered weapons glistened on the ground. 
 
 2 A 9 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 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 dis- 
 mounted, if he dropped his lance, disengaged any part of his armour, or in- 
 jured the beast of his adversary. 
 
 " The formalities of the introduction of a subject to the honor of a Knis^ht- 
 companion of the Garter have frequently been repeated in our own day ; but 
 the circumstances attending the degradation of a knight have not been shown 
 since the time of the late Duke of Ormond, at the beginning of the reign of 
 George I. 
 
 " The ancient practice was solemnly to snatch away the sword of the 
 knight, and to chop off his spurs (the chief ensigns of his honor) his coat-ot- 
 arms was then torn from his body, and another was substituted, whereon it 
 was reversed ; every piece of the armour 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 VIII., 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 Garter (principal king-at-arms,) to 
 attend some of them in the presence of the convict knight, who first deprive 
 him of his gorge and ribbon, and then of his garter. The publication of his 
 crimes and degradation is now made, and a warrant is issued for taking down 
 his achievements. 
 
 " On the moining 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 knight's degradation ; when Garter pronounces these words, ' be expelled, 
 and put from among the arms !' a herald, appointed for the purpose, takes the 
 crest, the banner, and the sword, and throws them into the choir. The 
 achievements 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 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 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 armour, with their 
 escutcheons, crowns, crests, supporters, and all other marks of royalty. A 
 victorious knight had his sword raised, and naked, in his 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 armour, their sword in the scabbard, the visor up, their 
 hands joined at the breast, and their feet resting on a dead lion. 
 
 " The son of a governor, dying during the siege, was to be shewn in 
 complete armour, 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 with 
 the upper part of his effigy in the habit of the order he professed, but with the 
 lower in complete armour. 
 
 " A knight killed in single combat was honored with complete armour, but 
 his left-arm was crossed upon his 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 battle-axe. 
 
 " But if any person had been accused of treason, murder, rape, or as an in- 
 cendiary, instead of being honorably interred, he was treated in the most con- 
 temptuous manner ; his arms 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 become the permanent object of national detestation." 
 
 Windsor was the 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 this amazon princess and her 
 maids of honor, when their accustomed exercises are duly considered. Fre- 
 quently the timorous hart was chased through the meanders of the great park, 
 the queen galloping at the head of the pursuers ; and when the affrighted 
 prey was driven to an extremity, and the huntsman interfered to rescue the 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 «poil from the gaping mouths of the dogs, her majesty, as an especial mark 
 of favor and respect, was permitted to show her supremacy 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 whips, and lashed him till he roared through rage and pain. 
 His struggles, and the writhing contortions produced by his sufferings, formed 
 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 his back," were also 
 thought relaxations particularly agreeable. 
 
 The want of feminine tenderness evident in these pursuits must certainly be 
 ascribed to the effects of habit ; and it is but just to represent Elizabeth, as 
 connected with Windsor, often observable in an attitude far different. Walk- 
 ing 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 capable, 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 partiality should have conducted 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. This 
 circumstance, being so well known to the reader, we will refrain entering 
 into the particulars which caused him to become a prisoner in the palace of 
 his ancestors, where he was used with the utmost indignity. 
 
 We are informed, however, by all who have written on the subject, that 
 wherever the second Charles held his court, shouts of laughter, and all the 
 tumult and licentiousness of revelry, were sure to be found. That silent 
 
 We allude to the ascendancy oblained over the ill-fated monarch by his queen, who was 
 at once weak, tyrannical, and obstinate. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 monitor, the cell of anguish, in which his royal father had remained an insulted 
 captive, conveyed no lesson of moderation to the depraved bosom of Charles. 
 Surrounded by a throng of nobles, quite as careless and still more vicious than 
 himself, the king, in this his favorite residence, resigned his hours to indolent 
 voluptuousness, quite indifferent as to the solid interests 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 the 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, the king was perpetually wishing her death, or removal from 
 his neighbourhood. 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 entirely 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, 
 onli/ because she teas 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 known 
 to every reader. 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 history, too often 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 encroaches on the precincts of the fabulist; he embodies the dim vapours that 
 surround the subject of his task, and models a tale calculated to gratify the 
 fancy rather than convey the probable truth. Various accounts are given, by 
 different writers, of the education and early progress of William de Wyckham. 
 The only circumstances know n as facts are, that he was placed, by some liberal 
 patron, at a school at Winchester, and that he was afterwards secretary to the 
 constable of Winchester 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. His patent is dated May 10, 1356. His subsequent appoint- 
 ment to the superintendance of Windsor Castle, his talents for the task, and 
 the nominal remuneration he received, we have already stated. Wyckham 
 acquitted himself with so much diligence and ability in every fresh employ- 
 ment with which he was entrusted, that he shortly became the favorite and 
 confidant of his royal master. In the reigns prior to Henry VIU. (and through 
 the greater part of that sovereign's sway, also) there was but one road to the 
 heights of civil preferment: no man was judged capable of administering to 
 the temporal welfare of the people, who was not qualified to watch 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 endeavoured to lower him in the 
 esteem of the king. He had caused an inscription to be placed on the Castle 
 to the following effect: "THIS MADE WYCKHAM." It appears sur- 
 prising, at the present day, that this action could possibly be represented as 
 arrogant or disrespectful. Such, however, was the case ; and the king listened 
 to the invidious insinuations of the whisperers. There is only one way of 
 accounting for the danger to which Wyckham 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 Edward's bosom. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 From a mind so liberal as the king's, this ill-impression was soon effaced, 
 and William de Wyckham now ran hastily through a long list of preferments 
 and dignities. His first step was an induction to the rectory of Pulham, in 
 Norfolk. After a variety of intermediate stages, he was raised, in 1366, to 
 the see of Winchester, though not consecrated till the year afterwards, in con- 
 sequence of some dispute between the king and the pope. His advancement 
 in the state kept pace with his preferment in the church. In 13>59, 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 1364; and, within two years 
 after, secretary to the king. From the testimony of Froissart, he was now in 
 the highest possible favor at court. " At that time," says the historian, 
 "reigned a priest called William de Wican : which William de Wican had 
 ingratiated 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 evident from his conduct in regard to the hospital of 
 St. Cross, at Sparkeford, near Winchester. This hospital, once of high noto- 
 riety, was founded by Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, and brother to 
 King Stephen. 
 
 By that prelate it was nobly endowed, but the revenues, according to cus- 
 tom, were, in time, embezzled by those to whom their disposal was entrusted. 
 In the redressing of this grievance, Wyckham met with much opposition. The 
 pious delinquents brought the affair before the pope, and a dispute, which 
 lasted more than six years, was the result. Justice at length triumphed, and 
 Wyckham reinstated the hospital in all its privileges. At this period, 
 Wyckham formed the plan of an extensive 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, with grief, that he could not any 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 where find the ordinances or foundations of charities observed accordino- to 
 their true designs and intention; and this reflection, affecting him gieatly, 
 made him almost resolve to distribute his riches to the poor with his own 
 hands. However, he finally determined to establish two colleges for students." 
 
 While he was pursuing this liberal design, he was attacked by a party, the 
 machinations of which threatened to frustrate all his intentions. The imbe- 
 cility and abstraction of Edward, towards the latter part of his reign, are 
 known to have dimmed the lustre of his former merits. Takinsr advantaoe of 
 .the monarch's situation, the Duke of Lancaster caused articles of impeach- 
 ment 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. 
 Wyckham's popularity, however, was so great, and the Duke of Lancaster so 
 generally disliked, that a tumult took place in favor of the former, which was 
 encouraged by the 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 was admitted to the king's pre- 
 sence 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 public 
 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 
 building of which is dated June 30, 1379. He published his charter of foun- 
 dation the 26th of November following, by which he entitled his college 
 "Seinte Marie College, of Wynchestre, in Oxenford."* The building was 
 begun in March following, and finished in April, 1386, In 1387, 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 VL founded the two colleges of flton and Ring's in Cam-s 
 bridge, he adopted Wyckham's statutes, without any material alteration. 
 
 ,* This building is well-known to be now lermed New College. Wiien first erected it was 
 vulgarly called "The New College, " and the students soon adopted the appellation, in contempt 
 of their founder's wish. 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE. 
 
 In 1382, WicklifFe's doctrines gained many converts in the university of 
 Oxford. Several persons of the first distinction for learning began to defend 
 them in the schools, and to preach them publicly. The clergy were neces- 
 sarily alarnoed, and Courtney, Archbishop of Canterbury, summoned several 
 assemblies of the bishop and clergy of the offending diocese. The Bishop of 
 Winchester assisted at each of these assemblies, and was, indeed, the second 
 person of consequence present. No authentic documents state the opinions 
 of De Wyckham, but from the following circumstance we may hope that his 
 character was not stained by an extremity of intolerant bigotry: the chancellor 
 made his submission to the archbishop, and begged pardon with much ap- 
 parent sincerity for his offence; Courtney rejected his petition; when the 
 Bishop of Winchester strenuously interceded for him, and, with much diffi- 
 culty, procured his peace. 
 
 -n-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 brightest 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 
 fLom the taste of the period in which he exercised his art. His upright acti- 
 vity and seeming mildness as a churchman are entitled to unmixed praise. It 
 has 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 abso- 
 lutely 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." The latter contend for the probability of 
 his scholastic attainments on account of words to this effect, in the pope's bull 
 tor consecrating him Bishop of Winchester: "William de Wyckham being 
 recommended, on the testimony of many persons worthy of credit, for his 
 knowledge of letters, probity of life and manners, and his prudence and cir- 
 cumspection," &c. 
 
 From the nature of Wyckhara's state-employments he certainly must have 
 possessed no contemptible share of lettered intelligence ; but from the charac- 
 
 2b2 
 
WINDSOR CASTLE, 
 
 ter of his education, and the tenor of his subsequent pursuits, it is unlikely 
 that he should be deeply versed in the erudition of the schools. The testi- 
 mony 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 of Richmond and Derby. He appears to have been an active friend 
 to the house of Lancaster. He was highly instrumental in advancing 
 Henry VII. to the throne, and was employed in the negociation which termi- 
 nated 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 
 completion 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 pro- 
 bably 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 erest 
 occurs several times in thereof of St. George's Chapel. 
 
 Dr. Christopher Urswick, Dean of Windsor, was Sir Reginald's coadjutor iit 
 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 VH. 
 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 parson- 
 age, 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 mas- 
 ter, Henry VII. Dr. Urswick was buried at Hackney. 
 
!||lt!lllillli!iatlBlilt!li:i:!lit5ii;iii3irv 
 
 rfruiiitsiw 
 
 
 y: 
 
 
 ^ 
 
mcffittcimzl anti iie^criptiije 'F«t» 
 
 OF THE. 
 
 SERAGLIO 
 
 OF. 
 
 CONS TANTINOP LE- 
 
 X HE Seraglio of Constantinople 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, notwithr 
 standing 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, pos- 
 sesses almost unrivalled advantages of situation. " The province of Romania," 
 says a writer on Turkish history, " at the western extremity of Europe, termi- 
 nates 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 waters 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 over the neigh- 
 bouring 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^ 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 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 con- 
 templation of the envied retirement of the virtuous Dioclesian. 
 
 The first view of this great city is particularly striking. The eastern, like 
 the western seat of the Roman empire, comprehends seven hills. This ele- 
 vated position displays the beauties of Constantinople with the greatest pos- 
 sible eflFect. " The entrance of the Bosphorus," says Mr. Oliver, " the harbour, 
 and suburbs of Gatata, Pera, and St. Dimitri, Scutari, and the verdant hills 
 which lie behind ; the Propontis with its islands ; farther on. Mount Olympus 
 covered with snow ; every where the variegated and fertile fields of Asia and 
 Europe ; all this assemblage exhibits diflrerent 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 harbour is so safe, so commodious, and so 
 extensive." 
 
 Lady Craven (Margravine of Anspach) pays a warm tribute to the exterior 
 charms of the capital of the Ottoman empire. 
 
 Notwithstanding its enviable situation, as the emporium of commerce with 
 three continents of the world, Constantinople is not equal, either in extent or 
 population, to the cities of London or Paris. The seat ,of the Ottoman 
 government is nearly surrounded by high walls, which areturreted, 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 of 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 indiflerence 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 estimated at about >500,000. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 The streets are so narrow that it is with difficulty a carriage passes through 
 them ; but this appears of the less consequence, as visits of ceremony are gene- 
 rally paid on horseback.* 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 of the general 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 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 concerning the Seraglio, 
 as a uniformity of architectural style prevails through the whole of the Otto- 
 
 man empire. 
 
 The reader of the more correct travels in Turkey, written upwards of a cen- 
 tury ago, would find, on visiting the country, that the lapse of 100 years 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 circumstance of the most magnificent structures in Turkey gene- 
 rally 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, t 
 
 " Every house, J 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 
 o-alleries. 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 
 
 ' So generally is the idea of dignity associated with tlie riding ou horseback, that Lady Craveii 
 says, "she saw a Turk who lauded from a boat, and had a fine grey horse led by four men, that 
 went a long way round, which he mounted gravely, to get off in a few moments." 
 
 + Every house, at the death of its master, is at the disposal of the Grand Signior. 
 
 I See Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 the Harem, or ladies' apartment. The latter has also a gallery running 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 are generally brocade, or embroidery of gold wire upon white 
 satin. The rooms are low, and the ceiling is always of wood, generally 
 inlaid, or painted with flowers. They open in many places with folding 
 doors. Between the windows are little arches to set the pots of perfume, or 
 baskets of flowers. Marble 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 two or three little rooms, leaded on the top, paved with 
 marble and provided with basins, cocks of water, and all conveniences for either 
 hot or cold baths. The women's 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 agreea- 
 ble shade and a pleasing view. In the midst of the garden 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." 
 
 Lady Montagu next proceeds to describe the deserted palace of a grand- 
 vizier, and also their mosques ; of the latter she observes — " The dome of St. 
 Sophia is said to be 113 feet diameter, built upon arches sustained by vast 
 pillars of marble : the pavement and staircase are likewise of marble. There 
 are two rows of galleries supported with pillars of party-coloured marble, and 
 *the whole roof is of mosaic work. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 " The mosque of the Sultan Solyman 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 white 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 writ- 
 ten, and before it stand two candlesticks, the height of the human figure, bear- 
 ing wax candles. The 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 with twenty-eight leaded 
 cupolas on two sides, and a fountain of basins in the midst of it." 
 
 Having premised thus much concerning the general character of sacred and 
 domestic buildings in Turkey, we will now proceed to an account of the 
 Seraglio, and of those parts of the Emperor's splendid establishment which 
 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 on a point of land running into the sea. This point constitutes the 
 eastern promontory of the city, and was formerly called Chrysoceras. The 
 palace and gardens are supposed to cover about 150 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 the 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 buildings. 
 
 The frequent windows necessary to a lightness of architectural effect might 
 afford opportunities 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 inost attractive features of the edifice 
 towards the inner gardens. So prevalent has long been this mode among the 
 
 * 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. 
 
 2 C 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 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 con- 
 structing a residence. 
 
 The Seraglio has been erected at different times, and consists of various 
 domes and pavilions scattered through the extensive gardens, with little atten- 
 tion 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 far the slaves, another for the officers of the kitchen, another 
 for the stables, the fifth for the divan, and the sixtUfor 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 pros- 
 pect attainable) does not warrant our supposing that the palace has received 
 the advantage of so systematic an arrangement. The various edifices are sur- 
 mounted by pinnacles covered with gilded lead, and on the imperial mosques 
 the emperors have lavished their wealth, at the suggestion of piety or for the 
 gratification of pride. The principal entrance 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 
 than beautiful ; yet their irregularity is not to be imputed to want of skill in 
 the Turkish architects, who have evinced considerable native talent in the 
 construction of public buildings, where oppression did not interfere with the 
 disposal of property. 
 
 The different princes to whom the Seraglio is indebted for its splendour had 
 little inclination to erect a permanent 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 indifl 
 ferent to the violation of every rule in architecture, and the utter destruction 
 of all harmony of effect. Much correctness of judgment, indeed, should not 
 he 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 ladies' part of th^ Seraglio occupies a very considerable soace. This 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 division of the building is termed the 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, which 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 -f that every person unconnected with the 
 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, curi- 
 osity respecting the probable interior of the varied building. 
 
 Debarred as we are, in common with other inquirers, from credible intel- 
 ligence on the subject, it is by analogy alone that we can presume to state 
 rational conjectures as to the recesses of the harem. Considering, however 
 the uniformity of manners that exists throughout the Ottoman empire, analogy 
 may perhaps 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 instances, the adoption 
 of similar customs by both. The number of females retained for the ostenta- 
 tious splendour of the sovereign, appears the chief particular in which his 
 household differs from that of the great officers of state. Thus, since we are 
 enabled 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 peculiarities to be stated hereafter, form an idea of the probable 
 appearance of the inviolable parts of the monarch's residence. 
 
 * The word Harem signifies literally the forbidden. In Turkey the women's apartment is 
 invariably so termed. This apartment every man, except the master of the house, is solemnly 
 interdicted from entering. 
 
 t To penetrate the harem is death. A mhassadors from the most formidable powers are 
 admitted no farther than the audience-chamber; and females once imprisoned within the impe- 
 rial turrets are seldom suffered to return to general society, -even at the decease of the tyrant to 
 Avhose wishes they were subservient. 
 
 2 c 2 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 Of the different servile officers dependant on the person of the emperor, we 
 have the power of giving a more correct and circumstantial account. 
 
 The chief of the black eunuchs* is called Kislar-agu, and one of the most 
 distinguished persons in the kingdom. His two chief duties appear some- 
 what incongruous in their nature : he is the immediate ambassador between 
 the sultan and the concubine whom he may please to favor with his approba- 
 tion, and what is very remarkable, he has the superintendance of all the impe- 
 rial mosques ! a union of such important offices must needs render a man of 
 great account in the empire. The kislar-aga consequently ranks before the 
 chief of the white eunuchs, and enjoys (as maybe supposed from such a com- 
 bination of opportunities) a very considerable income. 
 
 The second eunuch of the Seraglio is termed the Khama-vekili. He 
 replaces the Kislar-aga in case of dismission or death. This officer has the 
 general administration of the interior imperial treasure, which is distinct from 
 the private treasure of the Grand Signior administered by the Khasnadar-aga, 
 a confidant page. There are some other eunuchs of power and dignity. Of 
 these one belong to the queen-mother, a second is entrusted with the care 
 of the princes, and a third has the superintendence of the apartment of the 
 Hassekee 
 
 , ..The white eunuchs are not permitted to approach the women. They have 
 the charge of the gates of the Seraglio, and superintend and instruct the pages. 
 Their chief is called Capou-agassi. 
 
 In the chief street of the Pera* 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 Jchoglans, and preceptors attend 
 
 * 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 valour 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 ages of the Roman state, the eunuch Narses was a 
 general officer of her formidable legions." 
 
 t The suburbs of Constantinople are so entitled. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 them daily, for the purpose of teaching the Turkish, Arabic, and Persian 
 languages ; the art of writing, and a due familiarity with the precepts of the 
 Koran. A great number of these boys are likewise brought up in the interior 
 of the Seraglio, where 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 
 employments of the Seraglio. They become porters, cooks, wood-cutters, or 
 water- carriers. The sous of mussulmans are seldom consigned to these menial 
 departments. 
 
 The gardeners (bostanquees) of the Seraglio amount to the number of 10,00()v 
 Theirchief is called Bostanquee-hachi, 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 mar- 
 ried. 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 
 maintained without the presence of slaves or servants. To obviate the incon- 
 venience arising from this 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. Indeed dwarfs are considered appendages to 
 the dignity of the Grand Signior ; and, if deaf and dumb, are deemed invaluable, 
 though the jealousy of the sultan sometimes forbids even these an entrance. 
 
 The number of females maintained in the harem of the Grand Signior is 
 very considerable. The Emperor Achmet is said to have been contented with 
 300 ; but one monarch is described as possessing 2,000, and another retained 
 1,600. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 The laws of the Koran are well known to allow four legitimate wives.* 
 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 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 delicacies which spring from such a union of 
 the sexes as restrains alike the mind and person in a silken bondage. 
 
 Among all the bands of beautiful slaves which crowd the harem of the 
 Seragho, 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 who, sometimes, acquire 
 no small degree of influence over foreign affairs." These elect beauties are 
 distinguished by the name of kadeun. " The slave who becomes the mother 
 of a boy is called hassekee ; she has a house and slaves, she obtains a distin- 
 guished rank, she is treated with the greatest respect, she enjoys a sort of liberty 
 ifl 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 atten- 
 tion ; 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 situ- 
 ation 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 all, it is necessary 
 that the 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. 
 
 The manners of most countries assimilate more nearly than we at first apprehend. Though 
 Mahomet politicallv 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 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. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 To the old Seraglio * are generally sent all the wives of the sultan who ha^ 
 jast 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 retirement. There is only the mother of the new sultan, called 
 Validai-Sultana, 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 capa- 
 ble of fixii>g the attention of the sovereign ; they hope by that means to obtain 
 instantly his good graces, and place about his person womea who may one 
 day be useful to them. 
 
