Windsor Castle

by William Harrison Ainsworth

  III.

  Of the Grand Procession to Windsor Castle--Of the Meeting of King Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn at the Lower Gate-Of their Entrance into the Castle--And how the Butcher was Hanged from the Curfew Tower.

  A joyous day was it for Windsor and great were the preparations made byits loyal inhabitants for a suitable reception to their sovereign. Atan early hour the town was thronged with strangers from the neighbouringvillages, and later on crowds began to arrive from London, some havingcome along the highway on horseback, and others having rowed in variouscraft up the river. All were clad in holiday attire, and the streetspresented an appearance of unwonted bustle and gaiety. The Maypolein Bachelors' Acre was hung with flowers. Several booths, with flagsfloating above them, were erected in the same place, where ale, mead,and hypocras, together with cold pasties, hams, capons, and large jointsof beef and mutton, might be obtained. Mummers and minstrels were inattendance, and every kind of diversion was going forward. Here was oneparty wrestling; there another, casting the bar; on this side a setof rustics were dancing a merry round with a bevy of buxom Berkshirelasses; on that stood a fourth group, listening to a youth playing onthe recorders. At one end of the Acre large fires were lighted, beforewhich two whole oxen were roasting, provided in honour of the occasionby the mayor and burgesses of the town; at the other, butts were setagainst which the Duke of Shoreditch and his companions, the fivemarquises, were practising. The duke himself shot admirably, and neverfailed to hit the bulls-eye; but the great feat of the day was performedby Morgan Fenwolf, who thrice split the duke's shafts as they stuck inthe mark.

  "Well done!" cried the duke, as he witnessed the achievement; "why, youshoot as bravely as Herne the Hunter. Old wives tell us he used to splitthe arrows of his comrades in that fashion."

  "He must have learnt the trick from Herne himself in the forest," criedone of the bystanders.

  Morgan Fenwolf looked fiercely round in search of the speaker, butcould not discern him. He, however, shot no more, and refusing a cup ofhypocras offered him by Shoreditch, disappeared among the crowd.

  Soon after this the booths were emptied, the bar thrown down, theMaypole and the butts deserted, and the whole of Bachelors' Acre clearedof its occupants--except those who were compelled to attend to themighty spits turning before the fires--by the loud discharge of ordnancefrom the castle gates, accompanied by the ringing of bells, announcingthat the mayor and burgesses of Windsor, together with the officers ofthe Order of the Garter, were setting forth to Datchet Bridge to meetthe royal procession.

  Those who most promptly obeyed this summons beheld the lower castlegate, built by the then reigning monarch, open, while from it issuedfour trumpeters clad in emblazoned coats, with silken bandrols dependingfrom their horns, blowing loud fanfares. They were followed by twelvehenchmen, walking four abreast, arrayed in scarlet tunics, with theroyal cypher H.R. worked in gold on the breast, and carrying giltpoleaxes over their shoulders. Next came a company of archers, equippedin helm and brigandine, and armed with long pikes, glittering, as didtheir steel accoutrements, in the bright sunshine. They were succeededby the bailiffs and burgesses of the town, riding three abreast, andenveloped in gowns of scarlet cloth; after which rode the mayor ofWindsor in a gown of crimson velvet, and attended by two footmen, inwhite and red damask, carrying white wands. The mayor was followed by acompany of the town guard, with partisans over the shoulders. Thencame the sheriff of the county and his attendants. Next followed thetwenty-six alms-knights (for such was their number), walking two andtwo, and wearing red mantles, with a scutcheon of Saint George on theshoulder, but without the garter surrounding it. Then came the thirteenpetty canons, in murrey-coloured gowns, with the arms of Saint Georgewrought in a roundel on the shoulder; then the twelve canons, similarlyattired; and lastly the dean of the college, in his cope.

