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THE \^ILLAGE OE PALACES;
OB,
CHRONICLES OF CHELSEA.
VOL. L

THE VILLAGE OF PALACES;

OE,

CHRONICLES OF CHELSEA.

BY THE
REV. A. G. L'B STRANGE,
AUTHOB OF
¦ THE LIFE OF THB EEV. W. HAENE5
" FEOM THE THAMES TO THE TAMAR,"
&C. &C.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

LONDON:
HUHST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS,
13, aHEAT MARLBOBOUGH STEEET.
1880.
All rights reserved.

TO
THE RT. HON. GEORGE HENRY
EARL CADOGAN
IDED OP THE MANGE OF CHBISEA
THESE VOLUMES
ABE
BY PERMISSION
WtOitatiO.

PEEFiOE.

11 TY thanks are especially due to Major-
-'-'-^ General Hutt for having assisted me
with materials during the progress of this
Work. I also desire to acknowledge the
kindness of Mr. T. Burne, Dr. Semple, and
those inhabitants of Chelsea whom I have
had occasion to consult. They have
afforded me whatever information they pos
sessed in a raanner that will always be
gratefully remembered. A. G. L'E.

CONTENTS OP
THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.
Early History — Grant to Westminster Abbey — Attrac
tion to the West End — From London to Chelsea —
Origin of the Celebrity of this District — More's Resi
dence . . . . . .1
CHAPTER II.
Ecclesiastical Associations of More — Liberal Sentiments
in his " Utopia" — His Scrupulous Impartiality — Home
Life — He builds an Oratory at Chelsea — Persecutes
Protestants — Punishments inflicted in his house at
Chelsea — Refuses to acknowledge the King's Divorce
— His Imprisonment — Lady More's Expostulation —
His Execution . . . . .24

Contents.

CHAPTER HI.
Bishop Fisher — Holbein — Heywood — Henry VIII. at
Chelsea — Lord Sandys — Building of Chelsea Palace 81
CHAPTER IV.
Katherine Parr — Clandestine Visits of Seymour — The
Princess Elizabeth at Chelsea — Her Intimacy with
Seymour — Scenes in the Palace — Jealousy of Katherine
— Lady Jane Grey — The Duke of Northumberland —
Costly Wardrobe of the Duchess — Anne of Cleves —
Lord Bray's Funeral . . . .105
CHAPTER V.
Lord William Howard — His Devotion to -Mary — He be
friends Elizabeth — Successes and Honours of his Son —
The Earl of Shrewsbury — Custodian of Mary Queen of
Scots— Ambition of his Countess — The Marquess of
Winchester— Lord Burleigh— The Queen's Elm— Sir
Arthur Gorges . . . . .139
CHAPTER VI.
Sir Charles Cavendish— Duke of Newcastle— Heroic Con
duct of his Daughter— Her Piety— She marries Charles
Cheyne . . . . _ .175

Contents

Xl

CHAPTER VIL
Sir John Dan vers — Excellence of Lady Danvers — Dr.
Donne— Lord Cherbury — Herbert, the Poet . 183
CHAPTER VIII.
Lord John Robartes — Lord Sandwich — His Sojourn and
Strange Infatuation at Chelsea — Pepys expostulates —
Visits of Charles I. to Buckingham House . 201

CHAPTER IX.
Lord Bristol — Connection with Spain — His Strange Al
ternations of Policy — Courage and Wonderful Escapes
— Enters the Service of France and Spain — His Elo
quence in Parliament — His Residences — Beaufort
House . . . . . .213
CHAPTER X.
James I. — His Love of Theology — Controversies of the
Day — He founds a College for the Study of Polemical
Divinity — Constitution of the College— Its Failure —
Munificence of Sutcliffe — Sufferings of Featly — The
Archbishop of Spalatro— His Disappointment and
Death — Rival Claims to the Possession of the
College  237

xii Contents.

CHAPTER XI.
Learned Societies — The Royal Society — Mixture of Philo
sophy and Credulity — Their Inquiries ridiculed —
Eminent Members — Prince Rupert — Robert Boyle —
Sir Christopher Wren — Evelyn proposes to build a
Scientific College — His Charge of Prisoners in the
College — Pecuniary Difficulties of the Royal Society —
They obtain the College — Proposal to make it an Ob
servatory — It is found to be dilapidated and use
less . . . . . .266
CHAPTER XII.
Deplorable Condition of Disabled Soldiers —Letter to the
King from a Lady on the State of the Life Guards —
Sir Stephen Fox's arrangement — His Origin and Pro
gress — Nell Gwynne . . . .291

THE VILLAGE OF PALACES;

CHRONICLES OF CHELSEA.

CHAPTER I.
Early History — Grant to Westminster Abbey — Attrac
tion to the West End — Prom London to Chelsea —
Origin of the Celebrity of this District — More's Resi
dence.
THERE was, we are told, a distant time,
when this Chelsea' (so named from its
pebbly strand), was partly marsh, and partly
jungle, the haunt of the wild ox, and of the
red deer with huge antlers. Under the
rule of the Saxons it was intersected and
} From chesel, gravel, and ea, a strand or bank. It was
also called Cealchylle ; the streams caused the district to
be full of gravel.
VOL. I. B

The Village of Palaces.

surrounded by watercourses, and so thinly
populated, that in marking out Middlesex as
a shire, they made it the largest hundred.
When the Governor of Edward the Con
fessor's Palace granted it to the Abbot and
fraternity of the " Minster of the West," the
buildings upon it consisted of only half
a dozen huts, inhabited by villains and
miserable slaves.' The greater part of the
future " soil of St. Peter " was then still
a marsh, and partly covered with woods,
adjoining those of Kyngesbyrig (Knights
bridge), where also the Abbot had a claim to
every third tree and horse-load of fruit. The
brethren following the good patriarchal pre
cedent signalized their acquisition, and made
the first step towards cultivation by plant
ing a vineyard.^
1 The Anglo-Saxons made all they conquered slaves.
They were sold in open market, and sometimes a king
was bought for a blanket^ and a lot of boys was exchanged
for a fine girl. Bondsmen wore iron collars round their
necks. 2 There was one in Kensington nearly coeval with that

Small Value qf the Manor

The small value of tbe manor in those
early times may be conceived from the fact
that Gervace, Abbot of Westminster, natural
son of King Stephen, gave it to his mother
and her heirs for an annual payment of four
pounds a year. In 1368, Robert de Heyle, a
devotee, leased for his life the whole of
the manor of Chelsith, except Westbourne and
Kin^sholt to the Abbot and Convent of West
minster on the conditions that he was to have
a certain house within the Convent, was to be
paid twenty pounds a year, and daily pro
vided with two white loaves, two flagons
of convent ale, and once a year with a robe
of Esquire's Silk. The manor was then
valued at twenty-five pounds six shillings and
six-pence.' The Abbey of St. Peter was probably
first established in its somewhat inaccessi-
above mentioned, and the wretched wine manufactured in
it, as late as the middle of the last century, was considered
by the people in the neighbourhood to be like Burgundy.
1 Before the time of the Dissolution, the Abbey had
parted with all its lands in Chelsea.
B 2

The Village of Palaces.

ble locality to reclaim the land, but it soon
began to exercise an important influence
in drawing rank and fashion towards the
west. The bishops, then great potentates,
wished to have their town residences near
the royal minster, and so we find that the
first riverside mansions outside Temple
Bar were those of the Bishops of Bath,
Exeter, and Durham. Storer, writing of
Wolsey, in 1599, speaks of the Strand,
" Where fruitful Thames salutes the learned shore,
Was this grave prelate and the Muses placed."
The example set by the bishops was
followed by the lay aristocracy. We read of
the episcopal residences of Lichfield, Co
ventry, Worcester, and Llandaff having
been removed to make room for the man
sion of the Protector Somerset, and in
many cases the palaces themselves came
to be occupied by temporal nobles.
But other attractions besides those of
fashion were leading in the same direction,
and finally established the pre-eminence

Advantages of the West End.

of the west end. In England, the western
skies shine always the brightest, and
their charms would be especially felt in the
neighbourhood of a many-chimneyed town.
The prevailing wind was from the west,
and the river flowing from the same di
rection would cause a great difference
in the purity of the water above and below
London. In those times it was thought
most desirable to dwell on the banks of
a river, for before the reign of Henry
VIIL, the roads being in a miserable con
dition, and carriages unknown, coramu
nication by boat was a great object. The
advantages of easily obtaining water
and fish' were also inducements, and the
current of the stream kept the air in fresh
and salubrious circulation.
To realize the general aspect of the neigh
bourhood at the time of which we are about
to treat, we will suppose ourselves starting
from London to pay a visit of congratulation
to Sir Thomas More, who has just been
'1 The Thames was then " fluvius maximus piscosus."

6 Tlie Village of Palaces.
appointed Chancellor. London was then
surrounded by an embattled wall and raoat,
and we leave the city at Lud gate, passing
under the gate-house crowned with twin
towers, and over the drawbridge. Imme
diately afterwards we cross another bridge
over the Fleet stream, and proceed through
a street of "timber-crossed antiquity,"
with many-gabled houses and overhanging
storeys. St. Clement's Danes stands on its
present site; and a little in front of it is
the May-pole — a permanent fixture, as it
generally was in the old towns of " merrie
England." Before us lie the palaces built
by the Knights Templars, but already oc
cupied by law students ; while Temple Bar,
marking the boundary of the liberty of
London, is merely a swing beam. Passing
over a bridge across a streamlet (where
Wellington Street now runs) we find on the
north a hedgerow and the open country,
while on the south stand successively the
episcopal residences of Carlisle, Durham,
and Norwich — the two latter forming large

Ancient Building^.

quadrangles. The site where Northuraber-
land House is to rise, is occupied by the
Convent of St. Mary of Rounceval ; and
a large stone cross, instead of a statue,
rises at Charing. Here, looking to the
south, we see the stately buildings of York
Place, and muse perhaps on the instability
of huraan fortune, for Wolsey has just
been dismissed from his palace, and fallen
" never to rise again." Beyond is the Abbey
of Westminster, but without its towers,
while to the north, on the site of Trafalgar
Square, we see a long line of low buildings —
the royal mews, where the King's falcons
are kept. Proceeding onwards, we fiad a
fc'wampy field instead of St. Jaraes's Park;
and in place of a royal palace, St. James's
Hospital — the abode of fourteen leprous
women, and eight brethren to pray for
them. The site of Belgravia is in the same
marshy condition. (At the present day the
district can be remembered by sorae of
our nonogenarians, as a place tb which
sportsmen resorted to shoot snipe, and

8 The Village of Palaces.
basket-workers to cut osiers.) This low
ground, the Five Fields, terrainates towards
the river in large creeks, which commence
where the Victoria Station is to stand. As
we pass along these sheets of water,' we
shall be fortunate if we have chosen an
early hour, for these fields are favourite
haunts of footpads after dark, and, from
their loneliness, have been often selected
for what are called " affairs of honour."
Steele going over with a friend " to dine
in the air" of Chelsea makes it an excuse
to his wife for "lying" there, that he was
afraid to traverse this district at night.
So little was there to obstruct the view
over it in Colley Gibber's time, that he
makes Simple say that, " he got a stomach
and lost it again as often as a man shall
get and lose the sight of St. Paul's in a
walk to Chelsea." No doubt the cathedral
was to be seen from every point, and we can
on our walk obtain, as often as we wish,
a view of the city, and its tall spire.
1 Nov represented by the canal.

Bournes. 9

We now reach the site of the terrace,
afterwards called Wilderness Row, and
when we cross the rivulet into Chelsea,
we do not find a labyrinth of narrow streets,
noisy with squalid children ; nor, as we
approach the river do the lofty walls of
the Royal Hospital rise before us. Instead
of these we find a solitary cross, before
which a pilgrim to the Abbey is kneeling,
and beyond, the tower of a small church,
rising above a dozen thatched cottages,
which, with two or three low mansions,
alone break the solitude of the scene.
The appearance of the natural boundaries
of this district has been greatly altered by
the gradual obliteration of the water-courses.
That to the east, of which we have just
spoken, was the Kil or Cold-bourne, or
West-bourne, which, rising near the west end
of Hampstead, passed through the village to
which it gave name — soon after threw off the
Tye-bourne,' a more easterly brook, at the
1 The Tye-bourne is supposed to have taken its name
from its being a twin stream with the Kil-bourne.

10 The Village of Palaces.

village so called, and passed through what is
now Tyburnia and Hyde Park. In the latter
ground it spread out into several ponds, until
Queen Caroline, who had a taste for land
scape gardening, made them into the Serpen
tine.' It emerged at the east end, where a
stream can still be seen winding along be
neath banks of evergreens. Then crossing
the high road under a bridge — Knightsbridge
— it made its way down by where Lowndes
Square now stands, at the back of Cadogan
Place. Passing under Bloody Bridge,' just
at the west end of Eaton Square, and thence
under Stone Bridge, it flowed where there is
now a passage between the " Nell Gwynne "
and the Chelsea barracks, joining the river
1 So called from its curved form. The rivulet was after
wards cut off, and the lake supplied from the celebrated
Chelsea water-works, which had a reservoir with trees
round it in Hyde Park, where there is now a circular
sunk garden and statue, near Park Lane.
2 Corrupted from Blandel Bridge^ on account of the
outrages committed in the neighbourhood. Knights
bridge is said to have been so called for similar rea
sons.

West Bourne. 11

in front of the Hospital.' None of these
bridges are now remaining; the stream
which once purled along, overshaded by a
line of trees, now lies deep buried in a drain,
and falls eventually into the low level sewer,
which runs along the north bank of the
Thames. Its former course still divides
Chelsea parish from St. George's. We have
little proof that there was before Henry VIII.'s
reign, any large house at Chelsea, except the
Manor House, unless it be our finding that
the first Earl of Sussex, the Lord Chamber
lain, died at his place at Chelsea in 1542. It
is diffiioult to determine to what extent the
1 It sometimes caused a flood in Chelsea and the
boys used to call it the " rapid Rhone." Latterly
it became little more than an open sewer, and a vehicle
for dead cats and dogs. It flowed down where there
¦is now a passage between the " Nell Gwynne" and the
barracks. The name remains in Westbourne Street, a
little to the east. In the central part of Chelsea, to the
north of St. Luke's Church, Pond Place, and Pond Ter
race^ there extended, thirty years ago^ a common containing
a large piece of water covering four or five acres, on the
site of which stand the model lodging-houses.

12 The Village of Palaces.
owners of the manor actually resided on it,
and how often they let the house, of which
they evidently soraetiraes granted leases.
We find the manor in possession of Dameta
soon after the death of King Stephen ; of
the heirs of one Thomas de septem Fon-
tibus in 1315, whence by marriage it came
to Robert de Heyle in 1368; in 1369 the
Earl of -Warwick dated his will at Chelsea,
and possibly soon afterwards the Laurence
family came into possession, as their name
has been given to a chapel built to the
church in the fourteenth century.' Simon
Bayle was lessee of this house in 1455, and
Richard IIL granted some house here to the
widow ofthe Duke of Norfolk. In 1491 the
Marquis of Berkeley had a residence here,
and not long afterwards the manor belonged
to Sir Reginald Bray, one of the ministers of
Henry VIL' We might conclude frora these
1 The name survives in Laurence Street. There is no
thing there now to bespeak great age, but the vaulted
passage into Augusta Court is old.
2 Sir Reginald Bray provided a large sum of money to

Rise of Chelsea. 13

records that there were several houses at
Chelsea, but suburban residences change
their tenants frequently, and any large houses
standing in the time of Sir Thomas More
would probably have been mentioned.
But however this raay be, we can safely
maintain that More laid the foundation of
Chelsea's prosperity. If he were not the
first London magnate who built a mansion
there, he certainly was the first who drew
attention to the advantages of the place.
For him, no doubt, it had exceptional attrac
tions, having on one side Westrainster Abbey,
and on the other side the ancient residence
help the Earl of Richmond. He was present at the battle
of Bosworth Field, and found in a thorn-bush Richard's
crown, which was placed on the head of the new king.
Some say that his father had been a physician, but we
find that he was a Privy Councillor to Henry VL The
son was appointed a Privy Councillor to Henry VIL, on
his accession, and his sense of justice is said to have been
so strong, that he would even reprove royalty. His
taste for architecture may be seen in Henry VII.'s Chapel
in Westminster Abbey, and in St. George's Chapel,
at Windsor.

14 The Village of Palaces.
of the Bishop of London. More was familiar
with Fulham Palace, and saw the old quad
rangle as it still exists, for it had been lately
built in the reign of Henry VII.
The house of More was a few hundred
yards west of the church, and although so
many eminent men once trod its floors, we
gain our best inforraation about it from one
who was never there. " It was not mean,"
says Erasmus, " nor invidiously grand, but
corafortable." We may suppose we see
before us a new brick building, with
one storey above the ground-floor, and
many muUioned windows. We proceed be
neath the Tudor archway into the hall,
flagged with large stones, and our attention
is soon attracted by some of the pets of
the family — for More kept a collection of
monkeys, foxes, ferrets, weasels, and many
kinds of birds, and was continually pur
chasing foreign animals. In this his taste
was similar to that of earlier times, when
some of the feudal castles alraost reserabled
menageries. Entering the rooras, we find

More's Iiouse. 15

them strewn with rushes, and lined with oak
panelling and tapestry. Around stand
buffets and shelves adorned with flowers in
pots and vases, with silver-gilt tankards,'
ornamental jugs, bottles and stands, and a
supply of silver-mounted oaken ware. Of
the last kind was the pint cup out of which
More generally drank, and which is still
preserved by Mr. Eyston of East Hendred.
His clock is also still in existence.'
We soon becorae aware that the occupants
of the house fully appreciate literature and
art. Books abound on all sides — some of
them in handsome bindings — musical instru
ments, such as the lute and viol, hang upon
the walls, and small pictures, some of
1 Some of them, no doubt, presents^ although More
generally refused gifts from suitors. When he accepted
them, he gave an equivalent.
2 Until lately it was in the possession of the well-known
Mr. Waterton, of Walton Hall, who traced his descent
from More. It is a small clock^ with one hand, and
worked by weights, but the sound of its bell is so
clear that it can be heard some distance outside the
house.

16 The Village of Palaces.
them portraits by Holbein, add to the
adornraent of the dwelling.
It is not improbable that we should have
seen here the large family picture, at pre
sent at Nostell Priory, in Yorkshire, by
which we become acquainted with the in
habitants of the house. In it we see the
father, as well as the wife and children of
More, and even Margaret Giggs, a poor
relation who lived with them, and Paterson
the jester.' More is not here in his Chan
cellor's robes, but wears the ordinary furred
cloak of the tiraes, and his wife and daugh
ter have the close diamond-shaped caps
then in fashion, not so pretty as those
that afterwards took their name from Mary
Stuart. More seems to us, from his portraits,
ascetic; and to have had the mien and
manners of the humble-minded scholar,
rather than those of the distinguished states-
1 More's grandchildren lived with him ; Thomas More,
his grandson, afterwards representative of the family, was
born at Chelsea.

Morels Personal Appearance. 1 7
man. Erasmus, who loves to linger upon
every detail connected with his friend,
tells us that — " He was neither tall nor short,
but well-proportioned, white-skinned, and
pale, with hair of a yellowish-black or
blackish-yellow, and with deeply- set eyes
which have specks in them — indications of
a happy disposition. His right shoulder
seems a little higher than his left, especially
when he walks, and his hands are slightly ple
beian (subrusticse) when compared with the
rest of his person. His health is sound rather
than robust, and his tendency is rather to
mirthfulness than gravity, though he never
approaches levity. He is a man likely to
live a long time. Careless in his dress, he
is not particular in his food. His drink has
been water from his childhood, but lest he
should be offensive to any, he deceives his
friends by drinking beer out of a pewter pot,
and that nearly water — sometiraes nothing
but water. When he has to take wine with
anyone, he only puts the cup to his lips.
He wears no silk or purple, or gold chains,
VOL. I. 0

18 Tlie Village of Palaces.
and thinks studied manners effeminate." In
the picture' we observe that More's hands
are hidden, and that his face is closely
shaven.' More's house stood a little way back
from the road, about midway between the
river and what is now the King's Road.
We find from his writings that he was very
fond of gardens, and we know that he had
1 It has been questioned whether Holbein ever painted
a large picture of the family^ although he undoubtedly
made the sketch for Erasmus now at Basel. If a large
picture of the family were ever executed by Holbein, it is
improbable that it was lost, and the one at Nostell came
from More's grandson, Roper. Probably Holbein did not
exactly follow the outline he first drew for Erasmus ;
some alterations are indeed proposed on the Basel sketch,
and the work may have been completed by an inferior
hand. The engraving by Von Mechel, in 1794, is pro
bably only an elaboration of this Basel sketch'; that there
was another picture from whioh it was taken must be very
doubtful, especially to those who know how often details
are changed by copyists.
3 During his imprisonment he grew a long beard ; he
was never sorry to be saved trouble about his person and
thus unintentionally adopted the new fashion.

More's Chelsea Garden. 19
one at Chelsea, in which he delighted to walk.
It seems to have been at the back of his
house, and though it would have appeared
poor to us, was probably admired in his
day, as he had opportunities of seeing the
latest improvements in the grounds of the
royal palaces. The first advance in garden
ing, as in other arts, was towards pedantry,
the desire being then to obtain a contrast to
the wild, uncultivated country, as it is now
to have something different from our square
fields and stiff boundary lines. We read
that at Nonsuch there were fountains and
pieces of sculpture, and hedges forraing
rounds and divisions. But in general, hor
ticulture was then scarcely attempted, and
gardeners were very seldora kept. More's
garden may have been little more than a
" pleasaunce," consisting ofa greensward and
some large trees; one of which — standing,
perhaps, in the centre — he marked with a
sacred name, and thought he put to a righte
ous use. There were probably a few
shrubs, some lilacs, and a yew or juniper,
c 2

20 The Village of Palaces.
and no doubt More's daughters did
not forget to introduce some bright
flowers. Miss Manning, in her agreeable work, " The
Household of Sir Thomas More," writes,
" Erasmus' noted and admired the stone jar
placed by Mercy Giggs on the table, full of
blue and yellow irises, scarlet tiger-lilies,
dog-roses, honeysuckle, moon wort, and herb-
trinity."' And she is no doubt right in sup
posing that most of the flowers then culti
vated were such as were indigenous to the
country. Ellis Heywood, in a work he
wrote in Italian, dedicated to Cardinal Pole,
speaks of More's country retreat as "The
beautiful and coramodious residence to
which, when fatigued with his occupation
in the City, he returned for the refreshment
and solace of retirement." He thus de
scribes the garden : —
" The gentlemen of whom I have spoken,
1 She is incorrect in making Erasmus a visitor at
Chelsea. ^ Pansy, or some say hepatica.

More's Chelsea Garden. 21
being one day at dinner with Sir T. More,
afterwards descended about two stones'
throws into the garden, walked on a little
lawn in the middle, and up a green hillock,
where they halted to look round them. It
was an enchanting spot, as well from the con
venience of the situation — frora one side
almost all the noble City of London being
visible, and from the other the lovely Tharaes,
surrounded with green fields and wooded
hills — as for its own beauty, being crowned
with an alraost perpetual verdure, and
covered with lovely flowers and the sprays
of fruit-trees so admirably placed and inter
woven that, looking at them, they appeared
like a veritable piece of living tapestry raade
by Nature herself — so rauch more noble than
the works of art, as she gives fuller satisfac
tion than that imitation of beautiful things,
which leaves the mind more dissatisfied than
content." Perhaps this description was from recol
lection, for EUis Heywood had been at
school in London, and his father, as we

22 The Village of Palaces.
shall have occasion to notice,' was an
intimate friend of More.
As we have no works on gardening for
some years after this time, we can only find
frora incidental notices the naraes of the
plants now cultivated. Among the flowers
raentioned by Chaucer, is the red valerian
(set wall or holie herbe), which, is now
frequently found about colleges and upon
the walls of ruined convents. Red and
white roses were cultivated, the sweet
cabbage rose, the white and orange lily,
and probably the holyhock, which has
a Saxon narae, and seeras to have been
brought frora the East in very early tiraes.
Several flowers, frora their sweet scent, were
called gilly-flowers, as the wall gilly-flower
(wallflower), the castle gilly-flower (stock),
and clove gilly-flower, "sops in wine" (clove
pinks) Spencer's " coronation ;" and others
from their fragrance or purple hue were
known as violets. To these we may add the
anemone, lily of the valley, periwinkle,
1 In the third Chapter.

More's Grounds at Chelsea. 23
broora, star of Bethlehera, honesty (lunary),
cuckoo-flower or Ragged Robin, blewblawe
(bluebottle), and willow-flower. But our
raore showy garden treasures had not then
arrived, and More would have been sorry
they had, for they carae with the heretical
Fleraish weavers to whom Elizabeth offered
an asylum.
There seems to have been a separate or
chard to the house, and we might have found
in it not only apples and pears, but cherries,
plums, medlars, peaches and apricots.' In
the kitchen garden, vegetables would be
few — not even a turnip or carrot ; nor had
he probably the raeans of making a salad, for
Hume tells us that when Queen Katherine
wanted one she had to send to Holland.'
Having thus endeavoured to give some
idea of More's surroundings at Chelsea, we
shall proceed to sketch his rise and his life in
that locality.
1 Nicolas' " Privy Purse Expenses of Henry VIII."
3 In addition to his garden. More had a farm comprising
about one hundred and thirty acres.

24

CHAPTER II.
Ecclesiastical Associations of More — Liberal Sentiments
in his " Utopia" — His Scrupulous Impartiality — Home
Life— He builds an Oratory at Chelsea— Persecutes
Protestants — Punishments infiicted in his house at
Chelsea — Refuses to acknowledge the King's Divorce
— His Imprisonment — Lady More's Expostulation —
His Execution.
ll/rORB was endowed, not only with a
-L'-L kindly disposition, but also with a
strongly idealistic mind. He had no vanity
or selfishness, no gravitation towards the
earthly, but walked araong raen, " with
a far look in his immortal eyes.'" This
1 There is a story that More's mother dreamed, just
before he was born, that she saw in her ring that she was
to have a son, whose face should shine gloriously.
Wedding-rings, in those days, had inscriptions, or posies.

More's Early Patron. 25
turn of mind greatly increased the im
pression produced upon hira by his early
associations. When a boy, he was a page
in the palace of Cardinal Morton,
amid the magnificent surroundings of that
learned and kindly patron. More speaks
of him as a raan " gentle in coramunication,
yet earnest and sage," and says " that in
his face did shine such an araiable reverence
as was pleasant to behold." No doubt the
page was also highly gratified by the com
mendations of the Cardinal, who was wont
to say to his friends — " This child here wait
ing at the table, whosoever shall live to see
it, will prove a marvellous man.'"
Accordingly we find that as soon as young
More began to think of selecting a course
on them. More presented one to Cranvilde's wife, which
contained in Latin : " All things are measured by good
will." 1 It was usual then to place young men of position
under some eminent prelate, and thus we find the sixth
Duke of Northumberland, when a boy, serving as an
attendant upon Cardinal Wolsey, in which capacity he
became enamoured of Anne Boleyn.

26 The Village of Palaces.
of life, his first desire was to become a Fran
ciscan, and even when he had entered his
father's profession, and been called to the
bar, we find him retiring for four years to the
neighbourhood of the Charterhouse, where
he gave hiraself up to prayer and devotion.
He now adopted certain religious habits,
which he continued to the end of his life,
wearing a hair shirt,' and passing a consi
derable portion of his tirae in devotional
exercises. Had not marriage been forbidden
to ecclesiastics, he would have become a monk
or a priest. But his vivid imagination could
not be confined to religion alone, and he
considered "men might live for the next
world, and be merry withal"
Such seem also to have been the views
of Cardinal Morton, and although " jocu-
latores " were discountenanced by the severer
clergy, Morton entertained his Christmas
company with plays. On these occasions
1 The hair shirt which he wore in prison is now pre
served as a relic in a convent at Spilsburg, near Bland
ford.

Amusements at the Cardinal's. 27
young More would " Suddainlie sometiraes
step in araonge the players and never
studyeing for the matter make a part of
his owne theare presentlie amonge them,
which made the lookers on raore sport than
all the players beside." Jesting was in
favour at the Cardinal's house. Thus, we
read of a man there, who aimed at being
witty, and, though he generally only ap
peared foolish, sometiraes hit the mark. The
question being put to him what was to be
done with the infirm poor, he said they should
be made monks and nuns. At which the
Cardinal smiled, but a friar who was pre
sent began to grow angry, and said
if the poor were thus provided for, sorae
other provision must be raade for friars. To
which the jester replied that they should, of
course, be treated as vagabonds. The friar
became incensed at this, and the Cardinal
had to calm him down by reminding him it
was only intended for a joke.
Meanwhile More indulged his humour by
translating parts of Lucian, and the Greek

28 The Village of Palaces.
poets, and writing Latin epigrams. Some
idea of these may be gathered from the fol
lowing specimens, but he says his attempts
never pleased him —
" Plies in the loving cup a guest espied.
Removed them, drank, and then put back a few,
And, being questioned, sagely thus replied —
' I like them not — but cannot speak for you.' "
" Dismounting from his horse a courtier cried :
' Here, hold my horse, boy ! ' to which he replied,
' Will one, my lord, suffice for this wild steed ?
I feel afraid !' 'Of more there is no need.
One can restrain him.' Quickly answered he,
' If one's sufficient, then you don't want me.' "
But More could not justly be accused of
jocosity. His huraour flowed frora a ver
satile and ingenious raind, untraramelled by
pride or ambition, and not from any ex
uberant hilarity. There was no bitterness
in it, but much invention occasionally
exhibited in punning, which was then much
in vogue. Beatus Rhenanus says, "He
seasons all things with .such pleasant gaiety
that I never saw anything more witty. I
could believe that the Muses had brought

More's Mental Gifts. 29
together in him whatever is jocose, hu
morous and sahent. But his wit never
wounds, but is open, sweet, and anything but
bitter. For he only jests inside his teeth,"
Fuller writes : — " Some ground we have in
England neither so light and loose as sand,
nor so stiff and binding as clay, but a mix
ture of both, conceived the surest soil for
profit and pleasure to grow together on : such
was the soil of this Sir Thomas More in
which faoetiousness and judiciousness were
excellently tempered together. Yet some
have taxed hira that he ' wore a feather in
his cap, and wagged it too often, ' meaning
he was over free in his fancies and conceits."
More, in his youth, entered into most kinds
of harraless pleasure. He played chess, was
fond of the fragrance of sweet gums and
spices, and loved music so well that he
learned the viol. To his early hfe also
belongs his sketch of Utopia,' and when
1 Raphe Robinson, who translated the work into Eng
lish in 1551, calls it "'frutefull, pleasant, and wittie." It
was also rendered into Italian, French, and Dutch.

30 The Village of Palaces.
we consider the power of reflection and
imagination evinced by it we can understand
Dean Colet's saying that " there was but one
wit iu England, and that was young Thomas
More." Utopia abounds in sentiments very
far in advance of his century. Sorae of
thera are so free as to be alraost coraraunis-
tic — to these, however, he only gives a
qualified approval. Here we read — " How
great ahd how idle a corapany is there of
priests and religious raen as they call them !
— put thereto all rich men, specially landed
men, which coraraonly be called gentlemen
and noblemen."
In religion he was in favour of the mar
riage of priests, and of the widest tolerance.
" The raost and wiser part of the Utopians
believe that there is a certain godly power,
unknown, everlasting, incoraprehensible, in
explicable, far above the capacity and reach
of raan's wit." They conderan a man to
exile who says that those of other religions
shall be eternally damned, and any that forces
his creed upon another is to be banished or

The Utopians. 31

condemned to slavery. The man who denies
the existence of God, or the iraraortality
ofthe soul is to be excluded from all honours,
and not to be allowed to disseminate his
views, but is not to be punished because it is
in no raan's power to believe what he wishes.
The people in Utopia despise gold ; those
who have been guilty of offences are con-
pelled to wear gold chains and rings. The
children wear diamonds and other precious
stones, which they discard on coming to
maturity.' The following epigram, composed by More
after his second marriage, seems signifi
cant : —

Some man hath good.
But children hath he none ;

1 Among other matters he recommends wide streets,
lofty houses, late dinners, cremation, and artificial incu
bation of eggs. He disapproves of capital punish
ment for theft, and is in favour of convict labour. When
people were incurably ill, they should, at their desire, be
put out of the world.

