In Saxon times the mound4 was defended by some kind of wooden palisade, which William the Conqueror5 replaced with stone, nothing of which now remains6. Henry II., the first of the Plantagenet Kings, built his palace there, erecting8 it upon what is known to-day as the Upper Ward9, the castle being divided into three distinct sections or tiers. The Upper Ward, situated10 upon a higher level of the plateau, is separated from the Lower Ward by the Round Tower, which stands upon a mound in the centre.
[pg 12]
Perhaps the most exciting times that the castle ever witnessed took place in the reign11 of John; certainly one of the most important events in the history of the English people is connected with its grey walls. John had filled the castle with mercenary troops, with which to defend himself against his insurgent12 barons13. Protected by these foreigners, who fought with extreme bravery, the castle sustained two sieges, the only active warfare14 in which it took any serious part. Owing doubtless to its almost impregnable situation before the days of artillery15, it remained calm and secure, however disturbed other parts of the kingdom might be. One summer day in the year 1215 King John, overawed by the great gathering16 of armed barons within sight of his castle, left his stronghold on the hill, and full of rage rode down to the meadow of Runnymede, near Staines. There he was forced to sign the Great Charter of English Freedom, an action which reduced him to such a pitch of impotent fury that when he reached the castle again, he rolled on the ground, gnawing17 sticks and straws.
It is to John's son, Henry III., that the present aspect of the castle is due, for though walls and towers have been rebuilt since his time, the general appearance remains the same. He was the first great builder, and beginning early with a reign of over fifty years before him, he was able to carry out his extensive building schemes. Deserting the Upper Ward, where all his predecessors18 had lived, he built his palace on the Lower plateau, also erecting a chapel19 on the site of St. George's. Less than a century after his death palace and chapel had vanished, fallen into a rapid decay, so that almost the only records of his work to-day are to be found in the Curfew Tower, and the Cloisters20.
[pg 13]
The first King to be born at Windsor was Edward III., who spent great sums upon his palace, practically rebuilding the whole castle. Being a great warrior21, loving war and glory, he became enamoured with the idea of founding an Order of Knighthood that should become as illustrious as that of King Arthur, who was believed to have some connection with Windsor. A Round Tower was built upon the mound, to hold the Round Table, and great festivities were held there in 1344, but this Round Table idea forms no part of the great Order—the Order of the Garter—instituted in 1348. It is thought that Froissart confused these two celebrations.
Windsor Castle: Entrance to the Horseshoe Cloisters.
Under the superintendence of William of Wykeham, afterwards the great Bishop23 of Winchester, but employed by Edward III. as his surveyor of works, the Lower Ward was entirely24 given up to the service of St. George, the patron saint of the new Order. This involved the building of a new palace, which was erected25 upon the Upper Ward, hitherto merely walled and left vacant. At the time when these great building schemes were in progress, there were two captive Kings within the castle, for Edward did not entirely devote his energy to palace [pg 14] building, which merely formed a pleasing interlude to the long and ambitious wars which occupied his life. David II. of Scotland had been captured at Neville's Cross in 1346, and ten years later John, the King of France, joined him at Windsor, having fallen to the Black Prince at Poitiers. It is said that Edward, while walking with his prisoners, discussed with them the building of his new palace. They suggested that it would look more regal if it stood upon the Upper Ward, at which Edward cynically27 remarked that it should be erected at the cost of their ransoms28. But as King John's ransom29 was never paid, and Scotland was too poor a country to provide much even to redeem30 their King, Edward was obliged to do most of the paying of the bill himself.
Good Queen Philippa, the sweet woman who had been the gentle inspiration of Edward's life, fell ill at Windsor in August, 1369, an illness of which there was "no remedy but death," says Froissart, who writes very sympathetically of her last moments. Edward, the bravest knight22 in Christendom, stood weeping at her bedside as she whispered to him her last requests, that he should pay her debts, carry on her charities, and be buried beside her. Froissart tells us that "in all her life she did neither in thought, word, nor deed, things whereby to lose her soul." So that he was confident that "the holy angels received her with great joy up to heaven."
