Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

up by the cook in a corn-salad, to look like a man on horseback. A gammon of bacon was eaten at Easter, to show the abhorrence of Judaism, at that solemn commemoration of ou Lord's resurrection.

"In 1486, the reign of Henry the Seventh, a certain number of archers, and other strong, active persons, were constituted by this monarch yeomen of the guard, and were in daily attendance upon his person. This was the first English monarch that instituted a bodyguard; and it was generally thought that he took his precedent from France.

"In 1568, noblemen's and gentlemen's coats were made in the same fashion as those of yeomen of the guard; and in 1678, the benchers of the inns of Court still maintained that fashion in the making of their gowns.

"The Normans brought with them civility into England. In those days, upon any occasion of bustle of business, great lords sounded their trumpets, and summoned all those that they held under them. Sir Walter Long, of Draycott, kept a trumpeter, and rode with thirty servants and retainers; from whence took the rise of the sheriff's trumpets.

"Gentlemen carried prodigious fans, with very long handles: with these their daughters

were often corrected. The lord chief justice, Sir Edward Coke, rode the circuit with a fan of this description: the earl of Manchester also used a fan; and both fathers and mothers slashed their daughters with them, when they were grown up women. At Oxford and Cambridge, the rod was frequently used by the tutors and deans; and Dr. Potter, of Trinity College, in the year 1669, or thereabouts, whipped his pupil who had a sword by his side.

"The conversation and habits of these times were starched and formal: gravity often passed for wisdom, and quibbles for wit, even in clergymen's sermons. The gentry and citizens had little learning of any kind; and their way of bringing up their children was suitable to all the rest. They were as severe as schoolmasters to them, and the schoolmasters were as severe as governors of houses of correction. The child, consequently, dreaded the sight of his parents. Gentlemen of thirty and forty years of age, stood like mutes and bare-headed before them; and the daughters, when grown young women, stood at the cupboard-side, during the whole time of the proud mother's visit, unless, as the fashion then was, leave was requested that a cushion might be given them to kneel upon, when they had done sufficient

penance by standing, and which was brought them by a serving-man.

66

[ocr errors]

Learning seems to have advanced much during Elizabeth's reign. It was rare to find a courtier unacquainted with any language but his own. The ladies studied Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, and Italian. The more elderly among them exercised themselves, some with the needle, some with caul-work, (probably netting,) divers in spinning silk; some in continual reading, either of the Holy Scriptures, or of histories either of their own or foreign countries; divers in writing volumes of their own, or translating the works of others into Latin or English: whilst the younger ones, in the meantime, applied to their lutes, citharmes, pricksong, and all kinds of music. Many of the more ancient, were also skilful in surgery and distillation of waters, besides sundry artificial practices pertaining to the ornature and commendation of their bodies. This,' adds our author, 'I will generally say of them all, that, as each of them are cunning in something whereby they keep themselves occupied in the court; there is, in manner, none of them, but when they be at home, can help to supply the ordinary want of the kitchen, with a number of delicate dishes of their own contriving: wherein

the portingal is their chief counsellor, as some of them are most commonly with the clerk of the kitchen, &c.

666

Every office at court,' says the same author, (Holinshed,) had a Bible, or the book of the Acts and Monuments of the Church of England, or both; besides some histories and chronicles lying therein, for the exercise of such as come into the same."

[ocr errors]

Mrs. Spencer smiled and said, that the praise bestowed upon the ladies of Elizabeth's reign, was no small commendation. Learned, accomplished, and domestic, they seemed the very acmé of excellence.

The bell now announced company. Susan and Ann quitted the gallery with reluctance; and not before they had obtained a promise from Mr. Wilmot, that they should visit it on the following day.

82

CHAP. V.

nn

"PERHAPS you would have the kindness, Sir," said Mrs. Spencer, as she sat at work with her daughters, "to resume the conversation, which was interrupted this morning, and in which we were much interested. I observed written, under a painting in the gallery, 'Funeral of Henry the Seventh;' and as it was previous to the reformation, and consequently attended with some ceremonies fallen into disuse in a Protestant realm, I have no doubt we should be much interested in the recital."

Mr. Wilmot waited not for a second request, but began as follows:

"After all things necessary for the interment and funeral pomp of the late king were sumptuously prepared and done, the corpse of the deceased was brought out of his privy-chamber, where it had rested three days; and every day had three dirges, and masses sung by a mitred prelate.

"From thence it was conveyed into the hall,

« ZurückWeiter »