might order or appoint their attendance (as they appear) to line the way with their partizans in their hands'.

The populace that was there to see this sight are prudently avoided, and not represented, that the most conspicuous part of it without crowd or incumbrance might be seen in the picture, as I presume this Nobleman had appointed and directed the painter. G. VERTUE. Dec. 20, 1740."

Mr. Vertue's appropriation of this Picture to Hunsdon House was controverted by Mr. Gough, as having every probability against it. The house as here represented resembles the castellated mansion erected here by Sir John Oldhall in the time of Edward IV. at the expence of £.7,222, rather than that which was entirely built by Henry VIII. (who in the course of three years laid out £.19,000 on it3) and afterwards new fronted by Lord Hunsdon, as represented in Chauncy's print of it. We will suppose this new fronting to be done as soon as convenient after his obtaining it by grant from Elizabeth, 1559 or 1560, so it might be ready to receive her in 1571. Still the Oldhall mansion could not be existing even in idea; and the painters of that time must be bad drawers of architecture that could make no better representation of the back front of Lord Hunsdon's mansion, even in its present reduced state stript of its wings. The circumstance of its being " encircled with water and two arched bridges to pass over to the house," seems the only ground for this conjecture. What he calls the "aqueduct" round which Dugdale's Baronage, vol. II. p. 398. His Lordship's Park-keeper, who died 1591, has this quaint epitaph on a brass plate behind the pulpit, whereon he is represented in a doublet, with a broad sword and bugle-horn, his cross-bow levelled at a stag, in whose side Death sticks an arrow, and points another at the hunter's breast, having for his motto, Sic Pergo: (engraved in Gent. Mag. vol. LXI. p. 13.)

"Belov'd of all whilst he had lyfe,

Unmoan'd of none when he did dye,

James Gray interred of his wyfe

Near to this death's-syne brass doth lye;

Years thirtie-five in good renowne

Parke and house-keeper in this towne.

Ob. 12 die Decemb. A. D. 1591, æt. suæ 69."

"In the original Painting whence Vertue's Plate was engraved, the Gentlemen Pensioners are dressed uniformly in black cloaks of the fashion of the times, with ruffs about their necks, and gold chains over their shoulders: the other parts of their dress are of different colours, without any adherence to uniformity. The Queen, by this appearance of the Band dressed in an outward garment of black, does not seem to have had any regard to the colours of green and white, for which her father and sister had such a predilection; yet perhaps we may venture to date the black facings of the present uniform from this reign." Pegge's Curialia, Part II. p. 49.

? British Topography, vol. I. p. 428.

VOL. I.

2 P

Walpole's Anecdotes, vol. I. p. 124.

X

the procession is passing, as it were, to come at the front entrance, is but a fancied resemblance of the fountain in the print at the Champ de Drap d'Or, or that lately remaining in the garden at Leighs Priory in Essex. But "the small old castle on the hill at a distance should be Stortford Castle, by which the river Stort passes and joins the river Lea at Stansted, where near the bridge are boats or skiffs purposely represented," is a solecism in perspective too gross to be admitted by any one who has actually viewed the several places, and attended to the rise of ground between them. For, admitting the high situation of Stortford Castle, and that it was rebuilt after its demolition by King John; the gate of the castle will more probably be found on lower ground, on a site now occupied by cottages, and shewn for the Bishop's-Hole, or the prison where Bonner confined some miserable objects of his infernal cruelty. Nor is the junction of the Lea and Stort less imaginary; for it takes place on an opposite side of Hunsdon in still lower ground: so that if the castle on the hill be Stortford Castle, the conjoined stream below it should rather be the two arms of Stort that surround it and place it in an island. If Stortford Castle and its neighbourhood were visible from any great mansion hereabouts, it should rather be from Hadham, the seat of Sir Edward Capel.

That the Castle was down at this time, and 50 years before, appears from Sir William Capel standing trial with the Bishop of London, 1503, for his demand of Castle-guard, when his Castle was ruinous and decayed, which the Judges determined to be a sort of quit-rent, and the money due in lieu of those services to which the manor was liable 1."

An entry occurs this Summer, in the Accompts of the Churchwardens of Lambeth, of payments to the Ringers, "when the Queen rode to St. George's Fields ;" and two similar entries, "when her Majesty went to the Earl of Sussex 2," whose residence was in the manor-house of the antient Priory of Bermondsey.

