The Constable of the Tower by W. Harrison Ainsworth

Warwick’s reflections were not widely different.

“But for the cursed chance that caused my foot to slip, I should have slain him,” he thought. “And now I owe my life to him. But I would not have him count too much upon my gratitude. My hatred of him is not a whit diminished by his fancied generosity—rather increased. After all, it is well the encounter ended as it did. Better he should perish by the headsman’s hand than mine.”

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Chapter XI

OF THE FÊTE GIVEN AT SEYMOUR HOUSE BY THE LORD ADMIRAL

Seymour House, the admiral’s private residence, as we have already intimated, was magnificently furnished. Besides being gorgeously decorated with rich arras and embroidered stuffs, the spacious apartments and galleries were crowded with paintings, statues, and works of art. It was a marvel that the admiral should have been able to collect together so many rarities in so short a space of time; but then, as we have seen, he had more opportunities of doing so than other people.

In those days of display it was the aim of every wealthy nobleman to distinguish himself by the number of his retainers, all of whom were clothed and maintained at his expense. But the lord admiral went far beyond his compeers. His household was almost regal, and vied with that of the lord protector. He had a high chamberlain and a vice-chamberlain, both attired in rich gowns, and provided with white staves, a dozen gentlemen ushers, likewise richly arrayed, six gentlemen waiters, three marshals, a chaplain, an almoner, a cofferer, a clerk of the kitchen and clerk of the spicery, a master cook and his assistants, besides a multitude of yeomen ushers, grooms, cup-bearers, carvers, and sewers. In addition to these, he had a large body of young gentlemen of good families, who served him as pages and esquires, and who all wore his livery. Furthermore, he had a band of tall yeomen, armed and attired like the yeomen of the king’s body-guard. Altogether, his household did not number less than three hundred persons. Tables were laid daily for his officers, who sat down with almost as much ceremony as was observed at Whitehall. The cost of such an establishment, in all respects so sumptuously conducted, may be readily surmised. But the lord admiral had an object in all this display. He wished to be regarded as the chief noble at his royal nephew’s court, so that no position he might hereafter obtain should seem too exalted for him.

With a house thus splendidly ordered and appointed, and with such magnificent ideas as we are aware he entertained, it will not seem surprising that the fête prepared for the king and the court by the admiral should be on a scale of extraordinary splendor.

All the principal apartments were brilliantly illuminated with wax tapers. Attired in doublets of crimson velvet, with chains of gold round their necks, and bearing white staves in their hands, the chamberlain, vice-chamberlain, steward, treasurer, and gentlemen ushers were drawn up in the entrance-hall, ready to receive the various important guests on their arrival. Besides these, there was a crowd of esquires, pages, marshals, and grooms, all in rich liveries, intermingled with yeomen bearing gilt poleaxes. But wherever the guests wandered—up the grand staircase, with its elaborately sculptured posts, adown the long corridor, through the spacious chambers—there were other officers of the household to be met with—marshals, esquires, pages, and grooms, as at Whitehall.

Nothing was wanting that could minister to the gratification of the company. In an orchestra in the largest room, musicians were placed, and here brawls, galliards, lavoltas, passameasures, pavans, sauteuses, cushion-dances, and kissing-dances were performed by the company.

At a much earlier hour than would be consistent with modern arrangements, the admiral’s guests, comprehending all the principal personages of the court, of both sexes, had begun to arrive, and they had succeeded each other so rapidly, that ere long the rooms, vast as they were, looked full. But more came, and it seemed as if the arrivals would never cease.

All the guests were ceremoniously received in the great entrance-hall by the various officers of the household, and were then ushered on by troops of marshals and pages to a presence-chamber, where the lord admiral, sumptuously arrayed in habiliments of white satin, adorned with pearls, very graciously received them. Many of the ladies wore small visors of black velvet, while some of them were habited in fanciful attire.