32 The Village of Palaces.
Some man hath both,
Bnt he can get none health ;
Some hath all three.
But up to honor's throne
Can he not creep by no manner of stealth.
To some she sendeth children.
Riches, wealth.
Honour, worship, and reverence all his life,
But yet she pincheth him
With a shrewd wife.
Be content
With such reward as fortune hath you sent."
Erasmus tells us that More was the first
person who convinced hira that high educa
tion in women was not only unobjectionable,
but raost desirable. He says that More's
daughters understood not merely music and
languages, but astronomy and logic. They
could read Latin as easily as he could, and
" if you should hear them playing skilfully
on various instruraents of music, or watch
them poring over every kind of Latin or
Greek author, like little busy bees, here
noting something to copy, here culling some
saying to be used as a maxim, here learning

More's Daughters. 33
by heart some little story to repeat to their
friends, you would say that they were Muses
toying sweetly in the loveliest paths of Aonia,
collecting flowerets and sweet marjorara to
weave their chaplets," No doubt the exara
ple of More and his faraily had considerable
influence in advancing the education of the
ladies of the tirae. He says he wishes his
daughters to walk through the pleasant
meadows of modesty; that they never be
enamoured of the glistening hue of gold and
silver ; that they think no better of them
selves for all their earthly trimmings, nor
any meaner for the want of them.
And again: "If any woman shall join
many of the virtues of the mind with a little
skill of learning, I shall account this more
happiness than if she were to able to at
tain Croesus' wealth, joined with the beauty
of Helen."
It was when More becarae Chancellor of
the Exchequer, in 1520, that he purchased a
piece of land at Chelsea, and he finished
building his house two or three years after-
VOL. I. D

34 The Village of Palaces.
wards. We have already indicated sorae
reasons which raay have led to such a
choice, and we may add that More seeras to
have been on farailiar terras with various
bishops, such as Clarke of Bath, Voysey of
Exeter, and Stokesby of London — all of
whom lived by the river side. It is surprising
how aquatic the people were in those days —
the boat took the place of the carriage.
Many of More's interesting conversations
took place upon the water, where also he
sometiraes studied books of poleraical
divinity. More succeeded Wolsey as High Chancellor
in 1529. The Cardinal had for some tirae
been jealous of hira, and the tone they adopted
towards each other was very characteristic
The Cardinal wanted a grant from Parlia
ment, which More opposed, " I wish that
you had been in Rorae when I made you
Speaker," said Wolsey angrily, " So do
I," replied More gently, "for it is a
place I have long wished to see." On
another occasion the Cardinal said, " By the

More as Chancellor. 35
mass ! thou art the veriest fool of the Coun
cil." " God be thanked !" returned More,
" that the king hath only one fool there
in," More's rapid disposal of business in Court,
led to the following epigram : —
" When More some time had Chancellor been
No more suits did remain.
The same shall never more be seen
Till More be there again."
He endeavoured in every way to lessen liti
gation, and allowed no subp^na to issue
until a bill had been filed signed by the
attorney, and read by hiraself,
A story is told that one day a Mr, Tubbe,
having brought for his approval a stiateraent
of his client's cause, More perceiving it to be
frivolous, instead of signing his name, wrote
beneath it, " A Tale of" before the attor
ney's name, " A. Tubbe." His purity and
impartiality were especially remarkable ; and
his son-in-law. Roper, coraplained jocosely
to hira that none of his friends or relations
were the better for his being Chancellor, and
D 2

36 The Village of Palaces.
that no fees could be obtained for private
influence, as in Wolsey's time. He even
decided a Chancery suit adversely to the
clairas of the husband of his second daugh
ter, and he prided hiraself on never having
asked the king for a penny, A Mistress
Croker, a widow, sent him a present of a
pair of gloves and £40 in angels, in conse
quence of his having decided a case in her
favour ; to which he replied, " Mistress since
it were against good manners to forsake a gen
tlewoman's newe yeare's guift, I am content
to take your gloves, but as for your monie, I
utterlie refuse."
Such were his feelings with regard to
justice that he said that though there was
no one he loved more than his father, or
hated more than the devil, still if there was
a suit between them, and justice was on the
devil's side, he should give judgment in his
favour.'" 1 The force of this comparison will be better realized
when we remember that More bore to his father so great
affection and respect that whenever he passed through

More's Wives. 37
More was wont to say that we should not
desire wealth, because, if we would have dis
pensed riches well, God would take the will
for the deed, and that if we should have spent
them badly, it would have been better that
we had never had them. His disregard
of his own interests, and of those of his
family, seem to have not quite accorded with
the sentiments of his second wife. He lived
on the most happy terras with his children
and with his first wife, whom he married out
of consideration for her feelings, although
he preferred her younger sister; and the
want of sympathy of his latter partner did
not destroy his affection for her, and in sorae
antithetical Latin lines upon the tomb of his
first wife, he expresses the tenderness of his
feelings towards both. After saying, "I
know not which is dearer of the two," he
adds : —
Westminster Hall to his place in Chancery, if his father
were sitting as judge in the Court of Queen's Bench, he
would go to him, and, " reverently kneeling down in the
sight of all, ask his blessing."

38 The Village of Palaces.
" Oh ! could religion and the fates agree.
Together happily might live the three !
The tomb shall join us, may we meet in heaven !
And thus by Death, what life denied, be given."
Perhaps his wives' ideas of heaven may
have been different.
More never spoke harshly to his second
wife, but would often turn aside her anger
by sorae little pleasantry — soraetiraes calling
her a " jolly maister woraan," or joking her
about being " penny wise and pound fool
ish." On her trying to kindle his arabition
by saying, " My mother has often told me
that it is better to rule than be ruled," he
replied, " That is truly said, good wife, for
I never found you yet willing to be ruled,"
In those days, music seems to have been
considered a reraedy for shrewishness,
" What, then, thou canst not break her to the lute ?
Why, no — for she hath broke the lute on me."
With this before us, we are somewhat
amused when Brasraus observes incident
ally that More succeeded in inducing her

His Asceticism. 39
to learn the lute and viol, and set her a
music lesson every day.
But More's strong eonderanation of all
vanities would have soraetiraes tried the
teraper of raore forbearing woraen than his
Alice. He often stigmatized harmless follies
as unpardonable wickedness, and when any
one took pains in dressing to be fine, or in
stroking up their hair to show their high
foreheads, he would say that if God gave
thera not hell he should do thera great
injustice, as they took so much pains to
please the world and the devil.
Although More's imaginative raind roved
in youth araong the fields of liberal specu
lation, his constitutional tendencies were
always earnest and devotional. Age and
retireraent often strengthen convictions,
especially such as are of a religious nature,
and we shall find that More, as he
advanced in life, becarae in some respects
almost fanatical. That he might be the less
interrupted in his religious exercises and
meditations, he had at Chelsea constructed

40 The ViUage of Palaces.
the " newe buildinge " a short distance from
his house, containing a chapel, library, and
gallery, and here he was wont to spend a
portion of every day, and the whole of
every Friday. Ho also used to assist in
the service of the parish church. Here, we
read, " The Duke of Norfolk coming, on a
time to Chelsey to dine with him, fortuned
to finde hira in the quier, with a surplis on
his backe, singinge, to whorae, after service,
as they horaeward carae arrae in arrae, the
Duke said, ' God's bodie ! God's bodie ! ray
Lord Chancellor, what a parishe clerke, a
parishe clerke ! You dishonour the kinge and
his office." " Naie," quoth Sir Thomas More,
smilinge on the Duke, " your Grace may not
think that the kinge, your master and raine,
will with me for serving God his raaster be
offended, or thearbie account his office dis
honoured." We may observe that there is less incon
gruity in such conduct on the part of More,
inasmuch as up to this tirae the Chancellor
ship had generally been held by ecclesiastics.

His Religious Intolerance. 41
But there are many proofs that he carried
his religious enthusiasm too far. Not only
did he continue to wear his shirt of hair
under his Chancellor's robes, but he fasted,
and often in secret scourged himself with
whips of knotted cord.
Unfortunately in religion, indifference is
often the source of liberality, and earnest
ness frequently begets intolerance. Thus
More gradually began to think the mainte
nance of the Roman creed of vital import
ance, both for morality and salvation, and
in that rude age pious and learned men,
whether Romanists or Protestants, were
ready to endure or inflict anything in de
fence of doctrines on which they thoroughly
believed eternal happiness or misery de
pended. Eraotional feeling occasionally
warps judgment, otherwise a man who set
such a high value upon impartiality would
have hesitated to make calumnious state
ments ; in some cases — as in that of Bilney
— he may have been misled.
It was More's duty, as Chancellor, to

42 The Village of Palaces.
suppress heresy, but his zeal in the cause
seems to have sometiraes betrayed him into
overstepping his legal rights.'
After all we have heard of More's pleasant
country home at Chelsea, it must give us a
slight revulsion to learn that he had often
here men lying in the stocks in his porter's
lodge, and that he had a tree in his pleasure
grounds, which he christened " Jesus' tree,"
or the " Tree of Troth," because he was
wont to flog heretics at it.
He was greatly against the dissemination
of the Scriptures in English, but the reason
then was, that they were circulated in sup
port of books against the church, Some
tiraes he even raade doraiciliary visits to
search for such works.
When Tyndale printed the New Tes
taraent in 1526, and sent it over here,
Tunstall, and Sir T, More bought up almost
1 For instance, he kept one John Field eighteen days
in prison at Chelsea, whereas he was only entitled to keep
him ten. But More often seems to have hoped to induce
people to change their views.

Destruction of Bibles. 43
the whole irapression, and burnt it at Paul's
Cross. Soon afterwards Tyndale printed a
second edition, and sent the books privately
to his brother John Tyndale, and Thoraas
Patmore, merchants, and to another young
man, who disseminated them. They were
for this adjudged in the Star Chamber by
Sir Thomas Moore, to ride with their faces
to the horse's tail, having papers on their
heads, and the New Testament and other
books which they dispersed, to be fastened
thick about them, pinned or tacked to their
garments or cloaks, and at the Standard in
the Cheap, theraselves to throw thera into a
fire made for that purpose, and then to be
fined at the King's pleasure. The impo
sition was eighteen thousand eight hundred
and forty pounds.'
Speaking of Erasmus, of whose wit and
1 Tunstall bought up the copies of Tyndale's translation
of the Scriptures. It is said that More offered to pardon
a heretic if he would tell him who supported Tyndale.
" The Bishop of London, by buying his works," was the
reply. More smiled, and said he believed it.

44 The Village of Palaces.
learning he had the greatest appreciation,
he wrote, " If my darling Erasraus has
translated those places with the like wicked
intent that Tyndale hath done, he shall
¦ be no more my darling, but the devil's
darling." More, when Chancellor, would some
times go in person with the Lieutenant of
the Tower to apprehend such as he sus
pected to favour the Reformers, and search
their houses for New Testaraents and other
books. An instance of this occurred notably
in the case of one Petit, a burgess of
the city, and free of the grocers. More
called upon him, and followed his wife
into his chamber, where he searched for
proscribed books, and then, though not
finding any, committed the man to
prison.' Fox tells us that John Tewkesbury,
leatherseller of London, had been converted
by reading " The Wicked Mammon." He
was accused of holding the doctrines con-
1 Strype.

Imprisonments at Chelsea. 45
tained in it, and said he maintained
Justification by Faith, and that a man
should do good works for the love of
God only, and not for reward. The first
examination of Tewkesbury before Tunstall
and other prelates was in 1529, and after
a week's disputation he was sent from
the Lollards' Tower at Lambeth Palace
to Sir Thoraas More, the Lord Chancellor,
at Chelsea to see whether he could turn
him; and there he lay in the porter's
lodge, hand, foot, and head in the stocks
six days — then he was carried to Jesus'
tree in More's privy garden where he was
whipped, and also twisted in his brows
with small ropes that the blood started
out of his eyes. After this he was sent
to be racked in the Tower till he promised
to recant. He was sentenced to carry a
faggot in procession to St. Paul's Church,
and to stand at Paul's Cross with it —
also to carry it about different parts of
London, and have two signs of faggots
embroidered on his sleeves to be worn all

46 The Village of Palaces.
his life-time. He was also placed under
limitations as to his place of abode. After
wards he seems again to have professed his
former opinions, and to have said that
he abjured under compulsion, and he was
again brought before Sir T. More and
the Bishop of London. He had reraoved
the emblematic faggots frora his sleeves,
and again read the obnoxious books, " The
Obedience of a Christian Man," and " The
Wicked Mararaon." He denied Purga
tory and Transubstantiation. Two years
afterwards he was again brought up, and
" Sentence definitive against John Tewkes
bury was read and pronounced the 16th
day of the raonth of December, 1531, in
the house of Sir Thomas More, High
Chancellor of England in the parish of
Chelsea. After this, the Sheriffs received
the aforesaid Tewkesbury, and burned him
in Smithfield.'"
1 Tewkesbury is said, we know not how truly, to have
been taken from More's house, and to the stake, without
the King's writ.

Persecutions at Chelsea. 47
We also read that Master Bainhara, a
lawyer and son of a Knight of Gloucester
shire, was accused to Sir Thoraas More,
Chancellor, arrested, and carried out of the
Middle Temple to the Chancellor's house
at Chelsea, where he continued in free
prison, till More found he could not convert
him. Then he cast hira into prison in his
own house, and whipped hira at the tree in
his garden called the " Tree of Troth," and
afterwards sent hira to the Tower to be
racked, till he was in a manner lamed,
and Sir Thomas was present while the
punishment was adrainistered. Afterwards
he was brought before John Stokesby,
Bishop of London, in 1531, in the said
" town of Chelsea." Bainhara subraitted
and said that he was deceived by ignorance.
Afterwards he returned to his confession,
and before the congregation, which was in
a warehouse in Bow Lane, prayed every
body rather to die than to do as he had
done, for he would not feel again such a
hell as he felt for all the world's good.

48 The Village of Palaces.
He was again proceeded against, and
charged araong other things with having
said that he had " as leave pray to Joan
his wife as to Our Lady," and that
" Christ's body is not chewed by the teeth,
but received by faith." Also that St.
Thoraas of Canterbury was " a thief and a
murderer, and a devil in hell." Fox finishes
his account of Bainhara by saying that,
" When at Fulhara' he was a fortnight in
the coal house in the stocks with irons on
his legs, then carried to More's, where he
was chained to a post two nights, then
sent to Fulham, where he was cruelly
handled for a week ; then to the Tower,
where he lay a fortnight scourged with
whips. From thence to Barking, then to
Chelsea, and so to Newgate. He was burned
on the afternoon of Mayday, 1532. We
read that when he carae to the place of
his execution he prayed lying flat upon the
ground, then rising up and erabracing the
stake, stood upright on the pitch barrel,
1 Froude regards this as a second series of persecutions

Master Bainham. 49
closed the chain about his raiddle, and while
the sergeants made it fast said — " I ara
come hither, good people, accused and con
demned for an heretic. Sir Thomas More
being both my accuser and judge ; and there
be the articles that I die for, wbich be a
very truth, and grounded on God's word,
and no heresy, which be these : —
" First, I say it is lawful for every man
and woraan to have God's book in their
own mother tongue. The second, that the
Bishop of Rome is Antichrist ; and that he
knoweth none other keys of heaven's gates, but
only the preaching of the law and the gospel ;
and that- there is none other purgatory
than the purgatory of Christ's blood, and
the purgatory of the Cross of Christ, which
is all persecutions and affiictions, and no
such purgatory as they feign in their own
imagination ; for their souls iraraediately go
to heaven and rest with Jesus Christ for
ever and ever."
As he was proceeding to speak of the
idolatry of Transubstantiation Master Pave
VOL. I, E

50 The Village of Palaces.
called out, " Set fire to him, and burn him,"
and as the train of gunpowder carae towards
hira, he lifted up his eyes and hands to
heaven, and said to Pave, " God forgive
thee, and show thee more mercy than thou
hast showed to me ; the Lord forgive Sir
Thomas More ! and pray for me, all good
people." At his burning here is notoriously
to be observed, that as he was at the stake,
in the midst of the flaraing fire, which fire
had half cotisuraed his arms and legs,
he spake these words, " 0 ye Papists !
behold ye look for miracles, and here now
ye may see a miracle, for in this fire I feel
no more pain than if I were in- a bed of
down ; but it is to me but a bed of
roses.'" 1 We are told that, in 1532, More prosecuted to the death
John Frith, a young man, " once elected at Cambridge
for his excellent learning to the Cardinal's College, Ox
ford (now Christ Church)." The account given by Hall
does not throw the guilt of this so entirely upon More.
He says that : — " Frith, a very well learned man, and of
an excellent goodly witte," was imprisoned for making a

Persecutions for Beligion, 51
The darkness of these narratives may be
relieved by a little characteristic story about
a person of the narae of Silver, More in
arguing with him could not resist saying,
" Silver must be tried in the fire," to
which the other readily answered, " Yes,
but Quicksilver will not abide it." More,
according to the anecdote, was so rauch
pleased at this reply, that he pardoned the
offender. It is impossible at this distance of time
to decide how far More thus manifested
the spirit of those disciples who wished
to draw down fire from heaven. Party
statements in periods of excitement are
never very trustworthy. The authority
of Foxe's Martyrology was held so high in
the reign of Elizabeth that a copy of it
was ordered to be placed in every church
beside the Great Bible, and one remains
book against purgatory, and after a controversy with
More, was brought into the Consistory in St. Paul's
Church, London, and finally burnt for denying Transub
stantiation."
E 2

52 The Village of Palaces.
chained in Chelsea Church at the present
day. Mr, Hearne, on the other hand,
makes the sweeping assertion that it is a
collection of old wives' fables and a tissue
of falsehoods. Certainly there is confusion
in his story of Bainham, and the miracle
with which it terminates does not greatly in
crease its credibility, Erasmus considers the
Lutherans to have been generally addicted
to exaggeration. Mr. Froude believes in
More's guilt, and considers hira to have
deserved his death, while Lord Carapbell
regards such narratives as raere inventions.
More himself, and his character gave value
to his word, said that he had never ad
ministered corporal punishment for heresy
to any but two persons, one of whom was
a child, and the other a lunatic. The
latter was perhaps the man who tried to
throw More out of one of the windows of
bis house at Chelsea, and was only diverted
from his purpose by More's throwing out a
dog, and telling hira to run down for it.
He says that, except in these two cases,

Persecutions for Beligion.

" none that came into his hands for heresy
had stripe or stroke given thera — not so
much as a fillip in the forehead,'"
During his chancellorship he made search
for men of Protestant views, and had them
brought to trial ; but whether any of them
were actually put to death, and if so, how
far More took part in passing a capital sen
tence, must remain soraewhat uncertain,
Erasmus says that More was the mildest of
men, and denies that any executions for
religion took place in his time, admitting
that if raoderation could not be preserved,
More preferred superstition to irapiety, and
that " it was to be regretted that he did not
leave theology to theologians."
More certainly wrote in favour of punish
ing the Reformers, who, he said, were not
agreed araong theraselves on many points,
and he likened them to a set of " lewd
fellows," who, if you asked them the way,
1 He must have meant that he did not personally inflict
punishment ; he admits having given orders to some
officers of the Marshalsea.

54 Tlie Village of Palaces.
turned their backs to one another, and each
one pointed straight before him. Some of
them seeraed to hold views subversive to
Christianity ; Bainhara, for instance, raain
tained that if a Turk, Jew or Saracen trusted
in God and kept his law, he was a good
Christian, It appears, too, that arguments
against miracles were at this time being used
similar to those afterwards employed by
Hume, More thought that all religion and
morality were endangered and, moreover, he
believed the false and exaggerated stories
circulated by ecclesiastics. In his " Dia-
loge" he tells us how cruelly the " Newe
Secte" had persecuted the Catholics, and
that " the cursed wretches had taught
the Devil new torraents in Hell."
Their excesses had "led to their being
punished in Italy, Germany and Spain,"
and he especially betrays the incor
rectness of his inforraation in his eon
deranation of Lord Cobham, He attributes
all their wickedness to the nature of their
doctrines and their belief in Destiny. When

Disinterested Views. 55
asked to punish men who had spoken against
himself personally, he refused. A Convo
cation ofthe Clergy voted him four thousand
pounds in recognition of his theological
works against heresies,' but he would not
accept it, and says : " I would rather cast
their money into the Thames than take it.
For albeit they were, as in deed they were,
both good men and honourable, yet look I
for my thank of God, that is their better,
and for whose sake I take the labour and
not theirs." Never lived there a raan raore
self-sacrificing. One day walking, as was
his wont, along the bank of the river at
Chelsea, he said, " Now, would to our Lord,
Son Roper, uppon condition that three
things were well established in Christen
dom, I were put into a sack and here
presently cast into the Thames." These
things were : — 1st. That princes were at
peace. 2nd. That the Church of Christ was
in uniformity of religion. 3rd. That the King's
1 He had written against -Tyndale owing to a request
made by Tunstall.

56 The Village of Palaces.
marriage was brought to a good conclusion.
He knew that he was exerting himself in
a failing cause — a consciousness that per
haps made him more energetic, for he said
to Roper, upon his congratulating him
upon the state of England, which had " so
Catholicke a Prince that no hereticke durst
shewe his face ;" " I praie God that sorae
of us, as highe as we seerae to sit uppon the
mountaines, treadinge hereticks under our
feet like ants, live not the dale that we would
gladlie bee at league and composicion with
them, to let them have their churches quietlie
to themselves, soe that they would be con
tented to let us have ours quietly to ourselves."
More's tenure of the high office of Chan
cellor cannot have been altogether enjoyable,
for Henry VIII. had previously spoken
about the divorce, but for the time being it
seemed in abeyance. He soon perceived
that the King had set his heart upon a
second raarriage, and that circurastances
might arise in which, as Chancellor, he
would be called upon to act against his

Betirement of More. 57
conscience. Accordingly, when he had held
office for two years and a half, he deter
mined to resign it — pleading, as an excuse,
an increasing infirmity of the chest from
which he suffered.
In the course of a man's life, his character
always affects his position ; and More, who
had been devoted to higher considerations
than those of his teraporal interests, now
found himself faraous indeed, but not rich.
He had only one hundred a year, which,
even in those days, was a small income for
a great man.' It had the value of about
£2,000 per annum at the present time,
A great reduction had to be raade in his
establishraent, and his " gentleraen," his
merry jester and his eight-oared barge of
state, all disappeared as by enchantment.
More despised such accessories, but his wife
liked them, and the manner in which he
announced to her his resignation shows how
1 Beef was then a halfpenny and mutton three farthings
a pound, and good wine twopence a bottle.

68 The Village of Palaces.
little he could resist the teraptation to rebuke
vanity. When he was Chancellor, on holy
days, one of his gentleraen, when service was
done, used to come to my lady's pew-door and
say, " Madam, my Lord is gone." So, after
the surrender of his office, which was a holy
day, he came unto his wife's pew himself,
and raaking a low bow, said, " Madara, ray
Lord is gone !" She thought it was one of
his jests and was little raoved, till he told
her that he had given up the Great Seal,
Whereupon she exclairaed, " Tilly-vally,
tilly-vally, Mr, More, will you sit and make
goslings in the ashes ?" ' Whereupon, srailing
at her vanity, he asked if there were not sorae
thing the raatter with her dress, and finally,
whether her nose did not " stand soraewhat
awry ?"
No doubt the change was greatly felt by
1 An expression of impatience not then uncommon,
though not, perhaps, thought very elegant. Shakespeare
makes Dame Quickly use it to Falstaff, in Henry IV.
" Tilly fally, Sir John, never tell me, your ancient swag
gerer comes not in my doors,"

Friars at Chelsea. 59
Lady More, for considerable state was kept
up by Chancellors, They were accustomed
to march on Sundays with great parade
through the city, and though More, on the
contrary, went quietly with his wife and
family to the little church at Chelsea — where
he even carried the cross in processions —
he still maintained some state and had a
suitable establishment.
About a year after More's retirement, two
ill-omened individuals came to visit hira at
Chelsea. He had heard much of Ehzabeth
Barton. She was one of those persons,
diseased both in body and mind, of whora
the designing have in all ages availed them
selves to deceive the credulous. Originally
she was nothing but a servant to one
Thomas Cobb, a steward of the Archbishop
of Canterbury, and a tiny chapel at Court-
at-Street (near Hythe) — the walls of which
still remain — was the scene of her first per
formances. But her serviceable peculiarities
having been brought under the notice of
certain ecclesiastics, she was proclaimed a

60 The Village of Palaces.
prophetess. For nine years she brought
much gain to her masters, pretending to
read thoughts, see visions, and acting much
like one of our clairvoyants or " mediuras,"
And she might have continued rauch longer
to be a source of profit, had she not been
destined to fill a page in history. She was
induced to prophesy against the King in
case he proceeded with the divorce. More;
like everyone else, had heard of this " holy
maid," but being a philosopher as well as a
devotee, felt some uncertainty about her.
Soon after her appearance. Archbishop War-
ham sent the King a roll of her sayings,
which he handed over to More, who replied
that it was " a right poor production, such
as any simple woraan raight speak of
her own wit," Sorae monks, however,
anxious to further their pious fraud, desired
that More should meet her, which he
accordingly did at the Convent of Sion,' and
1 An interesting picture by Poole was sold in 1878
in the Novar Collection, which belonged to Mr. Munro,
called the " Visitation of Surrender of Syon Nunnery."

Friars at Chelsea. 61
was so far irapressed by her that he begged
her prayers and gave her a double ducat.
In short, he thought that she might have
some amount of inspiration, although the re
ports about her, and even her own preten
sions might be exceedingly exaggerated.
The uncertainty of More on this subject,
and his increasing attachment to the Papal
party, led to tbe visits of which we are
about to speak. About Christmas-tide a
Franciscan friar called upon the ex-Chan
cellor at his house at Chelsea. No doubt
tis grey gown and sandals, and their
wearer, though coarse and dirty, would be
welcome there, especially as he was an
" observant," i.e., a man of peculiar sanctity
and mortification. Accordingly, the good
father was admitted, and seems to have
conversed with More for some time, pro-
This Convent at Isleworth was of the Order of St
Bridget, and was one of the first large monasteries sup
pressed ; indeed, the conduct of the brethren in the affair
of the Nun of Kent, tended to incite the King against
conventual establishments in general.

62 The Village of Palaces.
bably on miraculous occurrences. More,
with his usual hospitality, asked him to
stay for the night, and it was not until after
supper that the friar disclosed the real
object of his visit. He began to, speak of
the " Nun," gave her high coraraendation
for her holiness, and said "it was wonderful
to see what work God had wrought in her."
For all which. More responsively " thanked
God." He farther said that she told ray Lord
legate of three swords that God had placed in
his hands — 1st, The ordering the Spirituality
under the Pope; 2nd, The rule as Chan
cellor ; 3rd, The raeddling with the marriage
of the King, More replied that he would
hear nothing against the King, and the
friar seems to have gone to his charaber
soraewhat out of humour at this rebuke,
saying " That the Cardinal's soul had been
saved by the Nun's mediation."
Afterwards, about Shrove-tide, another
observant, one Rich, came to More's house
at Chelsea. He arrived a little before sup
per, and began asking More whether he

Visitors at Chelsea. 63
had seen Risby, and whether he had spoken
to him about the Nun of Kent, and about
the King's grace. More replied that he
had been very glad to hear of her virtue ;
but that he had no wish to hear of her
revelations about the King, as she had had
an interview^ with the King himself. Rich
seems to have been offended at this lan
guage, for on supper being brought up, and
More's asking him to sit down with him to
it, he refused and left the house for London.
But Rich visited him once again at Chelsea,
and stayed a considerable time.'
Soon after there came to his house the
Prior of the Charterhouse at Sheen, and
one brother Williams with hira, who were
more wary than the observant friars, and
although they spoke rauch of the Nun,
merely descanted on her virtues, WiUiaras
came another time, and told More a long
tale about soraething that happened when
she went to the house of a knight in Kent,
who was tempted to commit suicide. More
1 More's letter in " Burnet's Collection."

64 The Village of Palaces.
afterwards told the Prior of Charterhouse
that she was a false deceiving hypocrite.
He had already put Rich on his guard about
some of the tales circulated about her. But
it is evident that More's house had becorae
well known to the religious fraternities, and
that he was regarded as a man who sympa
thized with them. Risby and Rich were
active and daring men, ready to risk every
thing in opposing the King, and about a
year after their visit to Chelsea, Risby was
executed with the Nun, while Rich seems to
have died in prison. More was accused of
" misprision of treason " for his connection
with them, and was called upon to plead his
cause at Lambeth before the Archbishop
(Cranraer), the Lord Chancellor, the Duke
of Norfolk, and Crorawell. From the
speeches delivered on the occasion it would
appear that the charge was partly that he
opposed the King's wishes with regard to
the divorce. After the discussion, as his
watermen were rowing him back to Chelsea,
Sir Thomas was very " raerrie " in his boat.

More Befuses the Oath. 65
Roper thought from this that the proceed
ings against him were stopped, and when
they had landed, and were walking together
in the garden, he said that he hoped all was
now well. To which Sir Thomas replied,
that it was indeed so, " and I thank God,"
but went on to say that the cause of his
jubilation was not that he had been ac
quitted, but that he had " given the devil
a foul fall," because he had gone with
those lords so far that he could not without
shame draw back. But a letter he wrote to
Cromwell led to his name being omitted
from the list of those compromised with the
Nun. An Act of Parliament having been passed
that all British subjects should take the
oath of the King's supremacy, all the
clergy were summoned, and also Sir Thomas
]yj;ore — the only layman — to appear and con
form. On the morning on which he was to go
to Lambeth for this purpose, before he went,
he repaired to Chelsea Church, as was his
wont before entering upon important busi-
VOL, I. ^

QQ The ViUage of Palaces.

ness. His wife and children were accus
tomed to accompany him down to the river
to kiss him and bid hira farewell ; but on
this occasion he allowed none to follow him
beyond his gate, but " pulled the wicket after
him with a heavy heart." When in the boat
he remained silent a long time, but at length
said to Roper, " I thank our Lord, son, the
field is won." At Larabeth, More refused
tbe oath, saying that although raany learned
men had taken it, he could not go against
the generally received opinion of the whole
Christian world.
The real point at issue between More and
Henry VIII. concerned the supremacy of
the Pope. There seemed to More some
thing novel and preposterous in a layman
being the head of the church — and the
anomaly must have appeared greater when
that layraan was to be Henry VIII. More
was a loyal subject, but he knew the King's
character well. As he still refused to take
the oath of supremacy or adrait the King's
marriage with Katherine to be invalid —

Sent to the Tower. 67
although he offered to swear to the succes
sion of Anne Boleyn's children — he was
comraitted for four days to the custody of
the Abbot of Westminster, in hopes that he
might be induced to comply. After this
the oath was again proffered to hira,
and upon his again refusing he was
sent to the Tower. But More was not
daunted, his firm and buoyant spirit sup
ported him on entering that gloomy abode,
and he even cheered himself and those
around him with little pleasantries. The
porter demanded as his due his " upper
garraent," whereupon More threw hira
his cap, saying he was sorry for his
sake it was not a better one. On the
meagre prison fare being laid before him,
the Lieutenant of the Tower, an old friend,
said, he regretted that, " owing to orders, he
could not entertain him more worthily."
" I verily believe you," replied More, " and
thank 3'^ou most heartily for it, and assure
yourself I do not mislike my fare, but when
soever I do, spare me not, but thrust me
p 2

68 The Village of Palaces.
out of your doors," Such light repartee
may seem to some strange from a man in his
position, but it was not inconsistent with his
character. He was accustomed to regard
death merely as a transition to a happier
state, and his faith was so strong that he
felt none of that underlying doubt which
daraps the cheerfulness of many good
Christians. His wife took a very different
view of the situation, and the dialogue be
tween them upon her visit to the Tower is
too characteristic to be omitted.
" What the good year," Mr, More, she
exclairaed, " I marvel that you who have
hitherto always been taken for a wise man
will now so play the fool, and lie here in this
close filthy prison, and be content to be shut
up thus with mice and rats, when you might
be abroad at your liberty, with the favour
and good-will both of the King and the
Council, if you would but do as all the
bishops and best learned of his realm have
done ; and seeing you have at Chelsey a right
fair house, your library, your books, your

His Wife's Expostulation. 69

gallery, your garden, your orchard, and all
other necessaries so handsome about you,
where you might in company with me, your
wife, your children and household, be merry,
I muse what a God's narae you raeane, here
still thus fondly to tarry," To which he
repUed, " I pray thee, good Mistress Alice,
tell rae one thing. Is not this house as near
heaven as mine own ?" She answered after
her custom, " Tilly-vally, tilly-vally," He
replied, " How sayest thou. Mistress Alice,
is it not indeed ?" " Bone Deus, raan, will this
gear never be left ?" " Well then, if it be
so, I see no great cause why I should rauch
joy either of my fair house or anything be
longing thereunto, when if I should be but
seven years buried underground, and rise
and come thither again, I should not fail to
find sorae therein that would bid me get out
of doors, and tell me plainly that it was
none of raine. What cause have I then to
like such a house as would so soon forget its
raaster ? Again, tell rae, Mistress Alice,
how long do you think we raay live and

70 The Village of Palaces.
enjoy it ?" " Some twenty years," she said.
" Truly," replied he, " if you had said some
thousand years it had been soraewhat, and
yet he were a very bad raerchant that would
put himself in danger to lose eternity for a
thousand years."
In the Tower of London a cell is pointed
out to visitors in the dungeon of the great
White Tower, as that in which More was
incarcerated. It is miserably small and
cold — a mere niche or closet in the wall,
about five feet square, and if there is any
truth in the tradition, and in the charges
against More, there must have been a sort of
Nemesis in his fate; for this was the very
dungeon in which he had sat as an inquisitor,
and immediately in front of his cell was the
rack on which his victims had been placed.
He was kept in prison for raore than a year,
and was so rauch weakened by conflneraent,
that he had to lean on a staff, and required a
chair to be brought for hira during his last
trial. But his spirit was unbroken, he still
refused to take the oath, and being falsely

Sentenced. 7 i
accused of having " malitiouslie, traitorouslie,
and diabohcallie " denied the kinsc to be the
head of the Church,' he was sentenced to be
drawn on a hurdle through the City of
London to Tyburn, there to be hanged until
he was half dead, afterwards to be cut down,
disembowelled, and that his four quarters
should set up over four gates of the city, his
head on London Bridge. His final words
to his judges were " I verily trust and shall
right heartily pray that though your lordships
have been on earth my judges to condem
nation, yet we may hereafter raeet in heaven
merrily together to our everlasting salvation,
and God preserve you all, especially my
sovereign lord the King, and grant him faith
ful counsellors." His sentence was after
wards commuted to decapitation. When he
was taken back to prison. Sir William
Kinston, the Constable of the Tower, who
conducted him, bade him farewell with a
1 The Act had declared it high treason by words or
writing to deny it, but More had merely refused to swear
to it.

72 The Village of Palaces.
heavy heart and raany tears, but More said,
" Good Mr. Kinston, trouble not yourself,
but be of good cheer, for I will pray for you,
and ray good lady your wife, that we may
meet in heaven together, where we shall be
merry for ever and ever." His favourite
daughter, Margaret, forced her way to him
through the guard of halbert-men that sur
rounded hira, and erabraced and kissed him
again and again, only able to exclaim, " Oh,
my father ! oh, ray father !" Again she
returned to embrace hira till tears fell frora
his eyes, and scarcely any of the crowd
or even of the guard could keep from
weeping. We have already noticed how prejudicial
the confinement in the Tower had been
to More's health, and that before he
entered its cold damp cells he was suffering
in the chest. The end of his life affords a
conspicuous instance of the mind proving
superior to circumstances and physical
infirmity. His humility was as marvellous
as his courage. Speaking of his approaching

Execution. 73

death, he said, " Lord, help me ; if God for
my many and grievous sins will suffer me to
be damned, his justice shall be praised by
me 1 but I hope his mercy shall have the
upper hand." We are told that on the ap
pointed day " More was brought by the
Lieutenant out of the Tower, clad in an old
frieze gown, his beard being long, his face
pale and lean, carrying in his hand a red
cross and casting his eyes towards heaven,"
But he felt none of the apprehension which
such a description might seera to iraply.
Firm in his convictions, he was calm and
even " merrie " to the last. Perhaps he
wished to show how little a good man should
fear death.
On mounting the scaffold, he seemed so
weak as to be ready to fall, wherefore he
said to the Lieutenant : " I pray you. Sir,
see me safe up, and for my coraing down let
me shift for myself." The executioner knelt
before him, as was the custom, to ask his
forgiveness, to whom he replied, kissing
him, " that he had nothing to forgive a man

The Village of Palaces.

who was going to do him the greatest kind
ness." But he added, " Thou shalt never
have honesty of the striking off of my head
— my neck is so short," ' Having placed
his head on the block, he bade the executioner
stay until he had removed aside his beard,
observing that " it had never committed any
treason against the King." These were his
last words.
What a sad change had events brought
over the happy household at Chelsea.
During Sir Thomas' incarceration his
daughter Margaret says that they comforted
themselves by reflecting upon his virtues.
His wife writes in a letter to Cromwell, " I
paid weekly fifteen shillings for the bord
wages of my poure husband and his servant,
for the mayntaining whereof I have been
compelled of very necessyte to sell part of
myn apparell."'
1 Hall's " Union of the Noble Families of Lancaster
and York."
^ Fisher, who had better accommodation, was allowed
20«. a week, but his relations do not seem to have paid it, for

Property Confiscated. 75

After More's death his little property was
confiscated and his wife was turned out of
the house — the King only allowing her
twenty pounds a year. More Hall, North
Mims, which had been some time in the
family, was settled upon the Princess
fourteen weeks were due when he died. Only three weeks
were owing for More, such were the exertions made by his
family. More's head was put on London Bridge, and his
body buried in the Tower. It is said that his daughter
afterwards obtained his head, preserved it with aromatic
spices, carried it about in a leaden box as a relic for nine
years, and that it was buried with her at St. Dunstan's,
Canterbury, where it can still be seen. " In 1835 the vault
of the Roper family was accidentally opened, when it was
found to contain five coffins ; and in a niche in the wall,
in a leaden box something in the shape of a beehive, open
in the front, and with an iron grating before it, was the
skull of Sir Thomas More, in the place where it was seen
many years ago." — Gentleman's Magazine. When the
Vicar, the Rev. J. G. Hoare, last saw this relic, it seemed to
be fast decaying. The wooden box in which Margaret Roper
kept it nine years, until her death in her thirty-sixth year
in 1544, is in the possession of Mr. Thurlow, of Baynard's
Park, Surrey. Lord Teynham is descended from Margaret
Roper. Bourke mentions a tradition that Queen Elizabeth
offered her a ducal coronet — a strange a;nachronism.