' Chauncy, 154. Salmon, 283.

* Thomas Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex, the Queen's Lord Chamberlain, possessed the manor of Bermondsey; and resided in a noble mansion called Bermondsey House, which had been built by Sir Thomas Pope, in the reign of King Henry VIII. on the site of the Manor-house or Palace of the Priory. In this house the Earl of Sussex died June 9, 1583. This Thomas Earl of Sussex, by a Codicil annexed to his Will, dated 21 May 1583, ordered that his Executors should keep house at Bermondsey twenty days after his interment, on which they were to expend £.1500, and no more. But the funeral charges alone came to £.1629. 5s. Od. and the expences of housekeeping £.159.88. 2d. The inventory of his effects at this place amounted to £.1585. Blomef. Norf. I. 350, 351. Mr. Walpole informs us that he bequeathed £.1500 to be expended on his Tomb only, and that Sir Christopher Wray, Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench, Sir Gilbert Gerard, Master of the Rolls, Sir Thomas Mildmay, and others, his Executors, agreed with Richard Stephens for the making and setting it up

About the same time the Corporation Books of Kingston record a payment to the ringers on the Queen's going to visit the Lord Admiral, the Earl of Lincoln, at West Horsley in Surrey, and another payment," when her boat went by."by."-This was "the Place" mentioned in 1559, p. 75. The manor came to that Nobleman by marriage with the daughter of Sir Anthony Bacon.

Sept. 21. "The Queen's Majesty came to Theobalds1, where some verses [query what?] were presented to her Majesty, with a Portrait of the House 2." Sept. 22. Still at Theobalds; and thence to St. James's 3.

Oct... At Richmond; which last place finished her Progress; and, soon after her return, was, October 19, taken suddenly sick at the stomach, and as suddenly relieved by a vomit. And from thenceforth, and so in December, continued in as good a state of health as she had been for many years; as the Letters from the Court reported 4.

in Boreham Church in Essex, where it still remains. This Stephens was a Dutch statuary, painter, and medalist, and no common artist. The figures on the Tomb are of his execution, and in a good style; and the whole charge paid to him for his part of the work was £.292. 12s. 8d. Anecdotes of Painting, I. 160.

1

"Thei say

Sept. 21, 1571, Hugh Fitz William thus writes to the Countess of Shrewsbury, the Quene wilbe at my Lorde of Burlye's howse besides Waltam on Sonday nexte, wheare my Lord of Oxford shall marry Mrs. Anne Sicelle his daughter." Hunter's Hallamshire, p. 83.

'Lord Burleigh's Diary.-"To speak of the beauty of this most stately house at large as it deserveth, for curious buildings, delightful walkes, and pleasant conceites within and without, and other things very glorious and elegant to be seene, would challenge a great portion of this little treatise, and therefore, least I should come short of that due commendation that it deserveth, I leave it, as indeed it is, a Princely Seate *."-The original site of this manor was a small moated house, the traces of which are still visible in Sir George Prescot's Park †. Sir William Cecil (afterwards Lord Burleigh) began, about the year 1560, to build upon a new site, which, it is said, he at first intended for a small mansion, to be the residence of his younger son ‡.

July 27, 1564, Queen Elizabeth first honoured him with a Visit at Theobalds (see p. 149); and probably expressed an intention of repeating her visit, which induced her minister to enlarge his house for her better accommodation; and that it was completed upon a more enlarged scale before 1566, when the Queen visited him again. See in p. 205 his own description of Theobalds, and of his other houses. Her Majesty's Visit was repeated (as stated above) in 1571, 1572, 1573, 1575, 1577, 1578, 1583, 1587, 1591, 1593, 1594 §, and 1596.

See before, p. 103.

* Norden's Hart fordshire, p. 34.

• Strype's Annals, vol. II. p. 118, fol. an. 1571.

+ Lysons, vol. IV. p. 31. from the information of Mr. J. Russell, of Albury House.

Life of Lord Burleigh, in Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, vol. I. p. 29.

§ An Oration spoken by the Hermit at Theobalds to Queen Elizabeth in 1594, written by Sir

Robert Cecil, will be found in these Progresses, under that year.