 The harem ischieflysupplied 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 colour. They commonly acquire, through indolence and luxuri- 
 ous habits, an embonpoint agreeable to the Turks but not consonant to the true 
 symmetry of beauty. The inhabitants 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 elastic 
 limbs, would be regarded with perfect indifference. It need scarcely be added 
 that, with the great mass of the Turkish nation, the complexion of the female 
 mind is entirely out of the question. •]* 
 
 Slaves are openly exposed forsale in the markets of Constantinople. There 
 are to be seen such as are stolen from Georgia and Circassia, such as are pur- 
 chased in those countries, and such as are voluntarily offiered in exchange for 
 gold by their wretched parents. Thus, not only parental feelings but religious 
 prejudices are overcome 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 ; 
 
 * Eski Serai: 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 regions calculated for souls of an inferior order, in which all good women, 
 Slight hope to find a place. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 but this is of little moment : M. Olivier informs us " that the christian priests 
 of the country endure and permit this infamous traffic, for a few prayers and 
 some alms; go true it is, according to them, that there is a way of accom- 
 modating matters xeith heaven." 
 
 The price of these slaves, according to 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 pecuniary sacrifices to obtain such, in order to pre- 
 sent them to their protectors." 
 
 The arrangement of a slave-market is thus described by M. Olivier. « No 
 one is suffered to enter the bazaar where women are exposed to sale but 
 mussulmans, who present themselves to purchase them. Europeans cinnot 
 be jntroduced there without a firman of the sultan, which is granted only to 
 the ambassadors and agents of foreign powers when they are on the eve of 
 quittmg the Ottoman empire. With pleasure we availed ourselves of the 
 firman obtained by the French agent, and entered the market for slaves But 
 whether 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 bazaar, and among those that we saw the greater part were veiled, and 
 shut up m their rooms, so that we could not see them but for a moment 
 through a window which was by the side of the door. 
 
 " We stopped to contemplate three of them who struck us by their beauty 
 and the tears which 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 
 holduig 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 
 
 * Lady Montagu says. « those that are exposed to sale at the markets are always either guilty 
 ?t some crime, or so entirely worthless that they are of no use at all." The utmost extent of 
 Slavery is fixed by Mahomet at nine years. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 being torn from the arms of a too-cruel father and mother ; at having been 
 separated, perhaps, 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 Europeans. A woman cannot be seen by them without 
 being depreciated, without running the risk of being affected by their malig- 
 nant influence. Besides, these female slaves (still christians) may, according 
 to these traders, fall suddenly in love with a man of their own religion, and 
 attempt to make their escape. They likewise tear that the too great affliction 
 into which the slaves are plunged by every thing that recals to their mind recol- 
 lections extremely dear, may occasion them to fall sick, or bring on a melan- 
 choly that may affect their health. 
 
 "The building has nothing remarkable, and does not correspond with the 
 beauties of the caravansaries, which it resembles in point of form and con- 
 struction, nor with that of most of the bazaars 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." 
 
 Respecting the interior splendour of the Grand Signior's harem, inevitably 
 the object of much curiosity, we have said a probable conjecture can be formed 
 from comparison only. At Adrianople Lady M. W. Montagu visited the 
 harem of the Kiyaya's* 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, 
 
 * The lieutenant, or deputy, to the Grand Vizier. 
 2 D 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 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, supported by cushions of embroidered satin. At her feet sat 
 her two youthful daughters, their dresses almost covered with jewels. The 
 lovely Fatima stood up to receive her visitor, 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 high terms, 
 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 advan- 
 tage the perfections of her bosom. Her drawers were pale pink, her waist- 
 coat green and silver, her slippers white satin finely embroidered. Her arms 
 were adorned with bracelets of diamonds, and her broad girdle was set round 
 with diamonds. Upon her head was a rich Turkish kerchief 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 inost voluptUT 
 ous figures. 
 
 When the dance was.ovec, four fair slaves approached, with silver censersv 
 
 * Lady, Craven says, "the lyre of the ancients is often to be seen in the liands of the Greeks, 
 but I suppose in ancient days, as in these, whatever harmony possessed their souls it aflfected 
 only their eyes. From the lyre, or from any miserable fiddle or guitar they touch, they only 
 elicit the most abominable discordant sounds, that accompany a kind of bawling which they 
 fancy is singing. Indeed, music is a thing of which Turks and Greeks have not the least idea." ■ 
 
 On the contrary, Lady Montagu affirms, that tl>ose 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, 
 9T the marrow-bones and cleavers." 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 and perfumed the air with amber and aloes-wood. They then, on their knees, 
 presented coffee in the finest Japan china, with soucoups of silver gilt. 
 When Lady Montagu was about to take leave, two maids brought a number 
 of embroidered kerchiefs 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. The splendour of the former habitation was 
 now found to be comparatively trivial, as it had originally surprised the visitor. 
 The winter apartment of the fair Fatima's present residence was wainscoted 
 with mother-of-pearl, ivory of different colours, 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 attractive smile, "have the 
 reputation of inconstancy, and I did not expect, whatever goodness you 
 expressed for me at Adrianople, that I should ever see you again. But I am 
 now convinced that 1 have really the happiness of pleasing you, and if you 
 knew how I speak of you amongst our ladies, you would be assured that you 
 <io me justice in making me your friend." She placed her illustrious visitor 
 in the corner of the sofa, and the afternoon was devoted to conversation. 
 Lady Montagu describes Fatima as possessing all the politeness and good 
 breeding of a court, joined to an air that inspired at once respect and confi- 
 dence. She was very curious concerning the manners of other countries, aud 
 •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 few weeks after, from the effect, 
 as was generally believed, of poison. The favorite was, immediately subse- 
 quent to his death, ordered to leave the Seraglio, and choose herself a husband 
 from among the great men at the Forte. As this was the greatest possible 
 indignity, she threw herself at the Sultan's feet, and begged him to poig- 
 niard her rather than use his brother's widow with that contempt. She repre- 
 sented to him, in agonies of sorrow, that she was privileged from this misfor- 
 tune 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, 
 
 2d2 
 
SERAGLIO, 
 
 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 sub- 
 ject 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 past her time in 
 uninterrupted mourning. She had no black eunuchs for her guard, her hus- 
 band 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 blue 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 visitor. 
 When the sultana approached, Lady Mary rose, and the sultana deigned to 
 make an inclination of the head. Her beauty was not striking, though she 
 had evidently the remains of a fine face. Her apparel was magnificent to the 
 extreme. She wore a vest called donalmd. 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 which acted as buttons. Attached to 
 these 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 com- 
 posed of pearl, at the bottom of which hung a fine emerald as large as the egg 
 of a turkey; another consisted of 200 emeralds closely joined together, of the 
 iftost lively green, and perfectly matched. These emeralds were extremely 
 large ; those which formed the third chain were smaller but not less beautiful. 
 The ear-rings of the sultana surpassed in splendour all her other decorations. 
 They were two diamonds, " shaped exactly like pears, and as large as a big 
 hazle-nut." Four strings of pearl surrounded her kalpdc. They were fast- 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 ened with two roses, consisting of a large ruby for the middle stone, and twenty 
 drops of clear diamonds. 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 Montagu that, "according to the 
 common estimation of diamonds in our part of the world, this, whole dress 
 must be worth ^'100,000 sterling." The glitter must,^ indeed, have been pro- 
 digious ; 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. The dinner consisted of fifty 
 dishes, served, according to the Turkish custom, one at a time. The magni- 
 ficence of the table, in sonae measure, atoned for the fatiguing formality of the 
 entertainment. The knives were of gold, and the hafts set with diamonds. 
 The table-cloth and napkins 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 employed many a laborious 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 tiffany, embroidered with flowers, in resemblance of those used during 
 the time of eating. Coffee was served in china, with golden soucupsJ^ 
 
 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 throwing a handkerchief is altogether fabulous. On 
 making his election he sends the Kislar-agar 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 himself in the company of all his ladies,, who 
 stand in a circle round him." 
 
 * Saucers, 
 
SfiRAGLIO. 
 
 The sultana never mentioned the deceased caliph without tears, yet she 
 frequently talked respecting his 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 I would not survive him if I was not passion- 
 ately 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 1 passed a 
 whole twelvemonth 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 xMontagu to walk in the gardens, and one of her slaves 
 immediately brought her a pelisse of rich brocade, lined with sables. The 
 gardens contained little that was worthy of notice except the fountains. Lady 
 Montagu visited every apartment of the harem. The sultana's toilet was dis- 
 played in her bed-chamber. It consisted of two looking-glasses, the frames 
 of which were covered with pearls. Her ntght-talpoche,^ 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 perfumes, and 
 presented with a fine embroidered handkerchief. The sultana was waited on 
 by thirty slaves. In addition to these, she possessed ten little tributary atten- 
 dants, the eldest of which was not more than seven years old. These were 
 the most beautiful girls-j^ that the 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 stuflfs. 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 Tchiorlu our traveller was enabled to inspect a conac or 
 small Seraglio, built for the use of the Emperor when he journeys thai way. 
 The apartments of the ladies were in the midst of a thick grove of trees, made 
 fresh by fountains. The walls were almost covered with little distiches of 
 Turkish verse, written with pencils. One of them might be translated thus : 
 
 * The talpoche is merely a change of dress. It may be recollected, that the Turks do not 
 undress themselves of a night. ETen during sickness they retain their customary habits, 
 t A handsome child of six or seven years of age was then worth ^100 sterling. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 ' We come into this world, we lodge, and 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 Emperor'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 oppressive difficulties counterbalances all the charms of dress and 
 all the refinements of luxury. 
 
 Most of their hours, not " honoured" 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, luxurious 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, which they are for ever 
 estranged. .u; cj 
 
 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 wives 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 inevitably excluded. All is useless glitter and 
 tasteless festivity. 
 
 In being denied the opportunities usual with females in Turkey, these ill- 
 fated beauties are, probably, debarred from more freedom and power than are 
 possessed by women of most other countries. It is true that a rigorous divi- 
 sion of the sexes,, 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 diflference of rank operates to the disadvantage of women in Turkey. 
 Merit has its fair chance of reward. In other countries, beauty, 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 wife's portion is entirely in her own possession. The ascendancy 
 gained by this circumstance renders the majority of Turkish women superior 
 to the capricious jurisdiction of the husband. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 The husband is poor indeed who does not maintain a slave to wait on his 
 wife ; in general, 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 con- 
 scious that the injured party would immediately prefer a complaint, and cause 
 him to be punished. 
 
 The women of Constantinople possess a very considerable influence over 
 public affairs. In their respective harems the whole politics of the town and 
 provinces pass under review. It is here that agents are nominated, the punish- 
 ments due to treason arranged, or plots and conspiracies of the greatest import 
 secretly framed. Women of every age and rank attend the harem of a court- 
 favorite's lady, to solicit favors and appointments for their husbands or rela- 
 tions. "An affair," according to Olivier, "often passes through the channel 
 of several women before it arrives at its destination : an emancipated female 
 slave, or woman of the lowest class of the people, sometimes 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 offence at all serious. Their 
 influence is increased by that which a favorite slave, or the sultana-validai, 
 generally obtains over the reigning sultan." 
 
 The different baths form places of public assembly for every order of Turk- 
 ish women. Here persons of rank concert appointments for future festivity, 
 and canvass the daily occurrences in the world of fashion. They are served, 
 by select attendants, with genuine Mocha, and the most costly restoratives. 
 Essences and perfumes are scattered with a tasteful liberality. The meeting 
 is frequently terminated by dances, music, and the Ombres Chinoises. 
 
 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, when very young, goes, it is true, but little from 
 home. The law exempts her from attending the mosque, and the customs 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 which restrain her from often quitting her house, have arisen from the suppo- 
 sition 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 Turkey. 
 '"" The disguise in which women are accustomed to walk the streets, con- 
 founds the appearance of all, and renders nugatory the most minute jealousy 
 of observation. They wear two pieces of dress, termed murlins ; 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 summer of silk; but as 
 they are all of the same colour, and the traces of natural shape are entirely 
 obliterated by them, it is impossible to distinguish the lady of a pacha from the 
 slave who waits on her. 
 
 There certainly exist many impediments to the rational ardour 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. When Constantinople, and the harem of the grand signior, are 
 the subjects of discussion, the name of Lady M. W. Montagu necessarily 
 occurs ; we shall, therefore, close our notice of the Seraglio with some brief 
 observations on this lady's character and genius. 
 
 Lady Montagu is the eldest daughter of Evelyn, Duke of Kingston. As 
 Lady Mary Pierrepont she was little known to the great world ; but the seclu- 
 sion in which she principally resided, during her youth, laid the foundation of 
 those accomplishments which render her name valuable to the records of 
 British literature. Lady Mary appears to have experienced considerable 
 severity from her father. " The two first tomes of Clarissa," she observes, 
 " touched 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 with her rival in classical attainments. Lady 
 Jane Grey. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 The temper of the period might be in fault, but it is well known, that Lady 
 Jane became an affected pedant. Lady Montagu 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 illus- 
 trative of her strength of understanding. Lady Mary was a woman of wit, 
 and that dangerous 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 discrimination and solid fore-thought were the cha- 
 racteristics of his mind. Surely it was no common occurrence, for a woman 
 of wit to prefer a man of sound judgment ! 
 
 Mr, Wortley sat in parliament, at different periods, for the cities of West- 
 minster and Peterborough, and the boroughs of Huntingdon and Bossiney. 
 After vanous^a/r«o<ic exertions, during the reign of Queen Anne, Mr. Wortley 
 succeeded in gaining the friendly notice of King George L His relation, 
 Charles Montagu, was created Earl of Halifax by the new sovereign, and 
 Mr. Wortley was received into the confidence of the administration. On this 
 advancement of her husband. Lady Mary quitted the retirement in which she 
 had hitherto lived at Warncliffe, 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. Addison and Steele 
 were the customary visitants of Mr. Wortley. Pope was chiefly sedulous to 
 pay his devoirs to herself. Effeminate love seems to have been the fatality of 
 Pope's disposition. His letters to Lady Montagu are laboured, 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. 
 
 * Lord Hervey, iu the strongest terms of reproach, blames her ladyship's peculiar attachment 
 to her infant offspring. " Nature," writes his lordship, " never designed you to perform tin.' 
 office of a nursery-maid." 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 The abrupt termination that often occurs to connections between literary 
 characters, affords subject of regret rather than of surprise. The editor of her 
 letters wishes to attribute the breach that took place between Lady Mary and 
 Pope, to their difference of political opinion ; but the fact seems to be, that 
 both wanted that exclusive 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,* 
 the footman, to Mrs. Mahony, 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 
 world will give to you, and leave the bad for me." From a mutual jealousy 
 of ascendancy in wit, no doubt, their disagreement arose. The 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 discomfiture, 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 and Orplieus were alike iuspir'd, 
 
 " The blocks and beasts flock'd round them and adrair'd." 
 
 It would be unjust not to allow Pope his opportunity. The following 
 couplet he intended to be expressive of his connexion with Lady Mary. 
 Speaking of himself, he remarks, 
 
 * Arthur Grey was tried for seduction. 
 2e2 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 " Once, and but once, his heedless youth was bit, 
 "And liked that dangerous thing a female wit,'* 
 
 The embassy of Mr. Wortle}' to the Porte afforded his lady a theatre for the 
 display of her greatest accomplishments and most noble virtues. A visit to 
 the Levant had then been rarely made by an Englishwoman. The Turkish 
 territories were 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 the 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 world to have 
 the authenticity of the " Letters" placed beyond question, by the corrected 
 edition published under the sanction of the noble house of Bute. But the 
 editor has made some annotations that are evidently erroneous, or which are 
 not rendered sufficiently clear by his mode of expression. 
 
 "Many persons/' writes Mr. Dallaway,* "on the surreptitious appearance 
 of the Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu already published, were inclined 
 to question their originality; or, if that were allowed, the possibility of her 
 acquiring the kind of information she has given respecting the interior of the 
 harem. It may be replied to them, that no one of the Turkish emperors was 
 so willing to evade the injunctions of the Koran as Achmed IlL and that he 
 hazarded the love of his people, by retiring to Adrianople, that he might more 
 frequently and freely indulge himself in the habits of life adopted by the other 
 European nations. That access has since been denied to the Seraglio at Con- 
 stantinople, in the instance of the ambassadors' ladies, is no proof that Lady 
 Mary did not obtain an unrestrained admission, when the court was in retire- 
 ment, 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 Adrianople 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 explanation is perfectly incomprehensible.. 
 
 • Pages 27—28. Edit. 1803.. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 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 the Sultana Hafiten, 
 favorite and vi^idow of the Sultan Mustapha II. We are at a loss to conceive 
 how it was possible that Mr. Dallaway could fall into such a mistake. The 
 lady of the grand-vizier was " near fifty years old," was plain in her style and 
 manners, and was clothed in a sable vest.^ 
 
 The Sultana Hafiten (visited afterwards, at Constantinople, by Lady Mon- 
 tagu,) was only six and thirty years old, was luxurious in her habits of life, 
 and was dressed in apparel of profuse splendour. So evident a misrepresenta- 
 tion 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 diffidence. Pope, in one of his epistles, names the hours at 
 which he shall consider it desirable for the lady to wait on him. 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 im- 
 proper hour, / beg to know from your servant what other time will be more 
 convenient, I am," &c. &c. 
 
 That her ladyship might have assisted Fielding's necessities (though it is 
 not evident,) we are not inclined to doubt; but we certainly think that his 
 claim of relatioiiship, 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 either afraid or ashamed to own Henry Fielding for a cousin. 
 
 Notwithstanding the indignity with which she seems to have treated Field- 
 ing, Lady Mary was fond of patronising genius. Young profited by her 
 literary assistance, and Savage experienced her bounty. This latter instance 
 
 *By this expression we re not aauthorised to understand a vest of sables. 
 
SERAGLIO. 
 
 of her friendship was the more estimable, as divers passages in the letters 
 prove her to have been thoroughly acquainted with the value of money. 
 
 The name of Lady Montagu must ever be respected in England. Her 
 patriotic conduct in regard to the art of inoculation deserves the gratitude of 
 all posterity. Her translation of the Enchiridion of Epictetus, (the labour 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 who 
 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 maternal duties which, after all, form subject for the highest praise to 
 which woman need wish to be entitled. 
 
e 
 
 ^ 
 
Historical Wmtiption 
 
 OF 
 
 MONTE CAVALLO, 
 
 THE 
 
 RESIDENCE OF THE POPE. 
 
 Among those extensive buildings of recent date with which Rome abounds, 
 Monte Cavallo, the residence of the Pope, maintains a respectable place, 
 though palaces maybe readily found, in many divisions of the city, more esti- 
 mable in regard to beauty as well as magnificence. 
 
 For upwards of 1,000 years, the popes inhabited the palace of Laterand.* 
 They then made Avignon their residence. When Gregory XI. returned to 
 Rome, (the due seat of the papal government) the palace of Laterano v4ras so 
 much decayed, that he deemed it expedient to fix his residence at the Vatican, 
 where his successors remained till a palace was 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 the 
 two celebrated statues, supposed to be Castor and Polltix, each holding a 
 horse. From these figures the term Mont€ Camllo 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 
 pedestal. They are generally imagined to have been brought to Rome firom 
 Alexandria, by Constantine the Great, though some assert that they were 
 
 * The modern Laterano palace (which is extremely magnificent) was built by Sixtus Wt- The 
 pope& never visit it, except for the purpose of taking possession. 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 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 suf- 
 ficient 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 the left ; and that the left-eye lies more 
 deeply in the socket than the right ; but these hasty critics forget that the 
 eflFect 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 modern 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 de- 
 signed them in the colossal proportions due to the size of the statues,! the 
 work of the ancients would have been overpowered, and the 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 which iron bars were formerly placed, for the purpose of 
 supporting a thatch, which covered the whole work. This practice was fre- 
 quent with the ancients ; and, from the neglect of a similar precaution among 
 the moderns, these beautiful statues are now decaying, under the influence o'f 
 the seasons. 
 
