Hampton Court: The First Court.
Its situation has always been a happy one, for though built on the banks of the River Thames, it has avoided all the disadvantages of damp, owing to the gravelly nature of its soil. The nearness to London, only thirteen miles away, with easy access along the broad river, made it a delightful9 residence for the monarchs10 who were able to get to and fro from London, however bad the roads might be. When wearied with the smoke and bustle11 that surrounded Whitehall, the royal owners rejoiced in escaping to their beautiful palace at Hampton Court, from whose windows they looked over the clean river, across fresh green meadows to the horizon of the blue Surrey hills.
Cardinal12 Wolsey was largely influenced by the healthy position of Hampton Court, when he bought the place from the Knights13 Hospitallers of St. John, who had owned it since the early part of the thirteenth century. The Cardinal, like so many other great men, had never been strong, and had taxed his strength to the uttermost by the enormous quantity of work which he undertook. Not only was he Archbishop of York, holding various [pg 41] other bishoprics, but he was Lord Chancellor14 of England, an office which carried with it vast legal duties, and also that of chief adviser15 to the King, through whom all the business of the State was carried out. No wonder he needed a quiet spot far from the busy throng16, but he would have been wiser had he built a modest country house, which would not have aroused the envy of the King.
But Wolsey had a passion for building, as his work at Whitehall, his college of Christchurch, Oxford17, and the school at Ipswich, witness, and he apparently18 could not refrain from erecting19 a palace, which was to excite universal admiration20, and ultimately to assist in his fall from power. Though suffering from a variety of ailments21, among which were ague and dropsy, Wolsey never rested, but, having bought Hampton Court in 1514, pushed on the building, so that it was finished and ready for occupation two years afterwards. No word concerning any architect has come down to us, so that we may presume that the palace was erected22 according to the Cardinal's own plans, and that he is responsible for the romantic charm of the Tudor work, with its clustered chimneys, gabled roofs, mullioned windows, and all the picturesque23 dignity of the red-brick courtyards.
No sooner had the builders evacuated24, than Wolsey filled the palace with the most rich and costly25 furniture, magnificent tapestries26, and beds upholstered in gorgeous velvet27 and silk, everything being adorned28 with the Cardinal's arms, until it quite outshone anything that the King possessed29.
King Henry often honoured his "good Cardinal" with a visit, sometimes coming unexpectedly to surprise his Chancellor. The greatest banquet Wolsey ever gave [pg 42] was to the French Ambassador in 1527, when 280 beds were prepared, each room being lighted with blazing fires and candles in silver candlesticks. Music was performed all through the banquet, at which marvellous dishes appeared representing St. Paul's Church and various birds and beasts.
Though Wolsey had handed over the lease of Hampton Court to the King in 1525, when the first small cloud of royal displeasure had appeared, he continued to occupy his beautiful palace for four more years, until his final disgrace over the question of the divorce with Katharine of Aragon. King Henry took possession in 1529, and at once began building apartments for the Lady Anne Boleyn, though Queen Katharine was still with him. Four years later, after Cranmer had pronounced a divorce, the Pope still remaining obdurate30, Anne Boleyn spent a gay and brilliant honeymoon31 within the Cardinal's palace, recking little that the fickle32 King who had thrown off a faithful servant and a devoted33 wife for her sake, was to condemn34 her within a few years to a cruel death.
Hampton Court remained Henry's favourite palace, for he was proof against any sad memories of past wives, while he was enjoying the company of another. Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, whom he married the day after Anne Boleyn was executed, gave birth to Henry's only son, Edward, within the palace, the young Prince being received with great rejoicings, which were cut short by the death of his mother a few days afterwards. Catharine Howard and Catharine Parr were both married at Hampton Court, and Anne of Cleves also spent a short time there, so that the palace is associated with all the wives of Henry VIII.
[pg 43]
As a builder, King Henry is responsible for the Great Hall, on the north side of the Clock Court, a fine Perpendicular35 building, with a rich ceiling and large bay window.
Even when, in his later years, he could no longer enjoy his favourite sports of hunting, archery, tennis, and fishing, owing to his increasing corpulence, Henry retained his love for the Cardinal's palace, and was often there amusing himself with games of backgammon and dice36, and playing on the lute37, having been always fond of music.
