Library of the University of North Carolina From the PeDdleton King Library Through Rush N. King, '04 THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ENDOWED BY THE DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETIES PRl+002 ,W5 UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 10001951130 . his book is due at the LOUIS R. WILSON LIBRARY on the last date stamped under "Date Due." If not on hold it may be renewed by bringing it to the library. DATE DUE - RET. -*- "JUN27-96 -ftHfi- n iPR 5 201 J Form No. 513 DATE DUE RET. CLsZsL^c-z? LC!lvDC»7' HJHOHHED ET S^OTTLEE SB SrSOlTS.BI LUDGATE HILX. ROUTLEDGE AND SONS Limited. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.archive.org/details/windsorcastlehisains WINDSOR CASTLE JN HISTORICAL ROMANCE fa BY W. HARRISON AINSWORTH AUTHOR OK "THE TOWER OK LONDON" " About, about ! . Search Windsor Castle, elves, within and out." Shakespeare. — Merry Wives of Windsor, ' There is an old tale goes, that Heme the Hunter, Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest, Doth all the winter time, at still midnight, Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns. And there he blasts the tree. You have heard of such a spirit ; and well know The superstitious idle-headed eld Received, and did deliver to our age, This tale of Heme the Hunter for a truth."— Ibid. ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE CRUIKSHANK AND TONY JOHANNOT WiTH DESIGNS ON WOOD BY W. ALFRED DELAMOTTE LONDON GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, Limited BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL. £ f $ A ioofe t|)f jpirst ANNE BOLEYN, SAINT OEORQB 8 QATlWlT KDWAJID THB THIRD'S TOW*A, AVD arn»T3 *3VTIh CONTENTS. Book the Jfirst. ANNE BOLEYN. I. Of the Earl of Surrey's solitary ramble in the Home Par* ; oi* the vision beheld by him in the Haunted Dell ; and of his meeting with Morgan Fenwolf, the keeper, beneath Heme's Oak ... 1 II. Of Bryan Bowntance, the host of the Garter ; of the Duke of Shore- ditch ; of the bold words uttered by Mark Fytton, the butcher, md how he was cast into the vault of the Curfew Tower ... ID JV CONTENT8 HI. Of the grand procession to Windsor Castle ; of the meeting of King Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn at the Lower Gate; of their entrance into the Castle ; and how the butcher was hanged from the Curfew Tower . . . . . . ..17 IV. How King Henry the Eighth held a Chapter of the Garter ; how he attended vespers and matins in Saint George's Chapel ; and how he feasted with the Knights-Companions in Saint George's Hall 33 V. Of the ghostly chase beheld by the Earl of Surrey and the Duke of Richmond in Windsor Forest 43 VI. How the fair Geraldine bestowed a relic upon her lover ; how Surrey and Richmond rode in the forest at midnight ; and where they found the body of Mark Fytton, the butcher 49 VII. How the Earl of Surrey and the fair Geraldine plighted their troth in the cloisters of Saint George's Chapel .06 VIII. Of Tristram Lyndwood, the old forester, and his grand-daughter Mabel ; of the peril in which the Lady Anne Boleyn was placed during the chase ; and by whom she was rescued .... Gl IX. By what means Sir Thomas Wyat obtained an interview with Anne Boleyn; and how the Earl of Surrey saved them from the King's anger . . .... * G8 X. Of the mysterious disappearance of Heme the Hunter in the Lake . 