THE MIRROR
OF
LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
| VOL. XIV, NO. 385.] | SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1829. | [PRICE 2d. |
HAMPTON COURT.
Here is a bird's-eye view of a royal palace and domain "cut outin little stars." It is copied from one of Kipp's Views in GreatBritain in the time of Queen Anne, and affords a correct idea ofHampton Court in all its olden splendour.
The palace is situated on the north bank of the Thames, twomiles west from Kingston. It was magnificently built by CardinalWolsey. After he became possessed of the lease of the manor ofHampton, "he bestowed," says Stow, "great cost of building upon it,converting the mansion-house into so stately a palace, that it issaid to have excited much envy; to avoid which, in the year 1526,he gave it to the king, who in recompense thereof licensed him tolie in his manor of Richmond at his pleasure; and so he lay thereat certain times;" but it appears that Wolsey after thisoccasionally inhabited the palace (perhaps as keeper;) for in 1527,when some French ambassadors were in England, the king sent them tobe entertained by the Cardinal at Hampton Court. The preparationsfor this purpose are detailed in a MS. copy of Cavendish's Lifeof Wolsey, in the British Museum, and afford the reader someidea of the magnificent taste of the prelate in matters of stateand show. The Cardinal was commanded to receive the ambassadorswith surpassing splendour; then "my Lord Cardinal sent me (Mr.Cavendish) being his gentleman usher, with two other of my fellowsthither, to foresee all things touching our rooms to be noblygarnished"—"accordingly our pains were not small nor light,but daily travelling up and down from chamber to chamber; thenwrought the carpenters, joiners, masons, and all other artificersnecessary to be had to glorify this noble feast." He tells us of"expert cookes, and connyng persons in the art of cookerie; thecookes wrought both day and night with suttleties and many craftydevices, where lacked neither gold, silver, nor other costly thingsmeet for their purpose"—"280 beds furnished with all mannerof furniture to them, too long particularly to be rehearsed, butall wise men do sufficiently know what belongeth to the furniturethereof, and that is sufficient at this [pg 98] time to be said."Wolsey's arrival during the feast is described quaintly enough:"Before the second course my lord came in booted and spurred, allsodainely amongst them proface;1 at whosecoming there was great joy, with rising every man from his place,whom my lord caused to sit still, and keep their roomes, and beingin his apparel as he rode, called for a chayre and sat down in themiddest of the high paradise, laughing and being as merry as ever Isaw him in all my lyff." The whole party drank long and strong,some of the Frenchmen were led off to bed, and in the chambers ofall was placed abundance of "wine and beere."
Henry VIII. added considerably to Wolsey's building, and in thelatter part of his reign, it became one of his principalresidences. A