  A slight pause ensued, and the chief officers of the Garter made theirappearance. First walked the Black Rod, clothed in a russet-colouredmantle, faced with alternate panes of blue and red, emblazoned withflower-de-luces of gold and crowned lions. He carried a small black rod,the ensign of his office, surmounted with the lion of England in silver.After the Black Rod came the Garter, habited in a gown of crimson satin,paned and emblazoned like that of the officer who preceded him, hearinga white crown with a sceptre upon it, and having a gilt crown in lieuof a cap upon his head. The Garter was followed by the register, agrave personage, in a black gown, with a surplice over it, covered by amantelet of furs. Then came the chancellor of the Order, in his robe ofmurrey-coloured velvet lined with sarcenet, with a badge on the shoulderconsisting of a gold rose, enclosed in a garter wrought with pearls ofdamask gold. Lastly came the Bishop of Winchester, the prelate of theOrder, wearing his mitre, and habited in a robe of crimson velvetlined with white taffeta, faced with blue, and embroidered on the rightshoulder with a scutcheon of Saint George, encompassed with the Garter,and adorned with cordons of blue silk mingled with gold.

  Brought up by a rear guard of halberdiers, the procession moved slowlyalong Thames Street, the houses of which, as well as those in PeascodStreet, were all more or less decorated--the humbler sort being coveredwith branches of trees, intermingled with garlands of flowers, while thebetter description was hung with pieces of tapestry, carpets, andrich stuffs. Nor should it pass unnoticed that the loyalty of BryanBowntance, the host of the Garter, had exhibited itself in an archthrown across the road opposite his house, adorned with variouscoloured ribbons and flowers, in the midst of which was a large shield,exhibiting the letters, b. and h. (in mystic allusion to Henry and AnneBoleyn) intermingled and surrounded by love-knots.

  Turning off on the left into the lower road, skirting the north of thecastle, and following the course of the river to Datchet, by whichit was understood the royal cavalcade would make its approach, theprocession arrived at an open space by the side of the river, where itcame to a halt, and the dean, chancellor, and prelate, together withother officers of the Garter, embarked in a barge moored to the bank,which was towed slowly down the stream in the direction of DatchetBridge--a band of minstrels stationed within it playing all the time.

  Meanwhile the rest of the cavalcade, having again set for ward, pursuedtheir course along the banks of the river, proceeding at a foot's pace,and accompanied by crowds of spectators, cheering them as they movedalong. The day was bright and beautiful, and nothing was wanting toenhance the beauty of the spectacle. On the left flowed the silverThames, crowded with craft, filled with richly-dressed personages ofboth sexes, amid which floated the pompous barge appropriated to theofficers of the Garter, which was hung with banners and streamers, anddecorated at the sides with targets, emblazoned with the arms ofSt. George. On the greensward edging the stream marched a brilliantcavalcade, and on the right lay the old woods of the Home Park, withlong vistas opening through them, giving exquisite peeps of the towersand battlements of the castle.

  Half an hour brought the cavalcade to Datchet Bridge, at the foot ofwhich a pavilion was erected for the accommodation of the mayor andburgesses. And here, having dismounted, they awaited the king's arrival.

  Shortly after this a cloud of dust on the Staines Road seemed toannounce the approach of the royal party, and all rushed forth and heldthemselves in readiness to meet it. But the dust appeared to have beenraised by a company of horsemen, headed by Captain Bouchier, who rode upthe next moment. Courteously saluting the mayor, Bouchier informed himthat Mistress Anne Boleyn was close behind, and that it was the king'spleasure that she should be attended in all state to the lower gate ofthe castle, there to await his coming, as he himself intended to enterit with her. The mayor replied that the sovereign's behests should beimplicitly obeyed, and he thereupon stationed himself at the fartherside of the bridge in expectation of Anne Boleyn's arrival.

  Presently the sound of trumpets smote his ear, and a numerous andsplendid retinue was seen advancing, consisting of nobles, knights,esquires, and gentlemen, ranged according to their degrees, and
allsumptuously apparelled in cloths of gold and silver, and velvets ofvarious colours, richly embroidered. Besides these, there were pagesand other attendants in the liveries of their masters, together withsergeants of the guard and henchmen in their full accoutrements.Among the nobles were the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk--the king beingdesirous of honouring as much as possible her whom he had resolved tomake his queen. The former was clothed in tissue, embroidered with rosesof gold, with a baldric across his body of massive gold, and was mountedon a charger likewise trapped in gold; and the latter wore a mantle ofcloth of silver, pounced in the form of letters, and lined with bluevelvet, while his horse was trapped hardwise in harness embroidered withbullion gold curiously wrought. Both also wore the collar of the Orderof the Garter. Near them rode Sir Thomas Boleyn, who, conscious of thedignity to which his daughter was to be advanced, comported himself withalmost intolerable haughtiness.