75 Booh the J?ccouu'. HERNE THE HUNTER. I. Of the compact between Sir Thomas Wyat and Heme the Hunter . 31 II. In what manner Wolsey put his scheme in operation ... . 91 HI. Of the visit of the two Guildford merchants to the forester's hut 97 IV. How Heme the Hunter shewed the Earl of Surrey the fair Geraldine in a vision 102 V. What befel Sir Thomas Wyat in the Sand-stone Cave ; and how he drank a maddening potion 10b VI. How Sir Thomas Wyat hunted with Heme . 109 VTI. How Wyat beheld Mabel Lyndwood ; and how he was rowed by Morgan Fen wolf upon the Lake 112 VTH. How the King and the Duke of Suffolk were assailed by Heme's band; and what followed the attack 115 CONTENTS. w PA OB IX. Shewing how Morgan Fenwolf escaped from the Garter Tower 122 X. How Heme the Hunter was himself hunted ... . 128 JJoofe the Chutt. THE HISTORY OF THE CASTLE. I. Comprising the first two epochs in the history of Windsor Castle . 135 H. Comprising the third great epoch in the history of the Castle ; and shewing how the most noble Order of the Garter was instituted 1 43 IH. Comprising the fourth epoch in the history of the Castle; and shewing how Saint George's Chapel was rebuilt by King Edward the Fourth 150 rV. Containing the history of the Castle from the reign of Charles the Second to that of George the Third; with a few particulars concerning the Parks and the Forest 1G0 V. The ]<\st great epoch in the history of the Castle 164 JSoofe the dfourtj). CARDINAL WOLSEY. I. Of the interview between Henry and Catherine of Arragon in the Urswick Chapel ; and how it was interrupted . . ... 173 II. How Heme the Hunter appeared to Henry on the terrace .... 1 83 III. How Mabel Lyndwood was taken to the Castle by Nicholas Clamp; and how they encountered Morgan Fenwolf by the way . . 185 IV. How Mabel was received by the party in the kitchen ; and of the quarrel between the two jesters . 191 V. Of the combat between Will Sommers and Patch; and how it ter- minated ... . . 196 VI. The Legend of Heme the Hunter . . 202 VII. Of the mysterious noise heard in the Curfew Tower . , 212 VIH. Shewing the vacillations of the King between Wolsey and Anne Boleyn .... 216 LX. How Tristram Lyndwood was interrogated by the King .... 220 X. Of the brief advantage gained by the Queen and the Cardinal . 222 XL How Tristram lyndwood and Mabel were liberated .... 228 XH. How Wolsey was disgraced by the King . v ... 234 CONTENTS. MABEL LYNDWOOD. MOI \ How the Earl of Surrey and the fair Geraldine met in King James's hower in the moat ; and how they were surprised by the Duke of Richmond . 245 II. How Sir Thomas Wyat found Mabel in the Sand-stone Cave ; and what happened to him there 254 HI. In what manner Heme declared his passion for Mabel 2G1 IV. How Sir Thomas Wyat was visited by Heme in the cell .... 265 V. How Mabel escaped from the cave with Sir Thomas Wyat . . . 268 VI. Of the desperate resolution formed by Tristram and Fen wolf ; and how the train was laid . 271 VH. How the train was fired ; and what followed the explosion . . . 274 33oofe tfje J&iytl). JANE SEYMOUR. I. Of Henr^ b attachment to Jane Seymour ... 283 H. How Anne Boleyn received proof of Hem»y's passion for Jane Sey- mour 288 HI. What passed between Norris and the tall Monk 291 IV. Of the secret interview between Norris and Anne Boleyn ; and of the dissimulation practised by the King 295 T. What happened at the jousts 299 71. What passed between Anne Boleyn and the Duke of Suffolk ; and how Heme the Hunter appeared to her in the Oratory . . . 