 Between the statues is placed an Egyptian obelisk, which is composed of 
 red granite, and measures forty-five feet, without the pedestal. It will be 
 
 * It will be perceived, from the plate annexed to this article, that the horses are out of propor- 
 tion, when compared with the human figures. The statues were placed before the palace bv 
 Sixtus V. r V 3 
 
 t A man of the middle size only reaches to the knees of the figures. 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 recollected that the Roman emperors caused various obelisks to be conveyed 
 from Egypt, for the purpose of adorning their race-grounds. It certainly 
 betrays a vi^ant of sound judgment to place these curiosities in different con- 
 spicuous situations, as embellishments to the city of Rome.* 
 
 The present palace on Monte Cavallo was founded by Pope Gregory XIII. 
 towards the close of the sixteenth century. It has been embellished by many 
 succeeding popes, and is much esteemed for the salubrity of the air in the 
 neighbourhood. The edifice is extensive, but boasts little grandeur of archi- 
 tectural composition. No Corinthian capitals, nor porticos of marble, are to 
 be witnessed in the main design of the building. All is simple and unosten- 
 tatious, though massive and dignified. How appropriate is this mode of con- 
 struction to the due character of the head of a church, professing sanctity, yet 
 not sedulous to hide power ! It is to the lasting credit of Gregory XIII. to 
 have planned an edifice so plain, and, yet, so august. Architects delighting in 
 ornament were at his command, and the prevalent taste demanded a super- 
 fluity of embellishment ; but his correctness of judgment readily perceived the 
 impropriety of exterior adornment, and his palace remains a silent, yet persua- 
 sive, lesson to his successors, of the moderation which should ever mark their 
 actions as ecclesiastics. Still, neither the purposes of pontifical dignity, nor 
 the graces of refined art, were rudely neglected. The architecture of the chan- 
 cery, (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 jNIonte Cavallo are 
 extremely large, but destitute of every thing that bespeaks habitual magnifi- 
 cence ; and, in some respects, deficient in articles of domestic comfort. In 
 the chief rooms not a single chair is to be seen, but great numbers of wooden 
 benches, which are painted marble-grey. As if the popes weve 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, 
 
 * One of these obelisks is placed before the Laferaii 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 com- 
 panion to the mysterious hieroglyphics of the Egyptians, 
 
 2 F 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 behind the table in the saloon, distinguishes the spot on which the pope eats 
 his solitary dinner. How different must be this melancholy meal, from the 
 picture usually formed of a Leo, 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 
 mansion 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." 
 
 The chapel-room is painted in fresco, by the celebrated Guido ; yet either 
 the prescription of bigotry, or the artist's casual error in judgment, has intro- 
 duced absurdities which render futile all the delicacies of ingenuity. The 
 domestic life of the Virgin Mary is the subject of Guido'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 portraiture is blended 
 with the fundamentals of religion. In order to settle the wavering 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 afford a curious speculation to the student 
 of human character. Many 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, which is supposed the most oppressive of human 
 faculty, and the most conducive to a tyrannical cast of disposition. Still, it 
 will be recollected, that the acts of mere temporal rulers are, frequently, the 
 almost inevitable produce of the spring-tide of the passions. Youthful obsti- 
 nacy, youthful ductility, have alternately tended to create disastrous wars, or 
 more calamitous treaties and coalitions. The bishops of Rome (once sub- 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 Jimely pre-eminent among the sovereigns of Europe) liave 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 honor- 
 able grave. 
 
 How erroneous is ordinary calculation ! No youthful monarch, at the head 
 of a chivalrous people, ever displayed more fantastic ambition than the ma- 
 jority 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 ; and 
 nearly all have been ambitious. 
 
 Among the few incumbents of the papal chair, whom the possession of 
 absolute power has failed to vitiate, Gregory Xlil. demands 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 Buonconipagiw, cardinal of St. Sixtus. He accord- 
 ingly ascended the chair, and took the name of Gregory XHI. 
 
 The pointed arguments of Luther, and the entire dereliction of some courts, 
 together with the indifference in regard to the papal interests manifested by 
 others, rendered 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 vigour 
 demanded by the necessities 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. While cardinal of St. 
 Sixtus, Gregory had looked with detestation on the uniform severity and op- 
 pressive exactions practised by his predecessor. Studious of avoiding a similar 
 impropriety of demeanor, he erred from an excess of gentleness, and was vir- 
 
 2f 2 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 tually cruel, through an abundance of mercy. So difficult is the attainment of 
 a judicious medium to the most cultivated mind ! 
 
 The easiness of Gregory's disposition is illustrated by the following anec- 
 (jote: — "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 
 cognizance of the crime of sacrilege. But, as the criminal was a layman, the 
 viceroy, Cardinal Granville, insisted upon his being tried and punished by 
 him ; and, upon the archbishop's refusing 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 archbishop ordered his vicar to 
 excommunicate all who were any ways concerned in executing the viceroy's 
 orders ; which was 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 patri- 
 monial. The good-natured pope, instead of espousing the cause of the arch- 
 bishop, privately agreed with the cardinal that the affair should be dropped, 
 and all things restored to the condition they were in before the quarrel broke 
 out."* 
 
 The same pacific softness of temper marked the conduct of Gregory in re- 
 spect to a great political transaction of his life. When 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 crown,' it is 
 evident that, in these ages, was mevinX. strength fo scire the glittering ornament. 
 Now, as Philip could immediately raise an army of 30,000 men, while the pope 
 was notable, at the moment, to muster half that number, the casuists discovered 
 that Philip was the rightful successor of Sebastian. The pope wrote to Philip, 
 and explained to that monarch that the 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 the light of heaven at broad noon, that he (the pope) might either 
 
 * Archibald Bower's History of the Popes, 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 keep it in his own possession, or dispose of it in the way that should best suit 
 his sacred inclinations. To all these logical remarks Philip advanced but one 
 argument in reply ; — he marched his 30,000 men into Portugal. The pope 
 was confuted in an instant ; and, instead of flying to arms, or seeking redress, 
 through endeavours to foment warfare between Philip and the neighbouring 
 powers, the good-natured Gregory sent an ambassador to felicitate the new 
 King of Portugal on the success which had attended his undertaking ! 
 
 During the pontificate of Gregory, the Jesuits are said to have been parti- 
 cularly successful in their endeavours to convert to Christianity the inhabitants 
 of the island of Japan. Four ignorant natives of that country, termed ambas- 
 sadors, 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 Godhead, 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 conducted the wondering Ja- 
 panese to the house of the Jesuits, with triumphant acclamations. 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 imme- 
 diate 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 were certainly made at Rome, on the occasion ; but a respec- 
 table historian says, " that it does not appear they were made by his order, or 
 with his consent." 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 Theie is generally some saying of a great man recorded, which tends to the 
 elucidation of his character more satisfectorily than the laboured 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 opinion, after he attained the Papal chair, he replied, 
 " Being raised higher, I see better and farther." 
 
 This pope seems to have been a very strict preserver of decency in attire. 
 He had an altercation with the women of Nettuno, concerning the want of 
 length observable in their dresses. The women were fond of short clothes, 
 and moorish boots ; but the holy father gaiiiaed iiis point; and the dresses 
 were lengthened. 
 
 Gregory XIII. died of a quinsey, on the 10th of April, \6S5. His ponti- 
 ficate lasted thirteen years and one month, wanting three days. He left a 
 natural son,* whom he created cardinal, as soon as be was preferred to the 
 popedom. 
 
 He died cordially lamented, but his excess of lenity caused his loss to ,be 
 deplored by tlie bad, with quite as much sincerity as it was regretted by the 
 good. 
 
 Scarcely had that bell, which only sounds on the death of a pope, and for 
 the purpose of announcing the season of the careival, tolled notice of tius 
 decease of the mild and amiable Gregory, when the intrigues of .the cardinals 
 commenced, and the conclave assembled for the election of a new pontiff. 
 It is chiefly in an ecclesiastical government that talent has a free chance for 
 gupremacy. According to all probable calculation, the power of christian 
 Rome could never have prevailed through so many successive ages, had not 
 ability and address been the constituent qualifications requisite for an advance- 
 ment to the chair of authority. On reviewing 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 1 V. ;quitted 
 the employment of a cobler, when he entered the cloister; and Sixtus V. 
 was a keeper of swine ! 
 
 The conclave which assembled on the death of Gregory, named, as his 
 
 » Born before Buoncompagno was raised to the dignity of a cardinal. 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 successor, Felix Peretti, Cardinal of St. Jerome, who was a native of avillac^e 
 in the March of Ancona, and who was brought up at a small hamlet in the 
 same province. His father was a vine-dresser,^ and was so poor, that he placed 
 him, when nine years old, with a neighbouring farmer, who employed him in 
 the watching of swine. A Franciscan friar, who was going to Ascoli, and 
 had missed the road, saw the future pope sitting under a hedge, while tending 
 his master's swine. He called to the 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 path. 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. 
 
 Young Peretti was immediately received in quality of a lay-brother (or 
 servitor) and one of the 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 pre- 
 ferred to the degree of doctor in that faculty. His address and activity soon 
 raised him 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 ecclesi- 
 astical 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 pope, at his succession, to throw open the public 
 prisons, and grant a pardon to offenders of every description. Sixtus iTot 
 only omitted this practice, but ordered four persons, upon whom prohibited 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 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 criminal being pardoned ; but that many 
 examples occur of his punishing such judges as had shewn an inclination to 
 clemency. The state of the Romans certainly demanded severity ; yet, it 
 seems strange that not one moment should occur, in the course of his ponti- 
 ficate, in which the sensibility of Sixtus was stronger than his judgment ! 
 This stern mode of administration, however, had a beneficial eftect. Mutual 
 safety was restored ; and the assassin for hire felt obliged to flee for employ- 
 ment to the neighbouring kingdoms. 
 
 It is not our intention to follow Sixtus through the whole political events 
 of his pontificate. Our aim is biographical delineation (where it is at all 
 interesting) not general history ; and, therefore, we have no concern with the 
 mistakes or cabals of cabinets, except when these tend to elucidate the cha- 
 racter of the personage concerning whom we write, j 'juj ;. 
 
 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 inten- 
 tions 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 hands 
 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. 
 
 There was nothing liberal, expansive, or becoming an ecclesiastical poten- 
 tate, 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 indif- 
 ference 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. He could not bend to the 
 closet-whispers and wily intrigues of this treacherous brotherhood : and may 
 be justly pronounced of a bold and daring character. Had fortune placed 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 ^lim^t the head of the kingdom of Spain, he would probably have rivalled 
 the greatest military sovereigns of the period. 
 
 To immortalize his name was the darling wish of Sixtus. His architectural 
 projects emulated the splendour of Adrian and Augustus. The city of Rome 
 owes more to the liberality of Sixtus, than to the united gifts of all his prede- 
 cessors. There is scarcely a street in the magnificent city that does not con- 
 tain a monument of his fame. By him the obelisks were raised, which had 
 Jain underground for ages. He built the Lateran palace, and the Vatican 
 library, witli all the Imildings a'.inexed to it. To hhn is society indebted for 
 the hospital near Ponte Sisto, endowed for the maintenance of 2,000 infirm . 
 or superannuated persons. By this pope was constructed the aqueduct, which 
 conveys water, for thirteen miles to Monte Cavallo, and the magnificent 
 tem,ple 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 answer 
 to be five years four months and three days !— But a less period would be 
 sufficient for a noble mind to achieve the labour of immortality. 
 
 Amongst the foremost of the great characters of the historic page, 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 
 Cffisar; but it certainly sat with little gracefulness on the brow of an ecclesi- 
 astical ruler. The magnificence of his personal views is evident from the 
 architectural splendours 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 the candid part of posterity. 
 He died on the 27th of August, 1590. 
 
 Before we close our account of Monte Cavallo, we cannot refrain observ- 
 ing the great disadvantage under which every spectator views the edifices of 
 modern Home; the streets of the ancient city were narrow, hut squares were 
 
 2 G 
 
MONTE CAVALLO. 
 
 left in which public buildings were placed, and from which they could be 
 seen with facility and effect. — The ancients always considered the point of 
 prospect as a necessary appendage to the beauty of the structure ; widely 
 different is the present city. It must, however, be observed, that those palaces 
 of Rome, and the 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 the ancients. — But, unfortunately, comfort and con- 
 venience have been overlooked by both. Long ranges of apartments, in 
 which no desirable recess for domestic relaxation could be possibly discovered, 
 formed the chief habitable parts of the villa of Mecaenas, and of the palace of 
 Adrian. The same observation applies to every modern building of impor- 
 tance in Rome. 
 
^ ? 
 
 
 :!■ 
 
 < J 
 
 ■iaiiiiiiisaBiiiit' 
 
^emiption 
 
 OF 
 
 WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 X Ew monuments of feudal grandeur are more dignified or interesting thau 
 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 foun- 
 dress. The building at first consisted of a single tower on a mount.* In 
 the time of Willian the Conqueror, Turchill de Warwick was keeper of the 
 Castle. The fortifications were considerably enlarged, under the direction of 
 Turchill. But the warden giving oflTence to the suspicious monarch, he was 
 displaced, and the Castle bestowed on Henry de Newburgh afterwards crea- 
 ted Earl of Warwick. From 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 Kenilworth Castle, who razed 
 the walls to the ground ; but, in the forty-fifth year of Edward III. the dilapi- 
 
 * Supposed to be ilie same mount that still remains on the west side of the Castle. 
 
 2 G 2 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 dations were repaired by Thomas Guy, Earl of Warwick, and tlie 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 minority 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 completed 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 king's brother ; 
 by whom very considerable additions were 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 that 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 Fuik 
 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 
 splendour ; and, during the civil war, it was used as a garrison for the Parlia- 
 ment. In 1642, the Castle was besieged by Lord Northampton, and defended 
 with great gallantry by Sir Edward Peito. The activity of the besiegers suc- 
 ceeded 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 effected in the state-apartments, by Robert 
 
 * This is the most elevated part of the building in our plate of Warwick Castle. The expense 
 of buildins this tower was 395/. 5s. 2d. 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 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 alter- 
 nation of hill and dale, unite to charm and elevate the fancy. 
 
 The approach to the Castle is impressively grand. A devious, hollow way, 
 cut from the rock on which the Castle stands, denies all observation of the 
 building, for the distance of 100 yards. On reaching an abrupt turn, the 
 mighty pile is suddenly disclosed ! Its embattled entrance, it« sublime 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 architectural 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 walls, from which rise, at appropriate dis- 
 tances, lofty machiolated 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 mag- 
 nificence. 
 
 A great part of this agreeable cheerfulness 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 peculiarities of the Castle, all possible respect has been paid to 
 the characteristical marks of antiquity, where these did not positively inter- 
 fere 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. 
 
 Many pictures of the first rank, for execution and interest, grace the coUec- 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 tion 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 por- 
 trait, by Vandyck, of Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans, so well known for her 
 attractions and ill-fate. This unfortunate sister of Charles 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 unavoid- 
 ably admire a whole-length of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the society of 
 Jesuits^ by Rubens. 
 
 In the dressing-room, is a half-length of Anne Boleyn, by Holbein, which 
 is most excellently executed. In the same apartment, is a half-length of 
 Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, by Lely ; a beautiful whole-length of a Dutch 
 boy, by A'ernosi ; together with some exquisite vases. 
 
 To convey an adequate idea of the dimensions of the noble building, it mav 
 be mentioned that this room " terminates a suite of apartments which extend, 
 in a right line, 330 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 assertion of Henry, and the general opinion of her contemporaries, °his 
 queen formed an excellent consort to the " Defender of the Faith," but (if the 
 printed evidence maybe relied on) she certainly made a mistake when she 
 denied the conclusion of her marriage with his elder brother. 
 
 Not any casile in England boasts so fine a collection of English armour as 
 that of Warwick : a dignified and becoming appendage to the edifice once 
 tenanted by the hardy chieftains of the times which are "past and gone!" 
 Not the least interesting garb of defence (as well from the character of the 
 nobleman, as from the locality of the deposit) is the doublet in which Lord 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 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 Philip 
 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- 
 room. 
 
 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, the visitor 
 beholds the extensive green-house, whose Gothic front assimilates with the 
 objects around, and cherishes the respect with which he has before contem- 
 plated the relics of antiquity. In this building is placed the celebrated vase 
 presented to the Earl of Warwick by Sir W. Hamilton. 
 
 In the arrangement of the grounds no less taste is displayed than in the dis- 
 posal 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 extensive plantation, to a bridge thrown by the late earl over 
 the river Avon. 
 
 Through all the varieties of scene observable in the extensive domain, a due 
 attention to the genius of the place is manifest. The descriptions of natural 
 scenery, and of the tasteful devices by which art heightens the effect of the 
 most sublime native beauties, are equally foreign to our purpose. One reflec- 
 tion unavoidably occurs ; that the pride is honest which arises from a compa- 
 rison of the elegance displayed in the grounds of the Castle, at the present era, 
 with the state of neglected rudeness in which they lay during the period of the 
 mansion's greatest military strength, and highest pitch of feudal grandeur. 
 Selfish ambition never yet felt the charms of natural beauty. Lucullus and 
 Mecoenas delighted in their rural villas, but C^sar and Mark Antony looked 
 with a dull eye on the scenery of the Campagna. 
 
 Every country, in the infancy of its annals, abounds with wonders; chaotic 
 combinations calculated to elevate the imagination, and, thereby, subject the 
 
WARWICK CASTLTG. 
 
 •understanding. 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 ; ournon-descriptGog and Magog-, 
 and our Guy Earl of Warwick. 
 
 The story of this renowned champion, Guy, must be familiar with every 
 f^^ader. Many have learned their letters in his history, and he was one of the 
 nursery heroes with nearly all. In past ages, periods during which " wit and 
 taste were in their infancy," no doubt but the deeds of this redoubted cham- 
 pion were recorded in adult circles, while each hearer believed the tale 
 "devoutly true." Tradition tells us, that the earl was mucb above the com- 
 mon standard of men's stature and prowess, and that in addition to many other 
 great achievements, he destroyed a boar "of passing might and strength," near 
 Windsor; and a cow, "a monstrous, wyld, and cruell beast," on Dunsmore- 
 heath. Most traditional intelligence, however strange and incongruous, has 
 its foundation in some character of fact. The investigation of national super- 
 stitions is curious ; and this story, among others, has not failed to engage the 
 attention of the learned.* The reader, therefore, will readily 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 potent, 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 resources. 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 inclosuresof very early 
 times (i. e. the monopolizing of arable lands, by the great lords or proprietors, 
 for the purpose of pasturage, in the form of home 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 of 
 Warwick" to have been a man of an elevated patriotic disposition, and one 
 
 * Lelauil, Sir William Dugdale, and Dr. Hevlin, talk serioiislv on the suliject ! 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 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 well 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 personification) 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 depasturage) 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 corii- 
 mon rights of society. Not contented with having interrupted the encroach- 
 ments of that " monstrous, wyld, and crueli beast, the cow," our puissant earl 
 stood between the king and the people, and put a stop to the terrific progress 
 of " the boar of passing might and strength, also." In short, either by argu- 
 ments 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 support 
 of this statement, it may be observed, that the boar is said to have been 
 destroyed near Windsor, once the scene of the most arbitrary exercise of this 
 species of tyranny. The various supplementary actions reported to have bee^ 
 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 hypo- 
 thesis. Indeed, what is more likely than that a gigantic wonder should absorb 
 less captivating prodigies, in its descent through the generations of the illite- 
 rate and credulous ? 
 
 Let those smile who please. We claim the full merit of an historic*! 
 discovery, and this the more readily, since few indeed will envy the ingenuity 
 that led to it ! 
 
 The legend of Guy Caused sb much popularity to attach, in dark and fero- 
 cious periods, to the title of Warwick, that the possessors of the earldom cer- 
 tainly encouraged the veneration with which the vulgar regarded the memory 
 and exploits of that adventurous hero. Thus, the whole series of his supposed 
 
 2 H 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 actions was represented in the old hangings of Warwick Castle; and various 
 particulars of armour, &c. said 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, sword, and horse-armour of 
 Earl Guy, together with the rib of a whale, said to be that of the dun cow. 
 and various articles of the same description. 
 
 At the distance of about two miles from the Castle is Guy's cliff, a beau- 
 tiful and recluse spot, whither the champion earl is affirmed to have retired, 
 and assumed the sanctity of the eremite.—" Hard by, upon the Avon," says 
 Camden speaking of Warwick, "stands Guy-cliff, 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 crown all, solitude and quiet, the greatest dariingofthe 
 muses. Here, Fame tells us, that Guy of Warwick, that celebrated hero, 
 after he had finished his martial achievements, built a chapel, led a hermit's 
 life, and was at last buried. But the wiser sort think that this place took its 
 name from Guy de Beauchamp, who lived much later. And certain it is 
 that Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, built and dedicated there a 
 chapel to St. Margaret, and set up the giant-like statue of the famous Guy, 
 still remaining." 
 