76 The Village of Palaces.
Elizabeth for life, and was only recovered
at her death by Sir Thomas' great grandson,
Cresacre More.
In 1544 More's widow was granted a
house in Chelsea, at a rent of twenty shil
lings. This had been the residence of the
parish priest — perhaps was the " gallery,"
as Doctor Larke, the rector of the church
where More assisted, and who was appointed
by him, was executed ten years after his
patron for denying the Supremacy. His
successor seems to have been a raan of ad
vanced views, for he was reraoved in Mary's
reign for being raarried, but was reinstated
by Elizabeth, We can see in Chelsea, at the
present day, the church More attended. All
that was done in 1667 consisted of reraoving
the small nave on the west and the little
shattered tower, and replacing them by a large
square addition and lofty tower. The church
of More was probably cruciform, and was a
very primitive structure, with everything in
miniature, the walls being about twelve feet
high and the length about sixty feet.

Epitaph. 77

The epitaph written by More upon himself
and his wives still remains where he placed
it, over his first wife. It is surmounted by
his crest — a Moor's head. The inscription
has been twice restored, and upon these
occasions the space where were the words,
" and to heretics " was left blank. More
had written that he had been " troublesome
to thieves, murderers and heretics."
Erasmus seems to have objected to the last
word, but More said that he had inserted it
intentionally (arabitiosfe), for that he feared
evil to the world from them.
It is very probable that this epitaph in
the chancel was placed by More over the
spot where he delighted to stand in his sur
plice singing the service, especially as he
says that he put it up to familiarize hira
self with thoughts of death, which he hoped
would be to him the gate of life. We know
that he did take up his place in the choir,
both from the story already given of the Duke
of Norfolk's finding him there, and from
the allusion to his usually leaving the church

78 The Village of Palaces.
without the knowledge of his faraily. If
they sat within his chapel, they could not
see hira in the chancel, and he would depart
by the little door near his epitaph. His
eyes must often have gazed upon the
trefoils, mullions and arches we now
behold, and the chapel of the Lau-
f ence faraily was becoming venerable even
in his time. But the chapel in the
South aisle has still greater interest, as
having been built by More hiraself, and it
remained a private freehold until five years
since, beyond the control of the Bishop. Upon
the ceiling we see, at the present day, his
arms, three moorcocks, depicted, and the
capitals of the pillars which support the
arch leading to it are enriched with carvings.
On the East pillar, we can plainly read,
araong the scrolls and other ornaments, the
date 1528 ; and on the West, are three
heads, one raale and two feraale, the latter
in the diamond-shaped caps of the period.
These raay have represented More and his
wives. He presented plate to this chapel,

Walls Bemaining. 79
and was very liberal to the church and the
poor. It is interesting to notice in connec
tion with the later history ot Chelsea, that
he established here a house for the reception
of the aged and destitute ; one of the first
lay institutions of the kind. Another coin
cidence may here be mentioned, seeming to
fulfil some of More's predictions — a tablet
to one of the family of the heretic, Tyndale,
has been placed over his monument.
The walls of Sir Thomas More's garden can
still be seen surrounding the Moravian
burial-ground. Their construction, bright
red brick, and decaying state, testify their
age to be greater than that of the school-
house, a building marked in Kip's plan
as existing at the comraenceraent of the last
century. At the south-east corner of the
ground, the wall juts out into the garden,
and we find raarks of gateways and a fire
place, as if some house had stood there. It
may be that these formed part of More's
house, which would thus have stood nearly
due north of the site of Lindsey house ; but

80 The Village of Palaces.
in Kip's view there are a cottage and out-
offices here a few yards from the north
west end of Beaufort house, and there may
have been something similar on the spot in
More's time.

81

CHAPTER IIL
Bishop Fisher — Holbein — Heywood — Henry VIII. at
Chelsea — Lord Sandys — Building of Chelsea Palace.
A MONG the old-fashioned figures we
•^-*- might have seen passing in and out of
More's house at Chelsea was that of Fisher,
Bishop of Rochester. He had been tutor
to Henry, and confessor to the King's
grandraother, and is believed to have
persuaded her to found St, John's and
Christ's College in Cambridge, of which
University he was appointed Chancellor.
In character and career he resembled More.
He was a raan of great learning and piety,
was duped by the Maid of Kent, opposed
the King's divorce, and refused to swear
to his supremacy. The lamentable con-
VOL, I, - G

82 The Village of Palaces.
dition to which he was eventually reduced
in the Tower is pitiable to read, especially
when we reraember that he was now in his
eightieth year. He writes
" I have neither shirt, nor sute, nor yet
other cloathes that are necessary for me to
wear, but that be ragged and rent too
shamefullv." Paul TII. to reward his fidelity sent hira a
Cardinal's hat,' which when Henry heard he
exclairaed, " Mother of God ! he shall wear
it on his shoulders then, for I will leave hira
never a head to set it on." His execution
was imraediately ordered, and he was be
headed a fortnight before More.
But in contrast to this learned prelate,
another visitor of a very gay and fantastic
nature was frequently in this neighbourhood
— Hans Holbein, the young painter. Many
have entertained doubts whether the light
ness of his character was raerely that of the
1 Strype observes, with reference to this Pope's Hat,
that " the head it should stand upon was as high as
London Bridge e'er it could come to him."

Holbein. 83
inventive huraorist, or implied a certain
amount of recklessness and dissipation.
Our perplexity on the subject is increased
by the fact that the principal evidence
against him is his own handiwork — a
caricature among his illustrations of Eras
mus' "Praise of Folly,"' in which he
represents himself as an Epicurean of the
swinish type, eraptying with one hand a
wine bottle down his throat, while with the
other he grasps a woraan round the neck.
Certainly he was not on good terras with
his wife ; there was an " incompatability " it
has been said, and this discorafort together
with the scarcity of artistic eraployment in
Germany, led to his directing his steps to
wards England, We can iraagine the travel
stained artist arriving on foot at the portals
of More's residence, having walked the
greater part of his way, and perhaps begged
— as was not then uncommon with students.
He brought an introduction from Erasmus,
^ A work named by Erasmus " Encomium Moriee,'' out
of compliment to More, and his love of humour. G 2

84 The Village of Palaces.
but was, perhaps, surprised at not finding
More established in soraething like a Gerraan
schloss, and his report of it was probably
the foundation of Erasmus' statement thiat
the house was not invidiously " grand,"
More was no respecter of persons; he found
Holbein a pleasant fellow as well as a good
artist, and gave him a hearty welcorae, but
it is said that when More asked hira who
had sent him to England, he took out a
piece of charcoal and sketched the features
of the Earl of Arundel. Sir Thomas invited
him to take up his abode in his house,
and the painter is supposed to have lived
with him two or three years. We may
feel certain that their intercourse led to the
embellishraent of More's house in many
ways, for Holbein had great taste in orna
mentation, and was fond of making designs
for plate and furniture. His efforts in this
direction were probably seconded by his
patron who loved art, and especially pictures,
of which he seems to have been a tolerable
judge.

Holbein's Painting. ' 85
It has been generally supposed that the
portraits we have of Anne Boleyn were
taken by this artist, but some doubt is now
entertained on the subject, as he does not
seem to have entered the King's service
until after her death.' On the sarae ground
a question has been raised whether More
introduced Holbein to the King, and cer
tainly the painter left this country for two
years, and when he returned. More was no
longer in favour. A story, however, is told
that on one occasion, when More was giving
an entertainment to the King at Chelsea,
the room was adorned with pictures by
Holbein, and the King exclaimed in astonish
ment and delight, " Is there such an artist
alive, and can he be had for money?"
1 A miniature of her in the possession of Mr. Charles
Sackville Bale may perhaps be by Holbein, but the pic
ture in the Prince's Chamber of the Houses of Parliament
is taken from a portrait in the Museum of Berhn, and is
probably of some one else, and by some other hand. Mr.
Bale has a miniature of Henry Fitzroy, natural son of
Henry VIII., which is perhaps by Holbein.

86 The Village of Palaces.
Holbein's portraits of More's family were of
small size, with the exception of the cele
brated family group, and it would add great
interest to the picture at Nostell Priory if
we could believe it to have been the work of
art which so much attracted the attention
of Henry, Another anecdote is told in
favour of an earlier introduction to the
King,' It is said that when the intelligence
of More's death was brought to Henry, he
was playing draughts with Anne Boleyn,
and that he instantly arose and left the
room, exclaiming, " Thou hast been the
cause of this man's death." Later on in
the same day, according to Baldinucci,' the
Queen in passing cast her eyes upon an
exquisite portrait of More, which was in the
King's possession, and as we raay suppose
was the work of Holbein. Seeing the face
so expressive as of the living man, and the
eyes as though beholding her from the
1 Holbein commenced painting regularly for the King in
1537. 2 Womum's " Life of Holbein."

Holbein's Introduction. 8/

canvas, she was seized with horror and
remorse, and unable to endure it, threw
open the window of the palace and cast it
out exclaiming — " Oh me ; the man seeras
alive !"
It certainly would seem strange that a
raan who designed the ornamentation for
the city at the coronation of Anne Boleyn,
and who was painting pictures at a house
where the King frequently visited should
be unknown to him, but it would not
follow that he should be iraraediately and
permanently engaged. We may add that
there was long a portrait of Henry VIII. in
Chelsea, traditionally said to have been
painted by hira, and to have hung in More's
house.' But Woltraan is of opinion that
Holbein was introduced to Henry later by Sir
Thoraas Wyatt, whose portrait he painted.
Upon entering the King's service he received
£30 a year, and rooms in Whitehall, and the
1 This picture was in the possession of Mr. Powlett, of
No. 1, Cheyne Walk, and was sold with his effects upon his
death, about thirty years since.

88 The Village of Palaces.
estimation in which he was held by Henry
is well represented by the following anec
dote : — A nobleman came one day, and
knocked at the door for admission, and the
painter told hira to corae another time as he
was engaged. The nobleman became angry
and used threatening language, Holbein
thereupon opened the door, and knocked him
down stairs. The man fell with a cry being
seriously hurt, and Holbein got out of one of
the windows and went to the King asking
pardon for his offence. Soon after his
accuser arrived, and threatened himself to
punish Holbein if the King refused to take
the raatter up ; to which Henry ' replied,
"Now, you have no longer to deal with
Holbein, but with me the King ! I tell you,
my lord, that out of seven peasants I can,
if I please, any day make seven Earls, but
out of seven Earls I could not make one
such artist as Hans Holbein.'" Consider
able confusion has been caused by many
pictures of other artists having been
1 Womum's " Life of Holbein."

Heywood. 89

ascribed to Holbein. Among the genuine
portraits by him, we have one of Fisher,
Bishop of Rochester, and another of Rich,
who bore false witness against More, and
afterwards became Chancellor.
It is probable that the rainute descrip
tion given by Erasmus of More's life at
Chelsea was that which he had heard from
Holbein, and if so, it speaks well for the
painter's appreciation of virtue and religion,'
The painter ended his days in England,
where he was employed in taking portraits,
not only of the King, but of raost of the
principal people of the realm — dying at the
age of fOrty-five, in the year 1543.
But very different men were soraetiraes
to be seen in More's house, such as Hey
wood, the poet — one of the first that
substituted on the stage scenes of daily
life for scriptural representations. He was
the favourite jester of Henry VIIL, and his
huraour cheered the disturbed spirit of Mary
1 Erasmus also obtained information from a " famulus,"
or servant, who had been with More.

90 The Village of Palaces.
when she was languishing on her death-bed.
He lived generally at North Miras, where
More had property, and this led to the
famiHar intercourse that existed between
thera. As in More, so in Heywood, there
was a strong basis of religion beneath his
jocularity, and after Mary's death he be
carae a voluntary exile. The profane jest
ing in which he indulged was coraraon even
araong ecclesiastics in those rude tiraes, and
pleased his auditors with whora the raonks
were especially unpopular.
In the " Four P's " a Palraer, a Pardoner,
a Poticary, and a Peddler, he ridicules
absolutions and reliques; and towards the
end the devil finally begs the Pardoner not
to let any raore women go to hell as they
give so much trouble there.
In the " Spider and the Flie," the Protes
tant and Catholic party are represented in
the fabular forra then in vogue. The work
is in praise of Queen Mary, who is the raaid
with the broora that knocks down the
spider's web. Harrison says that "in this

Heyioood. 91

work Heywood dealeth so profoundlie and
beyond all measure of skill that neither
he himself that made it, neither anie one
that readeth it can reach into the meaning
thereof." Heywood wrote a book of versified pro
verbs from which we may see how venerable
are many of the sayings we use at the
present day. It has been said that some
of them were by More. The following may
serve as specimens of these old saws —
OF BIRDS AND BIRDERS.
" Better one bird in the hand than ten in the wood ;
Better for birders, but for birds not so good."
OF A sheep's bye.
" He cast a sheep's eye at her, a strange eye spread.
To see a sheep's eye look out of a calve's head."
But the most reraarkable visitor to More's
" pore house at Chelchith'" was the King
1 In using this expression. More did not mean that his
house was mean or small, for he often said " this room
pleases me well." It was a humble mode of speech, and
Wolsey used it in speaking of his palace at Whitehall.
Erasmus calls More's house a Prsetorium.

92 The Village of Palaces. ¦
hiraself. Henry VIIL who had been very
careful with regard to the education
of his children, was considered to be
the most learned prince that had been
known for many ages. He could play
several musical instruraents, coraposed two
masses, and understood Latin, French,
Spanish, and Italian. So well read was
he in abstruse theology, the learning then
in fashion, that a false rumour spread that
his father intended him to be Archbishop
of Canterbury. In the earlier part of his
reign his great ambition was to be favoured
by the Pope, and to obtain some title from
him in recognition of his talents.' An
attack upon Luther appeared likely to
conduce to this desirable end, and he ac
cordingly wrote, or rather assisted in
writing a book on the " Seven Sacraraents"
against hira. In this work he raagnified the
authority of the Pope to such an extent
1 Burnet says Pope Julius sent Henry a golden rose,
with which he was much delighted, "though such pre
sents might seem fitter for children.''

Henry VIII.'s Theology. 93
that More, who looked over it and arranged
some of the materials, suggested to him
that some day such admissions might be
inconveniently cited against his own inde
pendence.' But the King wanted a title,
and could spare neither flattery nor vitupe
ration. He calls the Pope the chief Priest
and Supreme Judge upon earth ; but of
Luther, he says :
" Alas ! the worst wolf of hell has de
voured hira, and sent hira down into the
lowest part of his belly, where half alive,
in death he eructates from the filthy jaws
of the hellish beast those yelpings which
the ear of the whole flock turn from in hor
ror and abomination."
And in another place :
" Exalted like Lucifer, be has fallen and
been shivered like lightning; but imitating
1 More says the King convinced him by arguments that
the passages should remain. The vituperative language
did not seem so strong at that time as it does now. More
and Tyndale attacked each other in term.s of great bitter
ness.

94 The Village of Palaces.
the desperation of the devil, a devil himself,
that is a caluraniator, he begins to break
forth into slanders and blasphemies against
the Pope, and envying other believers, to
spread forth, like the old serpent, nets of
infidelity." In return for these effusions, Henry ob
tained the title of " Defender of the Faith,"
and the Pope, not to be outdone in flattery,
said, " that it appeared that the Holy Ghost
had assisted him in writing it."
When the book was in preparation. More
was on such good terras with Henry, that
he spoke of hira with enthusiastic admira
tion, increased, perhaps, by his Catholic
zeal, " The King," he writes, " is so cour
teous to all men, that every one may find
somewhat whereby he may iraagine that he
loveth him as the citizens' wives of London
do, who iraagine that Our Lady's picture,
near the Tower, dost smile upon them as
they pray before it."
Erasmus says, " that, at this time, Henry
never permitted More to leave him, as he

Henry VIII. at Chelsea. 95
was useful for business, and a joyous com
panion for relaxation in pleasant stories,"
He would have hira to discourse with him
on georaetry, astronoray and divinity; often
taking him up to the leads to study the
stars at night, and used to invite him to
supper. More disliked being so much at
the palace, because he could seldom see
his wife and children. But when he was at
Chelsea, Henry would sometiraes come un
expectedly to his house to dine, and " be
merry with hira." After dinner they would
walk in the garden. On one of these occa
sions Roper saw the King with his arm
round More's neck. We can imagine the
son-in-law's surprise and delight at such
condescension. As soon as he had an oppor
tunity, he went to congratulate More, ob
serving, " that he had never seen the
King so familiar with anyone else, except
Wolsey," But More, who understood by
this time the wickedness and ambition of
the King, replied —
" I thank our Lord God I find his Grace

96 The Village of Palaces.
my very good Lord indeed ; and I believe
he doth so singularly favour me as any
other subject within this realra ; howbeit,
son Roper, I may tell you, I have no cause
to be proud thereof; for if my head could
win hira a castle in France it should not
fail to go off," More seeras occasionally to
have approached to " soraething like pro
phetic strain," for when in the Tower, he
asked his daughter how Anne Boleyn, was —
whom he knew to be inimical to him, especi
ally since his refusal to attend at her coro
nation. " In faith, father," quoth she,
" never better." " Never better, Megg ?"
quoth he. " Alas ! Megg it pitieth me to
reraeraber into what raisery she shall shortly
corae. These dances of hers will prove
such dances, that she will spurn our heads
off like footballs, but it will not be long
e'er her own head will dance the like dance."
This was said at a tirae when Henry was
by no raeans thought cruel or sanguinary.
We may not unjustly conclude from
More's remark, " If my head could win a

Lord Sandys 97

castle in France, it should not fail to go,"
that Henry had been talking on that oc
casion about the French war, and had shown
great eagerness about it, and perhaps sorae
recklessness as to the cost. The subject
might have been easily introduced by some
reference to Lord Sandys, who had married
the niece of Sir Reginald Bray, and thus
had become possessed of the Manor House
of Chelsea, Sir William Sandys was treas
urer of Calais in J 519, and was appointed
Captain of.Guisnes in 1527, In 1621, when
Wolsey was at Calais on an Embassy with
More and Sandys, Pace wrote to him, ".The
Kynge signifieth unto your Grace that
where as olde men doith nowe decaye gretly
within thys realme, his mynde is to agwaynte
other yonge men with his greate affayris,
and therefore he desyrith Your Grace to
make Sir William Sandys and Sir Thoraas
More priveye to all suche matiers as Your
Grace shall treate at Calice,"
In 1524 Sandys led the van of the
English army, and in 1527 Sandys and
VOL. I, H

98 The Village of Palaces.
More were again at Calais' with Wolsey, and
went to meet the French King at Amiens.
Sandys seems to have been strongly at
tached to Henry, who had raised him to the
peerage in 1523. He went upon an Em
bassy to Rorae in the train of Wolsey, and
afterwards subscribed the Articles of Im
peachment against him, and signed the
letter to the Pope for the divorce of Kather
ine.^ Shakespeare, either following some
current stories, or drawing conclusions from
Sandys having been a soldier, and having
1 On a previous occasion More had been kept more than
six months at Calais, and bemoans himself " to be shut
up in a little seaport town, unpleasant both in soil and
climate." 3 A letter from Lord Maltravers, in 1540, announces
the reception of the news of the death pf Lord Sandys,
Captain of Guisnes, and shows how strictly Calais was
guarded. It is dated from Calais, and says that after the
closing of the gates one of the posts arrived, who called
over to the keeper of the walls that Lord Sandys " was
departed to God's mercy." Maltravers immediately caused
a letter to be cast over the walls to him, asking where
he died, and telling him not to spread the news.

Lord Sandys 99

served much in the French war, introduces
him asa raan of gallantry, and a detester
of French fashions —
Lovell. A French song and a fiddle have no fellow.
Sands. The devil fiddle 'em ! I am glad they are going,
For sure there's no converting of 'em ; now.
An honest country lord, as I am, beaten
A long time out of play, may bring his plain song
And have an hour of hearing ; and by'r lady.
Held current music too.
Chamberlain. Well said, Lord Sands ;
Your colt's tooth is not cast yet.
Sands. No, my lord ;
Nor shall not while I have a stump.
Afterwards, at Wolsey's entertainment,
the Charaberlain says : —
Sweet ladies, will it please you sit ? Sir Harry,
Place you that side ; I'll take the charge of this.
His Grace is entering — Nay, you must not freeze ;
Two women placed together makes cold weather !
My Lord Sands, you are one will keep 'em waking,
Pray sit between these ladies.
Sands. By my faith.
And thank your lordship — By your leave, sweet ladies.
(^Seats himself hefween Anne Boleyn and another lady.)
H 2

100 The Village of Palaces.

If I chance to talk a httle wild, forgive me ;
I had it from my father.
Anne. Was he mad. Sir ?
Sands. 0, very mad, exceeding mad, in love too ;
For he would bite none ; just as I do now.
He would kiss you twenty with a breath. (Kisses her.)
Chamherlain. Well said, my lord.
So now you're fairly seated, gentlemen.
The penance lies on you, if these fair ladies
Pass away frowning.
Sands. For my cure,
Let me alone.''
By a strange anachronism Shakespeare
afterwards calls him Sir William Sandys,
Perhaps he is represented conversing with
the Chamberlain because he eventually suc
ceeded to that office hiraself. Two of his
three sons becarae priests, and the advice
and exaraple of More, whora they saw on
Sunday singing the service in their church,
may have inclined them towards such a
vocation. There must have been great
religious sympathy between More and this
nobleman, whom we find abetting the per
secution of the Protestants in Calais, and

Lord Sandys' Chapels. 101

when rebuilding his paternal mansion The
Vyne, giving proof of his zeal and munificence
in ecclesiastical matters. Horace Walpole
speaks of his chapel as, " the most heavenly
in the world," and we can still see its
richly carved stalls, and the flooring tiles
and stained windows (representing Francis I.
and his wives), brought here by Lord
Sandys. Moreover, Lord Sandys founded
with Bishop Fox the Fraternity of the
Holy Ghost for the promotion of religion and
charity, and built a chapel for it adjoining
an older one of a similar character two
miles frora his residence. Camden highly
commends the scriptural paintings on the
roof of this structure ; and at Mottisfont
(the seat of Sir C. Mills, a descendant of
the Sandys' family) some of the velvet and
gold furniture, which belonged to it, may be
seen ; and book coverings marked with the
Sandys' arms, and the motto " Aide
Dieu," The traveller passing through Basingstoke
still sees near the railway the picturesque

102 The Village of Palaces.
ruins of this sanctuary — an octagonal tower
with richly carved niches, and part of the
eastern wall. The stained glass, which
filled the windows, presented by Lord
Sandys, was reraoved for safety during the
Civil War, and reraained stowed in boxes in
a hayloft at Mottisfont Abbey, until 1868,
when it was given by Lady Mills to the
parish church of Basingstoke. It contains
several large and well-executed figures, re
presenting Peter in Gethsamane, the Scourg
ing, and sirailar subjects, there is a fine
canopy, and the arras of Sandys with those
of Bray on a shield of pretence.'
As Lord Sandys took so much interest in
the neighbourhood of Basingstoke, it was
natural that he should be willing to
1 It is difficult to see the window, as it is behind a gal
lery. It has been said that the glass was brought from
Boulogne by Lord Sandys, who was there when Henry
met Francis I., in 1532, but Mr. Westlake, author of the
" History of Design in Painted Glass," tells me that he
considers it to be Flemish, and probably brought from
Calais.

Henry VIII's Palace. 103
receive Mottisfont, near Romsey, and let the
King have Chelsea Manor. The brightness
of the river, and the clearness of the air,
which even now raake this neighbourhood
dehghtful, had charraed Henry, when he
had visited More, and as he had no feeling
of sentiment or remorse, he now thought
of coming to live in a place close to
that of his once intiraate friend, whose life
he had taken, and whose property he had
confiscated one year before. The old
Manor House was small, and he sold it to
the Laurence family, who perhaps thus
first became connected with the place, al
though the " Laurence Chapel " is of much
older date.'
Henry built a palace in what is now
Cheyne Walk, a little to the east of the
1 The Laurence Chapel in the Church at Chelsea is of
the decorated period, and it has therefore been supposed
that the Laurence family had been here for a couple of
. centuries. But there is no proof that they built it, and
the name may have been given to the chapel merely on
account of certain interments in it. The name is now spelt
Lawrence

104 The Village of Palaces.
present Albert Bridge, and about a quarter
of a mile below where More had lived. It
was of brick, and its front to the river,
though not lofty, was somewhat grand,
being two quadrangles in length. The
eastern end, which seems to have been the
earlier, had a castellated wall and four
large buttresses running up high above the
roof, perhaps intended to represent towers.
There was some resemblance to the front
of St. James' Palace, the gateway of which,
in St, James' Street, was built about this
period.

105

CHAPTER IV.
Katherine Parr — Clandestine Visits of Seymour — The
Princess Elizabeth at Chelsea — Her Intimacy with
Seymour — Scenes in the Palace — Jealousy of Katherine
— Lady Jane Grey — The Duke of Northumberland —
Costly Wardrobe of the Duchess — Anne of Cleves —
Lord Bray's Funeral.
pHELSEA PALACE, or Place, became the
^ jointure house of Katherine Parr, and
after the King's death she continued to live
there. Her property was large, and she
kept up a certain amount of state, her re
tinue numbering over one hundred persons ;
and we may suppose that the appointments
of her establishraent here were as splendid
as those she afterwards had at Sudeley,
where the walls were hung with fair tapestry,
the chairs and cushions covered with em-

106 The Village of Palaces
broidery and cloth of gold; the bed
steads were gilt, and curtained with crimson
taffeta. No doubt all this magnificence
sparkled very brilliantly before the eyes of
Seymour, the Lord Adrairal, a man of
mercenary and arabitious views. He was
brother of the Protector, and uncle of the
King, and his love of intrigue throws at
this tirae a certain araount of roraance
around the Royal residence at Chelsea. Sey
mour's first idea was that he might marry
Ehzabeth, and he even asked the consent
of the Council, but was refused. He then
applied to Edward to appoint him a wife,
who mildly suggested Anne of Cleves or his
sister Mary. These not suiting him, he de-
determined to marry Queen Katherine
privately, without risking a second failure.
This was the more easy of accoraplishraent,
as there had been some love passages
tween them, even before she married the
King. She alludes to her earlier attachment
to him in an interesting letter written from
Chelsea, apparently during their courtship —

Katherine a,nd Seymour. 107
" My Lord,
" I send you my moost hurable and harty
coraendations, beying desyrous to knowe
howe y" have done syns I saw you. I prey
you be not offended with rae in that I send
soner to you than I sayd I wold. For ray
prorays was but one in a fourtened. How-
beyt the tyrae ys well abrevyated by what
raeans I know not, except the weakes be
shorter at Chelsey than in other places.
My lord, your brother hathe dyfferred
answer concernyng such requestes as I
made to hym tyll his corayng hether, wyche
he say the schal be iraraediatly after the
term, Thys ys not hys fyrst promys I have
receyved of hys corayng and yet unper-
fourmed. I thynke ray ladye hathe tawght
hym that lesson ; for yt ys hyr coustome to
promys many comynges to hyr frends and
to perfourrae none, I trust in greatter
matters sche ys raore circoraspect. And
thus, ray lord, I raake my ende, byddynge
you mooste hartely farewell, wyschying you
the good I wold myselfe.

1 08 The Village of Palaces.
" I wold not have you to thynke that thys
myne onest good wyll towards you to pro-
cede of any sodayne motyon of passyon.
For as truly as God ys God my mynde was
fully bent the other tyrae I was at lybertye
to marye yew before any man I knewe.
Howbeyt God withstode my wyll theryn
most vehemently for a tyme, and through
hys grace and goodnes made that possible
whyche seemeth to me raost impossible, that
was, made me to renownce utterly myne
owne wyll, and to follow hys wyll most
wyllingly, Yt were too long to wryte all
the process of thys matter, Yf I Iyve I
schal declare yt to you myself, I can say
nothying, but as my Lady of Suffolke
sayeth, ' God is a marvelous man.' By her
that ys yowrs to serve and obey duryng
her lyf, " Kateetn the Quenb. K. P."
What attractions Seyraour had for
Katherine it is not easy to divine. His ex
pression of countenance was rather audacious

Seymour at Chelsea. 109
and dissipated than amiable ; he had reddish
hair and wore a long red beard. The exact
time when Seymour privately married
Katherine Parr is not known. Leti places
it as early as thirty-four days after the
King's death, and some have made it as
late as four months after that event. At
first she stipulated for two years, but Sey
mour begged her to shorten the period of
suspense to two months, and seems to have
succeeded. After this, he visited her by
stealth in the dawn of morning, at which time
he raight have been afraid to cross the danger
ous and unfrequented road from London to
Chelsea. We may suppose that the follow
ing letter of directions to him was written
not before the month of April, when he would
be able to have the advantage of early
light :—
" When it shall be your pleasure to re
pair hither, y' must take some pain to corae
early in the raorning, that y^ may be gone
again by seven o'clock, and so I suppose y'

110 The Village of Palaces.
may come without suspect, I pray you lett
me have knowledge over-night at what hour
y" will come,- that your porteress may wait
at the gate to the feilds for you. By her
that is, and shall be, your humble, true and
loving wife during her life.
" Kateeyn the Queen,"
This marriage having taken place without
the consent of the Council, some delicacy
was required in raaking it public. Katherine
advised Seymour to gain the services of
some leading raen, but not first to apply to
his brother as he raight refuse, which
" would only raake his folly more manifest
to the world," She evidently took the Ad
miral's view of the Protector's shortcomings,
and there was some jealousy about prece
dence between her and the Duchess. A
letter about a farm, written " Frora Chelsey
in great haste," betrays her irritation
at the opposition she received. It cora-
raences : —

Seymour's Marriage. Ill
" Thys schal be to advertysche you that
my Lord your Brother hathe thys afternone
a lyttell made rae warrae. Yt was fortunate
we war so muche dystant, for I suppos els
I schulde have bytten hym. What cause
have they to feare havyng suche a wyff?
Yt ys requysyte for them contynually to
pray for a schorte Dispatche of that Hell.
To morrowe or else upon Satterday at after
none, about thre o'clock, I wyll se the
Kynge, wher I intend to utter all my color
to my Lord your Brother, yf you schall not
gyve me advyce to the contrary."
Seyraour, wishing to obtain sorae coun
tenance for his marriage, still concealed,
wrote to the Princess (afterwards Queen)
Mary to beg her to further his suit with
Katherine Parr; to whioh she replied
that —
" If the remembrance of the King's
Majestye, my father (whose soul God par
don), wyll not suffre her to grawnt youre
shute. I ara nothing able to persuade her

112 The Village of Palaces.
to forget the losse of hym, who is as yet
very rype in myne owne reraerabrance,"
She adds : — " Other wayes I would be
glad to do hira pleasure, woweing raatters
set aparte, wher in I being a raayde, ara
nothyng connyng."
It seeras that his private visits to the
Queen had becorae known and occasioned
scandal. Seyraour, writing to her. May 17th,
1548, after marriage, says : —
" After my hurable commendation unto
your Highness yesternight, I supped at my
brother Herbert's, of whom for your sake
besides mine own, I received good cheer,
and after the sarae I received frora your
Highness by ray sister Herbert, your cora-
raendations, which were more welcorae than
they were sent. And after the sarae, she
(Lady Herbert) waded further with rae
touching ray lodging with your Highness at
Chelsea, which I denied lodging with your
Highness, and this point stood with her
for a long time ; till at last she told rae
further tokens, which made rae change

The Princess EUzabeth. 113
colour, who like a false wench, took rae
with the manner,'"
As Queen Katherine was an accoraplished
and highly educated woman, and favoured
the Reformed religion, she was not thought an
unfitting person to continue in charge of the
Princess Elizabeth, who was now fourteen."
The Palace of Chelsea, perhaps owing to
the healthiness of the place, had been the
home of Anna Boleyn's daughter ever since
she was four years old, and she was now
going through that comprehensive course
of instruction which had lately been deemed
desirable for ladles of high birth. A por
trait taken of Elizabeth in her youth,
represents her as a fair-haired girl, " sorae
what sicklied o'er by the pale cast of
thought." Nicholas Throckmorton, who
continued after the death of Henry to be
cup-bearer to Katherine, writes : —
1 This is not the original spelling.
^ Edward, when Prince, wrote to Queen Katherine in
Latin, French, and English ; he speaks of the beauty of
her letters, and the imagination in them.
VOL. I. I

] 14 The Village of Palaces.
" Elizabeth there sojourning for a time.
Gave fruitful hope of blossom's bloom in prime.
" Por as this lady was a princess born.
So she in princely virtues did excel ;
Humble she was, and no degree would scorn
To talk with poorest souls she liked well :
The sweetest violets bend nearest to the ground
The greatest states in lowliness abound.
"¦ If some of us that waited on the Queen
Did aught for her, she passed in thankfulness.
I wondered at her answers, which have been
So fitly placed in perfect readiness.
She was disposed to mirth in company.
Yet still regarding civil modesty."
Throckraorton also speaks in high terms
of the Lord Adrairal, who seeras to have
been a handsome, daring, jovial fellow —
well able to conceal his want of principle,
and a great favourite with the ladies. It
fell in with the Admiral's arabitious views
to have raagnificent surroundings, and so
Throckraorton adralringly writes : —
" Her house was deemed a second Court of right.
Because there flocked still nobility ;

Seymour. 115

He spared no cost his lady to delight.
Or to maintain her princely royalty."^
Latiraer said that Seymour was
furthest from the fear of God that ever he
knew or heard of in England," and he was
1 These lines aretaken from " Throckmorton's Ghost,"
or the legend of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, which seems
to have been written by his nephew. Speaking of the
Admiral's fall it continues : —
" When men surmised that he would mount on high,
And seek the second time aloft to match.
Ambitious hearts did sheer him then too nigh •
Off went his head ; they made a quick despatch,
But ever since I thought him sure a beast
Whoe causeless laboured to defile his neste."
Throckmorton was a time-server. He sent Mary in
formation of Edward's death, and Elizabeth of Mary's.
He was made Chief Butler and Chamberlain of the Ex
chequer, but was afterwards in the Tower for joining the
Norfolk rebellion in favour of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Towards the end of his life he was again in favour. He
owed his original advancement to the Parr family, with
which he was connected, and his early life taught him to
be respectful to those in power. His uncle lost his lands
for opposing Henry's divorce.
Raleigh's imprisonment was partly owing to his having
I 2

116 The Village of Palaces.
certainly a most unsuitable husband for
Katherine. He took care to avoid, and
was believed to despise the " common
prayer" which that excellent woman caused
morning and evening to to be celebrated in
the Palace. His designing character ren
dered Elizabeth's residence here most un
fortunate. Katherine Parr was about
thirty-five years old, but, notwithstanding
his marriage and the disparity of age, the
Admiral still entertained hopes that he
might yet be allied to the Princess, and tried
in every way to becorae unduly faraihar with
her. At first he managed sometimes to get
his wife unconsciously to assist hira, and
thus we read of them both tickling Ehzabeth
in bed and of the Admiral cutting her dress
into a hundred pieces while the Queen held
her. But he went further when he was
alone with her, and carried on something
almost approaching to persecution, Mrs,
Ashley, her governess, who was married to
seduced the daughter of this Sir Nicholas, whom he after
wards married.