305 if il. How Heme appeared to Henry in the Home Park 308 VTH. The Signal Gun . . 310 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAOB PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR to face title THE MEETING OP HENRY THE EIGHTH AND ANNE BOLEYN . . 29 THE BANQUET IN SAINT GEORGE'S HALL 42 THE MEETING IN THE CLOISTERS OF SAINT GEORGE'S CHAPEL . 58 THE ROYAL CHASE IN WINDSOR FOREST 68 HENRY'S RECONCILIATION WITH ANNE BOLEYN 73 UERNE THE HUNTER PLUNGING INTO THE LAKE . . . . . 77 THE VISIT TO TRISTRAM LYNDWOOD's COTTAGE 101 THE VISION OF THE FAIR GERALDINE 105 MABEL LYNDWOOD INTERCEDING FOR WYAT WITH HENRY . .119 THE SEARCH FOR HERNE THE HUNTER. 131 HERNE THE HUNTER APPEARING TO HENRY ON THE TERRACE . 184 THE QUARREL IN THE KITCHEN OF THE CASTLE 195 THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HERNE IN THE CURFEW TOWER . . . 233 THE DISMISSAL OF CARDINAL WOLSEY 239 HERNE FLYING INTO THE BURNING WOODS WITH MABEL . . . 277 ANNE BOLEYN RECEIVING PROOF OF HENRY'S PASSION FOR JANE SEYMOUR 290 HENRY PERCEIVING NORRIS TAKE OP ANNE BOLEYN's HANDKER- CHIEF AT THE JOUSTS 302 THE SIGNAL 314 WOOD ENGRAHNGS. TAGS I. VIEW OP THE CASTLE IN 1530 . . • . . 135 II. WINDSOR GREAT PARK, 1529 . . ... 163 III. PLAN OF WINDSOR CASTLE, 1843 164 1. saint george's gateway and round tower iii 2. GRAND PROCESSION TO WINDSOR CASTLE . 1 3. OLD BEECH-TREE IN THE HOME PARK. *) 4. herne's OAK .... ... .... 7 5. CURFEW TOWBR, FROM THAMES STREET ... 10 6. EASTERN VIEW OF THE CURFEW TOWER 14 7. INTERIOR OF THE CURFEW TOWER 15 8. VAULT IN THE CURFEW TOWER . '. 16 9. BANQUET IN SAINT GEORGe's HALL 17 10. alms-knights' houses, and lieutenant's TOWER . . . . . 2{? 11. NORMAN TOWER, FROM THE GARDEN 30 12. GARTER TOWER, FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE CURFEW TOWER . 31 13. MARK FYTTON, THE BUTCHER, HANGING FROM THE CURFEW TOWER . 32 14. KING HENRY THE EIGHTH ATTENDING MASS IN ST. GEORGE'S CHAPEL. 33 15. INTERIOR OF SAINT GEORGE'S HALL 41 16. HAUNTED BEECH-TREE, NEAR NORFOLK FARM 43 17. DELL ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE LONG WALK 45 18. BEECH-GROVE, NEAR THE EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GEORGE THE THIRD .. 4G 19. OLD BEECH-TREE, ON THE ROAD TO VIRGINIA WATER 47 20. THE WILD HUNTSMEN . . 48 21. CASTLE AND LODGES, FROM THE LONG WALK 49 22. DOOR LEADING TO THE HUNDRED STEPS 52 23. CARDINAL WOLSEY'S TOMB-HOUSE ... . . 56 24. CLOISTERS NEAR SAINT GEORGE'S CHAPEL 58 25. BLACK HOLE IN HENRY THE EIGHTH'S GATE 60 26. VIEW OF THE CASTLE, FROM THE GREAT PARK 61 27. OLD OAK AND BEECH-TREE IN WINDSOR FOREST .' 67 2H. THE VICTORIA TOWER 81 29. GATEWAY OF THE NORMAN TOWSB, FROM THE UPPER WARD . 83 WOOD ENGRAVINGS. IX JACK JO. COVERED WAY FROM THE NORMAN TOWER TO THE ROUND TOWER, 84 31. GEORGE THE FOURTH'S TOWER, FROM THE TERRA. E 88 32. FOREST GLADE LOOKING UPON COOK'S HILL WOOD ...... 92 33. THE NORMAN TOWER, FROM THE MIDDLE WARD ... ] 02 34. PART OF THE ROUND TOWER, FROM THE MOAT 103 35. THE CASTLE, FROM THE WFSTERN SIDE OF SNOW HILL , . .109 36. VIEW OF THE CASTLE, FROM THE ADELAIDE PEEP . . . . 115 37. GUARD-CHAMBER IN HENRY THE EIGHTH'S GATE . . . 122 38. PART OF THE HORSE-SHOE CLOISTKRS . . 123 39. INTERIOR OF THE GARTER TOWER .... . . . .125 40. GARTER TOWER, FROM THAMES STREET . ... 