Queen Mary, Henry's eldest38 daughter, spent her gloomy honeymoon at the palace, none of her English subjects welcoming her marriage with Philip II. of Spain. Philip, though outwardly devoted, was not much in love with his plain and unattractive wife, who seems to have lost all joyousness39 during the years of her retirement40 following the divorce of her mother. Deep melancholy41 and despair settled down upon the unfortunate Queen, when her hopes of an heir to carry on her work of restoring the Roman Catholic religion in England were denied, and she knew that her Protestant sister must succeed.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth no very important events occurred, for though the Queen constantly visited the palace, she came for periods of rest and amusement, away from all political cares. When her successor came to Hampton Court, he was delighted with it, as he was with most of the English royal palaces, which were so much more rich and luxurious42 than those of Holyrood or Falkland. The park allowed him opportunity for his much-loved occupation of hunting, when, his ungainly figure clad in a vivid [pg 44] green hunting suit, he would follow the stag with great keenness. But, enthusiastic as he was, he much disliked any crowds assembling at the royal meets, thinking that they worried the hounds and spoilt the game, and so he issued peevish43 proclamations against "the bold and barbarous insolency of multitudes of vulgar people," who, if they followed the hunt at all were to be conveyed to the nearest gaol44.
The favourite indoor entertainment at this time was the masque, which reached the height of its popularity and glory during James's reign. Ben Jonson, the greatest poet, and Inigo Jones, the greatest architect of the day, were employed as author and designer of these stately dramatic performances, in which the nobles and ladies of the Court took part, before an audience representing the highest in the land.
But King James could not spend all his time watching gods and goddesses upon the stage, or hunting the deer in his park, for the question of religious toleration had to be decided45. A conference was held in January, 1604, at the palace, between the Puritan clergy46 and the bishops47, on the question of some lesser48 ecclesiastical reforms involving no change in the organization of the Church. James delighted in presiding at the conference, as it gave him an opportunity of showing forth49 his scholastic50 accomplishments51, which were real, though extremely pedantic52. No settlement was arrived at, for James, after his experience under the Presbyterians in Scotland, delighted in the Church of England with its subservience53 to royal authority. King James thought he had crushed the Puritans with his arguments, but he had only left them certain that all concessions54 would have to be wrested55 from the King [pg 45] by force, resulting in the deadly struggle of his son's reign.
Though Charles I. grew to be devotedly56 attached to his French bride, Henrietta Maria, he had some unfortunate disagreements with her during the early months of his married life, which he spent at Hampton Court. Owing partly to the interference of the Duke of Buckingham, Charles's unwise favourite, and to the young bride's extreme youth and lack of tact57, there were constant quarrels between the royal pair. Henrietta Maria's large train of French followers58 were extremely unpopular among the English, owing to their religious beliefs, and the Queen herself was ill-advised enough to refuse to take part in the coronation ceremonies, as they were performed by Protestant clergy. At last Charles grew so annoyed that he dismissed all the French suite59 in a high-handed manner, and sent them back to France. Though the Queen never became popular among the Puritans, who attributed much of the King's stubbornness to her suggestion, yet she and her royal husband learned to live together in great domestic bliss60.
The first hint of the gathering61 storm was made evident to the King when the Commons brought down to the palace their Grand Remonstrance62, a document in which they had recorded, in unqualified language, all the King's misdeeds. Charles retaliated63 by the fatal error of attempting to arrest five members of the Commons; after the failure of which he retired64 from London to Hampton Court—the last time (except for one night) that he visited it as a free man. In the summer of 1647, when his armies had all been crushed and dispersed65, he came to the palace once more, but [pg 46] this time as a prisoner. He was still treated with great respect and allowed considerable liberty, visiting his children at Sion House, and having them visit him. Unhappily Charles determined66 to escape, and was so far successful that he succeeded in slipping from the palace, crossing the river, and reaching the Isle67 of Wight. But there his success ended, for he was obliged to give himself up as a prisoner to the governor of the island, to be treated afterwards with increasing severity.
Cromwell's soldiers are credited with effecting considerable damage to historic buildings, but we are indebted to the Protector for the saving of Hampton Court Palace. It had already been sold to various purchasers, when Cromwell became Lord Protector and the Parliament, knowing his liking68 for the palace, at once set to work to repurchase it. The Protector and his family soon after took up their residence there, provoking the mocking laughter of royalists, either for the regal state which Cromwell maintained, or the homeliness69 of his wife. It is strange to remember, that along with all his austerity of character Cromwell used to indulge, in his lighter70 moments, in great buffoonery, putting sticky sweetmeats on to the chairs on which the ladies were to sit, slipping live coals into his officers' coat pockets, or throwing wine about.