  Immediately behind Sir Thomas Boleyn came a sumptuous litter coveredwith cloth of gold, drawn by four white palfreys caparisoned in whitedamask down to the ground, and each having a page in white and bluesatin at its head. Over the litter was borne a canopy of cloth of goldsupported by four gilt staves, and ornamented at the corners with silverbells, ringing forth sweet music as it moved along. Each staff was borneby a knight, of whom sixteen were in attendance to relieve one anotherwhen fatigued.

  In this litter sat Anne Boleyn. She wore a surcoat of white tissue,and a mantle of the same material lined with ermine. Her gown, which,however, was now concealed by the surcoat, was of cloth of gold tissue,raised with pearls of silver damask, with a stomacher of purple goldsimilarly raised, and large open sleeves lined with chequered tissue.Around her neck she wore a chain of orient pearls, from which dependeda diamond cross. A black velvet cap, richly embroidered with pearls andother precious stones, and ornamented with a small white plume, coveredher head; and her small feet were hidden in blue velvet brodequins,decorated with diamond stars.

  Anne Boleyn's features were exquisitely formed, and though not regular,far more charming than if they had been so. Her nose was slightlyaquiline, but not enough so to detract from its beauty, and had a littleretrousse; point that completed its attraction. The rest of her featureswere delicately chiselled: the chin being beautifully rounded, the browsmooth and white as snow, while the rose could not vie with the bloom ofher cheek. Her neck--alas! that the fell hand of the executioner shouldever touch it--was long and slender, her eyes large and blue, and ofirresistible witchery--sometimes scorching the beholder like a sunbeam,anon melting him with soul-subduing softness.

  Of her accomplishments other opportunities will be found to speak; butit may be mentioned that she was skilled on many instruments, danced andsang divinely, and had rare powers of conversation and wit. If to theseshe had not added the dangerous desire to please, and the wish to holdother hearts than the royal one she had enslaved, in thraldom, allmight, perhaps, have been well. But, alas like many other beautifulwomen, she had a strong tendency to coquetry. How severely she sufferedfor it, it is the purpose of this history to relate. An excellentdescription of her has been given by a contemporary writer, the Comte deChateaubriand, who, while somewhat disparaging her personal attractions,speaks in rapturous terms of her accomplishments: "Anne," writesthe Comte, "avait un esprit si deslie qui c'estoit a qui l'ouiroitdesgoiser; et ci venoitelle a poetiser, telle qu' Orpheus, elle eustfaict les ours et rochers attentifs: puis saltoit, balloit, et dancoittoutes dances Anglaises ou Estranges, et en imagina nombre qui ont gardeson nom ou celluy du galant pour qui les feit: puis scavoit tous lesjeux, qu'elle jouoit avec non plus d'heur que d'habilite puis chantoitcomme syrene, s'accompagnant de luth; harpoit mieueix que le roy David,et manioit fort gentilment fleuste et rebec; puis s'accoustroit de tantet si merveilleuses facons, que ses inventions, faisoient d'elle leparangon de toutes des dames les plus sucrees de la court; mais nullen'avoit sa grace, laquelle, au dire d'un ancien, passe venuste'." Suchwas the opinion of one who knew her well during her residence at theFrench court, when in attendance on Mary of England, consort of LouisXII., and afterwards Duchess of Suffolk.

  At this moment Anne's eyes were fixed with some tenderness upon one ofthe supporters of her canopy on the right--a very handsome young man,attired in a doublet and hose of black tylsent, paned and cut, andwhose tall, well-proportioned figure was seen to the greatest advantage,inasmuch as he had divested himself of his mantle, for his betterconvenience in walking.

  "I fear me you will fatigue yourself, Sir Thomas Wyat," said AnneBoleyn, in tones of musical sweetness, which made the heart beat and thecolour mount to the cheeks of him she addressed. "You had better allowSir Thomas Arundel or Sir John Hulstone to relieve you."

  "I can feel no fatigue when near you, madam," replied Wyat, in a lowtone.