127 41. OUTER DOOR LEADING TO THE HUNDRED STEPS 127 42. OLD OAKS, ON THE ROAD FROM LACHESTER LODGE TO HARDI- man's GATE .... 128 43. COLOSSAL EQUESTRIAN STATUE OV GEORGE THE THIRD . . . 135 44. HENRY THE THIRD'S TOWER 139 45. SOUTH SIDE OF THE ALMS.-KNlcHTs' HOUSES, WITH HENRY THE third's tower, and the governor's TOWER ...... 140 46. lady mary fox's drawing-room in the norman tower . . 14) 47. moat of the round tower. with nenry the third's towlr, 148 48. round tower, from the south-east, with juwvisje?. v.'ay from saint George's gate . ........ 149 49. south side of saint georges chapel 150 50. interior of saint georges chapel, looking towards the CHOIR ... 152 51. WEST END OF SAINT GEORGE'S CHAPEL .... .... 154 52. VIRGINIA WATER 160 53. SLOPES, FROM THE NORTH-EAST ANGLE OF THE TERRACE . . 162 54. PRIVATE CHAPEL IN THE GREAT PARK 163 55. GEORGE THE FOURTH'S GATEWAY, AND YORK AND LANCASTER TOWERS, WITH VICTORIA TOWER ON THE RIGHT 164 CD. EAST AND NORTH FACADES OF THE CASTLE 165 57. THE CASTLE, FROM ETON PLAY-FIELDS .... .... 166 58. THE UPPER QUADRANGLE ... 167 59. CURFEW TOWER AND OTHER BUILDINGS, AS PROPOSED TC BE ALTERED BY WYATVILLE . ... 168 60. CROWN AND PORTCULLIS 16? 61. SUNK GARDEN AND EASTERN FACADE OF THE CASTLE .... 173 62. OLD OAK, NEAR BLACKNEST 187 63. HENRY THE EIGHTH'S GATE, FROM THE LOWER WARD .... 189 64. HENRY THE SEVENTH'S BUILDINGS ... 190 65. ANCIENT KITCHEN IN THE CASTLE 191 66. PART OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE UPPER QUADRANGLE . . . 196 X WOOD ENGRAVINGS. • P »o* 67. SCATHED OAK-TREE IN THE HOME PARK . 202 68. HAUNTED BEECH-TREE, LOOKING TOWAKD9 T3E UILL . . .' . 209 69. PORT-HOLE IN THE CURFEW TOWER 214 70. UPPER CHAMBER IN THE CURFEW TOWER 215 71. BASTION, NEAR THE HUNDRED 8TEPS 216 72. ENTRANCE TO THE NEW COMMONS 223 73. HOUSE IN THE NORTH AMBULATORY OI THE DEANS CLOISTERS 224 74. MOAT OF THE ROUND TOWER, WITH EDWARD TUB TniRD'8 TOWER IN THR BACKGROUND .. 245 75. STAIRCASB TO THE ROUND TOWER 248 76. LANDING OF THE STAIRCASE IN THE ROUND TOWER 254 77. TOWER AND BUILDINGS, FROM THE HUNDRED STEPS 261 78. GEORGE THE FOURTH'S GATEWAY, FROM THE ENTRANCE TO THE GREAT PARK . 274 79. THE CASTLE, FROM THE BROCAS 283 80. THE TOWN OF WINDSOR, FROM THE CURFEW TOWER 288 81. ENTRANCE TO THE DEAn's CLOISTERS .... 293 82. GOVERNOR OF THE ALMS-KNIGHTS* TOWER . . . . , . . 294 83. OLD BUILDINGS, FROM THE HUNDRED STEPS .... ... 299 84. PRISON CHAMBER IN HENRY THE EIGHTH'S GATEWAY 305 85. BASTION AND WALL, FROM THE HUNDRED STEPS 311 86. VIEW IN THE GREAT PARK, NEAR SAND-PIT GATE .... .313 87. FLAG-TOWER, WITH STANDARD LOWERED". . -, ... 814 W$$£!fc-« Tt, WINDSOR CASTLE. pcarance of a page, was leaning over the terrace-wall on the north side of Windsor Castle, and gazing at the magnificent scene before him. On his right stretched the broad green ex- panse, forming the Home Park, studded with noble trees, chief! v consisting of ancient oaks, of which England hail already learnt to be proud, thorns as old, or older than the oaks, wide-spreading beeches, tall elms, and hollies. The disposition of these trees was picturesque and beautiful in the extreme. Here, at the end of a sweeping vista, and in the midst of an open space, covered with the greenest sward, stood a might v, broad-armed oak, beneath whose ample boughs, though as yet almost destitute of foliage, while the sod beneath them could scarcely boast a head of fern, couched a herd of deer; there, lay a thicket of thorns