Northamptonshire Record Office,
Winwood Papers, 3
Letter from
Sir Dudley Carleton
to
Ralph Winwood
, January 1605. The letter occurs on fols. 1r-2v of a single
folded sheet.
[fol. 1r]
The mariage diner was kept in the great chamber, where the Prince the Duke of Ho
lst and the great Lords and Ladies accompanied the bride. the Ambassador of Venice
was the onely bidden guest of Strangers, and he had place aboue the Duke of Holst which the Duke tooke not well. but after diner he was as little pleased himself, for being brought
into ye closet to retire himself, and there suffred to walke owt his supper unthought
of. At night there was a maske in the hall, which for conceit and fashion was sutable
to the occasion. The actors were the Earl of Penbrooke, ye Lord willoby Si
r
James Hayes, Si
r Thomas
Germain, Si
r Rob
ert
Cary
, S
ir John Lee, Si
r Richard Preston and Si
r Thomas Bager. there was no small loss that night of chayne and Jewells; and many great Ladies
were made shorter by ye skirts, and were well enough serued that could keepe cutt
no better.
...
On twelf day we had the creation of Duke
Charles
now
Duke of yorke.
[fol. 1v]
At night we had the Quenes maske in the banqueting house, or rather her Pagent. There
was a great engin at the lower end of the roome which had motion, and in it were the images of sea horses with other terrible fishes
which were ridden by moores. th'indecoru m was that there was all fish and no water. at the further end was a great shell
in forme of a skalop, wherin were fower seats. on the lowest satt the Queen with my Lady
Bedford. on the rest which were larger were placed the Ladies Suffolke, Darby,
Rich
, Effingam, An Harbert, Susan Harbert,
Elisabeth Howard
, Walsingam, Beuel, and W<..> Theyr apparel was rich, but too light and curtisan-like for such great ones. In steede
of visards theyr faces and armes up to ye elbowes were painted black, which was disguise sufficient for they were hard to be knowne, but it became them nothing so well as theyr read and white. and you can not imagine a more ougly sight
then a troope of leane-cheek't moores. The Spanish and Venetian Ambassadors were both
present, and satt by ye king in state. at which monsieur
Beaumont
quarrels so extremely, that he sayth the whole court is Spanish. But by his fauor
he should fall owt with none but himself. for they were all indifferently inuited to come as priuat men
to a priuat sport. which he refusing the Spanish Ambassador willingly accepted, and being there seeing no cause to ye contrary he putt of don
Taxis and tooke uppon him el seçor Embaxador wherin he owt stript owr little monsieur.
he was priuatly at ye first makse and satt amongst his men disguised. at this he was
taken owt to dance and footed it
lu
like a lusty old gallant with his cuntrywoeman. he tooke owt the Queen and forgot not to kiss her hand, though there was danger it would haue left a marke
on his lips. The nights worke was concluded with a banquet in ye great chamber, which was so furiously assaulted that down went table and tressels before one bit was
toucht. They say the Duke of Holst
[fol. 2r]
will come uppon us with an after reckoning and that we shall see him on Candlemas nightin a maske, as he
hath shewde himself a lusty reueller all this Christmas.
...
There was lately an apparition neere Barwick of armies and fighting men on holy-downe
hills, which gaue the alarum to the towne, and frighted those of ye Scottish border. and that you may haue all
owr wonders at once, owr neighbours at Thistleworth tooke the last weeke a Seale which they discouered a fortnight before, and ye like is not remembred in fresh waters.
Those which are weatherwise make great diuinations of both these. and for the first applie it as they did in old time armorum sonitus&c to a prediction of war. but for the other me thincks they neede truble themselfs
no further then to thinck it came in company with the Seafish that drew in owr Lady-Moores; and caried a wayting gentlewoeman or
some baggage.
[fol. 2v]
From
Syon. this of January 1604
Bibliography
Winwood (1725), 2.43-5
H&S, 10.448-9
Orgel & Strong, 1.89