  A slight blush overspread Anne's features, and she raised herembroidered kerchief to her lips.

  "If I had that kerchief I would wear it at the next lists, and defy allcomers," said Wyat.

  "You shall have it, then," rejoined Anne. "I love all chivalrousexploits, and will do my best to encourage them."

  "Take heed, Sir Thomas," said Sir Francis Weston, the knight who heldthe staff on the other side, "or we shall have the canopy down. Let SirThomas Arundel relieve you."

  "No," rejoined Wyat, recovering himself; "I will not rest till we cometo the bridge."

  "You are in no haste to possess the kerchief," said Anne petulantly.

  "There you wrong me, madam!" cried Sir Thomas eagerly.

  "What ho, good fellows!" he shouted to the attendants at the palfreys'heads, "your lady desires you to stop."

  "And I desire them to go on--I, Will Sommers, jester to the high andmighty King Harry the Eighth!" cried a voice of mock authority behindthe knight. "What if Sir Thomas Wyat has undertaken to carry the canopyfarther than any of his companions, is that a reason he should berelieved? Of a surety not--go on, I say!"

  The person who thus spoke then stepped forward, and threw a glance sofull of significance at Anne Boleyn that she did not care to dispute theorder, but, on the contrary, laughingly acquiesced in it.

  Will Sommers--the king's jester, as he described himself--was a smallmiddle-aged personage, with a physiognomy in which good nature andmalice, folly and shrewdness, were so oddly blended, that it wasdifficult to say which predominated. His look was cunning and sarcastic,but it was tempered by great drollery and oddity of manner, and helaughed so heartily at his own jests and jibes, that it was scarcelypossible to help joining him. His attire consisted of a long loose gownof spotted crimson silk, with the royal cipher woven in front in gold;hose of blue cloth, guarded with red and black cloth; and red cordovanbuskins. A sash tied round his waist served him instead of a girdle, andhe wore a trencher-shaped velvet cap on his head, with a white tuftedfeather in it. In his hand he carried a small horn. He was generallyattended by a monkey, habited in a crimson doublet and hood, which satupon his shoulder, and played very diverting tricks, but the animal wasnot with him on the present occasion.

  Will Sommers was a great favourite with the king, and ventured uponfamiliarities which no one else dared to use with him. The favour inwhich he stood with his royal master procured him admittance to hispresence at all hours and at all seasons, and his influence, thoughseldom exerted, was very great. He was especially serviceable in turningaside the edge of the king's displeasure, and more frequently exertedhimself to allay the storm than to raise it. His principal hostility wasdirected against Wolsey, whose arrogance and grasping practices were theconstant subjects of his railing. It was seldom, such was his privilegedcharacter, and the protection he enjoyed from the sovereign, that any ofthe courtiers resented his remarks; but Sir Thomas Wyat's feelings beingnow deeply interested, he turned sharply round, and said, "How now, thoumeddling varlet, what business hast thou to interfere?"

  "I interfere to prove my authority, gossip Wyat," replied Sommers,"and to show that, varlet as I am, I am as powerful as Mistress AnneBoleyn--nay, that I am yet more po
werful, because I am obeyed, while sheis not."

  "Were I at liberty," said Sir Thomas angrily, "I would make thee repentthine insolence."

  "But thou art not at liberty, good gossip," replied the jester,screaming with laughter; "thou art tied like a slave to the oar, andcannot free thyself from it--ha! ha!" Having enjoyed the knight'sdiscomposure for a few seconds, he advanced towards him, and whisperedin his ear, "Don't mistake me, gossip. I have done thee good service inpreventing thee from taking that kerchief. Hadst thou received it in thepresence of these witnesses, thou wouldst have been lodged in theRound Tower of Windsor Castle to-morrow, instead of feasting with theknights-companions in Saint George's Hall."

  "I believe thou art right, gossip," said Wyat in the same tone.

  "Rest assured I am," replied Sommers; "and I further more counsel thee todecline this dangerous gift altogether, and to think no more of the fairprofferer, or if thou must think of her, let it be as of one beyond thyreach. Cross not the lion's path; take a friendly hint from the jackal."

  And without waiting for a reply, he darted away, and mingled with thecavalcade in the rear.