The ninth of November, a Sermon was preached at Paules Church at London, by Maister William Foulks, of Cambridge, to give thanks to Almightie God for the victorie which of his mercifull clemencie it had pleased him to grant to the Christians in the Levant Seas, against the common enemies of our faith, the Turks, the seventh of October last past. There were present at this Sermon the Lord Maior of London, Sir William Allen, with the Aldermen, and Craftsmen, in their liveries. And in the evening there were bonefires made throughout the Citie, with banketting and great rejoising.

"In the month of December, the Queen's subjects took great satisfaction, that, notwithstanding their danger in other respects, she enjoyed perfect good health. So Leicester in his correspondence writes to Walsingham: That they had no news, but of her Majesty's good state of health: which was such as he had not known to have been these many years;' [as though she were none of the healthfulest constitutions.] And this he the rather informed the Ambassador of, because that in October before, she was taken very ill. Of which malady, thus did the Lord Burghley write to the said Ambassador; That a sudden alarm was given him, by her Majesty's being suddenly sick in her stomach: but that she was relieved by a vomit. You must think, said he (speaking not only his own sense, but of all that loved the present state of the nation), such a matter would drive me to the end of my wits. But God [as he comforted himself] is the stay of all that put their trust in him.' But in March 1571-2 the Queen fell sick again. Yet in a few days recovered, to the great joy of all. Of this sickness of the Queen (sweetening it also with the news of her restoration to perfect health) the same Lord writ to the two Ambassadors then in France. They both read the letter in a marvailous agony (as Smith expressed their concern in his answer). But having the medicine ready, that her Majesty was within an hour recovered, it did in part heal them again. And when the said Lord had wrote, That the care had not ceased in him; Smith replied, That he might be sure it did as little cease in them; calling to their remembrance, and laying before their eyes, the trouble, the uncertainty, the disorder, the peril, and danger, which had been like to follow, if at that time God had taken from them the stay of the Commonwealth, and hope of their repose: that lanthorn of their light, next to God: whom to follow, nor certainly where to light another candle [they knew not.]' But, added he, as to their present negotiation, If her Majesty still continued in extremity to promise, and in recovery to forget, what shall we say, but as the Italians do, Passato il pericolo, gabbato il faute."

293

THE QUEEN'S SKILL IN MUSIC.

"The skill in music which Elizabeth possessed is clearly evinced by the following passage in Melvil's Memoirs1: The same day, after dinner, my Lord of Huntsdean drew me up to a quiet gallery, that I might hear some music (but he said he durst not avow it), where I might hear the Queen play upon the virginals. After I had hearkened a while, I took by the tapistry that hung before the door of the chamber, and, seeing her back was towards the door, I entered within the chamber, and stood a pretty space, hearing her play excellently well; but she left off immediately so soon as she turned her about, and came forward, seeming to strike me with her hand, alledging, she was not used to play before men, but when she was solitary to shun melancholy 2. To this passage it may not be amiss to add a little anecdote, which perhaps has never yet appeared in print, and may serve to shew either that she had, or affected to have it thought she had, a very nice ear. In her time the bells of the Church of Shoreditch, a Parish in the Northern suburbs of London, were much esteemed for their melody; and in her journies from Hatfield to London, as soon as she approached the town, they constantly rang by way of congratulation. Upon these occasions she seldom failed to stop at a small distance short of the Church, and, amidst the prayers and acclamations of the People, would listen attentively and commend the bells3."

In the Ashmolean MSS. fol. 189, is the following note, in the hand-writing of Anthony Wood: "Dr. Tye was a peevish and humoursome man, especially in his latter days; and sometimes playing on the organ in the Chapel of Queen Elizabeth, which contained much music, but little delight to the ear, she would send the verger to tell him that he played out of tune; whereupon he sent word that her ears were out of tune. The same author adds, that Dr. Tye restored Church-music after it had been almost ruined by the dissolution of Abbies 4."

"In the hour of her departure, she ordered her musicians into her chamber; and died hearing them 5."

London, 1752, p. 99.

* It is also said that she played on an instrument strung with wire, called the Poliphant. Preface to Playford's Introduction to the Skill of Music, edit. 1666.

3 Hawkins, III. 458.

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid. vol. V. p. 201.