Improprieties of Seymour. .. 117
a relation of Anna Boleyn, made the follow
ing admissions upon her examination : " At
Chelsea, the Lord Adrairal, incontinent after
he was married to the Queen, would corae
many mornings into the Lady Elizabeth's
chamber before she was ready, and sometimes
before she rose. And if she were up would
bid her good morrow, and ask how she did,
and strike her upon the back, or buttocks,
familiarly, and so go forth through her
lodging; and sometiraes go through to the
maidens, and play with them, and so forth.
And if she were in her bed, he would put
open the curtains and bid her good morrow,
and make as though he would come at her ;
and she would go farther in the bed, so
that he could not come at her. And one
morning he strave to have kissed her in her
bed, and this examinate was there, and bade
him go away for shame." '
" Another time at Chelsey, the Lady
•"• At Seymour Place we are told that he would some
times come to the door of her room, as soon as he was
up, "in his night-gown, and bare-legged;" but it must

118 The Village of Palaces.
Elizabeth hearing the privy lock undo,
knowing that he would corae in, ran out of
her bed to her raaidens, and then went
behind the curtain of her bed, the maidens
being there, and my Lord tarried to have
her come out she cannot tell how long.
She told the Lord Admiral these things
were coraplained of, whereupon he swore,
' God's precious soul ! he raeant no evil.' "
At the same tirae he seems to have
treated the Queen harshly,' and to have
affected to be jealous because upon one
occasion as he came upstairs to see the
Queen he met with a groora of the charaber
upon the stairs with a coal-basket, coraing
out of the room, the door of which had been
shut, Mrs, Ashley, however, found many solid
reasons for subduing her indignation against
be borne in mind that these " confessions" were not made
until his opponents were in the ascendant, and something,
also, must be allowed for the coarseness of the times.
1 When dying, she whispered to the Lord Admiral :—
" You have given me many shrewd taunts."

Jealousy of Katherine. 119
the Admiral, and not opposing his interests.
She told Elizabeth that if he had been able
to have had his will, he would have married
her instead of the Queen, and Lady Somer
set found fault with her for allowing the
Princess to go in a night barge on the
Tharaes, and for other light behaviour.
Elizabeth, who was little raore than a child,
probably saw no great harm in the Admiral's
jokes and romps, and although she did
not always like them, became gradually
familiar with him, and while Mrs. Ashley
thought that he loved Elizabeth " but too
well," her husband bade her beware, for
that the Princess did have sorae affection
for the Admiral, and soraetiraes would blush
when he was mentioned.
But Katherine, who had done so rauch
for Seymour was not Inclined to regard his
conduct so calmly, nor to consider it so
venial. She awoke frora her " Prayers and
Meditations," and her " Lamentations of a
Sinner,'" and suspecting that the Admiral
1 Works written by Katherine Parr.

120 The Village of Palaces.
went often to see Ehzabeth carae suddenly
upon thera, and found her in his arms !
Thereupon she attacked both, accused the
Princess of levity, and actually pretended
that she had seen her in another man's
erabraces. The quarrel that ensued led to
the Princess leaving the house, either at
her own desire, or at the request of the
Queen. She was removed from Chelsea to
Cheshunt a week after Whitsuntide in 1 548,
The Adrairal, after the death of his wife,
whom sorae thought he poisoned, went
again to Chelsea to confer with Mrs. Cheke.
He again made secret overtures to Elizabeth
and inquiries about her property ; and this,
together with other misconduct,' led to his
attainder and eventual execution, and to the
publicity of the above and ^a variety of other
details, which would never otherwise have
corae to light. It does not appear that
Elizabeth was wholly averse to the
Admiral's suit, though she absolutely refused
1 He not only committed frauds on the Mint, but even
contemplated carrying off the King.

Distress of Elizabeth. 121
to give any promise without the consent
of the Council — a fact which sufficiently
exonerates her from having been much
committed with him. At the same time, we
can easily understand that when she heard
that Mrs. Ashley and her "Cofferer" were
put in the Tower to be examined — " She
was marvelous abashede and ded weype
very tenderly a long Tyme, demandyng of
my Lady Browne wether they had confessed
anything." Writing to the Protector, she
says, " Ther goeth rumers abroade wiche be
greatly ageaste my Honour and Honestie,
 My Lord, these ar shameful
schandlers," She seems to have been
greatly displeased at the appointment of
another governess in the place of Mrs.
Ashley, who she said hath taken great
labour and pains to bring her up in honour
and honesty. It would be unfair to say Mrs.
Ashley would ever have countenanced any im
moral conduct in her pupil. We are not sur
prised to hear that all these inquiries and
disclosures cost Elizabeth a severe illness.

122 The Village of Palaces.
Another person reraarkable for her mis
fortunes, resided for a time at Chelsea with
Queen Katherine, both before and after her
marriage with Seymour, This was Lady
Jane Grey, now in her eleventh year,
but already devoted to study, and glad to
escape from the severe rule of her father
and mother, who had no sympathy with
such tastes. On one occasion, when she
was fourteen, we find thera hunting in
the Park, while their daughter was sitting
In the house reading the Phaedon of Plato,
It was not unnatural that Lady Jane should
like to be at Chelsea Palace with the
accomplished and Protestant Queen, who
was also the widow of her grand-uncle,
Henry VIII. After the death of Katherine,
Seymour, always trying to seize every avenue
to power, bribed Lord Dorset to let his
daughter remain with him. It is difficult
to say what his designs were with regard
to her— he told the father that he might
unite her to young King Edward. Some
think that he really intended her for his

The Dulce of Northumberland. 123
nephew. Lord Hertford, while it is just
possible that he might have thought of
marrying her hiraself, as he seeraed to have
little appreciation of his years. Much has
been written about the acquireraents of
Lady Jane Grey, She seeras to have
written Latin with ease, and introduced
Greek and Hebrew quotations iuto her letters.
John .Dudley — a man of overweening am
bition' — so far managed to ingratiate himself
with Henry VIIL that he was appointed
one of that monarch's executors. Follow
ing the sarae system he became one of the
most powerful men in the reign of Edward
VI,, and he even induced the young
King to raake him Duke of Northumberland,
after the a,ncient title had become extinct
by the death of the sixth Earl, and the
attainder of his brother. This Dudley was
always fond of splendour and gallantry, and,
.in the jousts held in 1541, figures as the
1 Probably a descendant of Lord Dudley, though some
have said that his grandfather was a carpenter. His father
was one of the Ministers of Henry VII. and was beheaded.

124 The Village of Palaces.
principal challenger sumptuously attired, and
riding a superb charger housed in white
velvet. To such a man the possession of a
royal palace would seem not undesirable,
especially when the residence was associated
with Henry VIIL, Katherine Parr, and with
Lady Jane Grey.' He obtained a grant of
the Manor of Chelsea on the death of
Katherine Parr, and thus a few raonths after
the Princess Elizabeth had left this palace it
became the occasional home of the Duchess,
whose fifth son, Robert, then a boy of
sixteen, was eventually the celebrated Earl
of Leicester, When the Duke proclaimed
Lady Jane as Queen, young Robert joined
the standard of his father and brother, and
after narrowly escaping execution, was re
leased from prison in 1554. His father was
beheaded and his estates confiscated.
The Duchess was a daughter of Sir
Edward Guildford, and the meanness of
Queen Mary In taking possession of her
wardrobe shows us the grandeur in which
1 To whom he had married his fourth son.

The Duchess' Wardrobe. 125
the Dudleys were accustoraed to live. In
the list furnished we find not only dresses
of satin and of wrought velvet, black, crira-
son and purple, but erabroidery of " love
lace of gold and silver," and large pieces of
cloth of gold ; all of which, especially the
last, were at that tirae most costly fabrics.
Afterwards the Queen, at the intercession
of Don Diego de Monde9a, restored to the
Duchess some portion of her property.
She died at Chelsea in 1554, Frora her
will we may conclude that she kept up
Chelsea Palace in something like its former
magnificence, for she mentions " the green
and gold hangings in the gallery in the
Manor House, waterside, Chelsea, with her
lord's arms and her own." These "hang
ings" were, no doubt, suspended over the
walls instead of tapestry. Upon the floor
of this gallery there was a Turkey carpet,
and we also read of a chair of state and
cushion covered with wrought green velvet.
The Duchess' bed-chamber seeras to have
been also magnificent, for she had "verdere"

126 The Village of Palaces.
hangings in it, and such ornamental articles
as a "tawny velvet jewel coffer," Among
her jewellery black enamelled rings are men-
tioned, and she had several clocks. She
left to her daughter, Mary Sidney, her
gown of black barred velvet, furred with
sable, and a gown with a high back of fair
wrought velvet ; to her daughter, Katherine
Hastings, a suramer gown and a kirtle of
new purple velvet to it and sleeves ; and to
Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Cobham, a
gown of black barred velvet, furred with
lizards," Altogether she left ten gowns of
wrought velvet,' She seeras to have been
very fond of green, even to the green parrot
she bequeathed to the Duchess of Elva,
" having nothing else worthy of her." She
adds the following directions : — " My will is,
1 It would be curious to inquire whether she still pos
sessed any of the robes of the late Duke and Duchess of
Somerset, which, on the death and attainder of that noble
man, had fallen to the Crown, and had been given out to
the Duchesses of Suffolk and Northumberland at the wed
ding of Lady Jane Grey.

The Duchess' Will. 127
earnestly and effectually, that little solera
nitie be made for me, for I had ever a thou
sand foldes my debts to be paide, and the
poore to be given unto, than anye porape
to be showed unto my wretched carkes ;
therefore to the wormes will I goe, as I
have afore written in all poynts, as you will
answer it afore God ; and you break one
jot of it, your wills hereafter may chaunce
to be well broken." Notwithstanding this,
her obsequies were conducted with great
porap at Chelsea — two heralds attended;
there were seventy-two torches carried, and
her waxen effigy was borne under a canopy
upon her bier, as in royal funerals. A
stately monument was also erected to her
against the south wall of More's Chapel,
where It can still be seen. It consisted of
four carved canopies supported by five pil
lars ; upon the back of the recess were
brasses, one representing the Duchess attired
in a surcoat, on -which her arras were
erablazoned, quartering West, La Warre
(quartering Cantilupe) Mortimer and Grelle.

128 The Village of Palaces.
Part of the enamel has outlasted three cen
turies, and the brass of the Duchess and
her five daughters remains ; but that of her
eight sons has disappeared.' Her eldest
daughter became the mother of Sir Philip
Sydney; her eldest son was killed at the
siege of Boulogne, and her seventh at the
siege of St. Quentin. Two sons died in
childhood, and in Mary's reign all those
surviving were imprisoned ; one being after
wards executed.^ In the Tower there
is a beautiful bas-relief cut on the wall
by one of them, representing the Bear and
Ragged Staff surrounded by a wreath of
acorns, geraniums, roses and honeysuckles,
said to be for the four incarcerated
brothers, Ambrose, Guildford, Robert and
Henry,° 1 An attempt was lately made to steal the other brass.
2 John was imprisoned, but died immediately.
3 There is, a little above Ormond Row, in Smith Street,
a large old house, now a ladies' school, whose site, in the
old maps, is occupied by the " Ship House," supposed to
have been a tavern. The age of this house is shown by

Anne of Cleves. 129

One of the royal personages painted by
Holbein was Anne of Cleves, who, towards
the end of her life, lived at the Palace of
Chelsea, His work, in this case, has been
much criticised ; some raaintain that he had
received a hint frora Cromwell to raake the
the infirmity of its walls, which, although massive, have
bulged inwardly, and would have fallen had they not been
strengthened. It was evidently a place of importance,
and stands back behind a broad gravel road and green
sward. There are eleven large windows in front on the
first floor, and a fine massive oaken door, the jambs of
which are adorned with carving. The entrance hall is
nearly square, and the grand staircase is above seven feet
wide, with twisted balusters and low steps. All the
rooms are panelled, large, and lofty.
Strange to say, the history of this house has been
entirely lost, and we can only conjecture that it may, on
the destruction of the Palace, have received the name of
the Duke of Northumberland's London house. This would
account for the tradition that Katherine of Arragon lived
here after her divorce, and that Lady Jane Grey was
taken to prison from hence ; Katherine Parr and Lady
Jane having been really connected with the Palace of
Chelsea. I have added this notice, as the lease of this
house will expko this year, and it will probably be re
moved. VOL. I. K

130 The Village of Palaces.

future Queen appear beautiful ; while others
assert that, if so, he certainly did not obey
the direction, but represented her as ill-
favoured, as she was In reality. She arrived
in England in Deceraber 1539, amid salvoes
of artillery and hurricanes of wind. Henry
went eagerly down to Rochester with an
ample present, to gladden his eyes with a
sight of one who, he was led to suppose,
was a bright combination of personal
charms, Protestant principles, and German
support. But, alas ! when were profit and
pleasure ever united ? Perhaps it would
have been difficult for anyone to satisfy
the ideal in the King's raind ; but for her —
this heavy, bad-coraplexioned, burly woman !
He did not stay to speak twenty words to
her, especially as he did not understand her
language, but entered his barge and hur
ried back to Greenwich. She was ungainly,
had " unpleasant airs," and all that could
be said in favour of her was that she had
a " queenly manner." Moreover, she un
derstood no language but Dutch, and could

Anne of Cleves. 131
not play upon any musical instrument.
In Germany accomplishments were not
thought fit for young ladies ; but were consi
dered to conduce to levity and dissipation.'
Henry, however, married her bravely from
political motives ; but he never consorted
with the " Flanders mare," and their union
was shortly afterwards annulled. Being as
gentle as she was ill-favoured, she took no
offence at such treatraent, and even wrote
to her brother that she was satisfied. Her
disappointment and generosity were accord
ingly taken into consideration. She was
given precedence next to the Queen, and
1 Wotton, writing to Eang Henry VIIL, says that the
" cowrte rapporte her to be of verye lowlye and gentyll
condicions. She occupiethe her tyme moste with the
nedyll. She can read and write, but understands not lan
guages, nor can she sing, or play any instrument. Your
Grace's servant, Hanze Albein, had taken effigies of Ladye
Anne and the Ladye Annelye, and hath expressyd theyr
images verye lyvelye." The close-shaped cap of the
perioddid not allow any hair to be seen, and was very un
becoming to her.
K 2

132 The Village of Palaces.
large estates and palaces were granted her.'
Probably she was familiar with this palace
during the tirae the Duke of Northuraber-
land held it, for he was her Master of the
Horse, and this raay have led to her residing
here towards the end of her life. We read
that she died an old maid at the " King
and Queen's Majesty's Palace at Chelsey"
in 1557. Her body was brought in great
state from the Palace by land to West
minster, passing by St. James's and Charing
Cross, accompanied by a long procession,
and by a hundred of her servants bearing
torches. " At the church door all did
ahght, and the Bishop of London, and the
Abbot in their raitres and copes did receive
the good lady, crossing her," After the
Requiera, on the following day, she was
carried to her tomb, and laid under a cloth
of gold ; " and there all her officers break
1 She was with Mary and Elizabeth at their en
trance into London at Mary's coronation, and sat with
them at the banquet given on that occasion.

Lord Bray. 133

their staves, and all her servants break
their rods, and cast thera into her torab,"
Chelsea saw rauch of the melancholy
splendour of funerals in the Autumn of this
year, for in November, three months later,
John, Lord Bray, was burled here with
great cereraony. He was the son of
Edraund, Lord Bray, who succeeded to
most of the property of his uncle. Sir Re
ginald, by whose first cousin. Lord
Sandys acquired Chelsea Manor, The two
Lords Bray were interred here, and their
oblong altar tomb, resembling a large stone
coffin, now, without either brass or inscrip
tion, still remains in the North side of the
chancel in Chelsea Church, The body ofthe
later lord, after lying in state at Black-
friars, where he died, was conveyed by
water to Chelsea. The procession is thus
described :
" Fyrst the crosse, and on eyther side
the 2 whyte branches borne by two clerks —
then 24 clerks and 8 prysts — then Edward
Merlyon, his hood on his head, bearing the

134 The Village of Palaces.
Standerde ; — after hym S' Richard Wheyr-
ley and S'^ Richard Harrys, chapleyns, in
theyre gownes and typpets ; then Sir Tho
mas Udall with .the banner of Arraes ; after
hyra Rudge Dragon, with the helme and
creste; then Rychemonde, with the cote
of arraes; — and after hira Garter; then the
corpse as afore borne by 6 of his men — and
on the one syde went Francis Sawnders
with the banner of the trynyteye, and on
thother syde, Tryamor Smyth with St.
George, bothe of thera having their hoodes
on theyr heads — and along on both sides
were 18 staffe torchys carried by 18 poore
men in black gownes. The next aftre the
corpse as chiefe morner went Sir George
Broke and Mr. Thomas Lyefylde; and last
Mr. Edmonde Bray and Mr. Hatche; and aftre
them all other comers ; in which order they
proceeded to the Bridge at the Blackfrlars,
where was the greate barges coverd with
black, garnyshed with schoocheons, thone
for the morners, and gentlemen, thother for
the body, quere, hatchments, and others."

Funereal Pomp. 135
Thus the mournful procession moved
slowly up the river, singing old chants,
masses, and requiems. At Chelsea, they
disembarked, with their long line of banners
and torch-bearers. We have a detailed
account of the ceremonies in the church,
and of the discourse of " Father Peryn, a
black freer," upon the text, ^' I know that
he shall rise again in the resurrection in the
last day." " He declayred how Chryste
raised Lazarus from deathe, seying howe he
was a gentleman given to chyvalrie for the
welthe of hys country, and so he said that
noble man which lay dead was, in whose
coraraendacion amonge raany other things he
fynished his serraonde."
These ancient records of the funeral of
the second Lord Bray are the more interest
ing at the present time, as after a lapse of
three hundred years the Honourable A. T.
Townshend Wyatt-Edgell has lately been
sumraoned to Parliaraent as third Lord
Bray, (When Miss Strickland visited Chelsea In

136 The Village of Palaces.
1841, Howard, of whom we shall speak
hereafter, was living at the clock-houses,
and told her he remerabered a room In the
Palace called Queen Elizabeth's nursery.
She was also fortunate enough to find some
traces of the old palace walls on the
northern part of the garden of Mr. Druce,
who hved at No. 26, Cheyne Walk,'
The postern gate, through which Admiral
Seymour had passed, was still In existence,
" the antique hinges raay still be seen in the
old wall." She also saw in Mr. Handford's
adjoining garden, "the httle stone basin
used as a fish-pond in Queen Katherine's
pleasure ground." Faulkner tells us that
the walls of the palace garden were entire in
his tirae. But since then Oakley Crescent
has been built on the site of the northern
portion of Mr. Druce's garden ; the postern
gate, with its old hinges and niche is gone,
and also sorae old mulberry and cork trees,
traditionally reported to have been planted
by Queen Elizabeth,
1 Part of the old side walls seem to remain.

Site of the Palace. 137
Miss Strickland writes : —
" Sorae of the noble trees in Mr. Druce's
garden seera coeval with that epoch, and
are perhaps the same under whose budding
verdure Queen Katherine was accustoraed
to hold her secret raeetings with her adven
turous lover,"
Mr, Howell, whose family has been long
resident in Chelsea, tells me that he reraem
bers in the grounds of Winchester House
a high leaden cistern, about twelve feet
wide, and surrounded with grotesque figures,
and bearing a date comraencing with 15 — .
This may have been Miss Strickland's " fish
pond," and was doubtless the receptacle of
the water brought through the pipes laid by
Henry VIII, from Kensington to the Palace
at Chelsea, There were several " conduits," or
fountains, along the course covered with
sraall square buildings — not unlike that
still to be seen inside the Piccadilly railings
near Albert Gate — and one in Crom-

138 The Village of Palaces.
well Lane (now Cromwell Road), and
another a little below the South Kensington
railway station existed to the middle of this
century.)

139

CHAPTER V.
Lord William Howard — His Devotion to Mary — He be
friends Elizabeth — Successes and Honours of his Son —
The Earl of Shrewsbury — Custodian of Mary Queen of
Scots — Ambition of his Countess — The Marquess of
Winchester — Lord Burleigh — The Queen's Elm — Sir
Arthur Gorges.
/^NB of those to whose firraness and
^^ loyalty Queen Mary was largely in
debted, during the disturbances at the
coraraencement of her reign, was Lord
William Howard, the son of the Duke of
Norfolk. He had been in high favour with
Henry VIIL, and with Edward VL, who
employed him on important and confidential
missions,' and he now remained faithful to
1 Hewas sent to Musco-vy in 1553 ; our first ambassador
to Eussia.

140 The Village of Palaces.
the elder sister of the King, representing
the direct succession. When Northuraber-
land collected the peers to sign their
adherence to the exclusion of Mary and
Elizabeth frora the throne. Lord William
Howard and Lord Derby^were conspicuously
absent. When Henry IL of France wrote
to Howard, then Governor of Calais,
offering, in professed accordance with Nor
thumberland's wishes, to garrison Calais and
Guisnes for hira, the reply given was " that
the French might corae if they desired,
but their reception might not be to their
taste," Soon afterwards, when Wyatt raised
the Kentish Rebellion, and disaffection was
spreading araong the Queen's troops, the
intrepidity of Howard saved the royal
cause. The insurgent leader, looking at
night for a weak point in the defences of
London, found Howard himself on the alert,
keeping guard on the other side of the
drawbridge ; and when, relying on sympa
thizers in the City, he atterapted to raarch in
at Lud gate, he again encountered Howard,

Lord William Howard. 141
who, exclaiming, " Avaunt traitor, thou shalt
not corae in here," closed the gates against
him. Such devotion at a critical juncture
was not unrewarded by Mary, who two
months afterwards made Lord William
Howard Baron of Effingham. The fears
and weakness of Mary and her Ministers
suggested many suspicions as to the persons
connected with the Kentish rising. Even
the homely Anne of Cleves was regarded
with some raisgivings, but Elizabeth was
considered to be undoubtedly guilty. Wyatt,
while he yet thought he might save his life,
was base enough to give sorae countenance
to reports against her, intiraating that there
had been some comraunicatlon between
them, but finding it availed him nothing, he,
on the scaffold, boldly and honestly retracted
what he had said. Nevertheless, Renard,
the Minister to England of Charles V.,
pressed for Elizabeth's execution, and
Gardiner laboured to obtain some proofs
against her, torturing bis victims to extort
information. She was ordered to be brought

142 The Village of Palaces.
frora Ashridge to London to be iraprisoned
in Whitehall, and the execution of this duty
was committed to Sir Edward Hastings, Sir
Thoraas Cornwallis, and the trusty Lord
Williara Howard.
There seems to have been something gentle
and pleasing In the manner of the young
Princess, which had an influence upon those
brought into contact with her; and perhaps
her resignation in her trying position
may have moved the heart of the old
statesman. She was suffering both in body
and mind, and they had to rest several
days on the road. From this time Lord
William's conduct was changed —perhaps,
being no eager partizan, he resented the
unjust course adopted by Mary. When the
Princess was coraraitted to the Tower and
her friends apprehended that she raight be
murdered, Howard becarae raore vigilant.
In the then divided state of the country, he
was almost able to coraraand as a dictator.
Being Lord High Admiral, the whole naval
power of the kingdom was at his command,

Lord Howard. 143
and as the men were not too well affected
towards the Government, it would have
been an easy matter in the delicate relations
existing with France to take them over to
the side of the enemy. The Queen, also,
was interested in a more tender way ; her
beloved Philip was coming from Spain, and
she feared that the Admiral might surrep
titiously seize him, and immure him in some
castle in France.'
How much Elizabeth owed at this time to
the power and good will of Howard it is
difficult tp estimate. He prevented her
being sent to Pomfret Castle, and when she
was liberated and went to see the Queen at
Hampton Court, he made the courtiers kneel
and kiss her hand — much to the displeasure
of Mary. But the course of action he
now adopted iraraersed him in so many
difficulties that toward the end of Mary's
1 Several celebrated Lords High Admirals lived at
Chelsea. John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, held
this office, as, at this time, landsmen were not thought
unfit for naval service.

144 The Village of Palaces.
reign he longed to resign his office and
retire to the continent. Upon the accession
of Ehzabeth the Adrairal received the re
wards of his fidelity.' He was made a
Knight of the Garter, Lord Chamberlain,
and Lord Privy Seal. The husband of his
only child, by his first wife, succeeded as the
third Marquis of Winchester ; it is probable,
therefore, that this daughter was often at
Chelsea, where the first Marquess was
living in More's house at a very advanced
age, and that her half-brother (the eldest son
of Lord Howard's second wife) thus carae to
be acquainted with the advantages of the
locality. After the death of the Duchess of Nor
th uraberland, and an interval of four years
(during which Anne of Cleves died at the
Palace), the Manor was given for life to the
Duchess of Somerset,' who held it until
1 He made great endeavours to have Calais restored to
England. But Henry II. said that, if Calais were given
back, it should be restored to Mary Stuart.
2 Elizabeth gave the advowson of Chelsea to the

Lord Howard. 145

1588. But we find that the palace was
from 1581 tenanted by the second Lord
Howard, son of Elizabeth's stanch supporter,
and thus between the two large houses
at Chelsea a connection was established of
some duration. He was four years younger
than the Queen, and was born In the very
year (1536) that Henry built the palace he
was destined to occupy. Through life he
was one of Elizabeth's principal friends and
counsellors. He was made Chamberlain;
and in 1587 after the conspiracy against
Elizabeth had been discovered, and when
the Protestant party were loudly demanding
the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, he
took upon himself the invidious task of
Duchess of Somerset, and it afterwards came into the pos
session of the Earl of Nottingham.
It is remarkable that the widows of two great rivals,
whose husbands both died upon the scaffold, should have
succeeded each other in the possession of this royal resi
dence, and we may well suppose that the latter Duchess
would have wished to obliterate all traces of her prede
cessor, whose husband had been the cause of her own un
timely bereavement.
VOL, I. L

146 The Village of Palaces.
pressing the Queen to bring raatters to a
conclusion. In consequence of his repre
sentations, and of the uncertain directions
given by Elizabeth, Lord Burghley called a
Council at which Lord Howard was present,
and where Mary's death was decided upon.
The following year he greatly distinguished
himself in defeating the Spanish Armada,
He was several times associated In coramands
with Raleigh, and Elizabeth considered him
to have been especially sent for the pre
servation of the kingdora. But Fuller
attributes his naval successes to his follow
ing the advice of others, and thinks that
his " proper person " had sorae influence
with Elizabeth, " who, though she did not
value a jewel by, valued it raore for a
fair case."
During all this critical period Howard's
usual abode was at Chelsea,' where he was
very conveniently situated between the
1 Probably he had a lease ofthe Palace from the Duchess
of Somerset. He did not obtain a lease from the Crown
till 1592.

Lord Howard. 147

royal residences in Richraond and London,
Towards the end of her life, the Queen
paid him a visit here nearly every year,
one as early as 1581 ; another was in 1585,
shortly after Lord Howard had been ap
pointed Lord High Admiral, In 1587 we
find ringers at Lambeth paid one shilling
and sixpence, " when the Queen came to
dine with ray Lord Adrairal at Chelsea;"
and the bells of St. Margaret's, Westrainster,
were rung the sarae day, when the Queen
went from my Lord Admiral to Richmond.
Nichols also records that the Queen
came to dine here from Greenwich the next
year. In 1597 Lord, Howard was created
Earl of Nottingham for the taking of Cadiz
— an elevation which gave great offence to
Essex, who had assisted in the capture.
This and other shghts, real or imaginary,
excited the irritable temper of the latter
nobleman, and led eventually to his destruc
tion. The French Arabassador, Bolssise,
who had orders to Intercede for him
writes : — L 2

148 The Village of Palaces.
" Having been inforraed that the Queen
would return to this city the day before
yesterday, I went to meet her at Chelsea,
where she had already arrived to dinner.
The Admiral had invited me as a guest,
and received me with all possible cour
tesy." On the 13th of November, 1599, the bells
of St. Margaret's were rung when the Queen
carae frora Richraond to Westrainster.
She was raet by the Mayor, Alderraen, and
Sheriffs of London, in scarlet, and the
Coramons, " a great number in velvet coats,
and chaines of golde, all well mounted on
horseback." We are told that on this
occasion her Majesty, " only dined at my
Lord Admiral's, where she found everything
to her liking,"
Elizabeth, as Fuller remarks, was observ
ant of personal appearance. She ordered
all deformed persons to be reraoved from
her sight, and the Lord Mayor in issuing
orders for the above-mentioned reception of
her Majesty, calls upon the Stationers to

Elizabeth at Chelsea. 149
send six of the coraeliest personages of the
corapany on horseback provided with torches
to the Park corner above St, James's.
From the Sydney papers we learn that
on tbe 19th of January, (Saturday), 1600,
" Her Majesty dined at Chelsey at my Lord
of Nottingharas. It is thought she will stay
there till Monday. She took with her but
the Lord of Worcester, Sir John Stanhope,'
and two or three ladies." We read in the
Cabala, " Thither are gone 200, 400, and
24/ An opinion is held that counsellors
and offices shall be raade and bestowed
there, but I will not believe it. The Lord
Treasurer, the Lord Keeper, Mr. Chancellor,
1 Afterwards Lord Stanhope, to whom this very Palace
had been granted on the Duchess of Somerset's death in
1588. Lord Howard seems to have occupied it as early as
1581. Sir John Stanhope was a gentleman ofthe Privy
Chamber to Elizabeth. His daughter married Sir Lionel
Talmach, ancestor of the Earls of Dysart. She was bap
tized at Chelsea in 1593.
2 Sir R. Cecil, 200 ; Lord Cobham, 400 ; Sir Walter
Ealeigh, 24.

150 The Village of Palaces.
were going to Richmond, but stayed till
they see what the Queen will do, and to
raorrow they will go where the Queen will
be. My Lady Rich went to Richmond to
day, but lost her labor, for her Majesty was
ready to come away to Chelsey."
Perhaps Elizabeth still felt some affection
for the palace, which had been the home of
her childhood ; for the past always seeras
brighter than the present. She certainly
remembered Mrs. Ashley with pleasure,
and wished to have her again with her in
Mary's reign, but that jealous Queen, on
hearing of her desire, iraprisoned the lady
in the Fleet. She did not even regard the
memory of rude old Admiral Seymour with
aversion, for after her accession Sir John
Harrington presented her with a portrait of
hira, accorapanied with some laudatory
verses. Lord Howard, Earl of Notting
hara, the friend of Elizabeth's early years,
seeras to have exercised his influence for the
advanceraent of Parker, his kinsman, who
was made Archbishop. It has been said that

Influence if Hoivard. 151
the only tirae when she was, or affected to be,
seriously displeased with him, was when his
wife, in her last moraents, confessed that,
by his advice, she had retained the ring
Essex had to send. The Earl, distrustful
of those about him, had thrown the ring
out ofthe window to a boy who was passing,
and asked hira to carry it to Lady Scroope ;
but be, by raistake, took it to her sister.
Lady Nottingham. The Adrairal was an
enemy of Essex, and forbade her to forward
it to the Queen. Ehzabeth, on hearing this,
exclaimed : " May God forgive you ! but
I never can." ' However, her Indignation
was short-lived, for when she was dying,
soon afterwards, and made herself worse
by sitting up, the Lord Adrairal was sent
for, who, by pressure and persuasion, In
duced her to go to bed. Lord Nottingham
married a second time, and had a daughter
1 A ring was often used at that time as a token. Eliza
beth was thus assured of Mary's death by Throckmorton,
and James of Elizabeth's by Lord Monmouth ; but the
above story has no historical value.

152 The Village of Palaces.
born at Chelsea, when he was in his
eightieth year.
But Ehzabeth had more than one friend
at Chelsea; more than one courtier who
found this a convenient situation. The Earls
of Shrewsbury had been connected with
the place since the reign of Henry VIIL
The Earl of that date had built a house
here, in whioh he occasionally resided, and
here his sixth son, by his first wife, was
born. His grandson, who now held the
house, and whose sister was married to
John, Lord Bray, becarae one of the prin
cipal actors in the tragedy of Mary, Queen
of Scots. It might, at first, seem reraark
able that a raan who was alraost a Roman
ist should have been entrusted with her,
and that she should have been allowed to
live at his country seat. But there was a
desire that the Catholic party, at horae and
abroad, should feel that she was not in un
trustworthy hands. Lord Shrewsbury was
one of the wealthiest and most powerful of
the English nobles, and so great was his

The Earl of Shrewsbury. 153
influence that, when Elizabeth, soon after
wards, removed him to place a stricter
guard upon her rival, he demanded and
obtained that Mary should be again cora
mitted to his care. Afterwards, he treated
his royal prisoner as a guest ; allowed her
cloth of state, and showed her so much
consideration that his wife asserted that
there was an improper intimacy between
them. This led to an inquiry being de
manded, which ended in the Countess being
forced to acknowledge, on her knees, that
she had stated falsehoods, Elizabeth, how
ever, thereupon gave him a command in
Lancashire, .on receiving which he thanked
her Majesty for relieving him of two " she
devils." Although he had at first been
in favour of Mary, by degrees, as her cus
todian, he had grown weary of her plots
and intrigues; and that be was, finally,
thoroughly in Elizabeth's interest may be
concluded from his having been appointed,
in conjunction with the Earl of Kent, to see
Mary's death-warrant executed.