  Immediately behind Anne Boleyn's litter rode a company of henchmen ofthe royal household, armed with gilt partisans. Next succeeded achariot covered with red cloth of gold, and drawn by four horsesrichly caparisoned, containing the old Duchess of Norfolk and the oldMarchioness of Dorset. Then came the king's natural son, the Duke ofRichmond--a young man formed on the same large scale, and distinguishedby the same haughty port, and the same bluff manner, as his royalsire. The duke's mother was the Lady Talboys, esteemed one of themost beautiful women of the age, and who had for a long time heldthe capricious monarch captive. Henry was warmly attached to his son,showered favours without number upon him, and might have done yet moreif fate had not snatched him away at an early age.

  Though scarcely eighteen, the Duke of Richmond looked more thantwenty, and his lips and chin were clothed with a well-grown thoughclosely-clipped beard. He was magnificently habited in a doublet ofcloth of gold of bawdekin, the placard and sleeves of which were wroughtwith flat gold, and fastened with aiglets. A girdle of crimson velvet,enriched with precious stones, encircled his waist, and sustained aponiard and a Toledo sword, damascened with gold. Over all he wore aloose robe, or housse, of scarlet mohair, trimmed with minever, and wasfurther decorated with the collar of the Order of the Garter. Hiscap was of white velvet, ornamented with emeralds, and from the sidedepended a small azure plume. He rode a magnificent black charger,trapped in housings of cloth of gold, powdered with ermine.

  By the duke's side rode the Earl of Surrey attired--as upon the previousday, and mounted on a fiery Arabian, trapped in crimson velvet fringedwith Venetian gold. Both nobles were attended by their esquires in theirliveries.

  Behind them came a chariot covered with cloth of silver, and drawn,like the first, by four horses in rich housings, containing two verybeautiful damsels, one of whom attracted so much of the attention ofthe youthful nobles, that it was with difficulty they could preserve dueorder of march. The young dame in question was about seventeen; her facewas oval in form, with features of the utmost delicacy and regularity.Her complexion was fair and pale, and contrasted strikingly with herjetty brows and magnificent black eyes, of oriental size, tenderness,and lustre. Her dark and luxuriant tresses were confined by a cap ofblack velvet faced with white satin, and ornamented with pearls. Hergown was of white satin worked with gold, and had long open pendentsleeves, while from her slender and marble neck hung a cordeliere--aspecies of necklace imitated from the cord worn by Franciscan friars,and formed of crimson silk twisted with threads of Venetian gold..

  This fair creature was the Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald, daughter of GeraldFitzgerald, ninth Earl of Kildare, who claimed descent from the Geraldifamily of Florence; but she was generally known by the appellation ofthe Fair Geraldine--a title bestowed upon her, on account of her beauty,by the king, and by which she still lives, and will continue to live, aslong as poetry endures, in the deathless and enchanting strains of herlover, the Earl of Surrey. At the instance of her mother, Lady Kildare,the Fair Geraldine was brought up with the Princess Mary, afterwardsQueen of England; but she had been lately assigned by the royal order asone of the attendants--a post equivalent to that of maid of honour--toAnne Boleyn.

  Her companion was the Lady Mary Howard, the sister of the Earl ofSurrey, a nymph about her own age, and possessed of great personalattractions, having nobly-formed features, radiant blue eyes, lighttresses, and a complexion of dazzling clearness. Lady Mary Howardnourished a passion for the Duke of Richmond, whom she saw with secretchagrin captivated by the superior charms of the Fair Geraldine. Heruneasiness, however, was in some degree abated by the knowledge, whichas confidante of the latter she had obtained, that her brother wasmaster of her heart. Lady Mary was dressed in blue velvet, cut and linedwith cloth of gold, and wore a headgear of white velvet, ornamented withpearls.

  Just as the cavalcade came in sight of Datchet Bridge, the Duke ofRichmond turned his horse's head, and rode up to the side of the charioton which the Fair Geraldine was sitting.

  "I am come to tell you of a marvellous adventure that befell Surrey inthe Home Park at Windsor last night," he said. "He declares he has seenthe demon hunter, Herne."

  "Then pray let the Earl of Surrey relate the adventure to us himself,"replied the Fair Geraldine. "No one can tell a story so well as the heroof it."