During the reign of Henry V., Windsor again became a royal prison-house, Scotland's youthful King, James I., spending about ten years of his life there. He had been captured when quite a lad on his way to France to be educated, and had received a good education at the hands [pg 15] of his captors, who had treated him kindly31, allowing him considerable liberty. While at Windsor he met his future queen, then the Lady Joan Beaufort, the daughter of the Earl of Somerset, whom he describes in his poem, "The King's Quair," as "the fairest and freshest youthful flower" he had ever seen. After his release in 1424, they were married in Southwark Cathedral, setting off immediately afterwards for Scotland.
"The Royal Saint," as Henry VI. has been called, did not spend time or money upon his palace at Windsor, but was enthusiastic over the founding of Eton College, which he erected on the opposite bank of the winding32 river, so that he could see it from his palace windows. In his zealous33 activity to make this college worthy34 of the Virgin35 Mary, in whose honour it had been founded, poor King Henry forgot his kingdom, and found himself deposed36 long before his schemes were perfected. He lies buried in St. George's Chapel, under a plain stone slab37, having been brought thither38 from Chertsey Abbey by Richard III., who did not care for miracles to be performed at his victim's grave, and preferred to have the body under his own observation.
As a form of penitence39 for having waded40 "through slaughter41 to a throne," Edward IV. is said to have erected the beautiful chapel dedicated42 to St. George, which replaced the one built by Edward III. One of the finest specimens44 of pure Perpendicular45 architecture in England, it is the most impressive and stately building enclosed within the walls of Windsor Castle. Its glorious fan tracery is only rivalled by Henry VIII.'s Chapel at Westminster and King's College Chapel, Cambridge—all three being built during the latter half of the fifteenth century. But the choir46, perhaps, attracts [pg 16] more attention than any other part of the chapel, for there are to be found the richly-carved stalls allotted47 to the use of the Knights48 of the Order of the Garter. Above each stall is placed the helmet of the Knight, while his splendidly emblazoned banner hangs over it. At his death the helmet and banner are removed, but his gilded49 brass50 plate upon the back of the stall remains, so that upon these stalls can be seen the gilded plates of some of the most illustrious names in history.
The succeeding monarchs52 from Edward IV. to the time of Elizabeth did little either to alter or adorn53 their palace by the shining Thames. Henry VIII., who was very fond of Windsor and often resided there till he obtained Hampton Court Palace from his great Minister, Cardinal54 Wolsey, rebuilt the main entrance to the Lower Ward which is known by his name. In the vault55 beneath the choir of St. George's bluff56 King Hal found a resting-place beside Jane Seymour, his third wife, but no monument has been raised to his memory.
Almost the only part of the palace which has remained unaltered since its erection is the Royal Library, part of the building facing the North Terrace. Built by Queen Elizabeth as a picture gallery, it is a fine specimen43 of a Tudor room, with a beautiful ceiling and a handsome stone chimney-piece. It is said that the "Merry Wives of Windsor" was first performed in this gallery, the play having been written in a fortnight at the Queen's command that Shakespeare should write a play about Sir John Falstaff in love. The Virgin Queen is also responsible for the North Terrace, on to which the gallery opened.
WINDSOR CASTLE
Has been a stronghold of importance since Saxon times. St. George's Chapel,
whose long roof-line can be seen in the picture, was built by Edward IV.
During the Civil War the castle was held by the Parliamentary forces, whose mere26 presence behind the [pg 17] strong walls was sufficient to repel57 Prince Rupert, Charles I.'s headstrong nephew, who had hoped with a small body of horse to surprise the castle. No further attempt was made by the Royalists to capture the royal fortress58, to which King Charles was brought as a prisoner in December, 1648. For three years the unhappy King had been a captive, driven from prison to prison, Windsor being his last resting-place before his trial and death in London. Charles must have become aware that dangers were thickening round him, when, having refused to admit Denbigh bearing the last overtures59 of the Army, all ceremonies of State were omitted, his meals no longer being served to him on bended knee. After the tragedy at Whitehall, the body of the King was brought to Windsor and buried hurriedly one snowy February morning, in the vault below the choir, by the side of Henry VIII. At the Restoration ￡70,000 was voted by the Parliament to erect7 a fitting memorial, but for some unexplained reason his coffin60 could not be found, though two of the Lords who had carried his body to the grave were still living. Though the leaden coffin was identified in 1813, no monument has yet been raised to the most unfortunate if also the most unwise of British sovereigns.