 It is pleasing to note the progressive refinement evident in the different 
 architectural features of Warwick Castle. The foundress, though the dauo-h- 
 ter of the potent Alfred, was contented with a solitary tower, erected on the 
 apprehensive elevatioa of a mount. The embattled gate-way, and the lofty 
 turrets of Thomas Guy, Earl of the Castle in the reign of Edvvard HI. and his 
 successor, proclaim the chivalric spirit and magnificent notions of the age ; 
 while the splendid alterations of Sir Fulk Grevile exhibit the liberal wishes of 
 his era for internal accommodation as well as massive exterior grandeur, 
 
 » A sword, called Guy's, was possessed by the Earls of Warwick in the reign of Edward III. 
 The sword and armour now at Warwick Castle were much esteemed by Henry VIII. The 
 Castle then remained in the hands of the sovereign, and Henry committed the armour of Guy 
 to the care of William Hoggeson, yeoman of the buttery, with a salary for the performane* 
 «f bis trust 
 
WARWICK CASTLE, 
 
 It is equally gratifying to reflect on the various manners and pursuits of 
 those illustrious persons who have, at different periods, occupied this princelv 
 abode. It appears probable that Ethelfleda possessed the luxury of glass win- 
 dows in her tower, though the generality 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 known and practised, 
 but performances of this kind were exclusively dedicated to the embellishment 
 of religious worship. The banquet was the great enjoyment of the period; 
 and here the guests were placed according to their respective ranks, with scru- 
 pulous ceremony, and were generally very numerous, as every person of dis- 
 tinguished 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 freely circulated, and the carousers were particularly watchful lest 
 any man should drink more deeply than his due share of the flaggon warranted. 
 A disgusting proof of selfish barbarism ! But the choicest part of the revelry 
 consisted in the 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 ardour ; 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 were chiefly devoted to the needle. 
 Works of embroidery, at this time, were encouraged and practised by ladies of 
 distinction. Learning was confined to regular professors ; and an educated 
 woman was considered a prodigy ! Insomuch, indeed, that even Alfred, at 
 the age of twelve years, could not read a sentence, and it was by mere acci- 
 dent that he acquired the rudiments of literature. Music, though essential to 
 the enjoyments of the lordly, 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 embellishments of places consecrated to religious purposes. What, 
 then, was to preserve the lady Ethelfleda from the imposing phantasies of 
 superstition? Games of chance, it is true, were customary. Dice, chess, 
 
 2 H 2 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 backgammon, were in use with every person of rank ; but the lady Elhelffeda 
 h^d a more laudable employment in her needle. 
 
 At the embroidery frame, then, we picture the lady Ethelfleda seated ; her 
 linen mantle, which covered the whole person, thrown over her, and fastened 
 on the right 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 recourse which we 
 have described, since no carriage waited to convey her to the enjoyments 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. It was not till the 
 fourteenth century, that literature began to flourish. Its progressive march 
 was slow ; yet the gloom began to dispel which had so long concealed its 
 charms. This period may not be improperly termed a new era ; for we 
 find, on the accession of Sir Fulk Grevile to the gratifying honors of War- 
 wick 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 chastened gaiety, less noisy but nearer 
 to the heart, took place, in the noble's family, of tumultuary banquettings and 
 the half-serious contests of the festive joust. The machiolated towers, and 
 embattled gate-way of the Castle,, were now regarded only as the 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 connectedvvith 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 charac« 
 ters unavoidably demand notice. — Of all those Earls of Warwick, who bore 
 away the palm of hardihood, in the days of early contention, Richard Nevjlle,. 
 that " whirlwind" of the land, as Camden figuratively terms him, is the most 
 distinguished. The powersof mind, and the immensitiesof resource required: 
 in the man who was to pluck down kings, or enthrone subjects, at his pleasure. 
 
WARWICK CASTLE.. 
 
 combine to decorate the memory of this Earl, and to render him 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 clemency constantly exhibited by the Duke, in his ambitious enterprizes, 
 is well known. Of this clemency the Earl of Warwick is entituled to a share ; 
 and it should be recollected, to his lasting honor, that throughout the whole 
 disasterous war of " the Roses," we find none of those deliberate cruelties 
 attached to his name, which were so common with the major part of the 
 leaders on both contending sides. It has been asserted, by many historians, 
 that he was concerned in the murder of Earl Rivers and Sir John Widvile 
 (father and brother to the queen of Edward IV.) but Dr. Plenry 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 
 subsequent to that event, chief-justiciary of South Wales, and gave him seve- 
 ral other offices of power and trust, which he assuredly would not have done 
 if he had suspected that Warwick had any connection with 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 monairh was- 
 betrayed into the hands of Edward, 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 indignitv."' 
 Proclamation was issued that no person should regard the forlorn prisoner with 
 compassion, as he moved through the streets : and when he airived on Towerr^ 
 hill, he was compelled to ride three times round the pillory. But this was so 
 far from an age of generosity, that the negative meritof abstinence from blood- 
 shed, 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 IV.. 
 He treated his great auxiliary, Warwick, with the respect due to the friend: 
 who had so ably assisted his elevation to the crown. The insolence and 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 aggrandizements of the new family of the Widviles, alone caused that disgust 
 which separated the earl from 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 marriage, 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 the Lady Margaret rode behind him through the streets of 
 London, previous 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 conten- 
 tion. 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 dissention. 
 
 It appears that the romantic story of Edward being taken prisoner by 
 Warwick, and sent to his castle of Middleham, 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. Before 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 ; and, when washing before supper, he 
 received private notice that 100 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 instanceof ingratitude must have irritated, to the extreme, the 
 lofty mind of Warwick. When 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, 
 thegovernor of which 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 labour, and destitute of assistance. But the miscreant pointed the guns of 
 the fortifications against his benefactor, and would not suffer a single person 
 to disembark. 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 Few circumstances could be more remarkable than the commencement of a 
 friendly intercourse between Warwick and the object of his most bitter anti- 
 pathy, Queen Margaret. But that connection soon produced fresh wonders, 
 among which was the abrupt transition of Edward from the throne of a 
 potent monarch to the dependance of a poverty-stricken fugitive ! It is well 
 known that when this prince landed, in 14-70, 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 unconquerable difficulties attendant on this scheme 
 and he married his daughter Ann to the young prince, son of Henry and 
 Margaret. The chief motive that linked the worthless 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 disappointment, in this particular, readily accounts 
 for the eagerness with 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 which he flourished) to live a " king-maker," and die a 
 jjero. 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 cele- 
 brated magician) caused an unhappy mistake, which decided the fortune of the 
 day. The device, or badge, worn by the followers of Lord Oxford, was a 
 star with rays, both on the front and back of their coats. This gallant band 
 had driven their opponents from the field, and were returning to assist their 
 friends, when they were attacked by the Earl of Warwick's men, who mis- 
 took them for a body of the enemy, a sun with rays being a device worn by 
 Edward's party. Oxford suspecting treachery, fled with 800 of his partizans, 
 and all on Warwick's side became confusion and dismay. The earl knew how 
 to die, as well 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 transi- 
 tions, and the extremities of fortune experienced by those who form its chief 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 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, sister to the late Earl of Warwick, was reduced, 
 according to Stow, to the necessity of earning a wretched livelihood by her 
 needle; and Lady Ann Neville (relict of the late Prince of Wales) was 
 certainly found, some months after the battle, disguised in the habit of a 
 cook-maid ! 
 
 Sir Fulk Grevile, Lord Brooke, the great restorer of Warwick Castle, was 
 one of the most distinguished men of the era in which he lived. The inscrip- 
 tion on that monument which his lordship caused to be erected during his 
 life-time, is not more compendious than it appears to be honorable to his 
 memory : " Fulk Grevile, servant to Queen Elizabeth, Councillor to Kitig 
 James, and frie7id to Sir Philip Sidney.'' 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 suf- 
 ficient 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. 
 
 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 the performances of 
 the age. The versatility of his genius will be evident from the following list 
 of hi» works: — " A very 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 toother Pro- 
 vinces." — " 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. — " Ccelica," a collection of 
 109 songs, — " A Treatise of Human Learning," in 160 stanzas. — " An Inquisi- 
 tion upon Fame and Honor," in 86 stanzas. — " A Treatise of Wars," in 68 
 stanzas. — His " Remains," consisting of Political and Philosophical Poems. 
 — " M. TuUius Cicero, a Tragedy" (disputed)—" Alahani, a Tragedy," — 
 *' Mustapha, a Tragedy." 
 
 We must not forget to mention, that his lordship evinced the liberality, as 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 well as taste of a Mecaenas. He was the admirer of Camden's genius, and 
 the patron of his labours. 
 
 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 dreadful period of our national annals, when the love of prerogative 
 led an otherwise amiable monarch to forget that the people might likewise be 
 fond of privilege ; and when the peculiar tenets of a mob of religious enthu- 
 siasts tended, on the other hand, to the inculcation of wild, chimerical notions 
 of independence ; 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 whose most fervent desires centred in genuine 
 patriotism. 
 
 Amid these, the dignified names of Falkland and Brooke stand pre-emi- 
 nent. Both indulged the same honest wish, though different views of political 
 propriety (so natural and common a circumstance in such a tempestuous 
 season) led them to exhibit their zeal for national prosperity in dissimilar 
 
 modes. 
 
 Weary of the disputes and interested machinations of the times, the vir- 
 tuous Lord Brooke resolved to flee 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,* when a 
 sudden gleam of hope, produced by one of the many strange vicissitudes of 
 the period, induced Lord Brooke to join in the endeavours of those who 
 desired such a permanent and equitable bond, as was likely 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 the head of a considerable body of patriots, he 
 
 * In 1635, the two lords sent Mr. George Fenwicke over to New England to prepare their 
 relreat. Tliis emissary caused to be built, in a recluse and beautifid situalion, a small town, 
 which was called, in allusion to the names of the founders, Saybrook. 
 
 2 I 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 
 
 advanced into Staffordshire, and directed his power against Lichfield. It was 
 on the festival of St. Chad, to whom the cathedral of Lichfield is dedicated, 
 that his lordship commanded his troops 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 Catho- 
 lics did not fail to aver, that this shot was discharged by St. Chad, as a 
 punishment for the impiety of the mortal who dared to use hostile measures 
 near a cathedral, on the day consecrated to the recollection of that saint^s 
 piety and virtues. But those who seek for causes with a less elevated imagi- 
 nation, know that the hand of a common soldier eflfected the death of this 
 gallant and virtuous nobleman. 
 
 Robert Lord Brooke was an elegant writer, as well as a zealous patriot and 
 a courageous leader. His works, according to Lord Orford's catalogue, are ; 
 — " The Nature of Truth, its Union and Unity with the Soul, which is one 
 in its Essence, Faculties, Acts, one with Truth." i640.— " A Discourse 
 
 opening the Nature of Episcopacy which is exercised in England." 1641. 
 
 " Two Speeches, spoken in the Guildhall, London, concerning his Majesty'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. 
 
^e^ttii^tion 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 The 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 district of their possessions. 
 
 " The 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 plenti- 
 fully 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 advantage. 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 growth, quality, and numbers,— and 
 from various other similar remarks, they were enabled to judge and decide 
 with sufficient precision. Vitruvius, Pliny, and other ancient authors, give 
 minute accounts of the means employed for this important purpose ; and we 
 know there was a profession, the members of which were denominated Hydro- 
 phant<B by the Greeks, and Aqidleges by the Romans, whose business it was 
 to examine the springs and rivers; and who, when a town was to be built, 
 presided over this branch of public utility, as the architects directed the 
 labours of the workmen. 
 
 2i 2 
 
FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 Not only are the springs and streams of Latium crystalline and salubrious, 
 but, from the volcanic character of the country, mineral waters and tepid baths 
 are found in almost every recess. This is accounted for by the marshy land, the 
 fragment of an extinct volcano, on which Rome was built. Natural cascades 
 abound in the upland districts, which increase the beauty of the scene, and 
 bestow a healthful coolness on the air. 
 
 The aqueducts formed the first of those three circumstances, which, accord- 
 ing 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. The channels of these aqueducts were large 
 enough to admit a man on horseback. When Rome was besieged by the 
 Goths, who had cut off the water, Belisarius fortified the aqueducts with 
 works of peculiar strength, to prevent the enemy from entering the 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 ancients, must have rendered an abun- 
 dance 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 cli- 
 mate of the Campagna, joined to certain peculiarities of clothing, must have 
 rendered frequent immersions in cold water highly desirable, if not actually 
 necessary, to the native inhabitants of the great city, before triumphant excur- 
 sions had led them to adopt foreign habits of effeminacy. During the first 
 stages of the republic, the Tiber, probably, afforded an easy mode of ablution 
 to the hardy Romans. But when they learned the art of decoration from the 
 Greeks, and became emulous of renown for splendour in public buildings, baths 
 were constructed, productive alike of individual accommodation and national 
 magnificence. 
 
 Lateritiam invenit, viarmoream religuit, was the praise applied to Augustus. 
 Tributary thousands attended his call, for the employment of whom no respon- 
 sibility attached to his government. 
 
 The TherriKB DioclesiancB are said to be the largest formed in Rome; yet 
 those built by Caracalla were, perhaps, more magnificent. The Thermae 
 
FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 were divided into numerous compartments, and formed the places of fashion- 
 able 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 qua- 
 drans.* The bathing-time was commonly from noon till evening, and notice 
 (according 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, 
 generally 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 per- 
 sons bathed indiscriminately. 
 
 The baths of ancient Rome were places of general amusement. From the 
 following description, a correct idea may be formed of the splendour of these 
 
 buildings : 
 
 " The Thermas consisted of a great variety of parts and conveniences ; the 
 j\^a<a<zojies, or swimming-places ; the Portici, where people amused themselves 
 with walking, conversing, anddisputing together, as Cicero says, In porticibus 
 deamhulantes disputabant ; the Basilica, where 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 exer- 
 cises ; the Fri^idaria, or places kept cool by a constant draught of air, pro- 
 moted by the disposition and number of the windows ; the Calidaria, where 
 the water was warmed for the baths ; the Platanones, or delightful groves of 
 svcamore ; the Stadia, for the performances of the Athletee ; the Exedrce, or 
 resting-places, provided with seats for those that were 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 
 
 * About two-pence of our money. 
 
FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 the use of the bathers ; and the Conisteria, where the wrestlers were smeared 
 with sand before they engaged." 
 
 The number of baths was very great. Publius Victor enumerates sixteen 
 warm, and 856 cold baths, besides 16,000 reservoirs 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, congra- 
 tulates his philosophy on the circumstance of his possessing only one bath, 
 though a rich man. 
 
 The modern Romans have no partiality for the salutary luxury of bathing. 
 The baths of Caracalla and Dioclesian lie in unheeded ruins. Still the Ro- 
 mans regard an abundance of water as the proudest boast of their city, and the 
 numerous fountains 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 rush- 
 ing and 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 gurgling streams from their urns, give an extraordinary appear- 
 ance 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 Termini, called, likewise. Aqua Felix, is embellished with christian 
 sculpture: for here a colossal Moses, with his wonder-working wand, causes 
 the water to flow from a rock.* 
 
 "The water in the fountain of the Campo Vaccina flows into an immense 
 basin of oriental granite, which served for the same purpose in ancient times. 
 The fountain Paulina surpasses all others, with respect to the abundant supply 
 of water, which was first brought thither by Trajan. At present, it is splen- 
 didly decorated with arcades, columns, and an attic, with water-spouting 
 dragons, and pompous inscriptions. 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- 
 
 • Two beautiful lions, of Egyptian workmanship, are also placed here, emitting from their wide 
 mouths thick streams of water. 
 
FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 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 Mattei-place, is a 
 pretty plaything ; four figures of bronze are placing four tortoises on the edge 
 of the basin, from which rises a. jet-d'eau. In Barbarina-place there are two 
 fountains by Bernini ; here dolphins and tritons squirting out water ; and there 
 even three bees, which are setting on a muscle-shell !" Such is the account 
 given by the celebrated Kotzebue. 
 
 The waters of the Fountain of Trevi are clear, pleasant, and salubrious ; 
 and are supposed, by the modern Romans, to possess the faculty of strength- 
 ening and revivifying debilitated constitutions. The fountain is supplied by 
 a spring termed Aqua Virgine, concerning which, the following legend is 
 familiar with the inhabitants of the Campagna : — Some Roman soldiers, over- 
 come 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 throat, and yet so salu- 
 brious, that the heated traveller might drink of it with itppunity. 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 ex- 
 pressed a desire. To this favourite spring she accordingly conducted them ; 
 and the thirsty soldiers were so charmed with the draught which 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 
 Agrippa* constructed a magnificent aqueduct, by means of which he conveyed 
 the stream of Aqua Virgine 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, either 
 
 •M. Agrippa is said to have formed 700 reservoirs, to have erected 106 fountaiu!*, aiid 130 
 eastella, or conduits, in the space of one year.. 
 
FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 by accident or design, the conduits were ruined ; but Trajan caused them to 
 be effectually repaired with all possible expedition. At that period, the foun- 
 tain was near the baths of Agrippa. 
 
 During the ferocious incursions of the northern tribes, all that was great and 
 venerable in the western empire shared in one common 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 sur- 
 vived the tasteless fury of the invaders. Among other works of splendour 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 was completely destroyed. The regret of the Romans, on this occasion, 
 may be readily apprehended, when we remember the peculiar delicacy of their 
 taste, in regard to water, both for the 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 de- 
 struction of the aqueduct, that Nicolas V. a pope who certainly deserves the 
 admirationof posterity 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 the community by an action like this, cannot 
 be too highly 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. 
 
 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 instance, merely intent on adding to the convenience 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 tht? 
 
FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 fountain, though he might be personally indifferent to the advantages derived 
 from its waters. 
 
 The character of Clement XII. does not occupy a distinguished place for 
 liberality in the opinion of mankind, yet this pope repaired the aqueduct of 
 Trevi, at an immense expense, and added the magnificent front projected by 
 Nicole 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 for the infirmities 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, without the sculptor's 
 aid, that it was one of the great wishes of his pontificate to advance the accomt- 
 modation, and increase the ornaments, of the papal city. Clement XI I J., 
 happily inherited the spirit of his predecessor. Under this pope, the buildings 
 of the fountain were decorated with statues, and bassi-relievi, together with 
 columns of the Corinthian, Ionic, and Composite orders. 
 
 The fountain, joins to the palace of the Duke di Poli,^ the front of which 
 is characteristically embellished to complete the display of the scene. 
 
 For the circumstances of our description we refer to the plate, and, consider- 
 ing the reader as a spectator, proceed to observe, that the figure in the centre re- 
 presents Neptune, 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 is marked by Temperance and Tranquillity : a judi- 
 cious method of expressing the well-known character of the sea, a perpetual 
 interchaiige between storms and calms. Bracci was the sculptor of these 
 groups. The statue on the right of Neptune represents abundance ; and that 
 on the left is figurative of Health : both were executed by Valle. The basso- 
 relievo on the right is descriptive of Marcus Agrippa, in the act of contem- 
 plating a plan of the aqueduct, and was performed hy Bergondi. That on the 
 left perpetuates the story of the discovery of the spring ; the girl is represented 
 guiding the thirsty soldiers to the inestimable pool. This elegant production 
 
 * la this place were some fine paintings. On the right of the fountain is the oratory of St. 
 HJary in Via, famous for the picture on the altar representing the Holy Family. 
 
 2k: 
 
FOUNTAIN OF TREVI. 
 
 is by Grossi. Four statues surmount the columns. The first, bearing a 
 cornucopia, is by Corsifii ,- the second represents Fertility, and is by Ludovisi; 
 the third, with the grapes and bowl, symbolical of Autumn, was executed by 
 Queirolo; and the last, crowned with flowers, is the work of Pincoletti. On 
 the top of the building are the pope's arms, supported by two Fames, the 
 labour of Benaglio. 
 
 From this assemblage of objects a very striking effpct 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 architec- 
 tural 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 connected with 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 reply to these 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 circumference of the fountain was, originally, grand and com- 
 prehensive, it is to be regretted, that buildings have been suffered to accumu- 
 late in the neighbourhood, to the exclusion of much of the effect of this rare 
 gem of modern architectural 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 decorations of the Fountain of Trevi will long excite the admiration 
 of every visitor. 
 
s 
 
 >= 
 
litjstotHcal 3Be$mption 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CASTLE OF CONWAY, 
 
 NORTH WALES; 
 
 WITH 
 
 Alf INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE ILL-FATED LLEWELYN. 
 
 J. HE river Conway is, perhaps, for its lengtli, one of tiie 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 commentator, 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 cor- 
 nelian colour, exactly in the centre." These pearls were usually found in 
 large black muscles denominated by the vulgar deluge-shells. 
 
 The present town of Conway, or Aber-Conway, sprang from the ruins of 
 the ancient Conovmm, mentioned by Antoninus, the remembrance of which 
 is still preserved by a small village called Kaer-Rhun, or Kaer-Hen, 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 household officers attached to the dignity of the mountain- 
 
 * In ihe latter periods of the independancy of Wales, the princes usually resided at Diganwy, 
 on the water of Conway ; and at Caer Segont, near Caernarvon. 
 
 2k2 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 sovereign, we may be enabled to form some idea of the construction of an 
 antique Welsh residence of the first class; and the subject is so curious, that 
 we cannot refrain 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.* 
 
 The master of the palace possessed authority over every person of the 
 household. He received a share of all military plunder, and on three fes- 
 tivals 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 iu 
 all matters of conscience. He was also secretary to the king and to the 
 principal court of justice. 
 
 The steward of the household managed the inferior domestics, and received 
 as perquisites the skins of all animals, " from 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 arranging 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 services to the 
 master of the hawks, on the day when he took a curlew, a hern, or a bittern. 
 He held the horse of this officer while he took the bird ; held the stirrup 
 while he mounted and dismounted ; and that night honored him, likewise, 
 with three different presents. 
 