  The duke signed to the youthful earl, who was glancing rather wistfullyat them, and he immediately joined them, while Richmond passed over tothe Lady Mary Howard. Surrey then proceeded to relate what had happenedto him in the park, and the fair Geraldine listened to his recital withbreathless interest.

  "Heaven shield us from evil spirits!" she exclaimed, crossing herself."But what is the history of this wicked hunter, my lord? and why did heincur such a dreadful doom?"

  "I know nothing more than that he was a keeper in the forest, who,having committed some heinous crime, hanged himself from a branch of theoak beneath which I found the keeper, Morgan Fenwolf, and which stillbears his name," replied the earl. "For this unrighteous act he cannotobtain rest, but is condemned to wander through the forest at midnight,where he wreaks his vengeance in blasting the trees."

  "The legend I have heard differs from yours," observed the Duke ofRichmond: "it runs that the spirit by which the forest is haunted is awood-demon, who assumes the shape of the ghostly hunter, and seeks totempt or terrify the keepers to sell their souls to him."

  "Your grace's legend is the better of the two," said Lady Mary Howard,"or rather, I should say, the more probable. I trust the evil spirit didnot make you any such offer, brother of Surrey?"

  The earl gravely shook his head.

  "If I were to meet him, and he offered me my heart's dearest wish, Ifear he would prevail with me," observed the duke, glancing tenderly atthe Fair Geraldine.

  "Tush!--the subject is too serious for jesting, Richmond," said Surreyalmost sternly.

  "His grace, as is usual in compacts with the fiend, might have reason torue his bargain," observed Lady Mary Howard peevishly.

  "If the Earl of Surrey were my brother," remarked the Fair Geraldineto the Lady Mary, "I would interdict him from roaming in the park afternightfall."

  "He is very wilful," said Lady Mary, smiling, "and holds my commands butlightly."

  "Let the Fair Geraldine lay hers upon me, and she shall not have toreproach me with disobedience," rejoined the earl.

  "I must interpose to prevent their utterance," cried Richmond, with asomewhat jealous look at his friend, "for I have determined to know moreof this mystery, and shall require the earl's assistance to unravel it.I think I remember Morgan Fenwolf, the keeper, and will send for him tothe castle, and question him. But in any case, I and Surrey will visitHerne's Oak to-night."

  The remonstrances of both ladies were interrupted by the suddenappearance of Will Sommers.

  "What ho! my lords--to your places! to your
places!" cried the jester,in a shrill angry voice. "See ye not we are close upon Datchet Bridge?Ye can converse with these fair dames at a more fitting season; but itis the king's pleasure that the cavalcade should make a goodly show. Toyour places, I say!"

  Laughing at the jester's peremptory injunction, the two young noblesnevertheless obeyed it, and, bending almost to the saddle-bow to theladies, resumed their posts.

  The concourse assembled on Datchet Bridge welcomed Anne Boleyn's arrivalwith loud acclamations, while joyous strains proceeded from sackbut andpsaltery, and echoing blasts from the trumpets. Caps were flung intothe air, and a piece of ordnance was fired from the barge, which waspresently afterwards answered by the castle guns. Having paid hishomage to Anne Boleyn, the mayor rejoined the company of bailiffs andburgesses, and the whole cavalcade crossed the bridge, winding theirway slowly along the banks of the river, the barge, with the minstrelsplaying in it, accompanying them the while. In this way they reachedWindsor; and as Anne Boleyn gazed up at the lordly castle above whichthe royal standard now floated, proud and aspiring thoughts swelled herheart, and she longed for the hour when she should approach it as itsmistress. Just then her eye chanced on Sir Thomas Wyat, who was ridingbehind her amongst the knights, and she felt, though it might cost her astruggle, that love would yield to ambition.

  Leaving the barge and its occupants to await the king's arrival, thecavalcade ascended Thames Street, and were welcomed everywhere withacclamations and rejoicing. Bryan Bowntance, who had stationed himselfon the right of the arch in front of his house, attempted to addressAnne Boleyn, but could not bring forth a word. His failure, how ever,was more successful than his speech might have been, inasmuch as itexcited abundance of merriment.