His son, Charles II., employed Sir Christopher Wren61 to make additions to the palace. Much of this work still remains practically as it was in the days of the Merry Monarch51, for whose dining-room (now called the State Ante-room) Verrio painted the ceiling and Grinling Gibbons carved the walls.
No monarch is more intimately associated with Windsor than George III., who loved the place which had been cordially disliked and neglected by his two [pg 18] predecessors. So complete had been the neglect, that the castle was quite unfit for habitation, obliging the Royal Family, during the process of repairs, to live in an ugly stuccoed building known as the Queen's Lodge62, built on the site of the present royal stables. Owing to the minute chronicle of their daily events in the diary of Fanny Burney, we know exactly what the good commonplace King and Queen did and said during their residence at Windsor. So much had Queen Charlotte admired "Evelina," that she thought no greater honour could be done to the gifted authoress than to make her a dresser to her royal self, a condescension63 which almost overwhelmed shy Fanny Burney, who accepted the post, little dreaming of the drudgery64 it entailed65. Everything went by routine in the Court life: the same things were done every day at precisely66 the same time they were done the day before, with a monotony which Thackeray declares must have rendered the life, frugal67 and virtuous68 as it was, stupid to a degree which he shuddered69 to contemplate70. Poor King George spent the last ten years of his life, hopelessly insane and quite blind, confined in rooms overlooking the North Terrace, and was buried in the new tomb-house which he had cut in the solid chalk, under what is now known as the Albert Memorial Chapel.
George IV. carried on the repairs commenced by his father, living meanwhile in a lodge in the park. Over a million pounds was spent upon the alterations71 and furnishing of the royal apartments. When Sir Jeffry Wyattville, the architect to whom the work had been entrusted72, had completed his task, Windsor Castle appeared exactly as it does to-day. The walls and [pg 19] towers had been repaired and refaced, the brick buildings within the walls had been cleared away, the Round Tower raised by forty feet so that it dominated the whole pile, and the present State apartments built on the south and eastern sides of the Upper Ward.
Though Windsor Castle cannot claim so fascinating or romantic a history as that of other royal palaces, yet it can boast that while its more picturesque73 rivals have either vanished or ceased their careers as palaces, it alone remains a royal residence with a story stretching back to the Normans. Majestic74 in its calm serenity75, it remains, as Leigh Hunt used to say, "a place to receive monarchs in."
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1
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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3
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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4
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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7
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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8
erecting
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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10
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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insurgent
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| adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子 | |
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barons
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| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
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14
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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16
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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18
predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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cloisters
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| n.（学院、修道院、教堂等建筑的）走廊( cloister的名词复数 )；回廊；修道院的生活；隐居v.隐退，使与世隔绝( cloister的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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24
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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25
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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cynically
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| adv.爱嘲笑地，冷笑地 | |
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ransoms
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| 付赎金救人，赎金( ransom的名词复数 ) | |
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ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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30
redeem
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| v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等） | |
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31
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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32
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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36
deposed
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| v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
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slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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38
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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40
waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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42
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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43
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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45
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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46
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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47
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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49
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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50
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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51
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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52
monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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53
adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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54
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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55
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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56
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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57
repel
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| v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥 | |
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58
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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59
overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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60
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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61
wren
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| n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员 | |
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62
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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63
condescension
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| n.自以为高人一等，贬低(别人) | |
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64
drudgery
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| n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作 | |
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65
entailed
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| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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66
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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67
frugal
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| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
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68
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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69
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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71
alterations
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| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
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72
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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74
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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75
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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