 The judge of the palace presided over the principal court of Wales. It is 
 said that he always lodged in the hall of the palace, and that the cushion ou 
 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 slaughtered for the household were presented to the judge of 
 the palace. 
 
 ' Tliis sidhII band appears the ouly resemblance of a regular force maiotaiaed at an^ perio<t 
 b_> the ancient princes. 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 The master of the horse was lodged near the royal stables and grahaty, 
 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 apart- 
 ment. 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 
 6wn 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 silence. This he performed first by 
 his voice, and afterwards by striking with his rod of office a pillar near which 
 the domestic chaplain usually sat. 
 
 The master of the hounds was accounted so important a personage (though 
 usually 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 entered the presence of the monarch. 
 
 The cook always carried the last dish out of the kitchen, and placed it 
 before the king, who immediately rewarded him with meat and drink. 
 
 The sconce-bearer held wax-tapers when the 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 woman of the queen's chamber, who " always slept so near her mistress 
 as to be able to hear her speak, though in a whisper." 
 
 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 revenue of the 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY * 
 
 princes appear to have been somewhat disproportionate, compared with the 
 resources of the country. The inhabitants of Anglesea, for instance, had 
 been in the custom of yielding 1,000 marks annually to the exigencies of the 
 Welsh government; but Edward, on conquering the country, readily admitted 
 the exorbitancy of the contribution, and reduced it to the yearly sum of 
 £4^50. It may be also observed, that the ancient princes were at little per- 
 sonal expense in the erection, or embellishment 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 
 this 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 warm imagi- 
 nation 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 independance 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 
 Edward I. These were by no means so formidable as might have been 
 expected from the mountainous character of the country, but still they were 
 found very important obstacles to the progress of the invader. 
 
 Few warlike operations display more profound sagacity than those of Edward 
 in regard to Wales. He anticipated every contingency, and was as well pre- 
 pared for defeat as for victory. Every stage of a retreat was specified, and he 
 rebuilt the castle of Flint, and more strongly fortified that of Rhuddlan, as 
 places of defence, should he be obliged to recede from the arms of the Welsh 
 on the occurrence of any military casualty. 
 
 Far diflferent was the conduct of the devoted Llewelyn. Rude, and dis- 
 
 * So early as the year 876, in the reign of Roderic, the chief defiles of Wales were guarded 
 by strong fortifications. It is probable that intestine commotions and a continual warfare with 
 ibe English^ had prevented these being preserved in a state adapted to national defence. 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 dainful of art, he trusted entirely to the natural security of his country, con- 
 tent to retire, like the wolf, to the shelter of the cavern on the approach of 
 a foe. The historians of that age paint with admiration the attachment of 
 the Welsh to their national customs, and the native writers of later periods 
 cannot refrain from adding to the commendation bestowed by their precursors ; 
 but every liberal mind must deplore that infatuated contempt of foreign 
 improvements which led the mountaineers of Llewelyn's day to form them- 
 selves 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 gallant Llewelyn, while we dislike the bigotry of his habits. The 
 adventures of this unfortunate prince would, indeed, narrated at length, form 
 a romantic tale of deep interest. His life commenced amidst the ruin of his 
 family. Gryffydh, the father of Llewelyn, was betrayed by his brother into 
 the hands of the English king, by whom he was committed a prisoner to the 
 Tower of London. Gryffydh was in every respect calculated to please the 
 temper of the Welsh 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 the napkins that covered his table. With this aid, he endea- 
 vored to let himself down from the window of the turret in which he was 
 confined. But his weight was too mighty for the slender line, and he fell 
 into the Tower ditch, with so much violence, that his head and neck were 
 nearly driven into his body ! — Poetry itself can scarcely picture a circumstance 
 of greater distress. — Fancy traces, with acute throbs of sympathy, the wife 
 and little son lending their feeble aid to strengthen every knot of that motley 
 fabrication on which a husband's 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 husband 
 dies, the wife sinks pale and senseless to the floor, while the frightened child 
 kneels by her, and bathes her with innocent tears, — the imagination turns^ 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 sickening from the spot, willing to fly even to the tumult of war for relief from 
 so horrible a scene of domestic misery. 
 
 The administration of Llewelyn commenced with fraternal warfare. He 
 took possession of the principality in conjunction with his brother Owen. 
 But this prince, enduring a partner in the throne, engaged in hostilities 
 against Llewelyn, and a battle was fought, in which Owen was defeated and 
 taken prisoner. 
 
 A more potent rival, Edward, the son of Henry of England, shortly took 
 the field against the 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 Montfort, Earl of Leicester, 
 who openly rebelled against the English king. This nobleman offered his 
 daughter, then resident with her brother in France, in marriage to the Welsh 
 prince, and Llewelyn 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. Llewelyn was, 
 the heir of ill-fortune ; — Eleanor de Montfort was taken prisoner, near the isles 
 of Scilly, by four ships from Bristol, and was conveyed to the court of 
 England. Llewelyn oflfered an immense ransom for the captive beauty ; but 
 Edward was 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 power of the English. Patriotism prevailed over love in tlie 
 breast of Llewelyn, and he flew to arms with all the ardor of a knight in 
 romance. But at the best, his troops were only calculated to act on the 
 defensive; many of his nobles likewise proved treacherous; and, at length, 
 necessity compelled him to agree to those arbitrar}'^ terms which love had 
 proved insufficient to enforce. His union with the daughter of de Montford 
 now took place, and the nuptials were celebrated at Worcester, the English 
 king and queen gracing the ceremony with their presence. Llewelyn's hap- 
 piness, however, was but of short duration ; in less than three years he 
 consigned to the tomb his amiable princess, and no sooner.. M'ag she enterrt^ 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 than he became again the subject of refractory projects. The vengeance of 
 Edward was easily provoked, and that war between the nations ensued which 
 effectually terminated the reign of the Welsh princes. 
 
 We have already mentioned Llewelyn's impolitic confidence in the moun- 
 tainous character of his country. In one of the most remote recesses of Wales 
 lie was, however, beset by his enemies. Still he felt secure from sudden danger, 
 while 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 the bridge: and being told that 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 surrounded by the enemy's 
 horse. Beset on every side, and cut off from his army, Llewelyn endea- 
 voured, as secretly as he could, to make good his retreat, and to join the 
 troops he had stationed on a neighbouring mountain, who were eagerlv 
 expecting the return of their prince. In making this attempt he was disco- 
 vered, and closely pursued by Adam de Francton, who, perceiving him to be 
 a Welshman, and not knowing his quality, plunged his spear into the bodv 
 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. When 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 expiring prince. Never, never, was man so universally regretted 
 by his countrymen.— Each Cambrian exclaimed, as he mournfully passed his 
 tomb— Oh ! Llewelyn ! the loss of thee is the loss of all ! 
 
 As soon as Edward had obtained a complete triumph over the arms of the 
 
 9 L 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 pfincipality, and had satiated his rage in an unmanly exultation over the 
 lacerated body of Llevvelyn,* he proceeded, with politic caution, to take the 
 steps most likely to secure the obedience of his new subjects. Convinced 
 that the interior of the Snowdonia would ever form the chief dependence of 
 the Welsh, he erected three strong holds in the immediate vicinity of that 
 alpine district. These were the Castles of Caernarvon, Beaumaris, and Con- 
 way. Edward was too prudent to infringe hastily on the private rights 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, therefore, 
 probable, that he was not less just in regard to the site of his two other for- 
 tresses. 
 
 Conway Castle was built in the year 1284, on a rocky hill, at die base of 
 which flows " the chief of Welsh rivers." It is one of the most magnificent 
 military ruins ia the island, and was designed 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, who was its founder, 
 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. 
 
 Eight round projecting towers ornament and protect the building. On the 
 top of each was placed a lofty and elegant turret, which 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, 1.50 feet in length, which is adorned with 
 nine Gothic windows and a large chimney-piece. This was probably the hall 
 9f state, in which Edward once sat enthroned to receive the homage of the 
 
 * A prophecy of Merliu was said to prognosticate that Llewelyii should one day wear 
 the crown of Brutus. To ridicule this prophecy, the head of the prince, when separated from 
 his hody, was ornamented with a silver circle, and placed in the pillory on Cheapside. An 
 sged soothsayer had likewise foretold, when the Welsh commenced their last war with the 
 £ngHsh, that Llewelyn should ride through Cheapside, with a diadem on his head. In derision 
 «2' this augury, the blood-stained head of the fallen prince was encircled with a wreath of ivy,, 
 and in that condition it was carried through the sleeets ot'LoDdon by a horseman, who bore it 
 •loft on the top of his spear. 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 subjugated chieftains. It is impossible to behold the dilapidation to which 
 the building is now subject, without experiencing a sentiment of regret. In 
 vain the spectator seeks consolation from reflecting that the entire harmony 
 which prevails between the two countries renders politically inconsequential 
 the decay of every fortress once necessary to the preservation of tranquillity. 
 The ruin of architectural grandeur, the impending dissolution of a structure 
 erected by one of the best of our chivalrous sovereigns, compel a sigh, in 
 contempt of every sedate and rational motive of satisfaction. 
 
 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 this 
 dependant town a free borough, when he passed a Christmas ti:ere, in great 
 splendour, with Eleanor his queen, in 1284. The town is surrounded by a 
 hio-h wall, in which twenty-six embattled round towers are placed at regular 
 distances : the whole are now overgrown with a profusion of ivy. 
 
 The distant view of the Castle, and the town, with its embattled wall, (now 
 that ao-e has deprived these of their terrors,) are sublime beyond the power of 
 description. So august, indeed, is the spectacle, tiiat it seems to rise superior 
 to the character of artificial compositions, and almost claims a share of the 
 admiration due only to works of nature. One great cause, perhaps, of the 
 peculiar effect which this venerable Castle produces on the beholder, arises 
 from the circumstance of it assimilating with the objects around. It rises 
 its majestic head in the neighbourhood 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. It formerly possessed a splendid monastery, 
 which was the burial-place of the ancient Princess of Wales. According to 
 Holinshed, this monastery occupied the site of the present Castle. It is cer- 
 tain that Edward removed the white monks of Conway to an abbey which he 
 founded near Llanrwst. 
 
 A country subject, like Wales, to perpetual commotions, and the stage on 
 which a gallant people struggled with enthusiastic ardor for national independ- 
 ence, scarcely contains a spot that is not rendered interesting by a connection 
 
 2 l2 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 with historical legend. In this respect the neighbourhood of Conway merits 
 conspicuous mention. On the banks of the river which washes the Castle, 
 wandered those early princes whose obstinate valour baffled the efforts of the 
 hitherto-victorious Romans; here Edward fixed tlie chief quarters of his invad- 
 ing army; and here resided the principal of those patriotic natives who 
 remained faithful to their prince to the 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 neighbourhood of Conway in the year 880. At this time 
 the sovereignty of Wales was divided between two brothers, Anarawd and 
 Cadelh, the sons of Roderic the Great. The remains of the Strath-clwyd 
 Britons, severally harassed by the Saxons, Danes, and Scots, in a conflict with 
 whom they had lately been deprived of Constantine their king, applied to 
 Anarawd, Prince of North Wales, for an asylum in his dominions. The 
 Saxons now occupied the country between the Dee and the Conway. 
 Anarawd regarded these neighbours with unavoidable dislike, and readily 
 granted the Strath-clwd applicants as much land between the two rivers as they 
 could obtain and preserve by the power of the sword. 
 
 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 disgrac^ 
 his arms had suffered, speedily made preparations 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 instant- 
 ly collected an army, and marched to the support of his allies. The adverse 
 forces met at Cymryd, about two miles from the preseat 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 ISIercia, whither they were followed by the con- 
 queror. Anarawd, with honest exultation, called the achievement of the day 
 by the name of Dial Rodri (or Roderic's Revenge) 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 
 
CASTLE OF CONWAY. 
 
 fought, is romantic, wild, and awful ; mountainsof tremendous height, columns 
 of thick and gloomy wood, and impetuous cataracts, unite to form precisely 
 such an appalling spectacle as a Salvator would be supposed likely to choose 
 for the back-ground of a sanguinary contest. 
 
 King John waged a successful war against the principality, in the year 1212. 
 Yet Joan, his daughter, was the wife of Llewelyn Ap Jorweth, Prince of 
 North Wales. 
 
 Abandoned by the most weighty of his chieftains, and closely pressed by 
 the potent army of the English, Llewelyn retired into the Snowdonia, while 
 John passed the Conway and encamped on the river side. Imprisoned among 
 his steril mountains, 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 exemplary vengeance, King John dispatched some 
 troops, with orders to destroy the town of Bangor. Little resistance was 
 made, and the town was immediately set on fire. The bishop was rescued 
 from the flames and made prisoner.* At this juncture, when fire and blood- 
 shed were carried into the heart of his country, Llewelyn perceived but one 
 measure likel}'^ to preserve his subjects and himself from destruction. All his 
 hope rested on the relationship between his Princess and the 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 feet, and conjured him by every tender tie that is wont to join the inter- 
 ests of parent and child, to grant a pardon to her husband and to recal those 
 dreadful ministers of vengeance who, even then, were revelling in the blood 
 of innocence. 
 
 The king 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 from the banks of the Conway issued those orders of recal which 
 
 gave life to despairing thousands. 
 
 It must be evident that the memory of the Princess Joan deserves the 
 utmost respect which it is in the power of the principality to bestow. A 
 stranger would suppose that her ashes were guarded with religious zeal, and 
 
 * He was afterwards ransomed for two hundred hawk». 
 
CASTLE OP CQNWAy. 
 
 that a eostly 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 formerly inclosed the remains of the princess, 
 is now to be seen in the grounds belonging to the mansion of Baron-hill, the 
 seat of Lord Bulkeley. This coffin, before it was placed in its present situ- 
 ation, had been used as a trough for the watering of horses ! 
 
 In the reign of Henry HI. 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 Conway of its books and furniture, and 
 set fire to the offices. Enraged to madness on beholding the mausoleum of 
 their princess subject to the licentiousness of the foe, the Welsh, inspirited 
 by the strains of their bards, rushed down the mountains, and attacked the 
 plunderers with prodigious impetuosity. The English were encumbered with 
 spoil, and fell an easy prey to the fury of their opponents. Many were slain 
 on the spot ; others plunged into the river to escape their pursuers ; and a con- 
 siderable number were taken prisoners. Those who 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 off their heads, and tearing their bodies 
 to pieces, they threw them limb by limb into the waters of the Conway ! 
 
 The Castle was the seat of contest at the commencement of the civil war 
 under 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 he 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 neighbourhood of Conway are many remains of Roman 
 copper-works ; and a round piece of copper has been found, somewhat resem- 
 bling 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 trans- 
 mitted the produce of his works. 
 
 A Roman Hypocaust was also discovered near the foot of the hill on which 
 the Castle stands. 
 

 U 
 
^BmtipWiot Account 
 
 OF 
 
 CAERNARVON CASTLE; 
 
 WITH 
 
 SOMS BEIHARKS ON THE REIGN OF ED}VARD THE FIRST. 
 
 _A.s there are peculiar subjects on which the fervid imagination of the poet 
 dehghts to dwell, so there are favored situations in the expanded landscape 
 of nature, where the historian rejoices to unfurl his scroll, and reflect the 
 transports of his mind on the recording page. Hence we are informed, that 
 when Gothic barbarism blackened the horizon, and involved Englarid in noc- 
 turnal darkness, the bland spirit of liberty fled to the Cambrian mountains, 
 whose summits were yet gilded with the declining orb. Thither the ancient 
 Britons followed her, and there, for nine centuries, they gallantly defended 
 her glorious cause, until the perfidious Edward, incapable of resisting the 
 courage of her hosts, effected, by the intrigues of negociation, what he could 
 never accomplish by deeds of valour. When the tyrant obtained possession 
 of this country, he did not indulge the vain expectation of passive obedience 
 and willing service from the brave inhabitants, who had been deluded by his 
 artifices. To secure submission to his usurpation, he established forts and 
 castles in various situations, with such a Velocity, that they seemed rather to 
 have started from the quarry by the influence of magie> than to hav« been the 
 productions of human labour. 
 
 The Castle of Caernarvon, which is the subject of our present paper, was 
 one of these fortresses ; the work was performed by the peasantry, and the 
 espence was borne by the nobility of the adjacent country. 
 
 y 
 
CAERNARVON CASTLE. 
 
 We are informed by the Sebright MS. that the stupendous fabric was begun 
 in the year 1283, and before the expiration of twelve months, was completed, 
 with its drawbridges, ballia, mounts, and battlements. The structure is of the 
 most elegant species of Norman-Gothic architecture ; commanding, on one 
 side, the straits of Menui and the Western Ocean ; on the other, the hoary 
 head of Snowden, and the magnificent scenery which surrounds the boldest 
 feature in British landscape. 
 
 We know not whether the view be most impressive on " a day of darkness 
 and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morning spread 
 upon the mountains," or when the sun be discerned sinking in the lap of the 
 ocean, and the sable curtain of night is drawing round the mountain, while 
 the fleecy clouds are yet hovering over the summit. Such are the views on 
 which the artist will dwell with increasing rapture, while the moralist will 
 ponder, with equal delight, on the tales of other times, recorded in the tuneful 
 songs of Modred and Cadwvallo. 
 
 If the eye be directed to the west, and the frowning turrets of the castle, 
 venerable in darkness, and dignified by the awful vicissitudes of time, be con- 
 trasted with the gay exhibition of the shipping, the activity of the harbour, the 
 variable waters, glowing with the deep blush of the horizon, a mingled feeling 
 is reflected on the mind, which constitutes the highest gratification. 
 
 The entrance is by a lofty gateway, perforating a stupendous tower, in the 
 front of which appears a colossal statue of the conqueror, grasping in his right 
 hand a dagger. The Eagle tower (which is the large polygonal edifice in our 
 plate) was so named from the figure of that bird carved on the parapets ; a 
 design suggested by the surrounding scenery, where the feathered king held 
 his ancient empire. The property of this fortress has been, for upwards of a 
 century, in the crown, to which it devolved, after having belonged to the fami- 
 lies of the Wynns, the Wins, the Buckleys, and the Mostyns. 
 
 The castle, situated on a sort of peninsula projecting into the bay of Caer- 
 narvon, was a place of considerable strength before the invention of gunpowder, 
 which has rendered some of the most secure fortresses in elder times untenable 
 for a single hour. A small hill rising at a short distance commands the build- 
 ing, from whieh it might be battered to a heap of ruins. We dare not say 
 that this is the most beautiful military structure in the United Kingdom ; but 
 
CAERNARVON CASTLE. 
 
 we may venture to affirm, that very few exceed it from the grace of the Gothic 
 style, which the architect has blended with the work. Among the peculiari- 
 ties, we noticed the heads of warriors, surmounting the battlements, which the 
 statuary has imposed to give the appearance of a numerous garrison, and some 
 of our readers will recollect a similar contrivance resorted to at Alnwick, in 
 the county of Northumberland. 
 
 In one particular, this castle is destitute of the ornaments with which these 
 ancient monuments are usually decorated ; I mean, the numerous tribes of 
 pendent parasites, rooted in the soil, generated by the decomposition of the 
 materials of the building, or in the mould collected from the decay of the 
 mosses. Yet the mosses themselves are, perhaps, on that very account, in 
 greater perfection, tinging the varied surface of this antique edifice with all 
 the colours of the rainbow ; sometimes in the glowing radiance of the coral, 
 at others, in the modest hues of the watery beam. In the woods, these weak 
 and humble supplicants, for support and nourishment, wither the parent-arm 
 by which they are protected ; and the poet has provided a mighty guardian of 
 the forest, to destroy the wily enemy. 
 
 " From Jove I am the power 
 
 Of tins fair wood, and live in oaken bower; 
 I nurse my saplings tall; and cleanse their rind 
 From vegetating filth of every kind." 
 
 But no hand, sacred or profane, is raised to rob the venerable pile of human 
 art of these gay honors ; the tendrils are permitted to expand, the full berry 
 drops its mature fruit, and the feathered seeds are borne with the breeze. 
 
 The castle and town of Caernarvon are built on the Segontium Portum of 
 the Romans, to the north of the promontory of Lhyn, which is the Conganum 
 of Ptolemy. Matthew, of Westminster, has recorded, that when Edward the 
 First erected this castle, the body of the father of Constan tine the Great, being 
 found in the neighbourhood, was removed into the church of the great towet 
 by the royal command. 
 
 Gray, in his Pindaric ode of the bard, thus beautifully describes the indig- 
 nation of Wales, on the invasion of the 13th century : — 
 
 3 M 
 
CAERNARVON CASTLE. 
 
 " Ruin seize tbee, ruthless king ! 
 
 " Confusion on thy banners wait! 
 " The' fann'd by conquest's crimson wing, 
 
 " They mock the air with idle state. 
 " Helm, nor hawberk's twisted mail, 
 " Nor even thy virtues, tyrant, shall avail, 
 " To save thy secret soul from nightly fears, 
 " From Cambria's curse, from Cambria's tears." 
 Such were the sounds that o'er the crested pride 
 
 Of the first Edward, scattered wild dismay; 
 As down the steep of Snowden's shaggy side 
 
 He wound with toilsome march his long array. 
 