  Arrived at the area in front of the lower gateway, Anne Boleyn's litterwas drawn up in the midst of it, and the whole of the cavalcadegrouping around her, presented a magnificent sight to the archers andarquebusiers stationed on the towers and walls.

  Just at this moment a signal gun was heard from Datchet Bridge,announcing that the king had reached it, and the Dukes of Suffolk,Norfolk, and Richmond, together with the Earl of Surrey, Sir ThomasWyat, and a few of their gentle men, rode back to meet him. They hadscarcely, however, reached the foot of the hill when the royal partyappeared in view, for the king with his characteristic impatience, ondrawing near the castle, had urged his attendants quickly forward.

  First came half a dozen trumpeters, with silken bandrols fluttering inthe breeze, blowing loud flourishes. Then a party of halberdiers, whoseleaders had pennons streaming from the tops of their tall pikes. Nextcame two gentlemen ushers bareheaded, but mounted and richly habited,belonging to the Cardinal of York, who cried out as they pressedforward, "On before, my masters, on before!--make way for my lord'sgrace."

  Then came a sergeant-of-arms bearing a great mace of silver, and twogentlemen carrying each a pillar of silver. Next rode a gentlemancarrying the cardinal's hat, and after him came Wolsey himself, mountedon a mule trapped in crimson velvet, with a saddle covered with the samestuff, and gilt stirrups. His large person was arrayed in robes ofthe finest crimson satin engrained, and a silk cap of the same colourcontrasted by its brightness with the pale purple tint of his sullen,morose, and bloated features. The cardinal took no notice of the clamouraround him, but now and then, when an expression of dislike was utteredagainst him, for he had already begun to be unpopular with the people,he would raise his eyes and direct a withering glance at the hardyspeaker. But these expressions were few, for, though tottering, Wolseywas yet too formidable to be insulted with impunity. On either side ofhim were two mounted attend ants, each caring a gilt poleaxe, who, if hehad given the word, would have instantly chastised the insolence ofthe bystanders, while behind him rode his two cross-bearers upon homestrapped in scarlet.

  Wolsey's princely retinue was followed by a litter of crimson velvet, inwhich lay the pope's legate, Cardinal Campeggio, whose infirmitieswere so great that he could not move without assistance. Campeggio waslikewise attended by a numerous train.

  After a long line of lords, knights, and esquires, came Henry theEighth. He was apparelled in a robe of crimson velvet furred withermines, and wore a doublet of raised gold, the placard of which wasembroidered with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, large pearls, and otherprecious stones. About his neck was a baldric of balas rubies, and overhis robe he wore the collar of the Order of the Garter. His horse, acharger of the largest size, and well able to sustain his vast weight,was trapped in crimson velvet, purfled with ermines. His knights andesquires were clothed in purple velvet, and his henchmen in scarlettunics of the same make as those worn by the warders of the Tower at thepresent day.

  Henry was in his thirty-eighth year, and though somewhat overgrown andheavy, had lost none of his activity, and but little of the grace of hisnoble proportions. His size and breadth of limb were well displayed inhis magnificent habiliment. His countenance was handsome and manly, witha certain broad burly look, thoroughly English in its character, whichwon him much admiration from his subjects; and though it might beobjected that the eyes were too small, and the mouth somewhat toodiminutive, it could not be denied that the general expression of theface was kingly in the extreme. A prince of a more "royal presence"than Henry the Eighth was never seen, and though he had many and gravefaults, want of dignity was not amongst the number.

  Henry entered Windsor amid the acclamations of the spectators, thefanfares of trumpeters, and the roar of ordnance from the castle walls.

  Meanwhile, Anne Boleyn, having descended from her litter, which passedthrough the gate into the lower ward, stood with her ladies beneath thecanopy awaiting his arrival.

  A wide clear space was preserved before her, into which, however, Wolseypenetrated, and, dismounting, placed himself so that he could witnessthe meeting between her and the king. Behind him stood the jester, WillSommers, who was equally curious with himself. The litter of CardinalCampeggio passed through the gateway and proceeded to the lodgingsreserved for his eminence.

  Scarcely had Wolsey taken up his station than Henry rode up, and,alighting, consigned his horse to a page, and, followed by the Dukeof Richmond and the Earl of Surrey, advanced towards Anne Boleyn, whoimmediately stepped forward to meet him.