154 The Village of Palaces.
The Countess, of whom her husband
spoke so disrespectfully, was one of the
raost arabitious and intriguing woraen of
her tirae. She was a co-heiress of John
Hardwick of Hardwick, and having raarried
three rich husbands, whose fortunes she
raanaged to obtain, finally united herself to
the Earl of Shrewsbury. After building the
three raagnificent residences of Chatsworth,
Oldcotes, and Hardwick, she left her iraraense
property to Henry Cavendish, whence It
devolved upon his brother, Sir William
Cavendish, first Earl of Devonshire. She
arranged with Mary, Queen of Scots, for
a raarriage between Lord Charles Stuart,
Darnley's brother, and Ehzabeth Cavendish,
Lady Shrewsbury's daughter by her first
husband. All was done secretly, but both
Lord Charles and his bride died the next
year. A daughter, however, was left — Lady
Arabella Stuart — whora Lady Shrewsbury
wished to set up as heir to the throne.
Elizabeth was rauch displeased at these pro-

The Countess of Shrewsbury. 155
ceedings, and when Leicester went to
Buxton for the baths, and the designing
Countess of Shrewsbury entertained him
sumptuously at Chatsworth, the Queen
wrote a sarcastic letter to her, saying that
" she would be indebted for Leicester's en
tertainment; but that he would not be
allowed more than two ounces of meat a
day, and the twentieth part of a pint of
wine; and on festivals, the shoulder of a
wren for dinner, and a leg for his supper.
His brother, the Earl of Warwick, should
not even be allowed the other leg for his
supper." This enterprising lady contrived to marry
her eldest son to Lord Shrewsbury's third
daughter : and his eldest son, Gilbert, after
wards Earl of Shrewsbury, to her third
daughter. The young Countess seems to
have inherited something of her mother's
spirit ; and in 1592 she sent a message to
Sir Thomas Stanhope, which, frora its re
markable character has been preserved.

156 The Village of Palaces.
It was faithfully delivered by a Mr, William
son in the following terms : " My lady hath
coraraanded me to say thus much to you,
' That though you be more wretched, vile
and miserable than any creature living ; and
fbr your wickedness become raore ugly in
shape than the vilest toad in the world ;
and one to whora none of reputation would
vouchsafe to send any raessage ; yet she
hath thought good to send thus much to
you — that she be contented you should live
(and doth no ways wish your death) but to
this end ; that all the plagues and miseries
that may befall any man may light upon
such a caitiff as you are ; and that you
should live to have all your friends forsake
you; and without your great repentance,
which she looketh not for, because your life
hath been so bad, you will be damned per
petually in hell fire,' "
Lord Shrewsbury had large possessions
in various parts of England, He died in
1590, and was buried at Sheffield. It is

Earl of Warwick. 157
not impossible that towards the end of his
life he let his house at Chelsea ; if this was
so, we should surmise that Shrewsbury
House was that occupied by Ambrose, the
eldest surviving brother of Leicester, whom
the Queen had restored to his father's
earldom, and to the Castle of Warwick,
and also made Chief Butler of England.'
He might naturally wish to live in the loca
lity where his mother, the Duchess of
Northumberland, had been so well known,
and where his early life had been spent.
We find that he had a house here, and en
tertained royalty. On the 30th January,
1589, "the Queen's Majesty came from
Richmond to Chelsea, and so to Westmin
ster, and was received by the Mayor, Alder
men, and Commoners of the City of London
(at the Park corner above St, James's), all
on horseback, with the Captains of the
City, to the number of forty, betwixt five
and six of the clock, by torchlight. On this
1 He was one of those who sat at Fotheringay on the
trial of the Queen of Scots.

168 The Village of Palaces.
occasion, the bells at Larabeth were rung;
and again when the Queen went to my Lord
Warwick's, and returned thence to Lam
beth." Lord Warwick (Ambrose Dudley), was a
gaunt-visaged raan, with a long drooping
moustache, so, perhaps, the Queen's restric
tion as to his supper was Intended for a jest.
In 1562 he was given the command in
Normandy, and defended Newhaven In
France, until, after a brave resistance, he was
obliged to surrender, owing to a pestilence
in the town. While holding a parley on
the ramparts, he was hit with a poisoned
bullet, which " consumed his leg; and
after he had lived several years in great
pain, endured his leg to b'e sawn from his
body, and died in a few days." ' The Queen's
visit seems to have been one of sympathy and
condolence, as he died the following month.
1 Collins' "'Memorials of the Sydneys." Lord War
wick's brother, Lord Leicester, married, after Amy Rob-
sart, a sister of the second Lord Howard. He disowned
the marriage, and is said to have tried to poison her.

Alston House. 159

We afterwards find Shrewsbury House
in the possession of the first Earl of Devon
shire, son of the second wife of the Earl of
Shrewsbury. After reraaining in his posses
sion and that of his widow until 1643, it
carae to Sir Joseph Alston, and is said to
bave been finally occupied by a paper-
stainer, and to have existed at the cora-
raenceraent of this century.' The house
would have been of sufficient iraportance
for the Earl of Warwick and his royal
visitors. It stood facing the river, to the
west of the Palace grounds, and was
an irregular brick building with gables,
forming three sides of a square. Like raany
of the principal houses of that date, it was
only one storey high ; but the largest room
was one hundred and twenty feet long, and
was wainscoted with carved oak. One of
the rooms seems to have been an Oratory.
1 It certainly stood somewhere in this neighbourhood, a
little to the west of Winchester House. Its exact site
seems doubtful ; it may have been nearer Oakley Street
than Laurence Street.

160 The Village of Palaces.
Sorae curious portraits in panel, which had
ornaraented the large rooras, were destroyed
at the commenceraent of the present cen
tury,' At this tirae there were five large raan-
sions at Chelsea, viz., the Palace, the Manor
House, the house of Sir T. More, enlarged or
rebuilt by Lord Salisbury, Stanley House, and
Shrewsbury House.^ The site of the ancient
Manor House is still marked by the names
Lordship Place and Lordship Yard, desig
nating a row of houses in a narrow street,
and a small yard opposite thera, near
the river, between Cheyne Row and Law
rence Street. Here stood, in early tiraes,
the principal out-offices in the neighbour
hood — the barns and stables of the Lord of
the Manor. To these the destitute often
fled to obtain shelter, or other relief, in
severe weather, and here not unfrequently
they died raiserably. This place, also, long
1 Faulkner.
2 And also the smaller house of Sir A. Gorges, after
wards Sir W. Millman's.

The Old Manor House. 161
continued to be a terror to vagrants and
evil-doers, as here stood a cage, and pair
of stocks for their iraproveraent. These
" state raachines," which had been re
raoved elsewhere — probably when the barns
and stables were pulled down by Charles
Cheyne shortly before 1681 — were replaced
in the following year. Sir Thoraas and
Lady Laurence, the latter of whora died in
1723, were the last of the faraily who re
sided here; and Williara, Lord Cheyne, had
already in 1706, bought frora John Lau
rence, heir-apparent to the property, " three
messuages and gardens on the North side
of Lordship Yard," which either included,
or appertained to, the old Manor House.
As the Palace and Manor of Chelsea
were granted by Charles I, to the Duke of
Hamilton, and after that nobleraan had
been beheaded by Cromwell, were seized and
sold by the Parliament, vve are able to give
a description of the building constructed
by Henry VIIL, which had probably not
been much altered froni its original plan.
VOL. I. M

162 The Village of Palaces.
We read that it consisted of " three cellars
in the first floor, three halls, three parlours,
three kitchens, two parlours, larders, and
nine other rooms, with a large staircase in
the first storey; three drawing-rooras, seven
teen charabers, and four closets, with gar
rets over part of thera ; and suramer rooras,
with a bed-roora and garden and orchard
on the North side of the said capital raes-
suage, and court-yard on the south side
thereof; and one stable, and one coach
house, three little gardens, and one parcel
of ground enclosed with a brick wall,
formerly called the great orchard, now
ploughed up."
The palace faced the river; the gardens
extended at the back. The whole was en
closed by a brick-wall, and contained
rather more than five acres. The site was
a little to the East of the present Oakley
Street. Sir Thomas More's house was granted
two years after his death to Sir William
Paulet, Coraptroller and Treasurer of the

The Marquess of Winchester. 163
Household, It was convenient that he
should be so near the palace, and here he,
no doubt, becarae intiraate with Katherine
Parr and Lady Jane Grey, Here also he
would have been brought into close contact
with the Duke of Northumberland — too
close perhaps, for it was greatly through his
influence, when Marquess of Winchester,
that the Duke's project for placing Lady
Jane on the throne was foiled. He con
tinued in office under Catholic Mary and
Protestant Elizabeth, and when asked the
secret of such success replied that it carae
frora his being " a willow, not an oak," He
was first raised to the peerage as Baron St.
John of Basing, and built the Castle of
Basing ;' and it is remarkable that, at the
very time Lord Sandys was giving the
Manor of Chelsea to the King in exchange
for a priory near Basing, Sir W. Paulet of
Basing was obtaining a grant of More's
1 Where Elizabeth was so magnificently entertained.
It became in the Civil War such a noted stronghold of
Eoyalists that it was called " Loyalty."
M 2

164 The Village of Palaces.
house. As houses changed so rapidly at
Chelsea, it Is interesting to find that he
held this house for thirty-five years — till
1572. It passed frora St. John's widow
to Lord Dacre, whose father was executed
for murder — a man having been killed in
a fray, when he was hunting deer in Lord
Pelham's Park. Lord and Lady Dacre
have a splendid raonuraent in Chelsea
Church, which is kept in excellent preserva
tion, a charitable bequest of Lady Dacre de
pending upon its being kept in repair.
But the house, built by More, seeras to
have been destined to be connected with
men of learning and genius. Lady Dacre's
brother was Thoraas Sackville, and he was
frequently on a visit at Chelsea, frora which
sorae of his letters are dated. As More
coraposed, when young, dramatic pieces for
entertainments, so Sackville in early life
distinguished hiraself by writing the first
English tragedy, " Gorboduc.'" Thomae
1 " Perhaps the first specimen of an heroic tale written
in blank verse, and divided into acts and scenes " — 'Warton.

Sachville. 165

Norton, who was associated with Sternhold
and Hopkins in versifying the Psalms, is
said to have assisted hira in composing the
play. This work was a great step in
advance of the time, but soon fell into
oblivion. He also wrote the " Induction of
Magistrates," — a work containing rauch
poetic sentiment, but breathing an air of
melancholy, such as is not unknown to the
spoiled children of fortune, who especially
feel that this life is but vanity. Sackville
bad to perform the painful duty of an
nouncing to Mary, Queen of Scots, that her
sentence was confirmed, and of seeing it
executed. Having been created Baron
Buckhurst, he was eventually raade Earl of
Dorset. In 1589 he becarae Treasurer — an
office he continued to hold under Jaraes,
He was a cousin of Anne Boleyn, and thus
related to Elizabeth. His father was a
Privy Counsellor, and from the money he
amassed was facetiously called " Fill Sack,"
instead of Sackville.
Other men of celebrity soon becarae pos-

166 The Village of Palaces.
sessors of More's house, for Lady Dacre
having no children left it to the great Lord
Burleigh, who resided in the neighbour
hood, with remainder to his youngest son.
This statesraan, destined to occupy so large
a space in the history of Bhzabeth's reign,
was in youth of such studious and seden
tary habits that in his later years he
suffered severely frora gout, Aubrey goes
so far as to say that he was once a country
schoolmaster. He first became known for
his success in a controversy with the
Romanists, and his father being yeoman of
the Robes, the King desired to see him.
He was raade Custos Brevium, and after-
wards Secretary of State, and no doubt was
well acquainted with Katherine Parr. He
not only syrapathized in her religious views,
but had a very high opinion of her talent,
as appears in his preface to her work, " The
Lamentations of a Sinner,'" which he edited
1 In this she calls the Bishop of Rome Pharaoh, and
says, " He is a greater persecutor of all true Christians
than ever was Pharaoh of the children of Israel. He

The " Queen's Elm." 167
in 1563. He was acquainted with Elizabeth
when she was a girl, and corresponded with
her during Mary's life. Afterwards she
sometiraes went to see hira, as he generally
lived at Brompton Hall. This house belonged
some few years since to the Rev, T. Griffiths,
and was in fair preservation, so that we could
picture to ourselves the home of Burleigh
with which Elizabeth w^as familiar. But the
meetings between the witty Queen and the
astute statesman have beeu coraraeraorated
rather by a tree than a hall ; and a
story is told, apparently with good founda
tion, that one day while they were walking
together near his house a shower carae on,
and they took refuge under an elm. When
the rain was over, and they emerged from
the hospitable shelter, Burleigh said, " Let
this tree be called the Queen's Wlm, and so
it was as long as it lived. It was raen
tioned by this narae in the parish books
'Of Chelsea in 1586, and had an arbour
brings many souls to hell with his alchemy and counterfeit
money, but so much the greater shall be his damnation."

168 The Village of Palaces.
built round it by a person named Bostock
at the charge of the parish,
Burleigh seems to have made over his
property at Chelsea to his younger son,
Robert, who rebuilt the house, wishing,
perhaps, to vie with the neighbouring
palace, and to have a place worthy of
receiving the Queen, who carae to dine
with his neighbour. Lord Howard, His
initials long reraained upon the pipes, and
upon other parts of the house.
It is well known that EHzabeth was very
economical in her state expenditure. Even
when the Spanish Invasion was imminent,
the British Fleet was so sparingly equipped
that Lord Howard had to provide wine for
the sick sailors out of his own pocket. At
the same time the nobility was greatly
irapoverlshed by entertaining the Queen
upon her progresses. Lord Burleigh speaks
of his own losses from this cause, and has
recorded that the grants he received frora the
Queen did not pay his expenses in attending
on her ; his fee as Treasurer not even sufficing

Gifts to Elizabeth. 169
for his stables. At the sarae time her Majesty
was not sparing In her personal adornment ;
she was brave in wigs, paint, and ruffles, had
thousands of rich dresses, and was a drop
ping fountain of jewellery. It became the
custom to make her costly presents, and
we find from a list of her New Year's gifts
that the Lords of Effingham were not remiss
in this respect.
In 1572 the first Lord Howard gave
" one flower of gold set with a rose of
diamond in the midst, with six diamonds in
flowers, and nine rubles in flowers," and in
1575, the second Lord Howard gave "a
jewel of gold, being a ship set with a table
diaraond of five sparks of diamonds, and
a small pearl pendant."
In 1589 among the Queen's New Year's
gifts we read, "Receyved of Sir Thomas
Gorge, Knygte, Gentleraan of her Majesties
Wardrobe of Robes, one bason, and a laier
of silver guilt, faire wroughte the backside
of the said bason, and the foot of the laier
being white to be guilded 167 oz," Gorge

1 70 The Village of Palaces.
had a position In the household sirailar to
that held by Lord Burleigh's father.
In Noveraber, 1599, Rowland Whyte,
writing to Sir Robert Sydney, says, " As
the Queen passed by the fayre new house in
Chelsey, Sir Arthur Gorge presented her
with a fair Jewell."
(It has been supposed that the structure
here referred to was that afterwards called
Stanley House ; but it appears to rae that it
was that which Bowack in 1705 calls " the
Gorges House, an old building at the west
end of the town, near the LIndseys." It
conferred a right to More's chancel In the
church, belonged afterwards to Sir Williara
MlUraan, and stood on the site of Mill man
Street.) We may consider Sir Arthur Gorges as
another man of literature, if not of genius,
who was connected with the house of More,
To him we owe the translation of Bacon's
" Wisdom of the Ancients," a work abound
ing with valuable reflections, and In which,
as Archbishop Tenlson observes, " the sages

Sir Arthur Gorges. 171
of forraer tiraes are rendered raore wise
than it may be they were." He was inti
mate with Spenser, who wrote a poem on the
death of his first wife. In this " Daphnaida"
Gorges is the speaker, and in the character
of a shepherd, Alcyon, mourns his lost
partner. He calls her his " white lioness,"
in reference to her connection with the
Howards, Changing from this metaphor,
he compares her to Elizabeth, and adds :
" She is the rose, the glory of the day.
And mine the primrose in the lowly shade.
Mine ! ah, not mine ! amiss I mine did say.
Not mine, but his which mine awhile her made ;
Mine to be his, -with him to live for aye.
0 that so fair a flower so soon should fade.
And through untimely tempest fall away !
She fell away in her first age's spring.
While yet her leaf was green, and fresh her rind,
And while her branch fair blossoms forth did bring.
She fell away against all course of kind.
For age to die is right, but youth is wrong.
She fell away like fruit blown down with wind.
Weep, shepherds, weep, to make my undersong."
In the dedication of this poem to the

172 The Village of Palaces.
Marchioness of Northarapton, Spenser speaks
of Mr. Arthur Gorges, " a lover of learning
and virtue, whose house as your ladyship by
raarriage has honoured, so do I find the
narae of thera by raany notable records to
be of great antiquity in this realra, and such
as have ever borne theraselves with honour
able reputation to the world, and unspotted
loyalty to their prince and country."
Soon afterwards through Henry Clinton,
Earl of Lincoln, whose daughter he had
married. Sir Arthur becarae possessed of
Salisbury House, i.e., of the old residence
of More, which the Earl of Salisbury, the
son of Lord Burleigh, after he had recon
structed, was like many other builders very
glad to sell. We may suppose that Gorges
did not occupy this grand mansion, for in
IM9, four years afterwards, he disposed of it
to Lionel Cranfield, who was created in two
years Earl of Middlesex. But when parting
with this house he retained for his own
burial place the mortuary chapel added
by More to the parish church, which

Salisbury House. 173

henceforth became dissevered from the resi
dence. The brass memorial of Sir Arthur Gorges
has been lately discovered, and is now
placed over the Gorges' tomb. He is re
presented in half arraour, with beard, and
drooping ruff edged with lace. Behind
him kneel his six sons, and opposite are
his wife and five daughters,'
When Sir Arthur Gorges sold, in 1619,
Salisbury House, it was called the " greatest
house in Chelsea." It had — " Two fore great
courts adjoining, environed with brick walls,
also a wharf lying in front, having a high
brick toWer on the east and west ends, and
a high water-tower standing upon the west
corner of the wharf, and the water-course
^ It appears from the Parish Register that there was a
second Sir Arthur Gorges, who died in 1661, and an
Arthur Gorges, who died in 1668, apparently the son and
grandson of the first Sir Arthur. Bowack records with pride
that Arthur Gorges was a friend of the Duke of Bucking
ham, the Earl of Rochester, and others. Arthur Gorges'
monumental tablet is still in the Church ; on the coat of
arms Gorges is represented by a curl, i.e., Gurges.

174 Tlie Village of Palaces'.
belonging thereto. An orchard, a garden
having a peryraent standing up in the
raiddle, and a terrace on the north thereof,
with a banqueting house at the east end of
the terrace, having a marble table in it.
A great garden, dovecote close, containing
five acres ; the kitchen-yard, brick barn
close, contaimng ten acres."
The daughter of Gorges by bis second
wife raarried Sir Robert Stanley, the
second son of William, Earl of Derby,
This knight's helmet still hangs high in
Chelsea Church, near his suraptuous raonu
raent, and to judge by the raedallion like
ness here preserved, he must have had
striking and handsome features.^ Lady Eliza
beth (Sir Arthur's widow) sold the house her
husband had built at " BrlcklUs" (in Little
Chelsea) to her daughter, and thus it
passed into the Stanley faraily. It was re
built in 1691,
1 The late Lord Derby had this monument cleaned and
restored.

175

CHAPTER VL
Sir Charles Cavendish— Duke of Newcastle — Heroic Con
duct of his Daughter — Her Piety — She marries Charles
Cheyne.
rpHE Countess of Shrewsbury outlived the
-*- Earl by seventeen years, but seeras to
have left the house at Chelsea, She arrived
at the age of eighty-seven, and had been a
good woraan of business, a " buyer and seller
of estates, and a raerchant in lead, coals and
timber." We can picture this grand old
Countess in the autumn of her life at Chelsea
surrounded by the distinguished faraily of
herself and her lord. Here we see Gilbert,
who succeeded as Earl of Shrewsbury, and
whose three daughters were married to
noblemen ; Sir William Cavendish, who be

1 76 ' The Village of Palaces.
carae the first Earl of Devonshire, and from
whom the Dukes are descended ; and Sir
Charles Cavendish, who, especially attached
to his half-brother Gilbert, lent hira raoney,
travelled with hira, and died alraost at the
same time. He raarried a co-heiress of
Lord Ogle, and left a son. Sir Charles
Cavendish, who became one of the most
successful generals on the Royalist side.
Sir Charles's first wife brought him a con
siderable fortune, and his magnificence was
so great that he, on one occasion, gave an
entertainment at Bolsover House to Charles
I., which cost fifteen thousand pounds. He
lent the King money, and raised troops for
him, and If his advice had been followed,
the issue of the conflict might have been
different. He defeated Fairfax, taking
eight hundred prisoners, and rduted the
forces of the Parliament on several occa
sions, soraetiraes changing the fortunes of
the day by his personal courage.' As the
tide of battle ebbed and flowed over the
1 For which he was created Marquess of Newcastle.

Anecdote of Lady Jane. 177
Northern counties, of which he was ap
pointed Governor, a roraantic incident oc
curred in connection with his eldest daughter
Jane. She and her sister were left alone
in a garrisoned house of their father, when
they were suddenly surrounded and attacked
by the rebel forces. They offered a brave re
sistance, but being overpowered by numbers,
were at length surrounded and raade prisoners.
The Roundhead captain, who thus carae to
be in charge of thera in their own house,
treated thera with much rudeness and in
civility; but, the fortunes of war soon
after changing,, the house was retaken by
the Royahsts, and they would have executed
summary justice on the jailor, had not Lady
Jane interceded so that his hfe was spared.
When all was lost, the Marquess lived In ban
ishment with his second wife, and, although
before the war he was worth three-quarters
of a miUIon, they were now in such distress
tbat they had soraetiraes to sell their clothes
to procure a dinner. During this tirae Lady
Jane assisted them as far as was in her
VOL. I. N^

178 The Village of Palaces.
power. She sold the jewels her father had
given her, and sorae " chamber-plate," 'which
she had from her grandmother, and sent over
in addition one thousand pounds of her
portion. We can iraagine Lord Newcastle's joy
when the Restoration allowed him to return
to England. He was six days coraing frora
Rotterdara, being becalraed on the way,
and his wife, the authoress,' says that when
he saw the sraoke of London he desired
sorae, one " to jog him and awaken hira, as
he had been sixteen years asleep, and was
not yet quite awake." He lay that night at
Greenwich, where " his supper seeraed raore
savoury to hira than any meat he had
hitherto tasted, and the noise of some
scraping fiddlers he thought the pleasantest
harmony that ever he heard."
1 Horace Walpole writes : — " Of all the riders of that
steed Pegasus, perhaps there have not been a more fan
tastic couple than His Grace and his faithful Duchess,
who was never off her pillion." The Duke wrote some
plays, and a celebrated work on horses.

Her Connection with Chelsea. 179
Lady Jane, meanwhile, seems to have
been living near or araong the ruins of Bol
sover Castle, for when her father returned
he found the building half demolished and
no furniture or necessary goods in it, but
only some few hangings and pictures by
Vandyck, which had been preserved by the
care and industry of this his eldest daughter.
No doubt this first Duke of Newcastle
had, in his youth, been often at Chelsea in
Shrewsbury House, where his uncle, the
first Earl of Devonshire, succeeded Lady
Shrewsbury, and his aunt lived until her
death in 1643, It is also probable that
Lady Jane had not only heard rauch of this
old home of her family, but had also been
there with her relatives. We can, there
fore, understand why, when she married
Charles Cheyne,' her large fortune was in-
1 Of an ancient family in Buckinghamshire, named from
the oaks, which abounded in the neighbourhood. Lord
Cheyne is mentioned with Eenould Bray as Privy Coun
cillor to Henry VII, Among those who presented valuable
gifts to Elizabeth, the name of Lord Cheyne frequently
N 2

180 The Village of Palaces.
vested in the purchase of Chelsea Palace
and Manor — the former In 1657, and the
latter three years later.' Here she lived for
fourteen years, and was remarkable for her
charity and devotion. Her husband bears
record that she never caused him sorrow,
appears. In 1577 he gave "a, fore part and a pair of
boddys of a Frenche kyrtill of blewe cloth of silver, em-
brawdred all over with Venice golde; in 1581 a chain of
gold with pillars and pomaunders, and in 1582 two bodkins
of gold, one with a woman on horseback, the other with
a coney." This peerage became extinct in 1587, but
Charles Cheyne is said to have belonged to the same
family. 1 It would seem that Charles Cheyne and his wife lived
in Chelsea in 1655, two years before he purchased Chelsea
Place, and we may suppose that they were then living
at Blackland's House — north of the King's Road — which
belonged to them. Blackland's is at present a lunatic
asylum, and has been enlarged, but the centre of the house
is old. Bowack observes, in 1705, that both this and
Chelsea Place are " let to French boarding-schools." The
locality, it appears, became celebrated for ladies' schools
towards the end of the seventeenth century, and between
1664 and 1705 the number of residences increased from
less than forty to three hundred.

Lord Cheyne. 181

except by her death. She filled voluraes
with the results of her meditations, being
given to the sarae pious industry for which
her predecessor in this place — Katherine
Parr — was reraarkable. The only objection
she had to Chelsea was that its vicinity to
London brought a constant influx of
visitors, who interrupted her devotions.
Lord Cheyne greatly iraproved Chelsea,
and his own gardens became an attraction
owing to the ornamental devices he Intro
duced into them. Evelyn especially men
tions his having seen sorae fountains there
" very surprising and extraordinary," de
signed by Winstanley.' Lady Jane never
becarae Lady Newhaven, for her husband
did not become a Viscount until twelve years
after her decease. He raarried secondly
Isabella the Dowager-Countess of Rad
nor, who lived near hira, at the west end of
1 The celebrated architect of the Eddystone Lighthouse,
who said that he should like to be in it during the greatest
storm that ever blew. His wish was granted, and he
perished, together with his structure.

182 The Village of Palaces.
Paradise Row. It is remarkable how much
at that tirae neighbouring farailies inter-
raarrled — locoraotlon being less coraraon
than at present. Lord Newhaven died in
1698, and was succeeded by his son, of
whora Bowack writes, in 1705 : — " Williara,
the present Lord Cheyne, only son of these
two incomparable persons, inherits not only
their large fortunes, but also their singular
virtues." He moved back to his father's faraily seat
in Buckingharashire, of which county he
was made Lord-Lieutenant, and the same
year, 1712, he sold Chelsea Manor to Sir
Hans Sloane. But the connection of the
Cheynes with Chelsea is still marked by
the picturesque line of trees and houses
by the riverside known as Cheyne Walk;
and by the handsome monument in the
Church, where Bernini has perpetuated the
figure and features of Lady Jane, by. which
" though dead, she still speaketh."

183

CHAPTER VII.
Sir John Danvers — Excellence of Lady Danvers — Dr.
Donne— Lord Cherbury — Herbert, the Poet.
A T the comraenceraent of the seventeenth
-'-^ century. Sir John Danvers lived near
the site of the present Danvers Street,
which runs from the river on the west of
Church Street.
Aubrey has stated that Sir John Dan
vers told bim that the house he occupied
was that of Sir Thomas More,' Sir John
^ Perhaps this was the house granted to Lady More
after her husband's death, or it may have formed part of
the property called " More's House," which, after Sir
Thomas' death, belonged to his son-in-law. Roper. Too
much weight should not be given to statements that a
house belonged to this or that celebrated man, unless ac-

1 84 The Village of Palaces.
Danvers was brother to Sir H. Danvers,
afterwards Lord Danby, and was made
gentleman-usher to Charles I, His tastes
were of so expensive a character that he
became hopelessly Involved In debt, and his
house at Chelsea — which afterwards passed
to Lord Wharton — seems to have been on
a magnificent scale ; its baths, its columns,
and the wide foundations of its walls lie
burled under Paultons Square, The grounds
extended to the King's Road, and the gar
dens were fine specimens of the Italian style,
which Sir John Is said to have first intro
duced into this country.
The lady of this splendid residence during
Sir John's earlier and happier years —
before he became involved and demora
lized — was the youngest daughter of Sir
Richard Newport, and had been first married
to Mr. Herbert. A raodel wife and raother,
she was distinguished for her piety, and
companied by proof. I have been informed that some peo
ple now think that they are living in Sit Thomas More's
house at Chelsea !

Lady Danvers. 185

attended the church services both on Sun
days and week days. At the sarae tirae she
maintained her position in society, both in
her attire and hospitalities, so that we
may consider this establishraent at Chelsea
was a good speciraen of a large well-regu
lated country house. Her care of the poor
was especially raanifested during a tirae
" when every house was a sepulchre," that
is when the plague' visited Chelsea the year
before her death. But excellent as Lady
Danvers was, her virtues would probably
have been unknown to posterity had she not
been associated with celebrated men. When
(as Mrs. Herbert) she went to Oxford to
educate her sons, she became acquainted
with Donne, afterwards Dean of St. Paul's,
who was thenceforward one of her intiraate
friends, and often visited her at Chelsea.
Perhaps the locahty may have had sorae
attraction for hira, as his mother was a
descendant of Sir Thomas More, and his
1 In 1626, thirty-five thousand people died in London of
the plague.

186 The Village of Palaces.
grandfather by the mother's side was Hey
wood, the dramatist. Donne had been a
gay man in his early life, and had accom
panied Essex to Cadiz, and stayed some
years in Spain. Afterwards he privately
raarried the daughter of Sir Thomas Moore,
Lieutenant of the Tower, who was so in
censed at his presumption that he actually
had hira iraprisoned. He fell into distressed
circurastances, especially after the death of
Sir Francis Wolly, and in one place laments :
" 'Tis now spring, and all the pleasures of
it displease me ; every other tree blossoms,
and I wither. , , . I began early when I
understood the study of our laws, but was
diverted by leaving that, and embracing the
worst voluptuousness, an hydroptlque ira-
moderate desire of humane learning and
languages — beautiful ornaments indeed to
men of great fortunes,"
But Donne becoming skilled in theological
controversy attracted the attention of King
Jaraes. He was always fond of paradoxes and

King James and Dr. Donne. 187
conceits of style, a predilection which no
doubt recomraended him to the King. A
story is told that when the Deanery of St.
Paul's fell vacant, the King sent for Donne
to attend him at dinner, and said when he
arrived : " Dr, Donne, I have invited you
to dinner, and though you sit not down
with me, yet I will carve to you of a dish
that I know you love well, for knowing you
love London, I do therefore make you Dean
of St. Paul's, and when I have dined, then
do you take your beloved dish home to
your study, say grace there to yourself, and
much good raay it do you."
He also afterwards becarae Vicar of St.
Dunstan's-In-the-West, where Isaac Walton
was one of bis parishioners. To this worthy
citizen, who relieved the cares of. shopkeep
ing by tbe pleasures of angling and litera
ture, we are indebted for a biography of
the Dean, Walton was one of bis greatest
admirers, and was, as he says, converted
by him. We can, in imagination, enter the
little old church at Chelsea on July 1st,

188 The Village of Palaces.
1627, and hear the funeral sermon for Lady
Danvers. The tall and emaciated Dr.
Donne occupies the pulpit, and as he pro
ceeds in his discourse becoraes deeply af
fected when he coraraemorates the virtues of
his friend and benefactress. Beneath, araong
the congregation, sits the jolly angler, now
serious and attentive, following and noting
every word and gesture of the Dean, " I
saw and heard hira," as he tells us, " preach
and weep," The scene was scarcely less
than historical. It seeras that Donne's dis
course was always strong and impassioned —
" He was a preacher in earnest," writes
Walton, " weeping soraetiraes for his audi
tory, and sometimes with them, always
preaching to himself, like an angel from a
cloud — but In none ; carrying some to
heaven In holy rapture, and Inticing others
by a sacred art and courtship, and all with
a raost particular grace, and an inexpressi
ble addition of comeliness." In this funeral
serraon on Lady Danvers, we find hira still
indulging in the fanciful imagery to which

Lady Danvers. 189
he was so much addicted. He tells us that
" Magdalen Newport, as a flower that
doubles and raultiplles by transplantation,
multiplied on leaving her father's house into
ten children." Her second husband. Sir
John Danvers, was rauch her junior in age,
and the Dean thus accoraraodates the dis
parity : —
" As the well tuning an Instruraent raakes
higher and lower strings of one sound, so
the inequality of their years was thus re
duced to an evenness, that she had a cheer
fulness agreeable to his youth, and he a
sober staidness conforraable to her more
years. So that I would not consider her as
so rauch more than forty, nor him as
so rauch less than thirty at that tirae ; but
as their persons were raade one and their
fortunes raade one by marriage, so I would
put their years into one nuraber, and find
ing a sixty between them think them thirty
a piece, for as twins of one hour they
lived," He observes that her charity to the poor

190 The Village of Palaces.
was great, especially to the laborious and
deserving ; she often gave them things pre
pared for her own table, and " rainistering
to the sick was the honey that was spread
over all her bread,"
No doubt her activity prolonged her
youthfulness, and forraed the charra which
fascinated young Sir John Danvers, Under
the narae of the "Auturanal Beauty,"
Donne thus writes of her,"
" No spring nor summer's beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
Were her first years the golden age ? that's true.
But now she's gold oft tried, and ever new ;
That was her torrid and inflaming time.
This is her habitable tropic clime.
Fair eyes ! who asks more heat than comes from hence.
He in a fever -wishes pestilence.
Call not these wrinkles graves ; if graves they were.
They were love's graves, or else he is no where.
*****
Here, where still evening is, not noon nor night.
Where no voluptuousness, yet all delight.
In all her words unto her hearers fit.
You may at revels, or at council sit."