 The town of Caernarvon, from the natural advantages of its situation, is so 
 completely protected, that the Castle may be considered as a citadel to a 
 municipal fortress ; and, no doubt, the place was intended by the founder for 
 the establishment of an English colony, to humanize and polish the manners 
 of the vagrant mountaineers. 
 
 It is well known that the unfortunate Edward the Second was born within 
 the precincts of this Castle, and hence was called Edward of Caernarvon. The 
 talents of his father were sometimes employed to promote the purposes of his 
 ambition, and their brilliancy, on such occasions, was not uncommonly 
 obscured by the artifices to which they were rendered subservient. The king 
 >vas in Wales when Queen Eleanor was pregnant ; he required her appearance 
 at Caernarvon, and, with great difficulty, from her tender state, she arrived 
 at the royal apartments in the Castle. Edward knew well the human mind, 
 and that the prejudices of the natives in favor of their countrymen would be 
 in proportion to their unfitness for foreign intercourse. He had often endea- 
 voured to appoint a prince who should be devoted to the British interest; but 
 it was in vain that he had attempted to name a chief of English blood, for they 
 rejected the proposal with disdain. It was equally fruitless to select one from 
 the Welsh nobility, who were as wild as the forests and mountains they inha- 
 bited. The death of Llewelyn, and of his brother Gryffith, had put the 
 English crown into the possession of the whole of Wales, but the acquisition 
 was precarious, until a prince was appointed who should be a slave to Edward., 
 His babit of intrigue suggested an expedient ; he assembled the chiefs of the 
 
CAERNARVON CASTLE. 
 
 country, and artfully complimented them for the confidence they had reposed 
 in him, by assigning to him the nomination of a prince who should attain the 
 hio-hest rank in their country, adding, that he would immediately proceed to 
 the appointment, in consequence of the authority with which he was invested. 
 
 The nobility, with common consent, promised implicit obedience on this 
 sino-le condition, which they would never abandon, that the prince he named 
 should be a native of their own mountains. 
 
 Edward instantly agreed ; he promised to nominate a chief who was not 
 only born in Wales, but who was wholly unacquainted with the English lan- 
 suae-e, and on whose life and manners no one could cast the slightest imputa- 
 tion. He then named his son Edward, who, a few hours before, bad been 
 born within the castle, and for this express purpose the queen had encountered 
 the dangers of her journey. 
 
 It was not long before revenge was taken for this insult. We are informed 
 by Stowe, that in 1294., the castle was "brent," and that a great number of 
 English perished within its walls. But there is scarcely a fortress in the 
 island which has been so little exposed to military depredations. The natives 
 could never consider this artificial bulwark as a valuable acquisition to protect 
 them from foreign hostility, since nature furnished them, in their rocks and 
 forests, with an impenetrable barrier. For nearly three centuries, the most 
 sanguinary in the annals of British history, this remote fortress was unimpaired 
 by the havoc of war, and during the last civil contest, when the town and 
 castle were held for King Charles, on the 2d of June, 1646, it was peaceably 
 surrendered into the hands of the agents of parliament. 
 
 The town and castle had various privileges conferred upon them by Edward 
 of Caernarvon, which were confirmed down to the time of Elizabeth. A 
 merchant's guild was likewise established there, which was converted into a 
 sanctuary, that trenched immediately on the authority of the mountain-lords 
 in the neighbourhood. It was enacted, that if any bondsman belonging to 
 this guild, having lands, and paying scot and lot, dwelt in the town for a year 
 and a day, he could not be claimed by his lord. 
 
 The princes of Wales kept, in this strong hold, their chancery, exchequer, 
 and justiciary, for North Wales. It is well known, that since the time of 
 Edward of Caernarvon, the dignity of Prince of Wales has always been 
 
 2 M 2 
 
CAERNARVON CASTLE. 
 
 attached to the heir-apparent of the British throne. The antiquities that 
 respect this structure, are supported on the respectable authority of the rolls 
 of parliament ; there appear the petitions of the workmen for the repairs exe 
 cuted ; and there, also, we learn that, in the fourth of Edward IV John 
 Newbury was keeper of the artillery at this fortress, and gunner to"all the 
 castles m North Wales. It was not until the reign of Henry VIII that 
 Wales was incorporated with the kingdom of England. 
 
 Although, when we are constrained to speak of the hostile operations of 
 Edward, and of the negociations which resulted from them, we must always 
 feel indignation at his conduct ; yet it will be recollected, that when adverting 
 to the history of his civil government, we have before spoken with merited 
 respect of our English Justinian. In this reign, not only corrupt magistrates 
 and judges were rendered amenable to general law, but for an outrage against 
 the prelate of Litchfield, the Prince of Wales was himself consigned to a 
 public prison. The important clause was added to our Magna Charta that no 
 tax should be levied on the people without the consent of their representatives 
 in the House of Commons. In this reign, also, the statutes of Westminster 
 were passed for securing the liberty of the subject, and those of mortmain 
 were enacted to prevent the encroachments of the clerical order. He followed 
 the steps of the great Alfred, and nothing seemed to be wanting to the com- 
 plete re-establishment of English liberty, but the abolition of military tenures, 
 which was effected under Charles II. for to this profligate prince we are 
 mdebted for what Biackstone denominated "the theoretical perfection of 
 public law." 
 
o 
 
 ■4 
 
 p^ 
 
^n Account 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PALACE OF MADURA, 
 
 WITH 
 
 REMARKS ON IK VI AN HISTORY, ^C. 
 
 Asiatic history exhibits a twilight even of the infancy of the world, and 
 something of a faint dawn may be perceived of those events which compose 
 the first books of Moses, The Sanscrit literature, which the learned judge 
 had the credit of first unveiling, presents many rays of historical truth, though 
 time and a series of revolutions have obscured the light which we might rea- 
 sonably have expected from a people so ingeniously diligent. — The populaf 
 tales of the Hindoos contain fragments of history, and disfigured, but valuable 
 pictures of ancient manners and government ; and even in their dramas we 
 may find as many real characters and events as a future age might trace in our 
 own plays, if all histories of England, like those of India, were irrecoverably 
 lost. 
 
 A work, called the first Parana, is now clearly proved to contain a history of 
 the Deluge, between which and the Mohammedan conquests the history of 
 the Hindoo government is comprehended. 
 
 Enquiry has been pushed so far, that, upon the whole, not more than 800 or 
 1000 years are involved in the darkness of obscurity. Beyond this we cannot 
 penetrate among ourselves ; history itself, if it were not wanting, would be no 
 sure guide, but, lost in the confusion of her own materials, would present us 
 truth, inseparable from falsehood. 
 
PALACE OF MADURA. 
 
 The modern history of India properly commences with the Mogul con- 
 quests, of which there are ample accounts in the Persian writers ; and'^ of late, 
 there has been no want of them among ourselves. 
 
 This unhappy country seems, by a peculiar fate, never destined to be 
 governed by its native rulers. Always falling under some foreign yoke, it 
 has presented a kind of commonage, where the ambition of all the tyrants of 
 the earth has exercised itself in turn . Alexander chose it as a scene of conquest 
 and ravage, but beheld its riches and fruitfulness only to be compelled to resign 
 them. Rome, though she held the rest of the world in servitude, could not 
 throw her chains over a people too distant from the seat of empire. But the 
 Mohammedans and Arabians were among those conquerors of whom our his- 
 tory is most certain ; and to them succeeded the Moguls. The glory and 
 riches of an Aurengzebe are not yet forgotten, but India, of late years, has 
 undergone another species of conquest : her native provinces have been sub- 
 dued by bodies of adventurous merchants, who employed arms in the service 
 of avarice, and tarnished military glory by a species of counting-house rapine 
 and mercantile fraud. 
 
 Almost the whole region of Hindoostan, in a province of which stands the 
 subject of our present plate, is now British : the six principal states are reduced 
 under our dominion. Madura is a city of Hindoostan, the capital of a province 
 of the same name, under the government of a rajah, a kind of petty prince, 
 like a German Elector or Prince Palatine. Madura is on the coast of Coro- 
 mandel, the eastern coast of the peninsula of Hindoostan. It is a province of 
 small extent, not exceeding sixty miles in length, and fifty in breadth. The 
 city is fortified with square towers and parapets, well defended with cannon ; 
 it is about eighty miles S. S. W. of Tanjore, and, we believe, in alliance with 
 the British government. 
 
 The palace of Madura is said to have been built by Tremal Naigh, Rajah 
 of iMadura. If this be not so well ascertained, it may yet be supposed to have 
 been beautified and enriched by him, whose character, in the records of his 
 country, stands high for the praises of magnificence and public spirit. He 
 was a Hindoo prince of great extent of power, and affluence of riches ; and his. 
 passion of magnificence and building was not unworthy of the sovereign of a 
 country. It is to the credit of the native princes of India, that their ambition 
 
PALACE OF MADURA. 
 
 generally takes the course of public good ; their desire is to adorn their coun- 
 try with superb edifices and useful buildings, the records of their reign, the 
 symbols of their wealth, and the memorials of their greatness. 
 
 As their institutions of religion form a complete system, and as all law 
 emanates from them, they are strengthened and upheld by whatever can excite 
 the reverence and secure the attachment of a superstitious multitude. Thus 
 the temples which they consecrate to their several deities, are sumptuous and 
 magnificent, and their architectural splendour may vie with that of any other 
 people of the globe for grandeur and sublimity, though it is deficient in the 
 inferior merit of order and correctness. 
 
 The palace, which is attributed to this prince, presents a great mixture of 
 the Hindoo and Mohammedan styles of architecture, a circumstance very rare 
 in this part of India, and not of so frequent occurrence as on the banks of the 
 Ganges. 
 
 The Hindoos are a people of peculiar manners, preserved with inflexible 
 obstinacy, and admitting no variety from the influx of new ideas, or inter- 
 course with more polished societies. The impressions which they first receive 
 they invariably maintain : no vicissitudes have changed, no conquests obliter- 
 ated their characteristic marks : what they were from the beginning, we have 
 no reason to suppose but they are at the present day. This obstinate bias 
 against improvement must be charged upon the nature of their religious estab- 
 lishments. The dominion of religion extends to a thousand particulars, which, 
 in other countries, are governed by the civil law, fashion, or taste. But, 
 amongst the Hindoos, every practice of life is directed by religion ; it extends 
 to their domestic economy, and regulates their food, their dress, their mar- 
 riages, their professions, their friendships, and their enmities. 
 
 To this, as with the Turks, may, in a great measure, be imputed their slow 
 progress in civilization, their barbarism, and national deterioration. Where 
 religion enforces every thing, customs and manners will almost alwaj's remain 
 the same; because the sacredness of the institution hinders all, suspicion that 
 what rehgion enjoins can ever be capable of improvement. Thus no provision 
 is made for the changes of manners and national character, which the example 
 of nations improving around them might otherwise direct. 
 
 The influence of religion in every state should, doubtless, rather be aug- 
 
PALACE OF MADURA. 
 
 merited than decreased, because a portion of its spirit must always be inspired 
 into good and wholesome laws. Morality is no such certain guide, and as law 
 is no more than the direction of public morals, it is certain that it best attains 
 its end of perfection, when it builds by a more correct and extensive model. 
 But it is unnecessary that the protection of religion should extend to what is 
 beneath the dignity of its office. The customs and ceremonies of a people 
 are best left to taste and fashion, for if once religion fetters them down to any 
 certain point, they have reached the summit of their improvement, and must 
 stand still ever after. 
 
 Of the Palace of Madura little is now remaining but a heap of ruins, which 
 still shew a magnificence in their decay, and remain as evidence of the former 
 grandeur and sumptuousness of the edifice. The style of architecture cannot 
 thus be traced, but a stupendous magnificence is easily discernible ; something 
 of a rude sublimity so common to all Eastern buildings, and an execution 
 which seems to have defied all calculation of expence. The history of its 
 founder, even were our materials more ample, is so like that of all other Indian 
 princes, that it would be as tedious for us to select^ as for our readers to peruse 
 it. All have alike had their seraglios, and have been more or less prodigal in 
 the pleasures of their harems ; their subjects have been more or less sunk in 
 poverty and degradation, and their ministers, in greater or less proportions, 
 thinned by the bowstring. The history of one is the history of all. From 
 the governments of the East are to be learned no lessons of policy or maxims 
 of state ; a prince is he who has gotten the military power into his hands, and 
 uses it to support his tyranny, and punish insurrection. 
 
 These princes agree ill with each other, and England has found them, in 
 her Eastern settlements, irrecoverably wedded to treachery and revolt ; parti- 
 cularly when they are powerful and wealthy. It was a maxim of a late 
 governor of India, ' that wherever there was money there Was always treachery.' 
 This is too true ; for wherever there is the power to rebel, the inclination is 
 seldom wanting. 
 

 
 5?3 
 
 g 
 
OF 
 
 THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD, 
 
 .KEAR THE HAGUE: 
 
 WITH 
 
 REMARKS ON THE HISTOEY AND COMMERCIAL POLICY OF HOLLAND. 
 
 JIn our description of the Stadt-House, Amsterdam, we gave some general 
 remarks on the political stafte of Holland ; we there took occasion to notice 
 the peculiar attachment which the Dutch have for their native country ; and 
 we may now observe, with great propriety, that of all the problems which have 
 been proposed for the investigation of the historian and the moralist, perhaps 
 there is none which involves greater difficulty than the attachment man feels 
 to his native land. Possessed of powers to travel to the most remote regions, 
 of a constitution that can accommodate itself to every climate, while the fair 
 fertility of nature invites him, and while the favors of political liberty are offered 
 to him, he seems rooted to the earth where he first tasted the blessings of exis- 
 tence, however sterile the soil, and however tyrannical the authority under 
 which it yields its reluctant produce. 
 
 From the earliest times the Batavi have been celebrated for their valour ; 
 and Tacitus has borne honorable testimony to the virtues of the intrepid 
 Civilis. The gallantry of this people not only secured them from military 
 oppression, but relieved them from tributary dependance. If the Roman 
 legions presumed to penetrate into their country, they encountered the horrors 
 of inundation, and sank, like a stone borne down by their cumberous armour ; 
 while the Batavians, accustomed to the watery element, glided over its sur- 
 face, and saw their glittering victims prone and powerless beneath them. 
 
 2 N 
 
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD. 
 
 After the destruction of the Roman empire the Franks took possession of this 
 country. Towards the close of the ninth century it was under the government 
 of the Counts of Holland ; at the commencement of the thirteenth it devolved 
 to the Earls of Hainault ; and 200 years afterwards, to the Dukes of Burgundy, 
 from whom it passed to the House of Austria, by the marriage of Mary of 
 Burgundy with the Emperor Maximilian. In the year 1.556, Philip the Second 
 succeeded to the throne of Spain, and to the government of the Low Coun- 
 tries: previously to this period, Luther and Calvin had spread throughout 
 the provinces, those principles which were inimical equally to ecclesiastical 
 and political usurpation. The cold inflexible monarch, ignorant of the 
 buoyancy of the mind of man when agitated by the sacred impulses of reli- 
 gion, had erected an Inquisition in the States, and violence and oppression in 
 every form were introduced to extinguish the native spirit of the Batavian 
 people. After alternate successes and defeats, in 1581, the States renounced 
 their allegiance to the Spanish throne; and three years posterior to this event, 
 on the assassination of the Prince of Orange at Delft, by Balthazar Gerrard, 
 the gallant Maurice of Nassau was elected Stadtholder. Soon after this period, 
 the torch of war spread its destructive flame in almost every part of Europe ; 
 but during the conflagration, the navy and commerce of this country had 
 increased, and Grotius affirms that the provinces of Holland and Zealand alone 
 sent yearly 70,000 mariners to sea, and were then the most formidable naval 
 power on the continent. Before the conclusion of the sixteenth century, the 
 United Provinces were acknowledged as a free republic, and for 200 years they 
 have exhibited, before all Europe, the most extraordinary example of rapid 
 success in the annals of mankind. While the historian reluctantly details the 
 extension of empire by the havoc of war, and by the violation of the natural 
 rights of man, he pursues with delight the thread of events that promote the 
 repose of the human race, and that fortify the bulwarks of civic independence. 
 It is, therefore, with peculiar pleasure that he dwells on the pacific occupa- 
 tions of commerce with the Dutch people. As soon as the commercial spirit 
 appears, we discover a new genius her constant attendant : she softens the 
 manners of society ; she unites men by the desire of supplying their mutual 
 wants ; she establishes in every state an order of citizens, the guardians of 
 
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD. 
 
 public tranquillity, and bound, by their interest, to banish the fiend of war to the 
 realms of barbarian empire.* 
 
 The Hague is the seat of government not only to Holland, but to the six 
 adjacent provinces with which she is connected : its only fortification is a moat 
 which surrounds it. The architecture of this village is in a superior style: 
 rows of trees ornament the streets, and bridges of an elegant construction are 
 thrown over the canals, which intersect the place in different directions. The 
 palace of the Stadtholder, insulated by a fosse, is, at present, the situation 
 where the two chambers of representatives convene, and where the Batavian 
 Directory resides. 
 
 Five miles from the Hague is Loosduynen, where, in the year 1276, resided 
 the Countess of Hennesberg, of whom the public credulity has been amused 
 with a story sufficiently derogatory to intellect. We are told, that in conse- 
 quence of the imprecation of a mendicant female, to whose tale of distress the 
 countess was insensible, she was delivered of 365 children at a birth, which 
 were all baptized by the venerable Guy, Bishop of Utrecht ; and this history 
 has been gravely recorded in the annals of the country, and its memory per- 
 petuated by the talents of the artist. These monstrous impositions on the 
 ignorance of mankind afford an instructive lesson : they show the degree to 
 which the mind may be depressed by ignorance and barbarism, and they im- 
 periously direct to the means of its improvement and exaltation. 
 
 The Nassau family possessed three palaces in the neighbourhood of the 
 court. One of them is situated at the distance of ten miles from the Hague, 
 at the beautiful village of Gravesande, in Houslardyck : it is esteemed one of 
 the finest structures in the Low Countries. Another is two miles from the 
 Hague, at the village of Ryswick, where the plenipotentiaries were convened, 
 and the treaty of peace concluded in 1672. Within one mile is the House in 
 the Wood, a name which bears with it sufficient distinction in a country that 
 can boast of but two woods to interrupt the uniformity of its surface. Yet 
 ^raong these unincumbered fens the creative mind of Mr. Ireland can produce 
 the exquisite varieties of picturesque embellishment. This palace in the 
 wood is the subject of the engraving which accompanies these remarks, and 
 
 * Robertson, chap. 5, vol. i. p. 97. 
 2n2 
 
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD. 
 
 the stj'le of architecture will be sufficiently explained by the design. It will 
 be seen to be a regular edifice, composed of a centre and two uniform wings, 
 built after the introduction of the Roman orders, but without any of the chaste 
 embellishments appropriate to them, and in the ponderous method practised 
 in the seventeenth century. A residence for a prince in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood of his national court, instead of the disgusting roofing, perforated 
 with dormer windows, should have the air of a banqueting-house, and might 
 be surmounted with a splendid ballustrade, and a central acroter, decorated 
 with Persians and Cariatiades, suited to the design of the structure as a temple 
 of festivity. The dimensions of the house are insufficient for the accommo- 
 dation of the ordinary establisliment of a private nobleman. The Stadtholder 
 was accustomed to reside here about two months in the year ; and so little 
 state was preserved, that the conference of the audience-chamber was often 
 interrupted by the noise of the domestics pursuing their amusements, or 
 engaged in their family duties. The Japan bedchamber and closet, beautifully^ 
 inlaid with mother-of-pearl, are in a style of unusual elegance : the latter is an 
 exact model of the Chinese. The saloon is in the octagon form, surmounted 
 by a cupola, and provided with an orchestra. 
 
 On the confiscation of the property of the Prince of Orange, his collection 
 of pictures (certainly one of the most valuable in Europe) was applied to a 
 national gallery, and the suite of apartments in this palace was provided for 
 their reception. The friends of order and decency will lament that while one 
 part of this edifice is converted into a monument of national honor, another, 
 is devoted to the purposes of public disgrace. It is confidently asserted that 
 a portion of the building is, at this day, a notorious brothel. The opponents 
 of the fine arts have reasoned, with much plausibility, on their tendency to 
 aggravate the sensual feeling : we fear their arguments will derive some strength 
 from the vicinity of the lascivious descriptions of the artist, and this retreat of 
 Cytherean indulgence. 
 
 The furniture of this house was confiscated and sold by French agents^ but 
 the pictures were preserved from the same fate by the interference of the native 
 government. The gardens are, at present, a public promenade. 
 
