British Library,
MS Add. 72345, fols. 9-10v
Description of the marriages and celebrations that took place at Court during the
Christmas period 1613-14. In an unbound collection of miscellaneous correspondence
addressed to
William Trumbull
. The description occurs on pages 9-10v and is written on a single folded sheet.
HMC note that this is a memo by
Sir Lewis Lewkenor
, written some time after Twelfth Night.
[fol. 9]
The 23rd December 1613 I was sent by my Lord Chamberlin to the Venetian Ambassador s (Sir Wylliam Button hauyng bene despatched to the Frenche at the same tyme and to the same purpose)
wyth this formal message. That according to
to
his Majesties most royall disposision and desyne, to geue all dwe content to the Ministers
of forrayn Prynces (as he him self had the last yeer receyved a particuler testimony
hauing bene then inuited wyth the Frenche Ambassador to the mariage of the Pryncess) I was now sent to signify his pleasure to this purpose,
that he was perswaded and wythall desyrous his Excellency would not pass any hard
construction upon his proceeding, if the Spanish Ambassador (who ⎡was⎤ but newly come into ⎡his kyngdome⎤
these partes
and had not yet bene present ⎡heere⎤ at any Court solemnityes) were together wyth
the Archdukes, inuited to the mariage of the Earl of Somrset, and not the sayd Ambassado r That if it would please him to honour wyth his presence the maske of Gentlemen
to be performed on twelft nyght (a tyme amongst us of the solemest obseruation) he
should be most welcome; and in the meane tyme that I was farther to lett him know,
the
Queen
had an intention to inuite him to the marriage of my lady Jane Dromond at Candelmas.
To this his answere was a question; Whether the kyng intended the solemnyty towards
as priuate or publick? I replyde, If he asked that of me as of one that were to resolue
him
of
as from the mouth of his Majesty, he mistook the extent of my charge, which I must not exceed and must therefore
answere him wyth silence: but if he would haue me delyuer my opinion as his friend
and seruant, I held it for priuate and in no sort publick, since I tooke yt to be
an honor his Majesty was pleased to confer upon one of his
Majest ys
most fauored seruants to haue the mariage consumm ate in his
house
owne house, and to inuite to yt whome he should think fyt in
for
his pryncely pleasure. This ⎡seemed to⎤ giue him suche satisfaction as he tould
me he was directly of the same opinion, and added. That synce his Majesty had vouchsafted the last yeere to prefer him before others (vniustly pretending)
in his inuitation to so publick a solemm nity as was the mariage of his only daughter, he should be most vnciuil now to except
agaynst his pleasure in a matter of priuate condition, but ought rather to retourne
him, as he did
[fol. 9v]
all humblest thanks for the most gracious regard he discouered to haue of him, and
so
consequently of
his
the State whereof he was a Reprsentant.
The next morning I was sent to the Frenche Ambassado r (who thoughe he seemd the day before to hould
w
one way wyth the Venetian, *[marginal note: *whether
his
another and he did s'entre entendre is no more fyt for me to iudge then to delyuer]approued now to haue taken an other by him self) and to him
to
delyuered a formall inuitation, which (hauyng first demanded of me whether the Spanish
Ambassado r were yet inuited and I had answered I thought no) he humbly beseeched his Majesty to pardon him if he could not obay, in regard (
qth
he sayd) that that myht
he had a defen
, besyde the defluxion of a rheume into his teeth, he had had a smalle fytt of an
ague and doubted the retourne of it. I was scarce retournd
...t
wyth this answere but I herd that a gentleman from the Venetian
fr
had bene to seeke me all abouts at court and at my lodging, where at last hauyng
found me, he tould me his Lord desyred
...