Lady Danvers. 191

But Donne never recovered his spirits aftei»^
the death of his wife, nor could any royal
favours console him. The depth of his feel
ings expressed in his characteristic way is
shown in the poem commencing —
" Oh ! do not die, for I shall hate
All women so when thou art gone,
That thee I shall not celebrate
When I remember thou wast one."
Before his death he had bis portrait taken
in his shroud, with his eyes closed — a repre
sentation, which is now to be seen on his
monument In St, Paul's,
Lady Danvers had taken care to give her
sons a good education, and two of them be
carae distinguished raen. The eldest, who was
made Lord Herbert of Cherbury, wrote bis
autobiography, and a history of the reign of
Henry VIII. — which was afterwards edited
by Horace Walpole and printed at Straw
berry Hill — and also his noted " De Veritate,"
a work of an argumentative and psycho
logical character, in which he expresses his
disbelief in religious systems, and professes

192 The Village of Palaces.
pure Deism. Nevertheless his tone is raoral,
if not religious, and he seeras not to have
been devoid of a certain araount of super
stition. He tells us that, being uncertain
whether he should publish his book, " one
fair day In suramer my casement being open
towards the South, the sun shining clear,
and no wind stirring, I took ray book ' De
Veritate' In my hand, and kneeling on my
knees, devoutly said these words : —
" 0 thou Eternal God, Author of the
light that now shines upon rae, and giver
of all inward Ulurainations, I do beseech
thee of thine Infinite goodness to pardon a
greater request than a sinner ought to
raake. I am not satisfied enough whether
I shall publish this book, ' De Veritate.'
If it be for thy glory, I beseech thee give
me some sign from Heaven — if not I shall
suppress it."
He says that no sooner had he spoken
than a loud though gentle noise came from
heaven. We may suppose that Lady Danvers be-

Herbert the Poet. 193

carae acquainted at Chelsea with her neigh
bour, the first Earl of Devonshire and bis
wife, the sister of Lord Shrewsbury ; for
we find Lord Shrewsbury volunteering to
fasten on young Herbert's spurs when he
was made a Knight of the Bath, and her
friend. Dr. Donne, receiving some ecclesi
astical preferment frora the then Earl of
Kent, who was Lord Shrewsbury's son-in-
law. George Herbert, the fifth son, was^a raan
of more orthodox views, possessed greater
genius, and achieved a more lasting renown
than his brother. Early in life he determined
" that his poor abilities should be ever conse
crated to God's ^lory." He was remarkable
for his gentle and amiable disposition, becarae
a good classical scholar, and was appointed
Orator to the University of Cambridge. He
was thus introduced to the King, and for
a time entered into Court society, following
the course of his friend. Dr. Donne, who
took Orders in middle hfe. James offered
bim, upon bis marriage, the Rectory of
VOL, I, 0

194 The Village of Palaces.
Bemerton, but it required all the per
suasion of Laud to induce hira to accept it.
He was already Prebend of Layton Ecclesia,
a village in Huntingdonshire. He there
found the parish church rauch decayed, and
carried out its restoration at a considerable
expense. His raother, on hearing of this
undertaking, sent for hira to Chelsea, and
seeing hira, said " George, I sent for you
to persuade you not to coramit simony, by
giving your patron as good a gift as he
has given to you ; namely, that you give
him back his prebend ; for, George, it is
not for your weak body and empty purse
to undertake to build churches." He de
sired a day's time to consider this, and
next raorning made a request. " That she
would, at the age of thirty-three years,
allow hira to becorae an undutiful son, for
he had raade a vow to God, that if he were
able he would rebuild that church," A
beautiful letter is extant which he wrote
to his raother shortly before her death, and
afterwards he fondly commemorated her

Herbert the Poet. 195
virtues in several pieces of Latin and Greek
poetry. He not only composed raany
psalms and hymns, but being a good musi
cian was wont to sing them, accompanying
his voice on the lute or viol. Earnest piety
breathes in every sentiment he expressed,
and we can scarcely imagine that the writer
of the following lines could ever have rauch
enjoyed his early Court life —
"" False glossing pleasures : casks of happiness :
Foolish night-fires : women and children's wishes :
Chases in arras : gilded emptiness :
Shadows well mounted : dreams in a career :
Embroidered lies : nothing, between two dishes : —
These are the pleasures here.
" True, earnest sorrows : rooted miseries :
Anguish, in grain : vexations, ripe and blown :
Sure-footed griefs : solid calamities :
Plain demonstrations, evident and clear,
Touching their proofs e'en from the very bone :
These are the sorrows here."
Herbert was infirm in health. He would
say that he had "too thoughtful a wit, a
0 2

196 The Village of Palaces.
wit like a penknife in too narrow a sheath,
too sharp for the body,"
One of his principal poems, naraed the
"Temple," was published after his death.
The Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge refused
to allow it to be printed at the University
because it contained the lines —
" Religion stands a-tiptoe in our land.
Ready to pass to the American strand."
But the Chancellor gave the necessary per
mission. Dr, Donne gave Herbert and also Walton
a seal-ring, with the device of Christ upon
an anchor. The latter is still preserved in
the family of Henry Alworth Merewether ;
Recorder of Reading.
Sir John Danvers married the year after
the death of his excellent lady; and again
at Chelsea, in 1648. After having received
honours and emoluraents from Charles I.,
he sat in Council upon him, and signed his
death warrant, but dying the year before
the Restoration, escaped execution.

Lord Wharton. 197

From the Danvers faraily, this house
seems to have come into the possession
of Lord Wharton, who may have been
attracted to the neighbourhood by his
sister being married to Lord Lindsey. In
Hamilton's map of Chelsea, corrected to
1717, Lord Wharton's gardens and Lord
Wharton's park occupy a considerable space.
The site of the latter was that of the Sand
hills of More, on the north of the present
King's Road, and the ground, consisting of
about thirty-two acres, was first enclosed
by Cranfield, the Lord Treasurer, in 1625.*
Lord Wharton was a raan of taste and
magnificence, fond of building, and especi
ally of gardens, and we raay be sure the
place did not deteriorate in bis time. His
faults were of a different kind ; he was too
extravagant, and being one of the leading
1 The name continues in Park Chapel and Park Walk.
The latter, which bounded the Park on the west, was at
first called " Lover's Walk," and considered a most danger
ous place. It afterwards took the humbler designation of
" Twopenny Walk."

198 The Village of Palaces.
Whigs, spent a large sum upon elections.
At one time he was instruraental in returning
thirty raerabers, and Addison owed his first
seat in the House to him. Steele has given
him an excellent, but Swift an infamous cha
racter. It is said that Swift applied to
him, through Lord Somers, for his chap
laincy, and that the reply was, " Oh, ray
lord, we must not prefer or countenance
such fellows as these ; we have not character
enough ourselves," It has consequently
been supposed that Swift's attack was
occasioned by disappointment, but he denies
the imputation, and certainly few men
would have desired to be the spiritual
adviser of such a hopeless reprobate as he
describes Lord Wharton to have been : — " a
Presbyterian in politics, and an Atheist in
religion," Swift must have received some
provocation, and ad raits having raade an
1 Swift says he was sent to Ireland to recoup himself,
and gained by his two years' government of that country
forty-five thousand pounds. Bolingbroke called him " the
scavenger of his party."

Lord Wharton's Character. 199

application to him, on behalf of the clergy,
which was refused. Lord Wharton was a
gay sporting man ; his greyhounds won the
coursing raatches, and bis racehorses — espe
cially " Careless" — were celebrated. When
be went. In bis old age, to Ireland as Lord-
Lieutenant, he entertained suraptuously, and
bad operas perforraed in the Castle. He
was well received by the Irish Parliament,
and by the Protestants generally, but the
Roman Cathohcs " had no hopes of gaining
their end." Dr, Percy says that he wrote
" Lilliburlero." Both his wives were poet
esses; his second, the daughter of Lord
Lisburn, was the mother of the gifted and
reckless Duke of Wharton. She was thus
celebrated as a toast by the " Kit-cat Club,"
in 1698 :—
" When Jove to Ida did the gods invite.
And in immortal toastings passed the night.
With more than bowls of nectar they were blest,
Por Venus was the Wharton of the feast."
Danvers House was demolished in 1716.
We may suppose that Sir John Danvers

200 The Village of Palaces.
had sorae intention of building a street
here, although Danvers Street was not built
until the property had passed into the hands
of Lord Wharton. A stone in the wall of
Mr. Spells', the baker's, at the corner of
Danvers Street and Cheyne Walk, tells us
that the house, which stood there, was the
first in this street, and that it was built in
1696. But in the memory of persons now
living there were only four houses in this
street, the rest of the site being occupied
by one or two cottages and Mr. Shepherd's
nursery-ground. The exact position of
Danvers House is not known. The remains
of it above raentioned as lying under Paultons
Square, were discovered by Mr. Shepherd in
1822, and are built over.

201

CHAPTER VIII.
Lord John Robartes — Lord Sandwich — His Sojourn and
Strange Infatuation at Chelsea — Pepys expostulates —
Visits of Charles I. to Buckingham House.
npHE "Mercurius Publicus" informs us
-¦- that on Septeraber the 4th, 1660,
shortly after the Restoration, Charles II. was
" nobly entertained by Lord Robartes with
a supper at his house at Chelsey."
Pepys speaks of his taking coach to
Chelsea, in 1661, to transact business with
this Minister, the Lord Privy Seal ; and
frora what he says of his residence,' we
may conclude that it had been lately built,
and with the most recent improveraents.
1 Which stood at the corner of Paradise Row and
Eobinson's Lane. One of the streets in the neighbour
hood is still' called Radnor Street.

202 The Village of Palaces.
" Here," he writes, " I saw, by daylight,
two very fine pictures In the gallery, that
a little while ago I saw by night, and did
also go over the house, and found it to be
the prettiest contrived house that ever I
saw in ray life."
Again, in 1665, we find Pepys In the
waiting-room of this house again contem
plating the pictures; and one especially of
" my Lord's son's lady, a raost beautiful wo
raan." This Lord John Roberts, or Robartes,
was the son of Lord Truro, who is said
to have given the Duke of Buckinghara
£10,000 for the title, John was at one
tirae a Parllaraentarian, " a stanch Pres
byterian, sour and cynical ;" but he gained
favour with Charles II. , becarae Lord Lieu
tenant of Ireland, and was made Viscount
Bodmin and Earl of Radnor. Probably he
owed his elevation to^ his learning, and we
find that Francis, his son by his second
wife, Isabella, was a Vice-President of the
Royal Society, His eldest daughter by ber.

Lord Sandwich. 203
married the Earl of Drogheda, and after
wards the celebrated dramatist Wycherley
whom she met accidentally on the Pantiles
at Tunbridge Wells, The Earl died in
1685, and his son Francis in 1718— both at
Chelsea.' In 1663, Edward Montagu — who as joint
High Admiral witb Blake, had induced the
fleet to acknowledge Charles II. had con
veyed hira to England, and been created
Lord Sandwich — carae down to this subur
ban retreat " to take the ayre." He en
gaged a lodging in which he found a variety
of advantages.
April 29, 1663, Pepys writes : " To Chel
sey, where we found my Lord all alone with
one joynt of meat at dinner, and raightily
extolling the manner of his retirement, and
the goodness of his diet ; the raistress of
the bouse, Mrs, Becke, having been a
1 Lord Radnor's first wife was daughter of the second
Earl of Warwick, and his sister was married to Edward
Montagu, who gained the battle of Marston Moor. The
¦widow of Lord Radnor's eldest son was called Countess of
Radnor, and died at Chelsea in 1720.

204 The Village of Palaces.
woman of good condition heretofore, a mer
chant's wife, hath all things most excellently
dressed ; araong others her cakes adrairable,
and so good that ray Lord's words were,
' they were fit to present to ray Lady
Castleraaine.' " '
Lord Sandwich spoke rauch of the latter
lady, and said he had incurred some displeasure
for bis kindness to bis neighbour, my Lady
Castleraaine. (The truth was that my Lord
was rather frolicsome, especially for a raan
that had a wife and faraily ; and he was
suspected of being on very good terras with
this raistress of the King, who, indeed, was
in favour with many courtiers, even with
Pepys, though he thought the King's open
farailiarity with her " unbecoraing a prince").
The conversation terrainated with an inte
resting discussion on political and Court
intrigues, and Pepys' conclusion was :
" Upon the whole, I do find that it is a
1 This was the celebrated or notorious Duchess of Cleve
land, who used to go to Wycherley's rooms disguised as a
country girl, with a basket and pattens.

Attractions of Chelsea. 205
troublesorae thing for a raan of any condi
tion at Court to carry hiraself even, and
without contracting envy or envyers, and
that rauch discretion and dissiraulation is
necessary to do It."
After the interview above noticed, Pepys
walked in the gardens with Mr, Howe,
" which are very fine, and a pretty foun-
tayne, with which I was finely wetted, up
to a banquetting-house with a very fine
prospect." Pepys was frequently at my Lord's lodg
ing at Chelsea on business, and my Lord
stayed there a longer time than the reco
very of his health required, for he not only
enjoyed spacious apartments and good din
ners, but also found some attractions of
another kind. The excellent. caterer for his
table had a daughter, who, although plain,
was ladylike; and, according to Pepys,
somewhat deep and diplomatic. My Lord,
like a true follower of his master, Charles,
fell violently in love with her, and behaved,
while the fit lasted, like a man bereft of

206 The Village of Palaces.
reason. He played the fool grossly, took
her out on expeditions, serenaded her with
a lute under her window, and " forty other
poor sordid things ;" disregarding " all
honour, friends, servants and every thing
and person that is good," Pepys, at length,
could endure it no longer, and determined
to venture a letter to hira on the subject, in
which he observed that the King had no
ticed his " living so beneath his quality
out of the way ; that sorae gave a bad
report ofthe house in which he lodged, and
charged one of the daughters with being a
coraraon courtesan, that her wantonness
occasioned rauch scandal, though unjustly,
to his Lordship, as well to the gratifying of
sorae eneraies as to the wounding of more
friends." A few days afterwards, Pepys took coach
in some trepidation to ray Lord's lodgings,
and Lord Sandwich received hira kindly,
but demanded to know who the people were
whose reflections occasioned the letter. At
the sarae time he spoke in praise of the civi-

Lord Sandwich. 207
lity of the people of the house, and of the
good character of the young gentlewoman —
comraendations which gave Pepys consider
able uneasiness. At the end of the meet
ing, seeing that Lord Sandwich was troubled
about the raatter, and perhaps offended,
Pepys burst into tears, " though," he says,
" he felt asharaed of It afterwards,"
Lord Sandwich was a Meraber of the
Royal Society, and Evelyn, a great friend
of his, tells us that he was " of a sweet,
obliging teraper, learned in politics, raa-
thematics and music." We can, therefore,
understand Pepys' peace-offering upon this
occasion, when, three days after the above
interview, he went to Chelsea, and pre
sented my Lord with a " Terella," or
orbicular load-stone. In a short time, he
was glad to find that his letter had the
effect of causing Lord Sandwich to leave
Chelsea, and the " slut ;" and although, at
first, his Lordship seemed cool towards
him, he records that a month afterwards
he had " a pretty kind salute from him,"

208 The Village of Palaces.
But notwithstanding this change of resi
dence. It does not seera that the Admiral
had entirely freed hiraself frora the silken
fetters. He sent his daughters down to
Chelsea to enjoy the air and the lodgings,
though they " hated the place, and
the young woman, Mrs, Betty Becke,"
What they raost disliked was that when he
paid thera visits there, which occurred
frequently, he sent them out to take the good
air in the park, while he stayed behind to
comfort Miss Betty. After hearing all this,
it seems characteristic of the tiraes that
we find Mr. and Mrs. Becke, and the
" slut," invited to Kensington Vicarage,
when Lady Sandwich and her daughters
were there. Pepys expresses no surprise
at it, and they seera to have been well
received by the corapany. He says, " Miss
Becke had not one good feature in her
face, and yet is a fine lady, of a fine taille
and very well carriaged, and mighty
discreet. I took all the occasion I could to
discourse with the young ladies in her

Pepys at Chelsea. 209
3ompany, to give occasion to her to talk,
¦which now and then she did, and that
mighty finely, and is I perceive a woman of
such an ayre as I wonder the less at my
lord's favour to her, and I dare warrant
him she hath brains enough to entangle
him. Two or three hours we were in her
corapany, going into Sir H. Finche's
garden, and seeing the fountayne and
singing there with the ladies, and a raighty
fine cool place it is, with a great laver of
water in the raiddle, and the bravest place
for music I ever heard." He returned,
" very well pleased with my day's work, and
above all that I have seen my lord's
mistress." He mentions afterwards that Lady Sand
wich went to Chelsea to see Mrs. Becke,
the mother, and thought her daughter the
ugliest woman she ever saw. Lord Sand
wich was about forty at this time, and
perished a few years afterwards at the
battle of Southwold Bay, being burnt in
his vessel by Dutch fire-ships.
VOL. I. P

210 The Village of Palaces.
But Pepys' visits to Chelsea were not
always on business. In his time the place
seems to have been a favourite resort of
pleasure seekers, and he and his wife
soraetiraes went down there by boat,
carrying their supper with them, and sing
ing and chaffing the bargemen " to his
great content." Upon other occasions this
jolly gossip did not take bis wife with him,
but " Knipp " the actress, and pretty Mrs,
Pierce. On one of these expeditions in
1666, when they thought " to be merry at
Chelsey," and had nearly reached the
house, which stood alone by the river side — '¦
the ' Swan ' he thought — a gentleman called
out to hira that the house was infected with
the plague, upon which they turned back
" in great affright !"
"July 31st, 1667,— After the play we
went into the house, and spoke with Knipp,
who went abroad with us by coach to
Chelsey, and there in a box in a tree' we
sat, and sang, and talked, and ate ; my wife
out of humour, as she always is when this
woman is by."

Charles I. at Chelsea. 211
Lord Middlesex sold Salisbury House
to Charles I., who granted it to that
magnificent and obsequious courtier, the
Duke of Buckingham, The house after this
was called Buckingham House, and at the
time of the Duke's death, his son was only
a boy. The house at Chelsea came for some
time Into tbe possession of his daughter and
her husband, the Duke and Duchess of
Richmond and Lennox, and some of the
few " happy days of Charles I. " were
those in which he went in his barge to visit
them at their beautiful residence on the
banks of tbe Thames. Afterwards the
mansion was seized by the Parliament and
comraitted to the custody of John Lisle.
It is somewhat reraarkable that so many of
the owners of this house met with violent
deaths, for, not to mention More's execution,
the Duke of Buckingham was assassinated
at Portsraouth, and John Lisle was shot at
LaQsanne. The second Duke of Bucking
ham recovered his property on the Resto
ration, and it is probable that he let this
p 2

212 Tlie Village of Palaces.
residence, which was sold to his creditors in
1664. The description of the house in
which Lord Sandwibh lodged seeras to point
to it, for it bad a banquetting house, and
we have read of the fine prospect there was
frora More's garden,'
1 Faulkner says that Lord Sandwich lodged where
Walpole afterwards resided, a place which seems to have
been called " Great Sweed Court," in early times.

213

CHAPTER IX.
Lord Bristol — Connection with Spain — His Strange Al
ternations of Policy — Courage and Wonderful Escapes
— Enters the Service of France and Spain — His Elo
quence in Parliament — His Residences — Beaufort
House.
rpHE history of the splendid mansion
-*- last mentioned — Buckinghara House
— now brings before us a career more
remarkable than that of the brilliant scape
grace Duke. In 1674 that nobleraan's
creditors sold this house to George Digby,
second Earl of Bristol, These two succes
sive owners were intiraate friends, and
belonged to a clique of gay courtiers.'
1 Of which the third Lord Carberry was a member

214 The Village of Palaces.
Both were men of taste and study,
the forraer wrote the celebrated " Re
hearsal ;" the latter, " Elvira," and
other poems. They were reckoned among
the authors of the day, and raay be added
to the list of literary men who possessed
the house, or at least the site, consecrated
by the raeraory of Sir Thoraas More.
The fathers of these raen were at enraity,
Digby, the first Lord Bristol, was a poet and
a scholar, and attracted consequently the
attention of Jaraes I., who sent hira on
several erabassles to Spain. He at last was
successful in concluding a marriage contract
between the Prince of Wales (afterwards
Charles I.) and an Infanta, and was created
an Earl. But he had raore ability than
good sense, was passionate and garrulous,
and offended the Prince when with him in
Spain — it is even said that he attempted to
induce him to becorae a Roraan Catholic.
Buckinghara, who eyed hira with jealousy,
took advantage of this Imprudence, aud on
DIgby's arrival in England he was comraitted

The Earl of Bristol. 215

to the Tower. Such conduct alienated him
for a time from the King, but he soon
returned to his allegiance and was im
prisoned by the opposite party. He was
with the Royalists at York, Edgehill and
Oxford, and died an exile in France.
The son above mentioned was born at
Madrid, and In his portraits he looks some
what Spanish — a resemblance he seems to
have cultivated. But Warburton says that
while the father contracted the Spanish
gravity, the son was born with French
vivacity. Frora a child he was reraarkably
handsorae. When the first Earl was cora
mitted to the Tower he resolved to send a
petition to Parliament, and thought he
could not have a better raessenger than his
son. The boy was then only twelve years
of age ; but such was the beauty of his
countenance, and the grace of his raanner
and speech, that he won the hearts of all
the raembers. No expense was spared to
give this youth of .promise the best educa
tion both at home and abroad, and during

216 The Village of Palaces.
his residence at Magdalen College, Oxford,
he was conspicuous for his diligence and
proficiency. After taking his degree he
devoted several years to the study of
literature, and Clarendon says he possessed
" universal knowledge," What a path to
honour and renown lay before him, with so
good a preparation, and such a high intro
duction ! But the ship though excellently
stored and bravely decorated wanted ballast
on the keel, and a steady hand at the helm,
Fqr want of these he became a drifting
wreck, wafted about by genius rather
than guided by judgment, and whenever
he gained any advantage he was sure
to lose it again immediately. In con
versation he was brilhant and erudite ; in
oratory few could equal him ; but his
vacillating disposition, in the circumstances
which surrounded hira, rendered his career
a mere theatrical display, if not a comic
performance. The first indication he gave of his
thoughtlessness and precipitation was in

Lord Digby in Parliament. 217
quarrelling with a gentleman of the Court,
during a sojourn in London, drawing his
sword and after a conflict wounding his
antagonist. This affair took place within
the precincts of Whitehall, was therefore
a serious offence, and young Digby was
imprisoned and treated with sorae severity.
The correction, instead of sobering, irritated
and incensed hira against the Court, and he
commenced his political career by entering
Parliament to give the King's party all the
trouble in his power. Here he became
remarkable for his speeches, which were not
only admirably delivered and brilliant in
imagery, but also evinced considerable
penetration and logical acuteness. It is
said that but for bis eloquent and bitter
accusations the charges against Strafford
would have been abandoned. But scarcely
¦ had he succeeded in establishing thera, when
something occurred to his fertile mind,
which caused him to veer completely round,
and even to purloin a letter intended to
be used in sustaining the impeachraent!

218 The Village of Palaces.
Upon the third reading of the bill he made
a powerful address to the House, and con
cluded by declaring that he could not vote
for Strafford's execution. He- went so far
as to print this speech, the copies of which
were ordered to be burnt by the comraon
hangraan. Afterwards he said that his
brother-in-law had it published without his
knowledge. Never was there a raan who
so often " turned his back upon himself,"
Having now changed over to the King's
party, and raade hiraself hopelessly un
popular with the House of Coraraons, and
also with the people, who said he should be
torn In pieces, he was raised by Charles to
the House of Lords. Here he still showed
the great flaw In his character, being too
ready to act upon the Impulse of the rao
ment. He was forward in recomraending
the Impeachraent of Lord Kimbolton and
sorae other raembers, but when the accusa
tions against that nobleraan were being
proceeded with, Digby whispered ^ to hira
that "the King was mischievously advised,"

Lord Digby with the King. 219
and that he would go to him immediately,
which he did, and urged hira to press forward
vigorously with the measures. Eventually,
the accused persons took refuge in a bouse
in the City, a quarter in which they were
popular, and Digby proposed to attack the
place with a company of gentleraen, and
bring them to the King dead or alive. The
part which Digby had taken in this matter
incensed the House of Coraraons still raore
against hira, and they regarded even his
most innocent actions as proceeding from
sorae raalignant intention. Thus, when he
had been sent from Hampton Court by the
King to see sorae officers and soldiers in the
neighbourhood who had applied for arrears
of pay — and such was his vanity that he
had gone In a coach and six, with outriders —
his display cost hira dear, for his eneraies
magnified the transaction, and transforraed
it into " levying war against the King and
Parliaraent at Kingston upon Thames,"
Afterwards, when he had fled to Holland,
he wrote a letter to the Queen, recoraraend-

220 The Village of Palaces.
ing the King to betake hiraself to a fortified
place, which was intercepted, and led to his
being accused of high treason.
We have already observed that Lord
Digby had somewhat the appearance of a
foreigner, and this, as he spoke several
languages fluently, was of great assistance
to hira in some of his adventures. He was
also a man of such self-possession and
courage that he was in no danger of betray
ing himself. Relying upon these advantages,
he returned frora bis exile in Holland to visit
the King at York, where he passed for a
Frenchraan, his disguise being so perfect
that even his friend, Mr. Hyde, (Lord
Clarendon) did not know him when he pulled
off his periwig. He revealed hiraself but
to a few friends, and only visited the King
at night. Shortly afterwards he was still
raore indebted to his power of transforraa-
tion. When returning frora York to the
Continent to hasten assistance from the
Queen, he met at sea the " Providence,"
laden with araraunition for the King's

His Disguise. 221
troops. This ship sent her boat with letters
for Lord Digby, and men from the " fly-
boat" went back in her while he perused
the despatches ; in short, they kept sending
backwards and forwards, until the Parlia
mentary fleet hove in sight and gave chase.
The " Providence" escaped, but the smaller
outward bound vessel in which Lord Digby
sailed was taken. My lord was imme
diately a Frenchraan, could not understand
a word his captors said, and gave corrobora
tive proof of his nationality by becoming
desperately sea-sick. Under these circum
stances he was allowed to " go below,"
and was not so ill but tbat he managed
tbere and then to destroy all the cora-
promising documents with which his pockets
were stored. On reaching Hull his indis
position returned, so that he was sent to a
place of repose. Here he revolved in his
mind his critical position. The Governor
of Hull was Sir John Hotham, a rough,
determined soldier, who had been expressly
selected for the post because the King was

222 The Village of Palaces.
supposed to have a design upon the place ;
and Charles had actually corae to the gates
of the town and been refused admission by
him, Digby knew his life was in danger, but
he was not dismayed, and suraraoned his
never failing courage and ingenuity. Call
ing one of the guards set over hira, he
desired him to go to the Governor and
say that the French prisoner wished to
speak with him, and that he could impart
sorae of the Queen's secrets. Presently
he was ushered into the presence of the
sturdy Hotham, who was surrounded by
some friends. Digby now assuraed the air
of a French soldier, and gave a graphic
account of his experiences in the army, and
of the campaigns in France and Flanders.
The object of his visit to England was to
obtain service under the King, to whora he
had recoraraendations. He finally added
significantly that he would like to speak a
few words to the Governor in private. Sir
John motioned him to an oriel window, and

Dangerous Position. 223
told hira to speak with confidence. Lord
Digby instantly changed his face and
manner, and said in English : " Do you
know me?" Hotham was stupefied and
stammered out " No." " Then," replied
Digby, " I shall try whether I know Sir
John Hotham, and whether he be the same
man of honour I have always taken him for —
I am Lord Digby." He added that he might
have escaped under his disguise, but pre
ferred to owe his life to the generosity of
Sir John, who, he was sure, would not
deliver him up to his enemies. There was
soraething in DIgby's manner that few could
resist. Hotham had none of the fine feel
ings imputed to him, but he felt that he
could not betray the suppliant. He told him
to say no more, and returning to his friends,
sent Digby away with a guard to the house
ofa man that spoke French. But a stronger
proof of DIgby's fascinating influence was
soon exhibited. Hotham visited hira, and
lie gained the stern soldier's good- will to
such an extent, as even to shake his alle-

224 The Village of Palaces.
glance to the Parliament. Hotham now
confessed that he had always had an under
current of loyalty in his heart, and said
that he would have admitted the King into
Hull, had he not been told that His Majesty
intended to hang hira. Digby returned to
York in high spirits, with the intelligence
that Sir John Hotham was ready to deliver
up Hull. He now threw off his disguise ;
and his presence with the King, who was
by no means desirous of his company, is
said to have greatly offended the Parlia
ment, and even to have been a principal
cause of the King's execution.
The best qualities of Lord Digby, as of
many others, were shown during the con
flicts of the Civil War, On the day of
battle he was always ready to present
a bold front to the enemy. After his
return to York he raised a regiment of
horse, which he coramanded with great
gallantry at Edgehill, He was shot through
the thigh at the storming of Lichfield, and
slightly wounded in an engagement In Am-

Influence of Lord Digby. 225
borne Chase, a pistol, from which the bullet
had fortunately dropped, being discharged
so near his face as to bring blood — one of
his numerous escapes. After Lord Falk
land had been killed at Newbury, Digby suc
ceeded as Principal Secretary of State, and
about the same tirae becarae High Steward
of the University of Oxford. He was now
one of those whose advice was followed
concerning military operations, and was re
garded with so much jealousy by the army,
that a petition to the King was prepared
that neither he nor Colepepper, the Master
of the Rolls, should be adraitted to Councils
of War, Clarendon says that this raove
ment was chiefly instigated by Wilmot,
who, he quaintly observes, was a raan of
influence, inasmuch, as he drank hard, and
" had a great power over all who did so,
which was a great people."
A mocking spirit seems to have followed
all DIgby's enterprises. He was soon raised
to be a General and sent to the North,
On his arrival at Doncaster he dispersed a
VOL. I, Q

226 The Village of Palaces.
large detachment of the enemy, and a few
days afterwards routed a considerable force
of cavalry. This latter success took place
near Sherborne, where he had left the re
mainder of his troops. The enemy in their
flight made for this town, which so alarraed
the soldiers stationed there that they also
ran away. In this confusion, while one part
of DIgby's troops were pursuing, and the
other flying for their lives, and while he and
some of the staff-officers were contemplating
the strange scene from a distance, a small
body of the eneray's cavalry carae down upon
thera, and not only carried off their baggage,
but also DIgby's coach, which contained
letters and docuraents of so injurious a
character that afterwards the Parliament had
thera printed for the benefit of the public.
But for this ralsadventure, he would have
becorae master of all the Northern country.
After this Digby raarched into Scotland,
and when there, suddenly deterrained to go
to the Isle of Man and Ireland, deserting all
his followers and leaving them to do what

Device of Lord Digby. 227
they best could. When in Ireland, he con
ceived that if the Prince would go over
there they might raise a large army and
replace the King — an idea not altogether
new to him, as he had accused Strafford of
treason for having recommended a similar
measure. He accordingly went over to
Scilly, and thence to Jersey to communicate
with the Prince, but found that young
Charles preferred Paris to Ireland, and had
promised to go to visit his mother. This
was a sad discourageraent to Digby, but a
good expedient suggested itself to hira. He
bad corae with sorae fine frigates, and he
would ask the Prince to a collation on
board his ship, take him to inspect the
vessels, and would then let hira see sorae
of their raanoeuvres, in the raidst of which
he would set sail and carry the Prince
over to Ireland, He coraraunicated this
happy thought to the principal officer, but
found he was not willing to co-operate with
him. He then determined to go to see the
Queen, and started for France, leaving half
Q 2

228 The Village of Palaces.
a dozen gentleraen whom he had brought
with him from Ireland without a farthing to
subsist upon during his absence.
Not long afterwards Digby entered the
French service, and his gallantry and hand
sorae person gained hira high favour in that
country. He was given the command of a
troop of horse, composed principally of
English refugees, who at first joined him
with enthusiasm, believing: he could lead
thera to fortune, but soon afterwards aban
doned hira in disgust. He was left a
coraraander without soldiers, and betook
hiraself to garabling and dissipation, but
still retained some influence at the French
Court. When Cardinal Mazarin was obliged
to fly frora France, he recoraraended Digby
to the Queen Regent. Having thus obtained
a high position it occurred to him (now Lord
Bristol) that he might supplant the Cardinal
altogether, and become Prirae Minister of
France. He even made sorae suggestion of
the kind to the Queen, who informed
Mazarin, and Bristol was eventually dis-

Success under Difficulties. 229
missed. Cromwell now demanded that he
should be no longer harboured in France,
and he accordingly went to Holland with
which country the French were at war, and
where be was detested, as the troops under
his comraand had comraitted the most dis
graceful atrocities there. But his tact and
accomplishments again befriended him. Don
Juan, the commander of the Spanish army,
was a man of literary taste, and as Lord
Bristol was well acquainted with romances,
dramatic works, and even such recondite
subjects as astrology, he was soon In high
favour. Having advanced so far by his
scholarship, he proceeded to ingratiate hira
self with the other officers by always
commending them to their leader, and
had a great advantage in his knowledge of
Spanish, which he spoke like a native. He
was moreover able to give some substantial
assistance, for he procured the betrayal of
a strong place held by the French, through
the instrumentality of some Irish soldiers
who formed part of the garrison.

280 The Village of Palaces.
Don Juan was so rauch delighted with
Lord Bristol that he applied to Charles II,
to have him re-appointed a Secretary of
State, But scarcely had the request been
granted when that nobleraan forfeited the
post by becoraing a Roraan Catholic. In his
earlier years he had written letters, still
extant, to Sir Kenelra Digby exposing the
errors of the Church of Rorae.
We have spoken of the eloquence of Lord
Bristol, which often rescued hira frora the
difficulties in which his inconsistency had In
volved hira. He was an irapassioned orator,
such as was not then often seen, nor
invariably appreciated. Soon after the
Restoration, he had to make an apology for
his conduct with regard to Sir Richard
Temple, and Pepys alludes to it as " a long
comedian-like speech, delivered with such
action as was not becoming his lordship.
He spoke for half-an-hour bareheaded while
the House was covered, and concluded by
saying, ' Thanks be to God, this head,
this heart, and this sword,' pointing to

Digby becomes a Protestant. 231
them all, ' will find me a being in any place
in Europe,' " He said in this speech that he
would not advise Charles to become a
Roman Catholic, but would draw his sword
In the King's defence against the Pope,
In 1664 Lord .Bristol returned to the
Protestant Church. This step was probably
taken to increase bis influence, and we read
that " an old cavalier cursed my Lord of
Bristol, saying the worst news he ever
heard in bis life, or that the devil could
ever bring us, was this Lord's coming to
prayers the other day in the House of
Lords ; by which he is coraing about again
from being a Papist, which will undo this
nation ; and he says he ever did say, at the
King's first coming in, that this nation
could not be safe while that man was
alive." It was perhaps owing to the eccentricities
of Lord Bristol that his daughter's raarriage
was in danger of being frustrated. Lord
Sunderland was engaged to her, the wed
ding clothes were raade, and the settlements

232 'Flie Village of Palaces.
agreed upon, when the intended bridegroom
made off, nobody knew where, and sent to
tell her, forsooth, that he released her frora
her proraise, but that he would never let
her know his reasons. Afterwards, how
ever. Lord Sunderland returned to his old
love, the raarriage took place, and she
becarae the grandraother of the second Duke
of Marlborough.
In the political raovements during the
reign of Charles II. , Bristol and his ally,
Buckingham, raade themselves ridiculous by
their proceedings against Lord Clarendon.
The forraer irapeached his old friend for
high treason, and one of the charges he
brought against him was that he tried to
bring in Popery ! The attack was alto
gether of so serious a character that it was
said that Lord Clarendon had his horses
several times put to his coach to be ready to
convey him to the Tower.
Lord Bristol continued to have great in
fluence with Charles, and was so farailiar
with hira that he even ventured to reprove

Lord Bristol's Houses. 233
him for his profligate life. But his ante
cedents did not well entitle him to act the
part of a censor. We are told that he was
" amorously inclined," and he informs us
in "Elvira" that "Love holds the rudder,
and steers in all courts," and that
" A sharp pointed hat
Appears not so ridiculous as a youker
Without a love intrigue to introduce
And sparkifjr him there."
In 1661 Lord Bristol purchased the palace
of Henrietta Maria, at Wimbledon, and next
year Evelyn helped " to contrive after the
modern" the gardens there, and observes
that Lord Bristol has a large library, but
mostly of " trifles," His Lordship had also
a mansion in Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, with a gallery and gardens, which
was taken in 1671 by the Commissioners of
Trade and Plantations, of whom Evelyn was
one. Three years afterwards he purchased
Buckingham House, in Chelsea, perhaps
from its association with bis friend, the
Duke of Buckingham.

