Sir Hans Sloane

Let me alone:

Burlington brought me hither,

A LADY, soon after, seeing a gate carried by between two men, made these lines extempore, in allusion to the others:

O Gate, where art thou going?
But it was not so knowing
As yonder gate

That talk'd of late;

So on it went, without reply:
At least I heard it not, not I.

IN the year 1707, John Needs, a Winchester scholar, foretold the deaths of Mr. Carman, chaplain to the college, Dr. Mew, Bishop of Winchester, and himself, within that year, to several of his school-fellows, among others, to Geo. Lavington. This exposed him to much raillery in the school, and he was ludicrously styled Prophet Needs. Mr. Carman died about the time he mentioned. For this event however, he had little credit, it being said, that the death of such an old man might reasonably be expected. Within the time prefixed Bishop Mew also died, by a strange accident. He was subject to fainting fits, from which he was soon recovered by smelling to spirits of hartshorn. Being seized with a fit while a gentleman was with him, perceiv ing its approach, he pointed eagerly to a phial in the window; the visitor took it, and in his haste, poured the contents down the bishop's throat, which instantly suffocated him. This incident was accounted for in the same manner as the other. As the time approached which Needs had prefixed for his own dissolution, of which he named even the day and the hour, he sickened, apparently declined, and kept his chamber, where he was frequently visited and prayed with by Mr. Fletcher, second Master of the school, and father to the late Bishop of Kildare. He reasoned and argued with the youth, but in vain; with great calmness and composure, he resolutely persisted in affirming that the event would verify his prediction. On the day he had fixed, the house-clock being put forward, struck the hour before the time; he saw through this deception, and told those that were with him, that when the church-clock struck, he should expire. He did so.

Mr. Fletcher left a memorandum in writing to the above purport; and Bishop Trimnell, about the year 1722, having heard this story at Winchester, wrote to New college, of which Mr. Lavington was then fellow, for farther information. His answer was, that "John Needs had indeed foretold that the Bishop of Winchester (Mew) and old Mr. Carman should die that year; but then they being very old men, he had foretold for two or three years before, that they should die in that number of years. As to foretelling the time of his own death, I believe he was punctually right.'

Dr. Lavington gave the same account to his friends after he was Bishop of Exeter.

1774, Dec.

LIII. Description of a Picture in Windsor Castle, representing the Interview between King Henry VIII. and Francis I. of France.

THIS picture is very remarkable, as well on account of the importance and singularity of its subject, as of the immense number of figures which it contains, the variety of matter which it exhibits, and the manner in which the whole is executed.

It is preserved in the royal castle at Windsor; but, being there placed in the king's private apartments below stairs, which are seldom permitted to be shewn, hath long remained, in great measure, unknown to the public.

The interview between the two monarchs was on Sunday, June 7, 1520, on the open plain, within the English pale, between the castle of Guines and Ardres. It continued twenty-eight days. The right-hand side of the picture exhibits a bird's-eye view of the market-place, church, and castle of Guînes, with part of the town walls and the surrounding ditch. In the fore-ground of this is the English cavalcade (hereafter mentioned;) over these, in the back ground, and towards the top of the picture, is a view of the morass which lies on the north side of the town, and of the river that runs from thence towards Calais. Several persons are sitting on the roof of the shambles, and others standing at the doors of the houses of the town, looking at the cavalcade. The town-guard also is drawn up and under arms in the market-place.

In the middle of the left-hand side of the picture, and near the castle gate, is the elevation of the principal front

of a most stately square castellated palace, intended to represent that magnificent temporary palace, made of timber, which was brought ready framed from England, and after the interview, was taken down and carried back. Besides a chapel, and the Royal apartments, it contained lodgings for most of the great officers of state, hung with the richest tapestry, and cloth of gold and silver, paned with green and white silk, the favourite colours of the house of Tudor.

On the plain before the palace are two superb conduits, cased over with different kinds of marble, framed in pannel; from both of these, through masks of lion's heads, red wine is discharged into cisterns, and from thence through like masks to the populace, who, by their looks and actions, express its various effects from hilarity to ebriety. Near these conduits, in the lower part of the fore-ground, stand two men, facing each other, and dressed alike, in blue caps, like tiaras, with golden tassels, and cocks-tail feathers, and yellow gowns with black lace and black tufted frogs. They have long scymetars by their sides, and are sounding long trumpets, to announce the near approach of the English cavalcade. On their left hand are many spectators, and among them two gentlemen conversing together. These figures being placed thus conspicuously in the fore-ground, and being much more laboured and finished than any part that are near them, are supposed to be the portraits of the painter of this piece, and of Edward Hall, who was enjoined by King Henry to draw up the description of the interview.