Hampton Court had often served as a honeymoon palace, but the young brides had seldom been very happy, unless, perhaps, Anne Boleyn had managed to be care-free during her short reign. Certainly Queen Mary and Henrietta Maria had been far from happy, but the insignificant71 little Portuguese72 wife of Charles II. was the unhappiest of all. Her husband did not love her, and she succeeded in annoying him by persisting [pg 47] in wearing her Portuguese style of dress, which seemed grotesque73 to English eyes. When she gave in on this point, she was ordered to receive Lady Castlemaine, one of the King's favourites, as a lady of her bedchamber, an indignity74 which she was justified75 in refusing. But Charles's open rudeness, and studied indifference76 to his wife, at last forced poor Catharine of Braganza to accept the notorious lady, after which the King treated her with respect, though never with love.
When William III. first saw Hampton Court, he was enchanted77 with it, it reminded him of his beloved Holland, and besides, the air was free from smoke, so that his asthmatical frame could breathe easily. He at once began to set about rebuilding and altering the palace, and laying out the gardens in the formal Dutch fashion. Sir Christopher Wren78 was entrusted79 with the new work, creating the stately east and south fronts, and the Fountain Court that we see to-day. The architect had to join on the Renaissance80 style of architecture in vogue81 at that time, to the late Perpendicular of the original builders, and by adhering to red-brick with stone facings and copings, he made a combination which is both restful and dignified. Queen Mary took an intense interest in the new building which she was never destined82 to see finished, her early death causing King William to lose all pleasure in the palace, which they had both loved. For some years work almost ceased on the new building, until the disastrous83 fire at Whitehall rendered it necessary for the King to have another palace. Work was then hurried on, Grinling Gibbons working at the interior carving84, Verrio painting the ceilings and staircases, gardeners laying out the avenues and maze85, till all was [pg 48] ready for the King in the winter of 1699. Little more than two years later, William, who had been very ill for some time, was riding in the park, when his horse stumbled on a mole-hill, throwing his royal master on to the ground. When the doctor examined him, King William was found to have broken his collar-bone, which was immediately set. In spite of the remonstrances86 of the doctor, the King insisted upon returning to Kensington, where he rapidly became worse, the jolting87 of the roads having shifted the bone, which had to be reset88. A fortnight later he died.
The succeeding monarchs did little to the palace, though the first two Hanoverian Kings occasionally resided there. George III., whose partiality for Windsor and Kew caused him to neglect all the other palaces, never visited Hampton Court after he became King, so that it was gradually left to various private families, who were granted apartments by the royal bounty89. When Queen Victoria came to the throne the palace was made open to the public, who have much appreciated the privilege of seeing one of the most beautiful royal residences ever erected in England.
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1
commodious
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| adj.宽敞的；使用方便的 | |
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corroborated
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| v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 ) | |
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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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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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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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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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chancellor
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| n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长 | |
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adviser
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| n.劝告者，顾问 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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erecting
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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ailments
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| 疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 ) | |
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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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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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evacuated
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| 撤退者的 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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tapestries
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| n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 ) | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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obdurate
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| adj.固执的，顽固的 | |
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honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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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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dice
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| n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险 | |
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lute
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| n.琵琶，鲁特琴 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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joyousness
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| 快乐，使人喜悦 | |
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retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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peevish
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| adj.易怒的，坏脾气的 | |
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gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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scholastic
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| adj.学校的，学院的，学术上的 | |
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accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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pedantic
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| adj.卖弄学问的；迂腐的 | |
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subservience
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| n.有利，有益；从属（地位），附属性；屈从，恭顺；媚态 | |
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concessions
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| n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权 | |
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wrested
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| （用力）拧( wrest的过去式和过去分词 )； 费力取得； （从…）攫取； （ 从… ） 强行取去… | |
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devotedly
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| 专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地 | |
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tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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retaliated
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| v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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homeliness
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| n.简朴，朴实；相貌平平 | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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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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entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
renaissance
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| n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴 | |
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81
Vogue
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| n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的 | |
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82
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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83
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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84
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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85
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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86
remonstrances
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| n.抱怨，抗议( remonstrance的名词复数 ) | |
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87
jolting
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| adj.令人震惊的 | |
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88
reset
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| v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物 | |
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89
bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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