234 The Village of Palaces.
Lord Bristol is said to have died and been
buried at Chelsea, and not to have had a
friend to regret hira. He demised this house
to his Countess — a daughter of the fourth
Earl of Bedford — who resided here for
several years after bis death. Evelyn
writes, January 15th, 1679 : " I went
with my Lady Sunderland to Chelsea, and
dined with the Countess of Bristol (her
raother) in the great hoifse, forraerly the
Duke of Buckingham's, a spacious and
excellent place for the extent of ground and
situation in good air. The house is large
but ill-contrived, though ray Lord of Bristol,
who purchased it after he sold Wirabledon
to my Lord Treasurer, expended much
money on it. There were divers pictures of
Titian and Vandyck, and some of Bassano,
very excellent, especially an Adonis and
Venus, a Duke of Venice, a butcher in his
sharables selling raeat to a Swiss ; and of
Vandyck my Lord of Bristol's picture, with
the Earl of Bedford's at length, in the same

Beaufort House. 235
table,' There was in the garden a rare
collection of orange trees, of which she was
pleased to bestow some upon me,"
It would seem, from what Evelyn after
wards says, that Sir Stephen Fox had sorae
idea of purchasing Buckingham House, and
had even offered within five hundred pounds
of the price demanded ; but it was eventually
sold, three years later, to the Marquis of
Worcester, who became Duke of Beaufort,
and who raade improveraents in it. This
old mansion now assuraed a new name —
that of Beaufort House, and continued in
the family for some thirty years. Evelyn
writes : —
"1683, Septeraber 3rd, I went to see
what had been done by the Duke of Beau
fort on his late purchased house at Chelsea,
which I once had the selling of for the
Countess of Bristol; he had made great
alterations, but might have built a better
1 No doubt the large library above mentioned was here.
It was now augmented by the bequest of that of Sir
Kenelm Digby.

236 The Village of Palaces.
house with the raaterials and the cost he had
been at."
Bowack describes the raansion at this tirae :
" The house is between two and three hun
dred feet in length, has a stately ancient
front towards the Tharaes, also two spacious
court-yards, and behind it are very fine
gardens. It is so pleasantly situated, that
the late Queen Mary had a great desire to
purchase it before King Williara built Ken
sington, but was prevented by secret
obstacles." In Kip's view this house has a grand
appearance, having thirteen windows, four
of thera oriel, on the first floor. There
were two courts in front, and the grounds
covered twenty acres. The present Moravian
Chapel was the stable, and the burial-ground
the stable-yard, along the west wall of which
stood a hne of trees, where some old elms
still exist.

237

CHAPTER X.
James I. — His Love of Theology — Controversies of the
Day — He founds a College for the Study of Polemical
Divinity — Constitution of the College — Its Failure —
Munificence of Sutcliffe — Sufferings of Featly — The
Archbishop of Spalatro — His Disappointment and
Death — Rival Claims to the Possession of the College.
/^N the accession of Jaraes the First, the
^ Puritans, concluding that a King from
Scotland must be favourable to their views,
sent up a petition called the " MlUennary,"
because signed, or supposed to be signed,
by a thousand persons. They had proposed
a Conference in Queen Elizabeth's reign,
which she would not allow ; but Jaraes,
being learned in theology, and a keen dis
putant, was not unwilling to preside at a
theological tournament. Thus the cele-

238 The Village of Palaces.
brated meeting at Hampton Court was
held; but Jaraes, who had apparently suf
fered frora the Presbyterians in Scotland,
opened the proceedings by saying, " that
he now found hiraself araong grave, learned,
and reverend raen, not as forraerly, a King
without State, or honour, in a place where
order was banished, and beardless boys
could brave him to the face — Scotch Pres
byters agreeing as well with Monarchy as
God with the Devil," In short, he an
nounced that he was averse frora change,
but was willing to inquire into any com
plaints which could be brought forward.
The principal raatters to which the Puritans
objected, were the Cross in Baptism, Con
firmation, Absolution, the administration of
Baptism by women, the raarriage ring, Ex-
coraraunication, and bowing at the name
of Jesus. They wished for strict laws
against the profanation of the Lord's Day,
that the clergy should be allowed to marry,
that there should be no pluralities, that
none should be admitted into the Ministry

Theology of James I. 239
but able men, and that such as were Indiffe
rent preachers should be removed.
The King agreed with the Puritans in
their objection to baptisra being adminis
tered by lay persons; but did not, there
fore, think the rite of little importance.
On the contrary, he considered that when
it could be administered by a clergyraan, it
should never be oraitted. He added that,
when in Scotland, he argued so far in favour
of giving greater weight to the Sacraraent
that a pert minister asked him : " If he
thought baptisra so necessary that if it were
omitted the child would be damned ?" He
answered, " No, but if you being called to
baptize the child, though privately, should
refuse to come, I think you shall be damned."
Various objections were taken by the Puri
tans to the Prayer Book. The Confe
rence ended in a few explanations in the
Rubric being agreed to, and the new trans
lation of the Bible being ordered. We read
that the King was greatly admired by the
Lords for the quickness of his apprehension.

240 The Village of Palaces.
his skill in controversy, and his dexterity
in disentangling difficulties. In a speech
raade in Parliament, in 1604, the King said
that the Puritans did not differ from the
Established Church so much in doctrine as
in policy, and that he owns the Roman
Coraraunion as the Mother Church, though
disfigured with sorae errors and bleraishes.
But, although not unfriendly to the Church
of Rorae, he warns thera not to suppose
that he can connive at the spreading of their
religion in its present forra.
Notwithstanding this moderation in the
King's views, the Gunpowder Plot was
formed soon afterwards, and Paul V, for
bade Roman Catholics to take the oath of
allegiance. King James being thus iraraersed in reli
gious disputations into which he entered
warraly both in speaking and writing,
founded, in the year 1609, a College at
Chelsea, which, frora its character, was
soraetiraes called " Controversy College."
The statute for this estabhshment sets forth.

King James' College. 241
" that his Majesty for defence of true reli
gion now established within this realm of
England, and for the refuting of errors and
heresies repugnant unto the sarae, hath been
graciously pleased by his Letters Patent,
under the Great Seal of England, to found
a College at Chelsea, near London, and
therein to place certain learned Divines, and
to incorporate the same by the name of
the Provost and Fellows of the College of
King James, in Chelsea near London, of
the foundation of the same Jaraes, King of
England, and hath of his most gracious
bounty and goodness, not only endowed the
same with certain lands, privileges and im
munities, but hath also, for their further
maintenance and sustentation, given unto
them a capacity and ability to receive and
take from his Majesty, or any of his loving
subjects, any lands, tenements, heredita
ments, gifts, benefices and profits whatso
ever, not exceeding, in the whole, the
yearly value of three thousand pounds, as
VOL. I. E

242 The Village of Palaces.
in and by the said Letters Patent doth more
at large appear." ' The King laid the first
stone, and Parliament, which met at West
minster, July 19, 1609, and sat till July 3,
1610, did nothing of raore iraportance than
the raaking an Act to enable the Fellows
and Provost of Chelsea College to dig a
trench out pf the River Lee, at Lockbridge,
Hackney, to erect engines, waterworks, &c.,
to convey and carry water in close pipes
underground into the City of London and
the suburbs thereof, for the perpetual main
tenance and sustentation of the said Pro
vost and Fellows, and their successors, by
the rent to be made of the said water so
conveyed. Fuller tells us that this College was in
tended for a spiritual garrison, with a
1 In a book published in 1645, to show the reasons
that moved King James to erect a college of Divines and
learned men at Chelsea, it is asked : " Can God's honour
stand with the superstition, heresy, idolatry and blasphemy
of Papists, prophanesse of Atheists, fanatical doctrine of
schismaticks and idle novelists."

King James' College. 243
magazine of all books for that purpose,
where learned Divines should study and
write in maintenance of all controversies
against the Papists ; and Stow speaks to
the same effect. But of the establishment,
which consisted of a Provost and seventeen
Fellows, the first Provost was Sutcliffe,'
and one of the principal Fellows was John
Overall, Dean of St. Paul's. Sutcliffe was
selected for his controversial ability. He
was a rigid anti-reraonstrant, and when old
became morose and testy in his writings
against schismatics ; " an infirmity," adds
Fuller, " which all ingenuous people will
pardon in hira that hope and desire to attain
old age theraselves,"
But he dealt his blows impartially on both
sides, Beza called him " rather a peevish
reproacher than a Christian disputer," and In
a conflict with Job Throckraorton, the sarae
man who wrote " Throckmorton's Ghost,"
1 He received his first education at Christ's Hos
pital, which was founded the year after his birth by
Edward VI.
E 2

244 The Village of Palaces.
Sutchffe says that, " if his adversary's
letter had not been addressed to a pitiful
woman, it had, without question, gone into
the pantry, where it might have done good
service to keep pepper in, being itself of
a pretty biting quahty," He adds, that
Throckmorton " must appear at the Bench,
not the ale bench, and be tried by xn men,
not one woman,"
Overall was remarkable for his op
position to the Supra-lapsarians, i. e., those
who wished to take a narrow view of
Predestination, He constantly combated
the doctrine of Election and Repro
bation as taught by the severer Puritans,
and spoke in the Hampton Court Confe
rence against the notion that a man once
justified must be saved, even though he
die in unrepented sin. He was one ofthe
translators of the Bible, i. e., from Joshua
to Chronicles, and added to the Church
Catechisra the portion relating to the Sacra
ments. Two historians were added to the mem-

Camden. 245

bers of this college, not raerely to register
the occurrences of the times, but rather to
give such historical information from time
to time as might tend to elucidate religious
questions. One of these was the celebrated
Camden, author of the " Britannia," who had
devoted his life, as far as bis duties would
allow, to travelling over England in search
of antiquarian information. The great Lord
Burleigh had appreciated and supported hira,
and suggested his undertaking his valuable
history of Elizabeth's reign, Camden was a
strong Protestant, and continued in favour
with Jaraes, who employed him to translate
into Latin the whole account of the trial of
the Conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot,
We are not, therefore, surprised that he was
now appointed one of the two historians at
Chelsea, but as the promotion proved to be
merely honorary, it was fortunate that he
still kept his office of Clarencieux King-at-
arras in the Herald's College. It would
seem probable from a document at Oxford
that Camden's old friend, Sir Henry

246 The Village of Palaces.

Spelman, the author of the celebrated
" Glossary on Enghsh Law," and of other
antiquarian -works, was also a meraber of
this college.
Why Chelsea was chosen to be the site of
this estabhshraent does not clearly appear,
but perhaps it was thought desirable to
to have the college near London and the
royal palaces, as we find Hampton Court
was chosen for the Church Conference.' Six-
acres were obtained for it, at a rent of
seven pounds ten shillings, from old Adrairal
Howard, Earl of Nottinghara, who had an
unexpired lease of the land frora the crown.
The King gave to the College at a sraall
rent the reversion of this, and of twenty-two
adjoining acres ;^ he also sent some of the
1 In the book of " Reasons" it is said that the locality
was chosen because it was thought more flt "for re
ceiving directions from superiors, consulting with men of
the best experience, obtaining intelligence from foreign
parts, printing books, &c., and to obtain the favour of the
State and City."
2 This land seems to have come to the* Crown when

Plan of the College. 24i7
fine oaks of Windsor Forest for the wood
work. The projected building, of which views
remain, was large, consisting of two quad
rangles with towers at the corners, and with
a piazza or cloister running round the smaller
court ; but only an eighth, i.e., the southern side
of the larger quadrangle, was ever finished.
This portion cost three thousand pounds —
nearly all of which money was provided by
Sutcliffe, It faced the road from London to
Chelsea, having a five acre field in front,
and was a brick building one hundred and
thirty feet long and thirty-three broad, con
taining on the ground floor a kitchen, two
butteries, two larders, a hall, and two large
parlours ; on the first floor were four " fair
chambers," two with-drawing rooms, and
four closets ; the sarae on the next floor ;
and on the third a very large gallery having
at each end a little room with turrets,
covered with slate. The gardens and out
houses were surrounded with a brick wall ;
Henry VIII. purchased the manor. The Abbey had no
property in Chelsea on the Dissolution.

248 The Village of Palaces.
and an avenue of elms led towards the river
at the back.
Various causes have been assigned for the
failure of this college. Some think that
Archbishop Bancroft was the chief promoter
of it, and that his death in 1610 proved
fatal to the work ; he left by his will in 1610
a " study of books " to it, if it should be
erected in six years. Stow speaks of the
death of Prince Henry in 1612 as having
acted prejudicially, but if the project de
pended upon the lives of one or two
persons, it must have contained the seeds
of decay. Fuller says it failed because
King James merely countenanced it, and
gave it no substantial support, and also
because " the original means of the college
was founded on the fluid and unconstant
element — unstable as water." No doubt
if the establishment could have kept a
monopoly of supplying London with water,
it would have lasted much longer; but
its character would probably have been
changed, as few felt an interest in the

Decadence of the College. 249
objects for which it was established. There
was nothing attractive in keeping alive con
troversy, and hopes of pecuniary support
failed when the water scheme was super
seded by that of Sir Hugh Middleton. The
whole affair soon becarae a laughing stock,
and the Papists gave the building the name
of an alehouse. Among the eccentric ex
pedients by which Jaraes sought to support
bis bobby, was that of reviving a poll-tax to
be paid on taking the oath of Allegiance
and Supreraacy, " which shall yearly be
enforced as a safeguard against Popery,"
In 1616 the King wrote to the bishops to
urge the clergy to contribute, and Arch
bishop Abbot sent with it a letter of his
own to the following effect : —
" Now because it is so pious and religious
a work, conducing both to God's glory, and
the saving of many a soul within this
kingdom, I cannot but wish that all devout
and well-affected persons should by yourself
and the preachers of your diocese, as well

250 The Village of Palaces.
publicly as otherwise, be excited to con
tribute in some measure to so holy an
intendment now well begun. And although
these and the like motions have been
frequent in these later tiraes, yet let not
those whom God hath blessed with any
wealth be weary of well-doing, that it may
not be said that the idolatrous and super
stitious Papists be raore forward to advance
their falsehoods than we are to raaintain
God's truth. Whatsoever is collected, I pray
your lordship raay be carefully brought unto
me, partly that it pass not through any
defrauding hand, and partly that his Majesty
may be acquainted what is done in this
behalf. " Your lordship, &c,"
But very little money was ever received
from these appeals. Fuller writes — " If (as
is vehemently suspected) any of these
collections be but detained by private
persons, I conceive it no trespass against
Christian charity to wish that the pockets

Sutcliffe. 251

which keep such money, may rot all such
suits as wear them,"
The Provost Sutcliffe struggled bravely to
support his College, Although he had a
daughter and grandchildren, he bequeathed
to it four farras in Devonshire of the annual
value of three hundred pounds, an " ex
tent" against the estate of Sir Lewis
Stukeley for four thousand pounds, and a
share in the " Great Neptune," a vessel of
Whitby.' But, as we read, " he was deserted,
Uriah-hke, and left to fight alone," and it is
' The extent of three thousand or four thousand pounds
on Stukeley's lands proved of little value, as there
was a prior charge upon them, and the repairs on the
' Great Neptune' swallowed up the profits. The lands
led to law-suits, and were made over to Sutcliffe's
family, only one farm remaining. Sutcliffe had ex
pended money on the ' Great Neptune,' which was sold by
Sir Ferdinando Gorge and the executors of Dr. Gough
to the Earl of Warwick. In 6th of Charles I., the
farm in Stokes Rivers, called Komerland, was all that
remained, valued thirty-four pounds per annum, for the
sustentation of the College, and most of that went to re
pair the homestead. — Tanner's MSS.

252 The Village of Palaces.
only surprising that so ranch was accom
plished by one man, Sutcliffe, and a certain
nuraber of the fellows, seem to bave resided
here, at least, occasionally, and it appears
that it was the custora to allot an apartraent
to each meraber of the corporation upon
his election. In his will, Sutcliffe speaks
strongly against the superstitious idolatry
and tyranny of the Pope, saying this Col
lege was founded to oppose them, and also
those " Pelagianizing Arminians who draw
towards Popery and Babylonian Slavery,"
He leaves to the provost, fellows, and
students, "the books, household stuff, and
such things as he has in Chelsea College,"
and the choice of his books in his study at
Exeter, up to the value of thirty pounds.
Dr, Goodman, Dean of Westminster, a
friend of Caraden, intended to have left his
library to the College, but eventually gave
it to Trinity College, Cambridge. It is
worth notice that he was removed from
the See of Gloucester for his Popish proclivi
ties.

Featley. 253
In 1630, as the design seemed to have
failed, three of the farms bequeathed by
Dr, Sutcliffe were returned to his heirs.
But when, in 1636, Sir Francis Kynaston,
Regent of the Museum of Minerva — an
institution for the promotion of art and
science — wished to remove his Academy to
Chelsea College,' on account of the plague
being in London, we find Dr. Featley, tbe
next Provost, objecting, and stating that
there was " a public library in the College
containing hundreds of books unchained,
besides an upper room in which the patents
and muniraents were kept, and apartments
of two of the fellows filled with stuff and
books." This Featley was so celebrated a
controversialist that he was called " acu-
tlssimus." He disputed at Oxford with Dr.
Prideaux, and thus came to be noticed by
the Archbishop of Spalatro, who was pre
sent, and at that time Master of the Savoy.
1 It appeared that Sir Francis Kynaston intended to
keep possession of the College if he entered it, under
cover of the doubtful right of tenure.

254 The Village of Palaces.
As the Archbishop was afterwards one Of tbe
fellows of Chelsea College, he probably
assisted in raising Featley, who was Chap
lain to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to
the Provostship, Featley was a stanch Pro
testant, rather Calvinistic in his views, but
owing to his being a clergyraan of the Esta
blished Church, he was cruelly treated in
the rebellion. The soldiers entered his
church at Acton, in 1642, broke the win
dows, pulled down the altar rails and font,
and burnt his barn and stables. Afterwards
they rushed into his church at Lambeth
during service, with pistols and drawn
swords, and killed two of the congregation,
saying that " if they could get at the
Doctor, they would ' chop the rogue' as
small as herbs to the pot, for suffering
pottage {i.e., the Book of Comraon Prayer)
to be read in his church." Others said they
would " squeeze the Pope out of hira.'"
He was dispossessed of his livings, and
his library was given to John White, who
1 Walker's " Sufferings of the Clergy."

Antonius De Dominis. 255
succeeded him at Lambeth. This champion
of the Protestant cause continued in durance
frora Septeraber, 1643, till the beginning of
March, 1644, when, being in a very weak
condition, an application was made to Par
liament that he might go to Chelsea College
for six weeks, and it is remarkable that he
died on the very day his six weeks expired.
He evidently remembered Chelsea as a
peaceful and health-giving place of retire
ment, and during the plague he had brought
his wife and family to live in the College.
Marcus Antonius de Dominis was con
nected with the family of Gregory X., but
in 1616 resigned the Archbishopric of
Spalatro, in Dalmatia, and came to England.
As his object was to preach and publish
works against the Roraan Church and
Council of Trent, he was warraly welcomed
by the clergy in this country. He was
feasted wherever he went ; the University
addressed him " as though he hiraself were
an University ;" and King Jaraes sent him a
silver, basin and cup, with which De

256 The Village of Palaces.
Dorainis said be would " wash off the filth
of Rome and drink to Evangelical purity."
To these ornamental gifts something sub
stantial was added ; he was made Master of
the Savoy, Dean of Windsor, and Rector
of a living in Berkshire. A man of ability
and a powerful preacher, he lost nothing
by his handsome countenance, his long
grey beard, and tall, stately figure. But like
many other notable men he had a fatal
weakness. Sorae misunderstanding with
the Pope on the subject of money led to his
leaving Spalatro, and even his admirers in
this country had to chide him for his sordid
exactions. When some unpleasantness had
thus arisen, he one day made a jest at the
expense of the Spanish Ambassador, and
the ruffled dignitary resolved upon a diplo
matic revenge. He betook himself to James,
and asserted that De Dominis was an ira
postor, and in heart not a Protestant but a
Roraanist, adding, that with the King's
leave he would prove it. Accordingly he
wrote to the King of Spain to ask for

Antonius De Dominis. 257
pardon from the Pope for De Dominis, and
forthwith Gregory XV- inforraed the offend
ing brother that he raight return without
fear, and that he would make him Bishop
of Salerno and a Cardinal, The bait took ;
De Dominis, after trying in vain to obtain
the Archbishopric of York, changed front,
and, according to Roman Catholic writers,
mounted the pulpit in London and abjured
his heresies, for which performance he was
ordered to quit the King's dominions within
three days. At Rome he did not obtain the
preferraent he expected, and becoraing in
discreet in his language, was thrown into
prison in the Castle of St, Angelo, where he
died the same year — possibly from natural
causes — but his body and books were burnt
together, by the Inquisition, in the Field of
Flora, He wrote a book on telescopes and
optics. Fuller says : — " Such a crooked
stick, which had bowed all wales, was
adjudged unfit to raake a beam or rafter
either in Popish or Protestant Church."
VOL. I. s

258 The Village of Palaces.
Dr, Slater, or Slaughter, one of the above
mentioned fellows, who had the " stuff and
books" in the College, was appointed to
succeed Featley, but he seems only to have
held the office for a year. Elections con
tinued to be regularly made to the founda
tion by the heads of Colleges in the
Universities, subject to the approval of the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of
London, and the Chancellors of Oxford and
Cambridge. During the Civil War most of the fellows
ceased to reside here, and perhaps intention
ally avoided the place. We can easily
suppose that the Puritans would feel but
little affection for an institution which was
partly intended to oppose dissent, and of
which the principals had generally inclined
to the High Church party. In this sense
we must understand their saying of Dr.
Samuel Wilkinson, the fourth and last Provost,
that he was "a raan of very scandalous
report." "At this present," Fuller writes
of the College, " it hath but little case, and

Remains of the College. 259
nothing of the jewel, for which it was in
tended ; almost rotten before ripe, and
ruinous before it was finished. It stands
bleak, like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers,
having plenty of pleasant water near it, and
store of wholesome air about it, but very
little of the necessary element of earth be
longing to it."
Nothing now remains of the panelled
walls, or of the floors of Windsor oak,
which great and learned men trod ; nor of
those towers whence could be seen the
silvery course of the Tharaes, and the
gardens of the palace and the neighbouring
mansions. Underneath the house of the
chaplain in Chelsea Hospital are two low
arched rooms, eighteen feet by twelve, and
eight in height, the brickwork of which,
being upwards of three feet in thickness, Is
entirely different from that in any other part
of tbe Hospital. These were probably
part of the basement floor of the College,
and formed some of the offices in the
usual " half storey" underneath ; the site
s 2

260 The Village of Palaces.
favours this supposition, and much brick
work has been found under the grass in the
garden. Wilkinson was Rector of Chelsea for
thirty-seven years, and seems to have been an
excellent raan, though perhaps, in one sense,
rather too fond of books. He was on intimate
terms with the Countess of Nottingham, the
widow of the Adrairal, who was accustoraed
to lend him valuable works, such as those
of Aquinas, Augustine, Ambrose, Jerome,
&c. These were afterwards demanded back
by her husband, but Wilkinson kept them,
saying that she wished them to be handed
down to the successive Rectors of Chelsea.
We afterwards find that the library ofthe
College had mysteriously disappeared, and
none of the above mentioned books are
now to be found in the Rectory. It was
probably owing to his clerical connection
with the neighbourhood that Wilkinson was
chosen Provost, for the original design of
the foundation had been already abandoned.'
1 He claimed an allowance of thirty pounds per annum

Contests about the College. 261
The College was so little occupied by the
fellows that Lord Monson took possession
of a part of it In right of the lease his wife,
Lady Nottinghara, had originally frora the
Crown, and it becarae a question of dispute
whether the housekeeper was acting for him
or for the Corporation, Lord Monson re
tained this possession for sorae tirae, owing
to the neglect of the Provost, and sorae
proraises he held out of benefactions. Mean
while, one John Sutcliffe, a nephew of the
first provost and a worthless spendthrift,"
applied, being in distressed circurastances,
to be allowed to live in the college. Lord
Monson adraitted hira, apparently with the
sanction of the Provost, upon condition that
he should sign a bond to Lord Monson and
Sir John Danvers, promising to vacate the
premises when required, Sutcliffe had no
sooner obtained possession than he showed
his disposition and his sense of his rights, by
intruding himself into the fellows' rooras,
for resigning the College, but afterwards surrendered upon
discretion.

262 The Village of Palaces.
damaging the wainscoting, and making
himself generally offensive. He was ac
cordingly expelled by the Provost Wilkinson,
who after much trouble and expense took
possession of the College in the narae of the
Corporation, and we afterwards find Sutcliffe
petitioning the Courts to be allowed to
return to " his college," He wished to pull
down the building — thinking that he had a
claira to the raaterials, and he nearly suc
ceeded in getting a decision in his favour.
Lord Monson' in the year 1647 cora
raenced a suit against Wilkinson for posses
sion of the College, which he seeras to have
already leased with certain lands to Lord
Belhaven, in trust for the Duke of Hamilton
— who probably cared little about retaining
the College. The action seems to have
failed, but during the Coraraonwealth the
institution fell to decay, the building becarae
dilapidated, and even the forraality of ap
pointing fellows was not observed, so that
1 So ignorant was he about the College that he called
Sutcliffe " Sucklyng."

" The Glory of Chelsea College." 263
there were soon not sufficient to continue
the Corporation. Perhaps the rent to the
Crown was not paid — at any rate we find
the place used by the Governraent in
1651 for the incarceration of Scotch
prisoners. . The conteraplation of the state of this
College, when compared with the grand
intentions of the foundation, led to an appeal
being published by John Darley, B.D., in
1662, entitled—" The Glory of Chelsea Col
lege. Its original Progress and Design for
preserving and establishing the Church of
Christ in purity, for maintaining and defend
ing the Protestant religion. How the design
was approved and by what raeans obstructed.
Addressed to Charles II." In this work
the author says that Charles I. directed
Laud to proraote the design, and he draws
the following picture of the state to which it
had fallen. It had becorae " a cage of unclean
beasts, a stable for horses, a resort of loose
women, and not only a place petitioned to
make leather guns in, but desired also as a

264 The Village of Palaces.
palaestra for managing great horses, and
for practising horsemanship." He might
have added that some wanted to raake it a
pest house for Westrainster.
After the Restoration, the nephew of Dr.
Sutcliffe, the first Provost, put in his claira,
and was about to have sold It, when the King
gave it to the Royal Society. Although
there were so raany claimants, the property
seeras to have been of little value :
and just about this time, 1667, Lord
Belhaven and the Duke of Harailton assigned
over their interest in it to one Andrew
Cole for ten shillings, " and divers other
good causes and considerations."
Sir Wihiara Monson, Lord Castleraaine,
does not appear to much raore advantage In
his connection with Chelsea than in his other
affairs. He says that " the witnesses to his
claims are beyond the seas," and we find him
borrowing money from his tenants, just as
his friend. Sir John Danvers, was constantly
obtaining loans frora the parish funds.
Having been accessory to the murder of

Lord Monson. 265

Charles I., he was degraded from his
honours in 1661, and was sentenced to be
drawn on a sledge from the Tower to
Tyburn and back, and to remain a prisoner
in the Tower all his life.

266

CHAPTER XI.
Learned Societies — The Royal Society — Mixture of Philo
sophy and Credulity — Their Inquiries ridiculed —
Eminent Members — Prince Rupert — Robert Boyle —
Sir Christopher Wren — Evelyn proposes to build a
Scientific College — His Charge of Prisoners in the
College — Pecuniary Difficulties of the Royal Society —
They obtain the College — Proposal to make it an Ob
servatory — It is found to be dilapidated and useless.
rpHE sixteenth century was raarked by
-L that progress and developraent of in
tellect which led to the foundation of our
learned societies. To Linacre, the tutor of
More, and friend of Erasmus, was due the
incorporation of the College of Physicians
in 1518, He had studied at Rorae, and
graduated at Padua, and becarae physician
to Henry VII,, Henry VIIL, and Edward

Learned Institutions. 267
VI. In 1648 Sir William Petty proposed to
build a gyranaslum for various branches of
study, " so that there raight not be so many
unworthy fustian preachers in divinity, in
tbe law so many pettyfoggers, in physic so
many quacksalvers, and in country schools
so raany grammaticasters," In 1575 Sir
Thomas Gresham bequeathed his mansion in
Bishopgate Street to form an institution for
the delivery of lectures. Professors were to
reside here, and the accommodation appears
to bave been on a magnificent scale. We
read of a great hall thirty-seven feet long,
twenty wide, and twenty-five or thirty feet
high; of a gallery one hundred and forty
feet long, and a repository of curiosities
ninety feet by eighteen. This establishraent
became the home of the Royal Society,
which comraenced about 1645 in a sraall
association of learned men, mostly medical,
who arranged to meet weekly at the ' Bull
Head Tavern,' Cheapside. Boyle called
them the " Invisible Society." In 1662 a
patent of incorporation was granted — humor-

268 The Village of Palaces.
ously said to have been the only wise act
of Charles II.
Sir Robert Moray, a scientific and re
ligious raan, was the first President. He
was made a Privy Councillor by Charles IL,
and through him the Society carried on
coraraunications with the King. Charles
was generous to them in an unprofitable
manner. He granted them lands in Ireland,
for which nothing could be obtained, and
sometimes sent them venison for their
annual dinners. At the tirae of the incor
poration Lord Brounker was President, a
celebrated astronoraer who held several high
offices after the Restoration.
An arausing araount of credulity and
superstition was raingled with the learning
of these philosophers, who " began to knock
at the door where truth was to be found."
They were the successors of those raerely
theological scholars of whom King Jaraes I.
was a good speciraen, who found tirae amid
his doctrinal studies to write a work on
Deraonology, in which he tells us that " spirits

Members of the Boyal Society. 269
and ghosts were more coraraonly seen in the
tirae of the Papists than since, because their
errors raade the devil treat them with
greater farailiarity."
The Hon, Robert Boyle believed strange
things, and some other members of the
Society had confidence in the virtue of May-
dew gathered before sunrise, and were
very industrious in collecting it. Sir Robert
Moray, at the meeting at which he was
elected President, sent in a paper stating
that in Western Scotland he found little
shells adhering to trees, and that they had
within them little birds. He also presented
to the Museum in a silver box some stones
taken out of Lord Balcarres' heart, and a
bottle of stag's tears. A soleran trial of
divining by hazel rods was made, and had
the good effect of showing that they pos
sessed no supernatural powers.
Not only were the inquiries of the Royal So
ciety regarded with disfavour by the Church,
but occasionally the minute and puerile
investigations in which some of the raerabers

270 The Village of Palaces.
engaged, became a tempting theme for the
huraorist, at a tirae when learning was but
little valued by the pubhc. Thus the
author of " Hudibras," in his " Elephant in
the Moon," raakes the virtuosos of the
Royal Society asserable to exaraine the
raoon —
" To observe her country how 'twas planted
With what she abounded most or wanted ;
And make the properest observations.
For settling of new plantations.
If the Society should incline
T' attempt so glorious a design."
In the same spirit Ned Ward, in his
" London Spy," describes Gresham College
as " Wise-acre's-hall," He speaks of one
of the inmates whose " countenance was
mathematical, having so raany lines and
angles in his face as you shall find in Eu
clid's eleraents, and looked as if he had fed
upon nothing but Cursus Mathemhticus for
a fortnight." The " Elaboratory Keeper's
Apartraent," he says, " contained Egyptian
mumraies, old musty skeletons, and other

Progress of the Boyal Society. 271
antiquated trumpery," In another room was
an aviary — " The Society say that a fea
ther of the Bird of Paradise carried about
with you, is a security against teraptation ;
for which reason they have pretty well
picked it, to carry presents of it to their
wives and daughters,"
But these early inquirers — although at
first incited by the hope of raaking marvel
lous discoveries, and such as would, in many
cases, have been of little use — gradually
progressed, lived down ridicule, and laid
the foundations of Modern Science, The
encouragement it gave to inoculation led
Queen Caroline to beg six condemned cri
minals for experiment, and then to sub
mit her own children to that operation.'
" Through it," as Draper observes, " the
Gregorian Calendar was introduced into
England in 1752, against a violent religious
1 Lady Wortley Montagu, who had seen the success of
the operation in Constantinople, as well as Sir Hans
Sloane, exercised influence with the Queen in favour of
having the experiment tried.