 Contemplating the colossal proportions of France, and the comparative 
 insignificance of Britain, we cannot avoid considering the independence of 
 
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD. 
 
 these islands as nearly affected by their commercial importance. As long as 
 the trade of this country shall continue a supply to the public marine, we may 
 hope for external safety and interior tranquillity ; but if ever the time shall 
 arrive that the navy of France shall ride triumphant in the British seas, then 
 will the effulgence of British glory vanish for ever. It is on this account we 
 explain the maxims of a great commercial people, for the imitation of our 
 countrymen. Herodotus, in his Euterpe, describes the Thracians, Scythians, 
 and other barbarous nations, as having little regard to the pursuits of trade ; 
 but he makes an exception to the Corinthians, who were indebted for their 
 consequence to the superiority they preserved to this national prejudice. In 
 modern times, the historian will be permitted to make the same honorable 
 exception, we hope, to the English nation, but, unquestionably, it may be 
 applied to the Batavian people ; and to foster this spirit of industry, they have 
 uniformly pursued the maxims of peace, rejecting the hostile temper of 
 Labienus, " Let us talk no longer of tranquillity, for until Caesar's head be 
 cut off we can never think of peace." 
 
 To preserve the golden bough of commerce, the Dutch nation have not 
 attempted to reconcile what Tacitus, in his elegant biography of Agricola, 
 calls "Res olim dissociabiles libertatem ac principatum ;" they considered, 
 whether from correctness or prepossession we do not determine, that the trap- 
 pings and pageantry of a military monarch rendered traffic disreputable, and 
 they denominated the first officer of their government the servant, not the 
 ruler, of the state. Corbulo, the general of the Emperor Claudius, assigned to 
 this people a code of laws, a magisterial body, and a senate. That form of 
 government they have imitated in their modern institutions. This enlightened 
 officer, accurately acquainted with the country, ordered a canal of twenty-three 
 miles extent to connect the rivers, to enlarge the sphere of commerce, and to 
 prevent the fatal effects of marine inundation. The policy by which the 
 Roman was guided they have brought to perfection : aquatic communication 
 is not only established with every city or town, but even with every retired 
 village, and almost with every private farm. This ingenious nation has 
 recurred to their early history for nearly 2000 years, to learn the most advan^ 
 tageous means for the improvement of their country. 
 
 The two republics of Sparta and Holland form, in one point of view, a sin- 
 
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD. 
 
 gular coincidence : in another, an extraordinary contrast. Both of them were 
 the most powerful states in the world, consisting of a like number of people, 
 and a like extent of territory ; but the power of the former arose from the want 
 of commerce, that of the latter from the possession of it ; yet they approach 
 nearer to a resemblance than we are at first aware : the Spartan had no means 
 of obtaining the luxuries which deprave the mind, and enervate the body ; 
 the Dutch people, possessing all the resources of oriental magnificence, and 
 Epicurean gratification, had the virtue to resist the allurements to which Tyre, 
 Carthage, Athens, and Rome, have successively fallen a willing sacrifice. 
 
 Another circumstance will not escape the observation of the curious enquirer. 
 The two most flourishing empires on the globe, in the seventeenth century, 
 were China and Holland ; the former is averse to every species of intercourse 
 beyond the limit of its own territories ; the existence of the latter depends on 
 Its exterior commerce, and with a view to its cultivation, established an empire 
 at the distance of 6000 miles, which exceeded the native governments of the 
 east in interior strength, and rivalled them in external splendour. 
 
 The sources which contributed to the rapid success of Holland may be 
 briefly explained. If, according to the iiiaxim of the great Frederic, that 
 government is the best, which is most wisely administered, Holland was, un- 
 doubtedly, the best government on the face of the earth. We admit, that 
 under the name of a republic, it was, in reality, an aristocracy, but whatever 
 Its form, it was limited by general law ; and it is an axiom in politics, that "A 
 power, however great, when granted by law to an eminent magistrate, is not 
 so dangerous to liberty as an authority, however inconsiderable, which he 
 acquires from violence and usurpation. For, besides that the law always 
 limits every power which it bestows, the very receiving it as a concession 
 establishes the authority whence it is derived, and preserves the harmony of 
 the constitution."* 
 
 Those who are acquainted with the enlightened principles of Sir Josiah 
 Child, the founder of the British East India Company, are sensible of the 
 connection which subsists between the rate of interest for money and the trade 
 of every country ; so that to determine the commercial wealth throughout 
 
 * Hume, Essay 10. 
 
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD. 
 
 Europe, it is only necessary to enquire what is the established compensation 
 for the loan of money. The ingenuity of the Dutch discerned and applied 
 this important discovery, and the rate of interest was reduced with them lower 
 than in any other country.* 
 
 It has been complained by those who were ignorant, how easy it was foi* 
 private opulence to support the weight of pubhc taxation, that this burthen 
 was heavier in Holland than in any other state ; the fact is, the burthen was 
 supported by the Dutch on their bags of gold; to its weight, therefore, the 
 inhabitants were wholly insensible. The national impositions in the Seven. 
 Provinces, perhaps, never exceeded three millions in time of peace; and the 
 profound policy of the government imposed this onus on personal wealth, m 
 prevent any levy being raised from the exports and imports of the country. 
 In consequence of these wise regulations, the riches of the eastern and western 
 world were poured through the canal of Holland. 
 
 The spirit of toleration which prevailed, and the privileges which were 
 granted to strangers of every persuasion and of every nation, seem not among 
 the arrangements least conducive to the prosperity of that country ; although 
 the professed religion was Lutheran, yet in the city of Amsterdam there were 
 more ecclesiastical edifices raised to the Catholic faith than to the established 
 religion of the state. 
 
 We have often boasted in England of the equal distribution of property, 
 yet the statute De Donis, and some other feudal remains, have interfered with 
 the extensive diffusion of the national wealth. When the brave Hollanders 
 ipdignantly hurled their chains on the heads of their oppressors, they rejected 
 the vices of Gothic institution, and availed themselves of the political wisdom 
 which appeared on the revival of letters in the sixteenth century ; hence pro- 
 
 * Political (economists have discovered two criteria by which national riches or poverty may 
 be determined ; the price of land and the interest of money ; universally, where the former is low 
 the latter is at a high rate, and where this is the case the state is in a condition of penury • for 
 It shews there are many to borrow and few to lend. But where the land is high in price, 'and 
 the interest of money low, it indicates the opposite circumstance, that there are few to borrow 
 and many to lend. Where interest is low, the occupant of land can afford to borrow money 
 to improve his landed possessions; the tradesman can also afford to borrow money to employ 
 numerous hands in his commercial engagements ; and thus the industry of the country is thrown 
 into agriculture and commerce. 
 
THE HOUSE IN THE WOOD. 
 
 perty was so generally apportioned, that there was, perhaps, scarcely a famil\ 
 through the country which did not possess the necessaries, the conveniences, 
 and even the luxuries of life. 
 
 But the fastidious virtuoso has objected, that where the mercenary arts have 
 been practised with so much success, learning and the liberal sciences have 
 been abandoned. Will not Grotius and Erasmus cover a multitude of sins ^ 
 Has not the art of painting been more successfully cultivated in Holland than 
 in any other country excepting Italy ? But we admit that the greedy tribe 
 of amateurs will not always indulge the gratification of their sophisticated 
 appetite in this country ; the warmth of their palate is ill-suited to the frigidity 
 of the Dutch repast. Yet while these fanciful intruders turn away with 
 affected disgust, the friend of humanity will trace, with delight, the sources of 
 rational enjoyment, which flow from competence and moderation in every 
 order of the state; if, in despotic governments, he discern the unnatural 
 extremes of affluence and penury, here he will discover no form emaciated by 
 want, arid no mind debased by oppression. 
 
 The true cause of the late abdication and revolution may be concisely 
 explained. The changes in 17S7 were occasioned by the union of the Stadt- 
 holder with the Houses of Hanover and Brandenburg, in consequence of 
 which his prerogatives were enlarged, and his enemies were silenced. The 
 grateful return he was disposed to make to the powerful friends by whom he 
 was assisted in the moment of emergency, induced the surrender of the pacific 
 maxims of the Dutch government to the hostile views of the partizans of the 
 Prince of Nassau. The military hosts of France poured onward from the 
 Rhine in an impetuous storm, and encountered the forces of Holland on an 
 element to which they were unaccustomed ; civil dissensions protracted yet 
 more the tardy councils of the government ; revenge was active, and the crisis 
 was precipitated, which reduced their High Mightinesses beneath the feet of 
 the great Napoleon. 
 
IIMIIlii 
 
 I 
 
 9 § 
 
 5 s 
 
I^istorical "FteUj 
 
 OP 
 
 HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 The 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 
 admiration of the English, was now to terminate its career. The ornamental 
 Gothic supplanted the simple Saxon architecture, but something still more 
 superb was needed, and the style denominated (in allusion to Wterature) Jforid 
 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 which apparent strength and 
 solidity recede; walls surmounted by latticed battlements; windows less 
 pointed, but broad and open ; roofs divided by slight ribs into numerous com- 
 partments, fretted curiously, like rich embroidery, interspersed with sculpture, 
 and spangled with pencil and clustering decorations, like those grottoes where 
 the oozing waters is petrified before it distils from the vault." 
 
 Amid splendour like this the sun of Gothic architecture set in the sixteenth 
 century. It was, however, reserved for Cardinal Wolsey to establish, as it 
 were, a new era in the arts, and to give an important effect to the taste of each 
 succeeding age. That of Henry VIII. directed him to tents composed of 
 cloth of gold, to costly jousts, and numerous bands arrayed in liveries of pomp 
 and show. * ^Volsey was perfectly sensible of the charms of habitual splen- 
 
 * It is curious to observe, that Henry and Iiis daughter Mary, were fond of the colours of green 
 and white: Elizabeth, on the contraiy, seems to have always affected the sombre tranquillity 
 of black. 
 
 2 O 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 dour; but magnificence of a less evanescent nature obtained liis serious admi- 
 ration, 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 esteemed the florid Gothic as the most desirable style. There is an 
 impressive solemnity attached to the character of Gothic buildings, which 
 unavoidably inspires serious reflection and reverential awe. The approxima- 
 tion to nature, in her more retired habits, observable in the formation of Gothic 
 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 most grateful advantage. 
 
 A fortunate combination of circumstances now concurred to the introduc- 
 tion of refinements on the accustomed mode of domestic architecture. Inter- 
 nal tranquillity had hitherto been a blessing of so precarious a tenure, that 
 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 that honor may spring from sources 
 unconnected with devastation and bloodshed, 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 the repulsive 
 austerity of embattled barbicans. The court afforded 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. 
 Conjecture 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 Malcolm, " render* 
 it an indisputable fact, that the northern climate of England must have made 
 huts or caves indispensably necessary to the inhabitants, for at least fivt» 
 inonths out of twelve, from the first hour that our country was peopled. Ideas. 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 are useless on such a subject : sensation is sufficient for the purpose, I do not 
 hesitate, tlierefote, to assert that our aborigines fortified existence in caverns, 
 natural and artificial." 
 
 With this opinion we fully agree. The practice of mankind in every 
 northern climate, when humanity moves only in the first stages towards com- 
 fort, warrants 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 uncon- 
 gregated 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 conic 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 incon- 
 venience of the inclined sides, and the want of upright space in the cone, 
 they changed it for the cube, and, as it is supposed, proceeded in the follow- 
 ing manner. 
 
 *' Having," writes Virtruvious, '* marked out the space to be occupied by the 
 hut, they fixed in the ground several upright trunks of trees to form the sides; 
 filiin"' ihe intervals between them with branches, closely interwoven, and 
 spread over with clay. The sides thus completed, four beams were laid on' 
 the upright trunks, which, being well fastened together at the angles of their 
 junction, kept the sides firm ; and, likewise, served to support the covering, 
 or roof of the building; which was composed of smaller trees, placed horizon- 
 tally, 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 protu- 
 berances, 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 them from splitting. The spaces between the joists of the roof were 
 closed up with clay, or wax, and the ends of them either smoothed or covered 
 
 2 o 2 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 with boards. The different beds of materials 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 off the rains which sometimes fell in great abund- 
 ance, it was raised in the middle, on trees disposed like rafters, after the form, 
 of a gable roof." 
 
 Tn the constituent parts of buildings so simple as these, maybe 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: 
 invaders appears unquestionable. From Rome, from Saxony, from Denmark, 
 and Normandy, hints were collected which still exist in the rudiments of 
 English domestic 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 build- 
 ings were composed, before the reign of Richard II. forbid the possibility of 
 the most accurate research ascertaining the exact formation of the dwellings 
 possessed by our ancestors, in the early ages of English splendour. 
 
 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 regard to their modes of architecture, had we not 
 at hand an immediate reason for their want of enterprize and slovenly humility 
 of disposition. In a very short sentence that reason maybe stated: — the 
 fault lay in the government. The existence of arbitrary power rendered 
 property insecure, and every noble art, and all honest emulation, 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 
 
 • The most ancient domestic building in England is a Danish palace at Soutliainptou, built of 
 stone. In Sir H. Englefield's account of Southampton may be seen some curious coujeclures., 
 concerning this unique specimen of Danish domestic architecture. 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 crept into use by tardy, but certain steps. The cheapness of bricks, * in regard 
 to the construction 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 architects 
 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 had rejected the gloom 
 of those Gothic castles in which their forefathere 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 the Gothic window was abandoned, and 
 the low pointed arch, described from four centres, with obtuse angles, was 
 introduced. The advantages of the Italian style of building were precisely 
 suited to the purposes of Wolsey. 
 
 It appears that Wolsey meant to construct at Hampton, such a splendid 
 specimen of Grecian correctness as might impart a new bias to the architecture 
 of the island. It is to be attributed to the lingering relics of prejudice, and the 
 indignant unwillins;ness 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 magnificent building, with pointless and 
 disgusting impropriety. 
 
 The situation chosen for the edifice was very desirable, according to the 
 taste of the age. I nsensible to the charms of an elevated site, the security from 
 piercing winds, attainable in the humility of the lowlands, generally induced 
 noble founders to place the most costly mansions on flat and uninteresting 
 
 * In proof of the durable quality of bricks at this time, it need only be stated, that when one 
 of the lowers of the wall that formerly surrounded London was pulled down, the stone was found 
 decayed, and the bricks perfectly sound. 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 tracts of ground. In conformance to the custom of the era, Wolsey esteemed 
 the fertile equality of country round Hampton its greatest recommendation. 
 The vicinity of the Thames was a circumstance of unequivocal advantage. 
 
 The building was composed of brick, and consisted of five courts. The 
 small part of the ancient palace which remains, can convey only a very inade- 
 quate idea of the former splendour of Hampton. The apartments which are 
 now standing were principally used as domestic offices. 
 
 The following curious description, copied from the travels of Hentzner, 
 which were written in the year 1598, presents a satisfactory picture of the 
 appearance of the palace in the reign of Elizabeth: "Hampton Court is a 
 royal palace, magnificently built with brick, by Cardinal Wolsey, in ostenta- 
 tion of his wealth, where he inclosed five very ample courts, consisting of 
 noble edifices, in very beautiful work. Over the gate in the second area is the 
 Queen's device, a golden rose, with this motto, Dieu et mon Droit. On the 
 inward side of this gate are the effigies of the twelve Roman Emperors, in 
 plaster. The chief area is paved with square stone : in its centre is a fountain 
 that throws up water, covered with a gilt crown, on the top of which is a st:\- 
 tue 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. \Fe were led into two 
 chambers called the presence, or chambers of audience, which shone with 
 tapestry of gold and silver, and silk of different colours. Under the canopy of 
 state are these words, embroidered in pearl, Vivat Henricus octavus. 
 
 " Here is, besides, a small chapel richly hung with tapestry, where the 
 queen performs her devotions. In her bed-chamber the bed was covered with 
 very costly coverlids of silk. At no great distance from this room, we were 
 shewn a bed, the tester of which was worked by Anne Bulleyn. 
 
 " All the other rooms, being very numerous, are adorned with tapestry of 
 gold, silver, and velvet, in some of which were woven history pieces ; in others 
 Turkish and American dresses, all extremely natural. In the hall are these 
 curiosities: a very clear looking glass, ornamented with columns and little 
 images of alabaster; a portrait of Edward \\. brother of Queen Elizabeth; the 
 irne portrait of Lucretia ; a picture of the battle of Pavia ; the history of Christ's 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 passion, carved in mother-of-pearl ; the portraits of Mary Queen of Scots, who 
 was beheaded, and her daughter ; * 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 ; an artificial sphere ; several musical instru- 
 ments ; in the tapestry are represented negroes riding upon elephants. 
 
 " In one chamber are several excessively rich tapestries, which are hung up 
 when the queen gives audience to foreign ambassadors. There were numbers 
 of cushions ornamented with gold and silver ; many counterpanes and cover- 
 lids of beds lined with ermine ; in short, all the walls of the palace shine with 
 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 ail of glass, except the strings. 
 
 " Afterwards, we were led into the gardens, which are most pleasant. Here 
 we saw rosemary, so planted and nailed to the walls as to cover them entirely, 
 which is a method exceeding common in England." 
 
 This palace, if we may credit Camden, was not completed by Wolsey. 
 According to Fiddes, Wolsey presented the pile voluntarily to Henry, as a 
 proof of the grateful sense he entertained of the monarch's favor ; this, however, 
 is quite hypothetical. 
 
 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 Hanvvorth) which Camden says was " though a royal, but a small house." 
 Undoubtedly, the comparison was obviously detrimental to the king's accus- 
 tomed place of resort, and Wolsey judiciously averted the possibility of offence, 
 by devoting his edifice to the service of his rriaster. 
 
 It is impossible to read the description given by Hentzner, without noticing 
 the gaudy manner in which the interior of Hampton Court was arranged. 
 This tasteless 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 own wishes, the palace which 
 he designed with so liberal a motive ! 
 
 * An evident mistake of ihe writer. 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 Henry appears to have frequently visited Hampton Court, and Elizabeth 
 honored this residence with peculiar marks of favor. The following is the 
 most memorable circumstance connected with her visits. " In September, 
 1579, 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 was any news of her being 
 sick ; and, falling to the care of the government, ordered Portsmouth to be 
 strengthened with new fortifications ; her navy to be increased with more 
 men-of-war; musters to be observed in every county, at set times; and 
 the youth 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 transac- 
 tions with which Hampton Court was connected. It was here that some of 
 the unwarrantable proceedings against Mary Queen of Scots were instituted. 
 " In December, 1368, conferences were held at this palace, after thecessation 
 of those at York, when new commissioners were appointed, and so little 
 decency was regarded, that the regent, or his secretary, suffered the accusation, 
 with the proofs, to be snatched out of his hand. It was at this period that 
 Mary's conduct appeared most equivocal. She had implored enquiry ; but, 
 when Elizabeth complied with her demand, she produced a formal revocation 
 of the commission she had herself appointed, and urged exceptions to that of 
 the Eno-lish Queen. Her expedients were vain. Buchanan, who was pre- 
 sent, informs us that, on this occasion, Murray produced the confessions of 
 the criminals executed for King Henry's murder. He then read the decrees 
 of the states, confirming the queen's resignation of the crown to the king, her 
 son : after 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 l604, ostensibly to 
 receive complaints, and remove their causes, but really to further his favorite 
 scheme — the introduction of episcopacy to Scotland. Here were assembled 
 
 * Nicltols's Progresses of Queen Elizabeth. 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 the Bishops of Canterbury, London, Wincliester, Durham, St. David's, and 
 other prebendaries; on the part of the presbj'tery appeared Drs. Reynolds and 
 Spark, together with two other eminent divines. King James took a personal 
 share in the 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 the spirit 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 
 conducted to Hampton Court, and here that ill-fated monarch experienced 
 every pang 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, without 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, contri- 
 buted, in no mean degree, to the advancement of a classical taste in architec- 
 ture among the English. It was while King 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 re-built 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 towards the Thames by two feet. The general design of the 
 building is magnificent, yet delicate. The Ionic order prevails in the prin- 
 cipal departments of the edifice. "On the north side is a tennis-court. 
 Passing through a court-yard, the first portal appears, leading to two quadran- 
 gles ; and on the left of the latter is the ancient hall in which Queen Caroline 
 erected a theatre. On the opposite side of this quadrangle is a stone Ionic 
 colonnade, conducting to the great staircase, the ceiling of which was 
 painted by Verrio. The gardens are in the regular style so aptly des- 
 cribed by Pope : — 
 
 2 P 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 " Grove nods at grove, each alley has a brother, 
 And half the platform just reflects the other." 
 
 "The grounds belonging ta the pakce are three miles in circumference." 
 Pursuant 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 cat- 
 culated for a display of its determinate character. The reader will readily 
 acknowledge that a catalogue of pictures, and a descriptive account of statues, 
 are foreign to the intention af our work. We therefore proceed to give an 
 historical account of this palace, and have to observe, that Hampton Co°urt was 
 the favorite residence of the monarch who revived its ancient splendour. The 
 Prince of Orange was so little accustomed, in Holland, to the charms of pic- 
 turesque scenery, that he deemed the flatness of surface by which the neigh- 
 bourhood of the palace is characterised, its most captivating point of beauty. 
 The sister of Queen Mary entertained the same partiality for Hampton, but 
 the princes of the house of Brunswick have exhibited more strength of judg- 
 ment, and have abandoned the level verdure of Hampton, for the magnificent, 
 boldness of 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 the 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 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 is, assuredly, not one of these. His life is marked by vicissitude. His cha- 
 racter is diversified by light and shade. In a word, he presents so stronsfly- 
 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 irresistible sublimity. 
 