In the fore-ground, on the right-hand side, is the very numerous English cavalcade, marching out of the town of Guînes, and entering the castle gate by a bridge thrown over the ditch. Its farther progress is not here represented: but it may be supposed to have passed from the castle, through the sally-port, to the place of interview, along the valley, and by the side of the rivulet there described. The guns of the castle are represented as firing while the king passed. The advanced guard consisted of his guard of billmen, with their officers. Then follow three ranks of men on foot, five in a rank, and all unarmed. After them are five of Wolsey's domestics on horseback, two of which are his chaplains, the one in a black gown bearing his cross, and the other in a scarlet gown carrying his hat on a cushion. Of the rest, two are dressed in black, with massy gold chains, (perhaps his chamberlain and steward of the household,) and the other in a white linen habit, not unlike a modern surplice. Whether these three carry any ensigns of office is uncertain, as their backs are turned to the specta

tors. These are succeeded by two persons on horseback, in orange-coloured gowns, with a mace-bearer dressed in crimson on each side of them. After them march two others on horseback, with black bonnets on their heads, and gold chains round their necks, supported also on their right and left by a mace-bearer, dressed in a sanguine-coloured habit.

Then Sir Thomas Wriothesly, Garter King at Arms, bare, headed, and in the tabard of his order, mounted on a pyebald horse, richly trapped and caparisoned, supported on his left-hand by a sergeant at arms, mounted on a black horse, and followed by

Sir Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, bare-headed, carrying in its sheath the sword of state upright, dressed in a gown of cloth of gold, over which hangs the collar of the garter, and mounted on a beautiful dun horse, richly trapped and caparisoned; by his side run two milk-white greyhounds, with collars round their necks. [Why these animals should be introduced thus conspicuously in such a solemn piece, connoisseurs seem at a loss to ascertain. We, there fore, beg leave to hazard a conjecture, that, agreeably to the fantastic humour of the times, it was in allusion to the family name of the Marquis whom they accompanied.]

The Marquis of Dorset is followed by six yeomen of the guard on foot, their partisans on their shoulders, in scarlet habits, guarded and laced with blue velvet, and on their breasts and backs the union rose, ensigned with the crown royal, embroidered in gold.

Then come two of the king's pages on foot, the one bare-headed, the other bonneted, both dressed in crimson, embroidered on the back with the union rose between a greyhound and a dragon. Their breeches and sleeves are Jarge, slashed, and puffed with fine cambric, and their stockings and shoes are white.

The King's Majesty, mounted on a stately white courser, most richly caparisoned, all the trappings, reins, stir rups, &c. being covered with wrought gold, highly em bossed. The king has on his head a black velvet hat, with a white feather on the upper side of the brim, and under it a broad lacing of rubies, emeralds, &c. intermixed with pearl. His garment is cloth of gold, plaited, over a jacket of rose-coloured velvet. His collar* is composed of rubies

This inestimable great collar of ballast rubies, as it was called, was sold beyond the seas by the Duke of Buckingham and Lord Holland, by orderf King Charles I. See Rymer's Fœdera, vol. xviii. p. 236. It had long been a heir-loom of the crown of England.

and pearls, set alternately; and on his breast is a rich jewel of St. George, suspended by a ribbon of the order. His boots are of yellow leather, and in his right hand is a small whip.

Parallel with the king, on the left, rides Cardinal Wolsey, dressed in a gown of violet-coloured velvet, and mounted on a stately mule, with trappings, headstall, reins, and a broad breast-plate of black velvet, embroidered with gold. His page, having a cardinal's red hat embroidered on the breast of his doublet, walks before him bare-headed. On each side of the king are two other pages, all in the same livery, with nine yeomen of the guard, on the right and left, three in a rank, bearing their partisans shouldered.

The king is immediately followed by four of his principal nobles, riding a-breast; that on his right is Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, in the collar of the garter, mounted on a white horse. Next to him, on his left, is Henry Bourchier, earl of Essex, earl-marshal pro tempore, dressed in his collar, and bearing a silver rod tipped with enamel, the badge of his office. Next to himn is an elderly person, with a longish face, and a forked beard, wearing also the collar of the order. The outermost person, towards the left, has only a gold chain hanging down from his shoulders. These, perhaps, may be George Neville, Lord Abergavenny, knight of the garter (and then advanced in years), and George Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury, lord steward, who, as Hall says, both "rode with the king." They are followed by two other rows of noblemen, four in a row. In the first row is one with a long lank visage, and a forked beard of great length. On his bonnet are a string of pearls, and a white feather. His doublet is scarlet, and the sleeves of his jacket are white linen cloth. One of those in the second row is certainly Fisher, bishop of Rochester. On their right hand march six more ranks of yeomen of the guard.

All the principal figures above-mentioned, and, probably, many others now unknown, are portraits painted from the life that of King Henry in particular is a striking likeness, highly finished, and in no way inferior to the celebrated head painted by Holbein, now at Kensington. And those of Dorset, Suffolk, Essex, and Wolsey, strongly resemble their portraits now remaining.

The numerous ranks that follow are composed of the nobility and royal attendants on horseback, succeeded by a large party of billmen, demi-lances, and others, who form a continued line of march from the back of the parish-church of Guines, through the market-place, &c.

Near the foot of the castle-bridge is a large group of