272 The Village of Palaces.
opposition. Sorae of its Fellows were pur
sued through the streets by an ignorant and
infuriated raob, who believed it had robbed
thera of eleven days of their lives. It was
found necessary to conceal the narae of
Father Walraesley — a learned Jesuit, who
had taken deep interest in the raatter — and
Bradley happening to die during the cora-
raotion, it was declared that he had suffered
a judgraent from Heaven for his crime."
Two or three of the Fellows deserve here
especial mention — the most iraportant of
whora, at the time, was Prince Rupert,
His name is found inscribed with that of
Charles II. and Jaraes IL within the crira-
son velvet and golden clasped Charter Book
ofthe Society. Rupert, when there was a
lull in the war between 1658 and 1662,
devoted hiraself to philosophical pursuits.
He invented a gunpowder of ten tiraes the
usual power, and iraproved the Naval Qua
drant. Araong other discoveries, he is said
to have invented Mezzotlnto, frora having
observed a reraarkable discoloration pro-

Prince Bupert. 273
duced by a soldier in cleaning a rusty
musket with a piece of rag. He has raore
just claim to be regarded as the improver
of the art. The high tower in Windsor
Castle was his principal laboratory, where
he had forges, retorts and crucibles, and
worked like a comraon raechanic. In the
year 1660, sorae glass bubbles, afterwards
known as " Rupert's drops," perhaps be
cause first made in England by him, were
sent to the Society by the King, through
Sir Paul Neile. These drops resembled our
toughened glass — they were pear-shaped,
and could scarcely be broken upon an anvil ;
but, once cracked, the whole crumbled to
pieces. Thus we read in Hudibras —
" Honour is like that glassy bubble
That finds philosophers such trouble.
Whose least part cracked, the whole doth fiy.
And wits are cracked to find out why."
The Hon, Robert Boyle was a most
learned and voluminous writer, and deserves
VOL, I. T

274 The Village of Palaces
a passing notice, as he had a house at
Little Chelsea,' where his grand-nephew,
the fourth Earl of Orrery was born.^ Here
he had a fine laboratory, and made a
variety of chemical experiments, M, de
Monconys, a French man of science, visited
hira here. " I went," he says, " after din
ner with Mr. Oldenburg and my son, two
miles frora London in a coach for five shil
lings, to a village called Little Chelsea to
see Mr. Boyle.'" He proceeds to give an
1 Little Chelsea was to the north of the village of
Chelsea and bordered upon Brompton.
^ A nobleman remarkable for industry and talent, called
the great ornament of Christ Church by Dr. Aldrich,
who says he was encouraged by him to publish his
" Logic." He published an edition of the " Epistles of
Phalaris," which involved him in a controversy with
Bentley. The Orrery was named after him, by a friend
who invented it.
^ We have no clue to the house he inhabited here.
Evelyn says of Boyle : " Glasses, potts, chymical
and mathematical instruments, books and bundles of
papers did so fill and crowd his bed-chamber, that there
was but just room for a few chairs."

Bobert Boyle. 275

account of several operations performed
here, especially one of mixing salt witb
gold. " Mr, Boyle," he notes, " has an
extreraely good telescope, and two excellent
microscopes, larger than mine." Evelyn
also records in 1661, " I went with that
excellent person and philosopher. Sir Robert
Murray, to visit Mr, Boyle at Chelsea, and
saw various effects of the Eolipile for weigh
ing the air." Boyle was very much attached
to his sister, Lady Ranelagh, whose death he
only survived by a week. We may suppose
that she and her son were often at Chelsea,
and that thus the future Lord Ranelagh
came to appreciate the advantages of the
locality. Another more celebrated member of the
Royal Society was Sir Christopher Wren.
During the first years of his connection
with it, he was mostly remarkable for
bis proficiency in anatoray, and for origi
nating the worse than useless experiraents
of injecting liquids into the veins of aniraals.
T 2

276 The Village of Palaces.
In 1657, he was Professor of Astronoray
in Greshara College, and in 1665 he went
to Paris to study Architecture ; his atten
tion having been turned in that direction by
his appointraent to assist Sir John Denhara
In reporting upon St. Paul's Cathedral,
He was President in 1681, and is said to
have raade fifty-three discoveries, and
erected forty public buildings.
There was no greater adrairer of that
" miracle of a youth, Christopher Wren,"
tban Evelyn, and it is from this less am
bitious raember that we glean some valuable
information about Chelsea at this period.
In his youth he had ridden, as a volunteer,
in Prince Rupert's troop, and afterwards,
from prudential motives, left England and
travelled in Italy, where he sketched and
collected information. He wrote in favour
of the Restoration, was a man of property,
and eventually came into possession of
Wotton in Surrey ; but the greater part of
his life he hved at Sayes Court, his wife's
place near Deptford, where he bad splendid

Evelyn. 277
gardens. In detalhng the damage done
to them by a severe frost in 1683, he raen-
tions a great variety of trees that grew
there. He let this place at one tirae to
Peter the Great, who wished to be near the
Docks, and he afterwards beraoaned the
injury his gardens suffered during the Bra-
peror's occupancy.'
Among his contributions to the Royal
Society was a History of Etching and En
graving, His Sylva, an account of forest
trees, went through six editions, being
greatly appreciated ; and Sir Robert South
well, in leaving the cares of State for the
delicious retirement of King's Weston, said
^ We read in a paper in the " Archaeologia," dated
1691, " Mr. Evelyn has a pleasant villa at Deptford, a
fine garden for walks and hedges (especially his holly
one, which he writes of in his ' Sylva'), and a pretty little
greenhouse with an indifferent stock in it. In his garden
he has four large round philareas, smooth clipped, raised
on a single stalk from the ground, a fashion now much
used. Part of his garden is very woody and shady for
walking ;• but his garden, not being walled, has little of
the best fruits.

278 The Village of Palaces.
that " he intended to devote his declining
years to the study of Virgil's ' Georgics'
and Evelyn on ' Trees.' " '
As early as 1659, Evelyn had conceived
and coraraunicated to Boyle some grand
design for building a Scientific College. He
writes, " I propose the purchasing of sorae
thirty or forty acres of land in sorae healthy
place, not above twenty-five miles from
London, of which a good part shall be tall
wood, and the rest upland pastures, or
downs sweetly irrigated. We would erect
upon the most convenient site of this, near
the wood, our building, viz., one handsome
pavillion, containing a refectory, library,
with drawing rooms, and a closet ; this the
first storey; for we suppose the kitchen,
larder, cellars, and offices to be contrived in
the half storey underground. In the second
should be a fair lodging charaber, a pallet
1 He wrote other works, such as " The Gardeners'
Almanack" and the " Fop's Dictionary." His wife was
a daughter of Sir R. Browne, the English Minister in
Paris.

A Scientific College. 279
room, gallery, and a closet, all of which
should be well and very nobly furnished,"
There was to be " a physick garden," a
garden house, and a conservatory for tender
plants. To set an example and give en
couragement, he and his wife offered to take
two apartraents in the institution. Although
this scherae was not carried out, Evelyn
seems not to have abandoned his idea of
a large mansion and garden.
In the autumn of 1664, on the breaking
out of the Dutch War, he was appointed one
of the four Coramissioners for the care of
the sick, wounded, and prisoners, and all
the ports from Dover to Portsmouth fell to
his share. He had little idea, when he first
received this charge, of the labour and
anxiety it would entail, or of the extent to
which it would increase. The prisoners at
one tirae amounted to twenty-five thousand,
and we read of his being obliged to have
a guard of four hundred men and a troop
of horse to escort a detachraent of them,
while he had also to make provision for one

280 The Village of Palaces.
thousand five hundred sick and wounded.
The prisoners, of course, did all in their
power to make his post onerous — gave him
false accounts of their nationalities and
social position, and most of them not only
refused to work, but beat those who were
Inclined to be more tractable. Some also
raade attempts to escape, as for instance in
1665, out of Dover Castle, upon which
occasion Evelyn begged the Duke of Albe
marle to order them to be conveyed to
Chelsea College, " and the rather that, there
being no great number of them, it will be
hardly worth the while and charge to main
tain officers for them here and particular
guards," This shows that there was safe
custody then at Chelsea, and he speaks else
where of the marshal and sutler of that es
tablishment,' In fact this place had been more
1 We read in Evelyn's "¦ Diary :" — " 1665, February
8th, Ash Wednesday. — I visited our prisoners at Chel
sey Colledge, and to examine how the Martial and
Suttler behaved. These were prisoners taken in the war ;
they only complained that their bread was too fine.

Captives at Chelsea. 281
or less used as a prison for some fifteen years,
and in 1653 there were one thousand three
hundred and fifty prisoners — taken at the
capture of twelve Dutch men-of-war— sent
in barges to be kept in Chelsea College.'
Two years later we find suras of money
entered for burying Dutch captives.
Many of the prisoners at Chelsea were,
it seeras, put to work on the river. In 1667
Frenchraen were incarcerated there, and
" one of them who attempted to escape was
beaten and put in irons; while Nicholas
Blondel, who was suspected of aiding him
was sought for, was found in the pavilion
of the prison, and resisted orders to corae
1665, May 26th. — To treat with the Holland Ambassa
dor at Chelsey for release of divers prisoners of war in
Holland on exchange here. 1665, April 14th. — Order
to the Commissioners of sick and wounded men to set at
liberty divers Danes taken in the ship ' Reynard,' and de
tained in Chelsey College as Dutchmen. 1665, May
llth. — Order to the Commissioners of sick and wounded
men to release certain Hamburgers detained prisoners in
Chelsey Hospital."— 5ee " Harleian MSS., 1509-44."
1 " Mercurius Politicus."

282 The Village of Palaces.
down, but carae at length on the oath of the
officers not to injure hira — when they
murdered him in spite of the persuasion of
the gaoler."
No doubt the College was at this time a
scene of the greatest misery. Evelyn's
difficulties were increased tenfold by the
constant deficiency of raoney. He says that
the Commissioners are kept so short that
they had to do wonders, and heal the sick
and wounded by miracle. They are in
debt, and it would require two thousand
pounds a week to meet the expenses. The
Dutch showed no anxiety to exchange ; but
seemed to wish to burden us with the ex
pense of supporting their people. Evelyn's
appeals became more and more piteous.
" The prisoners' idleness make them sick,
and their sickness redoubles the charge."
Later he speaks of the wounded perishing
Kke dogs in the street, and says all his
servants and officials have left hira. "Our
prisoners beg of us, as a raercy, to knock
them on the head, for we have no bread to

Misery of the Captives. 283
reheve the dying creatures," " I beseech
your honour (Sir W. Coventry, Secretary
to the Duke of York), let us not be reputed
barbarians, or if at last we must be so,
let me not be the executor of so much
inhumanity," It appears that a large
number of the invalids were at this tirae
quartered at inns in the town ; for he says
that sorae of the landlords, whose accounts
were not paid, " threatened to expose the
soldiers in the streets — where . some have
most inhospitably perished."
In 1664 the Royal Society being hard
driven for want of funds, suggested that ihe
King should be petitioned " for such lands
as were left by the sea," It was also pro
posed that the petition should be for the
Mastership of the Savoy, or for " such offices
in the courts of justice and custom-house
as were in his Majesty's gift," These
requests not being granted, it occurred to
Sir Robert Moray to ask for Chelsea College
and its thirty acres.
As not only Evelyn, but also Cowley the

284 Tlie Village of Palaces.
poet, had suggested that a College should
be founded — the latter proposing that the
building should be two or three miles
from London, near the river, should have
three quadrangles, and cost annually four
thousand pounds — we may well suppose
that the original idea in acquiring the College
was to raake it a centre for the Association ;
but that when its position and dilapidated
state carae to be more fully recognised, the
design was abandoned. The scherae seems
to have been to have here a laboratory,
museum, and " physic garden," and to let
the remainder of the land. 'But pecuniary
profit was the raain object ; great opposition
was made to a clause in the grant
prohibiting sale, and there was always
some idea of building an institution in
London. On the 24th of Septeraber, 1667, Evelyn
writes, " I had orders to deliver y" posses
sion of Chelsey Colledge (used as ray prison
during the war with Holland, for sucl^ as
were sent from the Fleete to London), to

Grant to the Boyal Society. 285
our Society, as a gift of his Majesty our
founder," The grant seems to have been delayed
owing to tbe claims of Sutcliffe (the nephew
of the Provost), and of Andrew Cole — each
of whom the Society had to propitiate with
one hundred pounds. Eventually, it was
found of as little use to the Society as the
other gifts of Charles, and they continued
to meet at Arundel House or Gresham
College,' The maintenance of the building
cost more than it was worth, and Evelyn
suggested that it should be again let for a
prison at one hundred pounds a year, while
another of the members offered to under-
1 Gresham College was destroyed in 1767 by an Act
of Parliament, to erect the Excise Office. The trustees
and guardians of the property agreed to take five hundred
pounds a year for the building, and to pay one thousand
eight hundred pounds for pulling it down. " Am I wrong
in asserting," asks Professor Taylor, " that this trans
action has no parallel in any civilised country ?" A
poetical satire was written at the time, entitled " Gres-
ham's Ghost," with the motto, " Is this house, which I
have called by my name, become a den of robbers !"

286 The Village of Palaces.
take the management of it, and said he
" would plant the ground with all sorts of
choice vegetables, exotic and domestic, and
would repair the house at his own charges,
only expecting to be perpetual steward of
that place."
But neither of these proposals was
carried out, and others fell through, the
Society being somewhat exacting in their
conditions, and the building rauch out of
repair. When they first took possession of
it the roof was in danger of falling In, and
money had to be expended to make rooras
habitable for a gardener and his wife. By
1 673 the state was so much worse that the
Society contemplated pulling down the
College; five years later the tiles and
tirabers of the roof were stored to prevent
spoliation, and whereas in 1675 fourbundred
pounds would have sufficed for repairs,
in 1680 two thousand pounds was con
sidered requisite for the purpose. Every
thing was now neglected, and we read that
a caitiff called " the raan of the Pie '" at
1 Magpie?

Prince Bupert' s Glass House. 287
Chelsea, was making gravel pits in a part of
the grounds. We have already mentioned
Prince Rupert's manufacture of glass drops,
and it would seem that he established glass
works contiguous to the College, probably
on ground belonging to the Society, which
they could not well refuse him. We read
in the Council minutes of 1774 that the
President, Sir R. Southwell, and Mr. Pepys
were desired to make application to Prince
Rupert concerning the mischief which bis
glass house does to Chelsea College, and
suggest to his Highness, " that perhaps he
could put it and the land to some good use
— if he pleases to take it, and consider the
Society for it," Sir Jonas Moore was de
puted to write a letter to the Prince to say
that the house and lands of Chelsea College
might have been well disposed of for the
benefit of the Society, if it had not been
for the annoyance of the neighbouring glass
house. This letter was supported by remonstrances
from Sir R, Southwell and Pepys, who

288 The Village of Palaces.
seera to have had little respect for the
Prince's vitreous operations.
Meanwhile the old college, or rather its
site, was within a little of acquiring European
renown, A sirailar offer to that just men
tioned emanated frora Sir Jonas Moore, a
celebrated mathematician. He was rauch
interested in Flamsteed, a young rising
man.' We find by a letter frora Moore to
him that it had been in his raind to fit up
a house at Chelsea {i.e. the College) as a
private observatory, and to appoint Flam-
steed to the care of it. A minute in a book
of the Council of the Royal Society says : —
"October 19th, 1774.— Mr. Hooke ac
quainted the Council that Sir Jonas Moore
had been with him at Chelsea College, and
made an overture of engaging a gardener
1 it is characteristic of the age that in his youth the
studious Flamsteed being weak and suffering in his joints,
went to Cappoquin, in Ireland, to try the efficacy of
" Greatrakes, the Stroker." He became better, but says
"he is not quite certain whether his improvement was
due to strokes or not."

Proposed Observatory. 289
(a sufficient man) to take a lease of the
house and land about it, allowing withal to
the Society a power to raake hortulan ex
periraents there ; as also to build an astro-
noraical observatory, which latter the said
Sir J. Moore would undertake to do at his
own charge to the value of one hundred and
fifty or two hundred pounds."
Two of the places proposed to the King
for the site of the Royal Observatory
were Hyde Park and Chelsea College.
Flarasteed writes : — " I went to view the
ruins of this latter, and judged that it
might serve the turn better, because nearer
the Court." Greenwich was selected instead
of Chelsea by Sir Christopher Wren, who
possibly, even at that time, entertained some
other plan for utilizing the College. Flam
steed was appointed first " observator,"
mainly upon the suggestion of Moore, who
had now relinquished his original design.
For about fourteen years this dilapidated
building was a burden and loss to the Royal
Society. In 1678, at a meeting of the
VOL. I. 0

290 The Village of Palaces.
Council, at which Sir Christopher Wren, the
President, was in the chair, an account
•was ordered to be drawn up " of the charge
and expense that Chelsea College has cost
this Society, and that the same be delivered
to the President, in order to shew the same
to His Majesty," The further directions
given were : — " That the Committee fornierly
appointed to consider the present state of
Chelsea College, be desired to consider of
what is reasonable to be given for recom
pense to the person that hath taken sorae
care of the raaterials of the same ; and
that Sir Christopher Wren and Mr, Hooke
be desired to view the house, and consider
of what is best to be done to the same."
Such an order as the above raay well have
resulted frora some proposition raade on the
part of Wren, It appears, also, that he
was to negotiate with Charles, and it is
not probable that he would raerely propose
to throw a burden on the King, he would,
no doubt, be prepared with some proposition.

291

CHAPTER XIL
Deplorable Condition of Disabled Soldiers — Letter to the
King from a Lady on the State of the Life Guards —
Sir Stephen Fox's arrangement — His Origin and Pro
gress — Nell Gwynne.
THERE can be little doubt that the dis
solution of the conventual institutions
of England, though prompted by resent
ment and cupidity, was a great benefit to
the country at large. The exactions and
immorality of the friars tended to bring not
only the parish clergy, but even religion
itself, into disrepute. But the money which
the monks drained from the pubhc, although
partly used by themselves, also found its
way in small rivulets to the destitute classes
of society. At the portals of sorae mo-
TJ 2

292 The Village of Palaces.
nasteries bread and ale were offered to all
wayfarers, and even accomraodation for the
night, and thus, araong others, raany a dis
abled soldier found rest and refreshraent.
Upon the Dissolution these advantages
ceased, and the richer classes were irapor
tuned for alras to such an extent that the
poor laws had to be introduced. The roads
were beset by raen, not a few of whom had
fought their country's battles, and were
now, after losing limbs, or being otherwise
incapacitated, left to starve on the roadside.
Prior to their disbandment they were sup
ported by the resources of the array, and
some soldiers had afterwards allowances
given them by colleges, while others were
placed In hospitals, or in the alms-rooms in
cathedral towns, but the greater nuraber
were destitute, and classed with rogues and
vagabonds. The evil seeras to have increased after
the conflict with the Spanish Arraada in
1588, and after the expedition sent to assist
Henry IV. of France and the Protestant

State of Discharged Soldiers. 293
cause in 1592, and thus we find that the
statutory act for the support of those who
had suffered in Her Majesty's service dates
from 1593, and was to extend to those who
had been disabled since March, 1588, For
the iraraediate exigency a reraarkable order
was made in the House of Lords, that a
contribution should be paid of forty shillings
by archbishops, marquesses, earls, and
viscounts, thirty shillings by bishops, and
twenty shillings by barons. For more per
manent relief, it was enacted that weekly
rates should be levied on parishes ; but soon
contests arose as to what districts the
soldiers belonged to, and about the truth
of their stories, and they were sent back
wards and forwards until their wretched
state became a scandal to the country,
" troubling the Queen when she takes the
air," An act was passed towards the end
of Elizabeth's reign, raaking the local rates
chargeable to the large araount of ten pence
in the pound weekly. The treatment of dis
abled soldiers after this' time may be

294 The Village of Palaces.
iraagined from such representations as the
following being entered in the " Domestic
State Papers for 1620 :"—
" Information by William Buckley, of
Atherstone, that on the 23rd of October,
Hugh Drayton reviled the King in his
drink for non-payment of his pension of
sixteen pounds a year ; indorsed witb note
that he is penitent, and is to be whipped or
otherwise corrected by order of the Justices
of Assize. Testiraony frora Richard Goodall
that Drayton is occasionally non compos
mentis frora wounds* in the wars, in which
he was a forward soldier."
In 1633, "Petition of John Hill. He
served Frederick, late King of Denraark,
when the King's raother. Queen Anne, was
but twelve years of age. The King, iti
regard to his being eighty-two years old and
very poor, granted hira a beadraan's place
at Gloucester, which took no effect, having
been granted to another before."
The Parharaent in the Civil War changed
the burden from the parishes to the national

State of the Army. 295
funds, and we find moneys employed for
this purpose from the excise and frora
sequestrated properties.' Upon the Restora
tion, an atterapt -was made to re-impose the
heavy burden on the local rates, but it met
with great opposition and was soon aban
doned. Little could be expected for the
incapacitated soldiers at a time when no
proper care was taken even for those on
service. The pay of the army was sometiraes
considerably in arrear,
A letter from a lady to be found among
the " Doraestic State Papers" gives a lively
description of the exactions of the tax-
gatherer and the raiseries of the array at
this period. It was enclosed to Major Millar
at the Cock-pit, with the request, " to de
liver this enclosed to the King with speed,
for it conscernes his life ; noe raore, but
desirs His Majesty to let things be well
ward." It coraraences with true ferdale- energy : —
1 The Savoy and Ely House were at this time used as
hospitals for soldiers.

296 The Village of Palaces.
" My Lord and gratious King,
" I ara extreraly grived to heare tho sad
condlshion this Kingdora is now in. I know
not whether Yo'' Majesty may be sensible
of so much as you raay gather out of this.
All people in a desperate condishion ; hous-
keepers are soe oprest with taxes they dar
not leeve theire dores open but the tax-
gatherers carry away, if they have a bed to
ly one, or a dish, or the like. This raakes
a great crie amunst the coraon people ; they
curs the King and wish for Crurawell ; they
say the divell cannot be worse than this, as
good take away thayer lives as livlyhod,
cora Dush, cora divell, It cannot be worse ;
soe that of the coraon people, where there Is
one to be raised to fight for the King, there
Is tea will go to fight against him, and
for the jentry, Yo" Majesty cannot narae
tone eraralnent persons that they will
folowe." Speaking especially of the short payment
of the " Gard," in terms which raight lead
us to conclude that she had some relatives.

A Lady's Letter. 297
or perhaps a husband in that corps, she
observes : —
" Out of the money which you allow
them is a generall deduction, first to y°
capt, then to y'= dark, w'^'' helps to cheat
the whole troup. , . , You have raised a
great dell of raoney for y" rellfe of y^ in-
jedent oficers, but you never caused them
to have it, w"'' causeth a great heart-burn
ing, and what say most people, who would
be a sould'' ? he ventures his life and fortune
for nothing but blowe ; for if he expends
bis estate and limbs he raay perish for want,
as many have don senc you came to y" own.
.... They cannot pay for diet and other
convenence, for the paymaster will keep
thera alwais too month In areares, and when
they ar paid, there Is such deductions mad,
they pretend Yo'' Majesty doth not alow
them to be paid but one in half a yeare,
soe that when they receve two month pay
they ar forced to alow what intrest the dark
will demand."
She adds that, owing to the state they

298 The Village of Palaces.
were in, it was counted a great scandal to
be a Life-Guardsman,
Having in the comraenceraent thus endea
voured to gain her end by the justice of
her cause. It is amusing to find her finishing
with inducements of a very different cha
racter : —
" If you did Obledg your people in these
agreivancis, it is possible they would excus
your faults the more, but none of your
courtllers will tell you how extremly you
have lost your selfe in the whole nation,
for they say, give the King the Countas of
Castel'^^' and he cars not what the nation
sufere. I beheve Yo" Maj'ty's Gard will
be of tinkers and coblers ere long. You
may hackney coachmen now in the Gard,
and indeed none but such will come in;
for lett a man be never so stut or well
borne, or great a sufferer, and have not
raoney to give the oficers, he shall
not corae there, which is a very great
shara." But notwithstanding the existence of the

Scheme for Belief. 299
evils of which this letter, written in 1666,
justly coraplains, an iraproveraent had taken
place, since the Restoration, in the payment
of the army, and a great measure of relief
was soon about to follow by the foundation
of Chelsea Hospital, and the allowance of
pensions. A regular army was established by
Charles IL, and Sir Stephen Fox was ap
pointed, in 1661, the first Paymaster-Gene
ral, He found the army in great suffering,
owing to the long intervals which elapsed
between the receipt of pay. The money
seems to have been issued to them only
twice, or, at most, only three times a year,
and as they were not at first paid in advance,
they generally became involved in debt soon
after entering the service, and their allow
ance being paid in large suras, also led to
moraentary extravagance, and subsequent
distress. Fox, being an energetic man, saw
a way by which he could, at once, both
lessen this evil, and also materially in
crease his own means. Being a man of

300 The Village of Palaces.
credit, he advanced to the soldiers their pay
weekly, deducting a shilling in the pound
for the accomraodation. As the arrange
raent was in force for eighteen years from
1662, we may suppose that he amassed a
large fortune— stated at £200,000, There
was something original and plausible in this
contrivance, and to secure his profits he
even induced the King to agree to pay him
regularly three times a year, or, in default,
to allow interest at the rate of eight per
cent per annum. No wonder that at the
time this scherae was regarded as a kind of
legerderaain, or, as Pepys calls it, " a
mystery." What he actually gained, it is
difficult to state ; but as the Klno" was to
allow him eight per cent in case of delay,
it is improbable that he gave for money
more than that rate. Thus, if he were paid
regularly three times a year, he received
fifteen per cent per annum by his deduc
tions, and did not nett less than seven per
cent annually on the pay of about £130,000.
Pepys makes his gross gains for fifteen

Sir Stephen Fox. 301
months amount to about twelve per cent.'
Fox was originally a poor boy in the choir
at Salisbury, and afterwards waited on Lord
Percy, who procured for him an inferior
place among the " clerks of the kitchen."
Recomraended to Charles II. during his exile,
he sent hira intelligence of Cromwell's death,
which his Majesty received while playing at
tennis with the Archduke Leopold and Don
Juan, six hours before the official announce
ment arrived. He was instrumental in
bringing back the King ; and, at the Res
toration, was made Cofferer to the Board
1 Different views may be entertained with regard to this
transaction and its after-bearings. It may be said that,
although the soldier's pay was a certain sum, he could
not demand it until the end of the year, and that if he
wanted it weekly he must submit to a deduction. But
still the discount charged was exorbitant. It may be
questioned whether, when the pay of the Army was
raised, we should regard this deduction as at an end, or
whether the increase of pay was merely owing to the rise
in the price of provisions. — A valuable statistical work
has been compiled for the Hospital by Major-General
Hutt and Mr. Burne.

302 The Village of Palaces.
of Green Cloth — a Council exercising juris
diction in offences committed within the
palaces. In 1665 he was knighted, and
made a Lord of the Treasury. He was pre
eminently a man of business, and living in
times when the Exchequer was in difficulties,
and officers sometiraes went four years un
paid, he was able to sell land bringing him
three per cent, and lend the proceeds for
ten per cent. When Pepys employed two
porters to carry £1000 of Government
money to Lord Sandwich frora Fox, he
found that a deraand of sixpence in the
pound was raade as a perquisite by the lat
ter. The same shrewdness was exhibited
in the bargain he struck for Chelsea College.
Tbe Royal Society named £1500 as the
price, and £1400 as the minimum, and,
at last, accepted from him £1300 ready
money. But we read that he was always
humble and ready to do a kindness, " gene
rous, of a sweet nature, well-spoken
and well-bred," His wife was " a very fine
lady and mother of fine children." He lived

Sir Stephen Fox. 303
in considerable style. After failing to come
to terms for the Countess of Bristol's house
at Chelsea in 1679, he built a mansion at
Chiswick in 1682, near Lord Burlington's,
The gardens were laid out by Evelyn, and
the staircase was painted by Verrio — a spe
cimen of whose beautiful work can still be
seen in the Hospital, His entertainments
were proportionally grand :
27th October, 1685, Evelyn writes :
" I was invited to dine at Sir Stephen
Fox's with my Lord Lieutenant, where was
such a dinner for variety of all things as I
had seldom seen, and it was so far the trial
of a master-cook, whom Sir Stephen had
recommended to go with his Lordship Into
Ireland ; there were all the dainties, not
only of the season, but of what art could
add, venison, plain solid meat, fowl, baked
and boiled meats, banquet (dessert) in
exceeding plenty, and exquisitely dressed.
There also dined my Lord Ossory and Lady' —
1 The Duke of Beaufort had lately come to reside at
Chelsea. Lady Sunderland was very anxious to marry

304 The Village of Palaces.
(the Duke of Beaufort's daughter), my
Lady Treasurer, Lord Cornbury, and other
visitors." He led Queen Anne In procession at her
Coronation, and lived to be eighty-nine,
having raarried a second time when he was
seventy-five, and had two sons, one of whora
became Lord Ilchester, and the other Lord
Holland. The honour of having suggested the esta
blishraent of the Royal Hospital has been
attributed to raore than one person. Tradi
tion assigns It to Nell Gwynne, perhaps
because she was connected with Chelsea,
and was popular with the poorer classes,
her spendthrift son. Lord Spencer, to Mrs. Jane, Sir
Stephen's daughter, and begged Evelyn to use his in
fluence in the matter. But Evelyn, knowing that she was
likely to be rich, and that Lord Sunderland had squandered
his fortune, was not inclined to forward the suit. At
length he did mention the Countess's wishes, to which
Sir Stephen replied that " his daughter, being only six
teen, could not yet think of such things, and that the
wishes of the young people should be consulted." She
married Lord Northampton.

The Gwynnes. 305

being one of themselves. We find that
Mary Gwynne was married in this neigh
bourhood about this time, and that Nell's
mother lived in a house by the Neat Houses'
near Chelsea, the end of whose garden went
down so abruptly to the water that she
fell from it into the Thames and was
drowned. Nell herself is said, on doubtful
authority, to bave occupied Sandford House,
at Sandy End, the south-west point of
Chelsea, where the rivulet divided the
parishes. It is also note-worthy that' Nell Gwynne's
son, the Duke of St. Albans, had after
wards a bouse in Paradise Row, and was
Captain of the Band of Pensioners,'' All
1 The " Neat Houses" seem to have been some orna
mental cottages with gardens going down to the river,
near the site of the present Millbank. Stow calls them
*¦' a parcel of houses taken up by gardmers for planting of
asparagus, melons, cucumbers, artichokes, cauliflowers,
&c., which find good vent at London, and for which they
are of note."
2 Some of the strongest of the pensioners were formed
into invalid companies, over whom a captain-general was
VOL. I. X

306 The Village of Palaces.
these circumstances raay have given co
lour to the story of the origin of the
Hospital, which is thus well reproduced by
Bryan : —
" The King was sitting in bis chariot
with poor Nell Gwynne, when, observing her
unusually pensive, he asked,
" ' What ails thee, Ndl F
" She replied : ' A dream I had last night
troubletb me sore.'
" 'What was thy dreara, Nell?'
" ' Methought I was in the fields at Chel
sea, and slowly and majestically there rose
before mine eyes a beautiful palace of a
thousand chambers ; and in and out thereat
walked divers many old and worn out sol-
diermen. Some had lost a leg, sorae an
arra, others were blind of one eye, many
bore piteous scars of old wounds in the
wars upon their wrinkled faces, and all of
them were aged and past service. But none
of thera looked ill at ease, and as they went
appointed. In 1719 a whole regiment, the 41st, was
thus formed. The system was abolished in 1803.

Nell Gwynne. 307

out, and as they came in, the old raen cried,
God bless King Charles ! and I awoke and
was sore discomfited that it was only a
dream.' " ' Cheer up, Nell,' said the King, ' Thy
dream shall be fulfilled, mayhap thou shalt
yet see old soldiers come in and go out
crying, ' God bless King Charles !' The
monarch did violence to his infirmity, and
kept his word."
As tbe foundation of this roraantic legend
is unfortunately very weak, we are naturally
led to inquire whether there is any person
to whom historical evidence attributes the
origination of tbis design, which Charles
perhaps seconded the more readily as Louis
XIV. had just founded the H6tel Royal des
Invalides at Paris. We may bring forward
three names — Sir Christopher Wren, Sir
Stephen Fox, and John Evelyn, Among
these I think we need have no hesitation in
giving the place of honour to the last
mentioned, Evelyn had elaborated a plan
for a scientific college as early as 1659, and,
X 2

308 The Village of Palaces.
although this design was not destined to be
carried out, his prolific mind was still full
of schemes for organization and improve
ment. There was no one before whom the
miseries of disabled soldiers were brought
so forcibly as before himself, and no one
who felt for them more deeply. We must
also observe that Evelyn was fond df archi
tectural designs. He had written a work
on the subject, and was one of the Com
raissioners for the rebuilding of St. Paul's.
After the Great Fire in London he sent the
King a plan for the rebuilding of the City,
but he says, " Dr, Wren had got the start of
me," Their plans, however, in many re
spects coincided.
In 1666 we find Evelyn actually suggest
ing the establishment of an Infirmary for
disabled soldiers and sending to Pepys, who
was a clerk of the Adrairalty, a plan of a
large quadrangle to be built for the purpose
at Chathara, In this he provides accoramo
dation for four or five hundred beds,
and points out in detail bow great the

Plans of the Hospital. 309
saving would be, and how much better the
men would be kept. He writes : —
"At sixpence per diem each (in the way
of commons), the sick shall have as good
and much more proper and wholesome diet
than now they have in the alehouses, where
they are fed with trash, and embezzle their
raoney more to inflame theraselves and
retard and destroy tbeir cures out of igno
rance and intemperance."
The site of Chatham was not found
desirable, but the plans, in respect of the
number of inmates and some other matters,
correspond witb that finally adopted at
Chelsea, Evelyn enters in his diary under
the date of 1681 :
" Dined with Sir Stephen Fox, wbo pro
posed to me the purchasing of Chelsea
College, which His Majesty had sometirae
since given to our Society, and would now
purchase it again to build an hospital or
infirraary for soldiers there, in which he
desired my assistance as one of the Council
of the Royal Society,

310 The Village of Palaces.
" 27tb of January, 1682.— This evening
Sir Stephen Fox acquainted me again with
His Majesty's resolution of proceeding in tbe
erection of a Royal hospital for emerited
soldiers on the spot of ground which the
Royal Society has sold to His Majesty for
one thousand three hundred pounds, and
that he would settle five thousand pounds
per annum on it, and build to the value of
twenty thousand pounds for the relief and
reception of four companies, namely four
hundred men to be as in a college or
monastery, I was therefore desired by Sir
Stephen (who' had not only the whole
managing of this, but was, as I perceived,
hiraself to be a grand benefactor, as well it
became him who had gotten so vast an
estate by the soldiers), to assist him, and
consult what method to cast it in as to the
government. So in his study we arranged
the governor, chaplain, steward, house
keeper, chirurgeon, cook, butler, gardener,
porter, and other officers with their several
salaries, and entertainments. I would needs

Plans for the Hospital. 311
have a library, and mentioned several
books, since some soldiers might possibly
be studious, when they were at leisure to
recollect. Thus we made the first calcula
tions, and set down our thoughts to be
considered and digested better, to show His
Majesty and the Archbishop. He also en
gaged me to consider of what laws and
orders were fit for the government, which
was to be in every respect as strict as any
religious convent.
" 25tb of May, 1682. — I was desired by
Sir Stephen Fox and Sir Christopher Wren
to accompany them to Larabeth, with the
plot and design of the College to be built at
Chelsea, to have the Archbishop's approba
tion. It was a quadrangle of two hundred
feet square, after the diraensions of the
larger quadrangle of Christ Church, Oxford,
for the accommodation of four hundred and
forty persons, with governor and officers.
This was agreed on."
END OF THE FIEST VOLUME.

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