that if I would euer do him fauour, I would take the paynes to come presently to
speak wyth him. I, wynding the cause to be
some
⎡a⎤ new buz gotten into his brayne from some intelligence he had from the frenche
Ambassado r of that morninges proceeding, excused my present repayre wyth the necessity of
my imediat commanded attendance on my Lord Chamberlin which I did to gayne both tyme and farther instructions from his Lordship
my
wher wyth being sufficiently armed I went that after noone to the ⎡sayd⎤ Venetian Ambassado r and there in
parsonne
heering of his secretary (who
m
he desyred myght be admitted to our conference) he intreated me to repeat the forme
of my inuitation and his
own
owne answere
(
which (after some discouery of my not best satisfaction that I should be prest so
punctually)
Iyelde
I yelded to, and in conclusion had his approbation that all so far was both in cariage
and report wythout exception, but that which now troubled
h
him and made him so to trouble me, was a later procedure of his Majesty who (as if the state he represented had eyther in profession of affection or demonstration
of forwardnes to do his Majesty seruice, bene inferior to any other, had that mornyng vouchsafted the frenche Ambassado r
a solem
and not him a solemne inuitation. To this, (after I had, according to my instructions
in case I should incounter such formality) brought him to confess that the frenche
Ambassado r had giuen him
[fol. 10r]
that intelligence I replyed: that to be playne wyth him I had no soner receyued the
message of his desyne to speake with me, but conceyuing it was to the purpose I now
found it; I did repayre to my Lord chamberlin wyth my opinion, and for his farther direction
.
which
were
was this, That
ha
if the Ambassado r should except agaynst any fauour showed the frenche beyond him, I should lett him
know that it was not
as
that his Majesty intended a difference in distribution of honour for
the p
⎡eyther⎤ more or less ceremoniall inuitation, but that, if amydst the confusion usuale
att suche festiualls, there were any omission, he desyred it mught be taken as chanceable
and not of designe; which the better to express I came I tould him even then ⎡to him⎤
from my lord Chamberlin and so from his Majesty with the same order as I had ⎡done⎤ to the Frenche that morning, to inuite him.
When, not satisfyed it seemd wyth an errand so in gross; he desyred me to delyver
particularly and in the same wordes the inuitation I had caryed to the other; which
when I had performed, he retourned this finall answere That synce I was a wytnes of
his health he could not, as others had done, excuse his absence wyth his sycknes;
but was desyrous his Majesty might know (after his humblest and thankfullest acknowledgments) that he tooke
the publick honour
..........
⎡done him⎤ the laste yeere for so substantiale a testimony of his prynclly ˆ ⎡mynde⎤
towardes him, as in those pryuate solemnityes for him to except agaynst inuyitng this
person or that, whom he sawe he was inclined to make his guests at that feast, ⎡and
was loath to⎤
wyth..
ouerburthen
y..g
it wyth the presence of others. was to seeme to take from his Majesty that liberty and pleasure which he had and would ever study to
prese.....and
obserue wyth his best diligence and obedience. Wyth this answere I was parting when
he sodaynly stayed me for the cleering of an other scruple (et hinc illas lachrimae)
askyng me whether the Archedukes Ambassado r were allredy inuited; wherein, when I had tould him I could not directly resolue
him he would needs perswade me I dissembled, and that
no doubt
⎡he would not beleeue⎤ but I had order to discharge that seruice (hauing fyrst performed
yt towardes him) in my retourne to the Court: a perswasion which (as sone as I found
it aymed at that he was most ielous of, precedency.) I easyly yelded to, and so
as
(hoalding it smal manners to marr a belief of an Ambassado rs makyng) I departed.
[fol. 10v]
The same day I was lykewyse from my lord Chamberlin wyth the Agents of Sauoy and Florence, and hauing inuited them both to
supper and ⎡to⎤ the Lordes Maske after it; the Florentine Sig
nor
Lotti toald me that howsoeuer ther was a friendly correspondence betwene him and Sig
nor Gabellione, and that theyr discretions myght be lyke enoughe to keep them from incounters,
he must protest for the mayntayning of his Masters righte wheresoeuer he mett any
that would oppose or question it. To him I replyed that howsoeuer his Majesty tooke no notice of ye rancking
of
any that resyded but as Agents for theyr Masters; my lord Chamberlin had toald me
that there was a table to be both serued and sytt at in state as well on the Queenes
syde as the kynges, that the fyrst come myght make his aduantage of eyther, and for
the rest ⎡I added⎤ that there was no doubt of his lordships wyse prouidence in theyre placing at the maske out of distance and danger of
theye
disputing. This seemd to satisfy him: so both came, but Sig
nor Gabellione (yt seemes) getting the start and syding more close to the Spanish Ambassador
was both at supper and maske the more conspicuous, whyle the other (wyth ⎡less⎤
not
note
b
not without discretion) kept him self more retyred, as scono<s>
Bibliography
HMC Downshire, 4. 299-301