Kenilworth

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A crymson sattin counterpointe, quilted and embr. with a golde twiste,
and lyned with redd sarsenet, being in length iij yards good, and in
breadth iij scant.

A chaise of crymson sattin, suteable.

A fayre quilte of crymson sattin, vj breadths, iij yardes 3 quarters
naile deepe, all lozenged over with silver twiste, in the midst a
cinquefoile within a garland of ragged staves, fringed rounde aboute
with a small fringe of crymson silke, lyned throughe with white fustian.

Fyve plumes of coolered feathers, garnished with bone lace and spangells
of goulde and silver, standing in cups knitt all over with goulde,
silver, and crymson silk. [Probably on the centre and four corners of
the bedstead. Four bears and ragged staves occupied a similar position
on another of these sumptuous pieces of furniture.]

A carpett for a cupboarde of crymson sattin, embrothered with a border
of goulde twiste, about iij parts of it fringed with silk and goulde,
lyned with bridges [That is, Bruges.] sattin, in length ij yards, and ij
bredths of sattin.

(There were eleven down beds and ninety feather beds, besides
thirty-seven mattresses.)

CHYRES, STOOLES, AND CUSHENS. (These were equally splendid with the
beds, etc. I shall here copy that which stands at the head of the list.)

A chaier of crimson velvet, the seate and backe partlie embrothered,
with R. L. in cloth of goulde, the beare and ragged staffe in clothe of
silver, garnished with lace and fringe of goulde, silver, and crimson
silck. The frame covered with velvet, bounde aboute the edge with goulde
lace, and studded with gilte nailes.

A square stoole and a foote stoole, of crimson velvet, fringed and
garnished suteable.

A long cushen of crimson velvet, embr. with the ragged staffe in a
wreathe of goulde, with my Lo. posie "DROYTE ET LOYALL" written in the
same, and the letters R. L. in clothe of goulde, being garnished with
lace, fringe, buttons, and tassels of gold, silver, and crimson silck,
lyned with crimson taff., being in length 1 yard quarter.

A square cushen, of the like velvet, embr. suteable to the long cushen.

CARPETS. (There were 10 velvet carpets for tables and windows, 49
Turkey carpets for floors, and 32 cloth carpets. One of each I will now
specify.)

A carpett of crimson velvet, richlie embr. with my Lo. posie, beares and
ragged staves, etc., of clothe of goulde and silver, garnished upon
the seames and aboute with golde lace, fringed accordinglie, lyned
with crimson taffata sarsenett, being 3 breadths of velvet, one yard 3
quarters long.

A great Turquoy carpett, the grounde blew, with a list of yelloe at each
end, being in length x yards, in bredthe iiij yards and quarter

A long carpett of blew clothe, lyned with bridges sattin, fringed with
blew silck and goulde, in length vj yards lack a quarter, the whole
bredth of the clothe.

PICTURES. (Chiefly described as having curtains.)

The Queene's Majestie (2 great tables). 3 of my Lord. St. Jerome. Lo. of
Arundell. Lord Mathevers. Lord of Pembroke. Counte Egmondt. The Queene
of Scotts. King Philip. The Baker's Daughters. The Duke of Feria.
Alexander Magnus. Two Yonge Ladies. Pompaea Sabina. Fred. D. of Saxony.
Emp. Charles. K. Philip's Wife. Prince of Orange and his Wife. Marq. of
Berges and his Wife. Counte de Home. Count Holstrate. Monsr. Brederode.
Duke Alva. Cardinal Grandville. Duches of Parma. Henrie E. of Pembrooke
and his young Countess. Countis of Essex. Occacion and Repentance. Lord
Mowntacute. Sir Jas. Crofts. Sir Wr. Mildmay. Sr. Wm. Pickering. Edwin
Abp. of York.

A tabell of an historie of men, women, and children, moulden in wax.

A little foulding table of ebanie, garnished with white bone, wherein
are written verses with lres. of goulde.

A table of my Lord's armes.

Fyve of the plannetts, painted in frames.

Twentie-three cardes, [That is charts.] or maps of countries.

INSTRUMENTS. (I shall give two specimens.)

An instrument of organs, regall, and virginalls, covered with crimson
velvet, and garnished with goulde lace.

A fair pair of double virginalls.

CABONETTS.

A cabonett of crimson sattin, richlie embr. with a device of hunting
the stagg, in goulde, silver, and silck, with iiij glasses in the topp
thereof, xvj cupps of flowers made of goulde, silver, and silck, in a
case of leather, lyned with greene sattin of bridges.

(Another of purple velvet. A desk of red leather.)

A CHESS BOARDE of ebanie, with checkars of christall and other stones,
layed with silver, garnished with beares and ragged staves, and
cinquefoiles of silver. The xxxij men likewyse of christall and other
stones sett, the one sort in silver white, the other gilte, in a case
gilded and lyned with green cotton.

(Another of bone and ebanie. A pair of tabells of bone.)

A great BRASON CANDLESTICK to hang in the roofe of the howse, verie
fayer and curiouslye wrought, with xxiiij branches, xij greate and xij
of lesser size, 6 rowlers and ij wings for the spreade eagle, xxiiij
socketts for candells, xij greater and xij of a lesser sorte, xxiiij
sawcers, or candlecups, of like proporcion to put under the socketts,
iij images of men and iij of weomen, of brass, verie finely and
artificiallie done.

These specimens of Leicester's magnificence may serve to assure the
reader that it scarce lay in the power of a modern author to exaggerate
the lavish style of expense displayed in the princely pleasures of
Kenilworth.



Note to Ch. XLI.--DEATH OF THE EARL OF LEICESTER.

In a curious manuscript copy of the information given by Ben Jonson
to Drummond of Hawthornden, as transcribed by Sir Robert Sibbald,
Leicester's death is ascribed to poison administered as a cordial by his
countess, to whom he had given it, representing it to be a restorative
in any faintness, in the hope that she herself might be cut off by using
it. We have already quoted Jonson's account of this merited stroke of
retribution in a note of the Introduction to this volume. It may be
here added that the following satirical epitaph on Leicester occurs in
Drummond's Collection, but is evidently not of his composition:--

EPITAPH ON THE ERLE OF LEISTER.

Here lies a valiant warriour,
Who never drew a sword;
Here lies a noble courtier,
Who never kept his word;
Here lies the Erle of Leister,
Who governed the Estates,
Whom the earth could never living love,
And the just Heaven now hates.