  "Fair mistress," he said, taking her hand, and regarding her with a lookof passionate devotion, "I welcome you to this my castle of Windsor,and trust soon to make you as absolute mistress of it as I am lord andmaster."

  Anne Boleyn blushed, and cast down her eyes, and Sir Thomas Wyat, whostood at some little distance with his hand upon his saddle, regardingher, felt that any hopes he might have entertained were utterlyannihilated.

  "Heard you that, my lord cardinal?" said Will Sommers to Wolsey. "Shewill soon be mistress here. As she comes in, you go out--mind that!"

  The cardinal made no answer further than was conveyed by the deepenedcolour of his cheeks.

  Amid continued fanfares and acclamations, Harry then led Anne Boleynthrough the gateway, followed by the ladies in waiting, who were joinedby Richmond and Surrey. The prelate, chancellor, register, black rod,and other officers of the Garter, together with the whole of theroyal retinue who had dismounted, came after them. A vast concourseof spectators, extending almost as far as the Lieutenant's Tower, wascollected in front of the alms-knights' houses; but a wide space hadbeen kept clear by the henchmen for the passage of the sovereign and histrain, and along this Henry proceeded with Anne Boleyn, in the directionof the upper ward. Just as he reached the Norman Tower, and passed theentrance to the keep, the Duke of Shoreditch, who was standing beneaththe gateway, advanced towards him and prostrated himself on one knee.

  "May it please your majesty," said Shoreditch, "I last night arresteda butcher of Windsor for uttering words highly disrespectful of yourhighness, and of the fair and virtuous lady by your side."

  "Ah! God's death!" exclaimed the king. "Where is the traitor? Bring himbefore us."

  "He is here," replied Shoreditch.

  And i
mmediately Mark Fytton was brought forward by a couple ofhalberdiers. He still preserved his undaunted demeanour, and gazedsternly at the king.

  "So, fellow, thou hast dared to speak disrespectfully of us--ha!" criedHenry.

  "I have spoken the truth," replied the butcher fearlessly. "I have saidyou were about to divorce your lawful consort, Catherine of Arragon, andto take the minion, Anne Boleyn, who stands beside you, to your bed. AndI added, it was a wrongful act."

  "Foul befall thy lying tongue for saying so!" replied Henry furiously."I have a mind to pluck it from thy throat, and cast it to the dogs.What ho! guards, take this caitiff to the summit of the highest tower ofthe castle--the Curfew Tower--and hang him from it, so that all my loyalsubjects in Windsor may see how traitors are served."

  "Your highness has judged him justly," said Anne Boleyn. "You say sonow, Mistress Anne Boleyn," rejoined the butcher; "but you yourselfshall one day stand in as much peril of your life as I do, and shallplead as vainly as I should, were I to plead at all, which I will neverdo to this inexorable tyrant. You will then remember my end."

  "Away with him!" cried Henry. "I myself will go to the Garter Tower tosee it done. Farewell for a short while, sweetheart. I will read thesepartisans of Catherine a terrible lesson."

  As the butcher was hurried off to the Curfew Tower, the king proceededwith his attendants to the Garter Tower, and ascended to its summit.

  In less than ten minutes a stout pole, like the mast of a ship, wasthrust through the battlements of the Curfew Tower, on the side lookingtowards the town. To this pole a rope, of some dozen feet in length,and having a noose at one end, was firmly secured. The butcher was thenbrought forth, bound hand and foot, and the noose was thrown over hisneck.

  While this was passing, the wretched man descried a person looking athim from a window in a wooden structure projecting from the side of thetower.

  "What, are you there, Morgan Fenwolf?" he cried. "Remember what passedbetween us in the dungeon last night, and be warned! You will not meetyour end as firmly as I meet mine?"

  "Make thy shrift quickly, fellow, if thou hast aught to say," interposedone of the halberdiers.

  "I have no shrift to make," rejoined the butcher. "I have alreadysettled my account with Heaven. God preserve Queen Catherine!"

  As he uttered these words, he was thrust off from the battlements bythe halberdiers, and his body swung into the abyss amid the hootings andexecrations of the spectators below.

  Having glutted his eyes with the horrible sight, Henry descended fromthe tower, and returned to Anne Boleyn.