 Since the leading features of Wolsey's life are so generally familiar, we 
 decline the idea of laboured recitation. It appears desirable only to collect 
 supplementary hints, which, by alternately exalting and depressing our recol- 
 lections 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 serve to impress the resemblauce on the mind of the most 
 cursory observer. 
 
 There is a certain species of courtly danger connected with historical 
 writing, that seldom fails to corrupt even those who enter the limits with 
 intentions of the brightest purity. Among the few who have passed this fiery 
 ordeal, and remain 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 Briiyere, " from time to time, 
 some admirable, extraordinary men, whose virtues and eminent qualities have 
 cast a prodigious lustre, like those unusual stars in the heavens, the causes of 
 which we are ignorant of, and know as little of them after they disappear." 
 Cardinal Wolsey evinces the truth of this remark. Nothing decisive is known 
 respecting his father, and the most careful inquirer has not discovered any 
 particulars concerning the family after the decease of the Cardinal. Ct)mmon 
 report affirms his father to have been a butcher. Fiddes adduces strong rea- 
 sons for the disbelief of this report. This accurate investigator has discovered 
 the will of Wolsey's father. 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 have 
 possessed a real estate. By the will it seems that Thomas was bred a scholar 
 and designed by his father for priest's orders^ 
 
 2 p 2 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 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 mas- 
 tiff 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 knawing a bone (but 
 not the spade-bone of a shoulder of mutton) assuredly was 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 con- 
 tinued line with it, several other anticks, at proper distances, intended, accord- 
 ing to the architecture of that time, for the greater decoration of the building. 
 It is probable Fuller's story has no other foundation than this wretched figure: 
 for after all, there 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 sentiment. 
 
 Wolsey was sent so early to the 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-bachelor. 
 
 There is an oral report in the society of Magdalen college, that Woisev, 
 while Burser, made use of violent methods to possess himself of money from 
 the treasury, for the purpose of furthering the erection of the great tower of 
 Magdalen-college. From the silence of his enemies, during the whole period 
 of his life. Dr. Fiddes contends 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, without 
 difficulty, trace the characteristics of Wolsey's disposition : 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, on account, as is believed, of disorderly behaviour and intoxi- 
 cation! When Wolsey became lord-chancellor, he sent for Sir Amias, and 
 after a severe expostulation, ordered him into confinement, where he remained 
 
HAMPrON COURT. 
 
 for five or six years.* There appears a mean spirit bf resentment in this 
 conduct, but Fiddes observes that the cardinal might punish the indecorous 
 liberty taken with the sacerdotal character, rather than the affront offered 
 to the man. 
 
 The graces of Wolsey's person appear to have facilitated his progress at 
 court. Though of middling stature, his air is described as naturally dignified 
 and commanding. To this habitual superiority of deportment Fiddes is 
 willing to ascribe a portion of the pride imputed to Wolsey, by those who 
 were obliged to seek favor from his power. And when we recollect on what 
 slight grounds men usually form opinions concerning those in an elevated and 
 enviable sphere, it is far from unlikely that the supposition is correct. Yet 
 Wolsey certainly sometimes forgot the equanimity becoming a truly great 
 man, however exalted his fortunes. 
 
 The 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 Thomas Allen, to the Earl of Shrewsbury, in 1517, and is so much decayed, 
 that many words are entirely lost : Mr. Lodge has endeavoured to supply the 
 sense by those printed in Italics. " Please it yo'. Lordship to be advertised, 
 upon Mondey was sevenyght, last past, I del'', your letter, with the examina- 
 cons, to my Lord Cardinal at Gilford. Whereas he commanded me to wait 
 upon hym to the court, and I should have p'ceps on them. The same tyme 
 I shewed unto him they wer but poor men, and did the trespas of innocency, 
 and of no malice — I followed hym to the court, and ther gaffe attendance, and 
 could have no ansuer. Upon Friday last he came from thens to Hampton 
 Court, wher he lyeth. The clay 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 was not plesed with me that I speke to him. 
 The Sondey before I delivered the letter unto hym wiche Raiife 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 
 
 * The kuight was detained in the temjjle. To prepare the way for tlie recovery of his liberty, 
 he adorned the gateway next to the street^ with the arms, hat, and other honorary appendages of 
 the cardinal. 
 
HAMPTON CX)URT, 
 
 shall do so is nedefuU to be a wyser man uer I am, I saw no better remedy 
 but com, without ansuer, to persue such thinges yn London as yo'. Lordship 
 comands to be don, except I wold have don as my Lord Dacre's servand 
 dothe, wiche cam with lettres for the Kyng, is grace, V moneths sens, and 
 yet have no ansuer: and anoder servand of the dep. Of Cales yn likewise 
 which cam befor he rode to Walsyngham. I her that he ansuered them ' If 
 ye be not content to tary my leser, depart when ye will.' When he walkes in 
 the parke he woll suffr no sutor to com nye unto hym, but comands hym away 
 as far as a man woll shoote an arro." 
 
 Wolsey's celerity of action is characteristically displayed in the account 
 given of his embassy to the emperor, the object of which was a treaty of 
 marriage between Henry VI L 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 
 which 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 became long before noon, and proceeded forward with such expedition 
 as brought him that night to the imperial court, which was then in Flanders. 
 Having opened his credentials to the emperor, he made it his humble request, 
 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 
 morning he received his dispatches, wherein everything was agreed to that 
 had been proposed on the part of his master. Upon this, he immediately 
 took post for Calais, at which 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. Fortune 
 continued his friend, and he reached Richmond that night. In the morning, 
 he threw himself at the ting's feet, as his majesty came first out of his bed- 
 cliamber, to hear mass in his closet. The king not expecting 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 charged ; upon which, to the 
 king's great surprise, he presented the letters from the emperor." 
 
 His accommodating disposition assisted in recommending Wolsey to the 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 notice of Henry VIII. : as a man of business, however, his talents were of 
 the most useful character. At once capable of the greatest strokes of policy, 
 and possessed of industry sufficient for the toil of official routine, he presented 
 to Henry precisely 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, Wolsey was always composed 
 ill the midst of the most urgent and perplexing affairs. His ostentatious 
 retinue, and the luxuriance of his banquets, were highly congenial to the 
 disposition of the king. An opportunity of displaying pomp was never 
 omitted by the stately churchman. 
 
 When Campejus, after stopping three months at Calais, entered England, 
 he was received with great splendour, and many testimonies of respect. 
 " Wolsey understanding that his retinue at Calais was meanly cioathed, and 
 did not make an appearance suitable to the dignity of his station and character, 
 had sent thither a considerable quantity of scarlet cloth to do more credit to 
 his embassy." A singular circumstance attended the continued endeavours 
 of the cardinal to do honor to the retinue of Campejus. " 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 
 empty 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 in the fall, instead 
 of the rich furniture they were supposed to contain, exposed to the view and 
 derision of the people a collection of the most vile and homely materials." 
 
 In the plenitude of power, Wolsey was ever regular in devotional duties. 
 " Notwithstanding the multiplicity of affairs wherewith the cardinal was 
 taken up," says Fiddes, " and all the pageantry with which he was sur* 
 rounded in his several offices, he never omitted, at the usual hours, regularly, 
 and after a pious manner, to perform his public and private devotions." The 
 piety of the age was fanciful : still genuine religion maybe discovered through 
 the veil of superstitious ceremony. During his disgrace, " instead of that 
 soft raiment which he had been used to wear in the king's palaces, he put on 
 a shirt of hair, which he wore frequently next to his body." 
 
 Sir Thomas More, who always spoke very acrimoniously of Wolsey, observes, 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 that when he succeeded him as chancellor, he found suits in the court 
 which had rested there for as much as twenty years. On the contrar\% 
 Fiddes asserts that Wolsey's conduct in that important office was hie;hly ex- 
 emplary. " In examining causes which came before him as chancellor," 
 writes Fiddes, " 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 
 own understanding. There is a general concurrence in the writers of his 
 history, whether friends or enemies, that he acquitted himself in his judicial 
 capacity as a man of virtue and honor should have done." 
 
 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 addresses the cardinal when in power. 
 " Your highness, in the happy administration of the most flourishing kingdom 
 upon earth, is not less necessary to the king your master than Theseus was 
 formerly to Hercules, and Achates to ^Eneas." 
 
 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 
 produced 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. He 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 indig- 
 nation 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." 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 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 Love), 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." 
 
 The king's wishes concerning Ann 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 alleged several things in defence of what he pro- 
 posed, 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 withdrawing, 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, ' If you had been as well 
 chafed as I have been within this hour, you would theu say you were 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 which were 
 laid divers and great stores of rich stuffs, such as whole pieces of silk of all 
 colours, velvets, sattins, musts, taffaties, grogarams, scarlets, and divers other 
 rich commodities. There were, also, a thousand pieces of fine hoUands, and 
 the hangings of the gallery with cloth of gold, and cloth of silver, and rich 
 cloth of bodkin of divers colours, which were hanged in expectation of the 
 king's coming. Also, on one side of the gallery were hanged the rich suite 
 of copes of his own providing, which were made for the colleges of Oxford 
 
 2q 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 aud Ipswich : they were the richest that ever I saw in all my life. Then had 
 he two chambers adjoiaing to the gallery, the cue most commonly called the 
 guilt chamber, wherein were set two broad and long tables, whereupon was 
 such abundance of plate, of all sorts, as was 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 betook 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 effect of a well-intended zeal, was not well received by the car- 
 dinal ; he gently reprimanded that knight for his too easy credulity, and as 
 not having taken a right method of administering 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 see the 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 comfort, and not to give way to desponding 
 thoughts. 
 
 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 his knees in the dirt, holding up his 
 hands in a transport of joy to heaven." 
 
 Another circumstance displays the anxiety of the cardinal to be restored 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 to the favor of the court. He sent a letter by Cromwell to Gardiner, then 
 secretary-of-state, in which he expressed 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, written with his rude hand and sorrowful heart," 
 Subscribing himself, " the most miserable Thomas, Cardinal of York !" 
 
 The excuse offered by Fiddes for this despicableepistledeserves the reader's 
 consideration. " 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 departed 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, nor dishes to eat their meat in ; nor money where- 
 Kith to buy any." 
 
 It was at this time, when the cardinal was destitute of the ordinary neces- 
 saries 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 woe. 
 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/" Cromwell, 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 exigency. 
 
 Upon this representation, the cardinal, in his episcopal habit, called together 
 all his gentlemen, yeomen, and chaplains. " My lord," says Cavendish, 
 " went with 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 the tears ran down his cheeks ; which being perceived by his 
 
 * Equivalent to binding him ever to pray for him. 
 2 Q 2 
 
s 
 
 HAMPTON tBOURT. 
 
 servants, caused fountains of tears to gush out of their sorrowful eyes, in 
 such sort as would cause any heart to relent. At last my lord spake to them 
 to this eflect and purpose : 
 
 " Most faithful gentlemen, and true-hearted yeomen ! I much lament that 
 in my prosperity I did not so much for you as I might have done. Still, 1 
 consider, that if in my prosperity I had preferred you to the king, then 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 his 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 har^ds, so that I have now nothing to give you. For 
 I have nothing left me but the bare cloaths on mif back!" 
 
 That the king sent Wolsey, while at Ashur, a ring, as a token of his 
 friendship, is well known. Queen Anne Boleyn was present when 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, which 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, yes, 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 own words. " The 
 great cross that he bare as Archbishop of 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 juris- 
 diction ; which was then damnified by the fall thereof; and, moreover, the 
 drawing of blood betokeneth death, which," says Cavendish, " did shortly 
 after follow." 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 When Wolsey set forwards on his journey to York, his retinue was such 
 as became his dignity. " He had, in his train, a hundred and sixty persons, 
 with twelve carts, which were sent with goods from his college of Oxford. 
 He prepared to celebrate the festival of Easter, at Peterborourgh, and on Palm 
 Sunday went in solemn procession with the monks there bearing his Palm. 
 Upon Thursday following, he kept a maundy, washing and kissing the feet of 
 Hfty-nine poor people, and, after he had dried, gave to every one of them 
 twelve-pence, with three ells of good canvas to make them shirts, a pair of 
 new shoes, and a cask of red herrings." 
 
 When Wolsey was arrested on the charge of high-treason, " what principally 
 afflicted him, and for which he most refused to be comforted, was a generous 
 reflection that he had nothing wherewithal to reward his true and faithful 
 servants. On Sunday, when he was ready to set forward on his journey to- 
 wards 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 
 3,000, 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 thus they ran 
 after him through the town of Caywood, for he was there very well beloved, 
 both by 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 Aldermen (to prevent false reports of his being 
 alive) when there appeared no symptoms of his being poisoned." 
 
 After so prolix an account of Cardinal Wolsey, it now only remains to 
 take some notice of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of the modern palace 
 at Hampton, son of the Rev. Christopher Wren, who was chaplain to Charles L 
 and Dean of Windsor, &c. This gentleman (being registrar to the order of 
 the garter) drew up a catalogue of the knights, which is said to be yet extant 
 among the manuscripts of Caius-college, Cambridge. Mr. Wren was parti- 
 cularly attached to mathematical studies, and was generally considered a 
 man of worth and talent. 
 
 His son Christopher, afterwards of so much importance to the arts of his 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 country, was admitted a gentleman-commoner at Wadham-college, Oxford, 
 at the age of fourteen, and very shortly received the most flattering testimonies 
 of proficiency in mathematical knowledge. He took the degree of bachelor of 
 arts in the year 1650, and that of master in 1C52, having been chosen fellow of 
 All-soul's college. In 16^7 he was elected professor of astronomy in Gresham- 
 college, and his lectures were both popular and judicious. It was while lee- 
 turer at Gresham that he solved the problem vauntingly proposed by Pascal 
 (under the assumed name of John de Montfort) to the mathematicians of 
 England. Wren retaliated, in a proposition to the scholiasts of France, but 
 they sent no reply, and Wren devised 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 astronomy. He entered on 
 his oflSce 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 II. 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 1663, 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 Bronker, then president, by a 
 letter desired the advice of Wren, who was then at Oxford, concernino- the 
 experiments which might be most proper for his majesty's entertainment; to 
 whom the doctor recommended principally the torricellian experiment, and 
 the weather needle ; as being not bare amusements, but useful, and likewise 
 neat in the operation." 
 
 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. . ;.it.-- : 
 
 In 166.5, 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 reparation of St. PauPs cathedral. Evelyn thus mentions 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 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 ; 
 when, 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 majesty in order to a 
 speedy reparation. You will not, as I am sure, forget the struggle we had with 
 some who 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 afterward, 
 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 metro- 
 polis. " 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 manifested much approbation of it. I was yesterday 
 morning with the doctor, and saw 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 popu- 
 lousness 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 
 surveyor-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 Oxford is an elegant monument of 
 the taste and skill of Wren, but his abilities are peculiarly displayed in the 
 various public buildings which rose from the ashes of the prostrate metropolis. 
 
 The list of these would be found to extend to a greater length than the 
 catalogue of works performed by any other architect. 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, 
 
 * An engraving of this plan was published in 1724. 
 
HAMPTON COURT. 
 
 is famous all over Europe, and is justly reputed the master-piece of the cele- 
 brated Sir Christopher Wren. Perhaps Italy itself can produce no modern 
 building that can vie with this in taste or proportion. There 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 under- 
 standing its graces no better, and allowing 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 Cog- 
 hill, of Blechington, in Oxfordshire; and, on the death of that lady, to the 
 daughter of William Lord Fitzwilliam, 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 Mr. Hooke (who was perfectly qualified to form an opinion 
 of his powers) appear to express justly the character of Wren. " I must 
 affirm, that since the time of Archimides, there scarcely ever has met in one 
 man, in so great a perfection, such a mechanical hand, and so philosophical 
 a mind." 
 
zri 
 
 <; 
 
 Y\ 
 
 
 
THE 
 
 PANTHEON OF PARIS, 
 
 AND 
 
 A DESIGN FOR .i CENOTAPH. 
 
 A 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 circu- 
 lar form, and the concave of the dome was intended to represent the heavenlj' 
 regions. When the rituals of Christianity supplanted the romantic mytho- 
 logy of the ancients, this edifice was transformed into a church. At Paris 
 the precise reverse has occurred. The churfh of St. Genevieve was one of the 
 most august buildings of the time of Lewis XV. But that tremendous fer- 
 mentation 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 Pan- 
 theon,* where the remains of those who had deserved well of their countrv 
 might be deposited, in witness of public gratitude, and in hope of exciting 
 emulation. 
 
 * The original edifice was Imilt by Souffleiir; liie alterations were arraiijed by Rniidclet, wbo 
 was atone time commissary of public works, and a nieniber of the council of civil architecture. 
 Kondelet has written an historical memoir on the dome of the French Pantheon, in which are 
 iome plates illustrating the comparative dimensions of the four great structures of Europe, sur- 
 mounted with spherical roofs : .St. Peter's, at Rome ; St. Paul's, London ; the Pantheon, and the 
 Invalides, Paris. He h'kewise wrote a paper, in answer to M. Patte, iu which he opposed ihe 
 comraon opinion, respecting the exterior pressure <»f the cupola. 
 
 2 R 
 
PANTHEON OF PARIS. 
 
 The cold politician, and the generous enthusiast, must surely agree as to 
 the propriety of paying public and lasting honors to the memory of the vir- 
 tuous and the wise. The philosopher may question, whether posthumous 
 fame is a personal good, but that " longing after immortality," which prompts 
 to heroical enterprise and self-denial, can scarcely fail to be of high value in 
 the esteem of the statesman. 
 
 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, singular as it may appear, this lead is painted in 
 alternate stripes of yellow and blue. The Pantheon 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 journeying towards the 
 metropolis of England. But the English cathedral possesses a decided pre- 
 cedence in regard to splendour 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 
 arcliitectural skill. The vestibule is simple, correct, and grand. The columns 
 which support the triangular pediment are six feet and a half in diameter; 
 and, as they are of the Corinthian 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 ia 
 portrayed in the attitude of tender benignity: a vulgar or factious imagina- 
 tion 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 
 Linocence, protected by Justice. Our engraving (which is after a drawing 
 made on the spot, in 1802) explains the dissimilar texture of the walls which 
 compose the brachiaof the crucifix, and the delicate divisions of the vestibule. 
 When we observe that the extreme height of the building is 265 Enghsh 
 
PANTHEON OF PARIS. 
 
 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 arei 
 entirely composed of stone, and are ornamented with a variety of pannels 
 beautifuUv 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 r But 
 how should faction form a due estimate of the value of genius ! 
 
 So great was the hurry of the moment in which the niches of the Pantheon 
 were 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 corres- 
 pondent magnificence, had not a diminution of public spirit impeded the in- 
 tentions of those enlarged minds which projected the modern Pantheon. 
 
 The reader will perceive, from our plate, that a pyramidal Egyptian monu- 
 ment 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, explanatorj' of the talents or achievements of 
 the deceased. The chief efforts of the sculptor would have been required for 
 the superb base of the monument, on which it was proposed to inscribe the 
 honest eulogy dictated by the sentiments of the nation at large. Here, like- 
 wise, it was judged desirable, to place the bust of the departed hero, in con- 
 junction 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 
 Pantheon ; and, though the rigid critic may certainly detect many errors of 
 judgment, the magnificence of the design captivates the imagination, and sets 
 the arguments of criticism at defiance. But "theFabiiand Bruti of Gallia" 
 sleep beneath unhonored sods ! — Amidst all the imposing splendours of the 
 
PANTHEON OF PARIS. 
 
 new empire ;— its legions of honor, its Mameluke guards, its coronation fes- 
 tivities, and its fireworks and illuminations, the forlorn patriot must surely 
 stand aloof, and heave a sigh of bitter regret, whilst he beholds the building 
 intended for the consecration of public virtue, perverted to the uses of super- 
 stition, or tributary to the sordid views ofpersonal 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. 
 
 A writer, whose sensibility is unquestionable, and whose elegance of lan- 
 guage is, at least, as efficacious as his arguments, has lately published "An 
 Essay on Sepulchres," 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 renewed when subject to decay, "in all ages, on 
 the spot where the remains of the illustrious dead have been interred." The 
 author, likewise, states the propriety of forming a map, "which might be 
 called the atlas of those who have lived, and might be marked with meridian 
 lines and circles of latitude so as to ascertain, 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 vic- 
 tims, would in vain struggle to triumph over the tender duties 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, 
 perhaps, 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. 
 
 W. I^wis, Ptiaicr.Sl, Finch Uue, CornbiU.