skirting a sand-bank, burrowed by rabbits ; on this hand, grew a dense and Druid-like grove, into whose intricacies the slanting sunbeams pierced ; on that, extended a long glade, formed by a natural avenue of oaks, across which, at intervals, deer were pass- ing. Nor were human figures wanting to give life and interest to the scene. Adown the glade came two keepers of the forest, having each a couple of buckhounds with them in hash, whose baying sounded cheerily amid the woods. Nearer the castle, and bending their way towards it, marched a party of falconers, with their well-trained birds, whose skill they had been approving, upon their fists, their jesses ringing as they moved along ; while nearer still, and almost at the foot^of the terrace wall, was a minstrel, playing on a rebec, to which a keeper, in a dress of Lincoln green, with a bow over his shoulder, a quiver of arrows at his back, and a comely damsel under his arm. was listening. On the left, a view altogether different in character, though scarcely less beautiful, was offered to the gaze. It was formed by the town of Windsor, then not a third of its present size, but incomparably more picturesque in appearance, consisting almost entirely of a long straggling row of houses, chequered black and white, with tall gables and projecting stories, skirting the west and south sides of the castle ; by the silver windings of the river, traceable for miles, and reflecting the glowing hues of the sky ; by the venerable college of Eton, embowered in a grove of trees ; and by a vast tract of well-wooded and well-cultivated country beyond it, interspersed with villages, churches, old halls, monasteries, and abbeys. Taking out his tablets, the youth, after soni" reflection. ' rawxl a few lines upon them, and then, quitting the parapet, oroceed««l slowly, and with a musing air, towards the north-west an ?le of the terrace. He could not be more than fifteen, perhaps not so much, but he was tall and well-grown, with slight, though remarkably well-proportioned limbs; and it might have been safelv predicted, that, when arrived at years of maturity, he would possess great personal vigour. His countenance was full "W thought and intelligence; and he had a broad* lofty brow, CAPTAIN DOUCH1ER. 3 shaded by a pr jfusion of light brawn ringlets, a long, straight, and finely-formed nose, a full, sensitive, and well-chiselled mouth, and a pointed chin. His eyes were large, dark, and somewhat melancholy in expression, and his complexion possessed that rich, clear, brown tint, constantly met with in Italy or Spain, though but seldom seen in a native of our own colder clime. His dress was rich, but sombre ; consisting of a doublet of black satin, worked with threads of Venetian gold ; hose of the same material, and similarly embroidered ; a shirt curiously wrought with black silk, and fastened at the collar with black enamelled clasps ; a cloak of black velvet, passmented with gold, and lined with crimson satin; a flat black velvet cap, set with pearls and goldsmith's work, and adorned with a short white plume ; and black velvet buskins. His arms were rapier and dagger, both having gilt and graven handles, and sheaths of black velvet. As he moved along, the sound of voices chanting vespers arose from Saint George's Chapel ; and while he paused to listen to the solemn strains, a door in that part of the castle used as the king's privy-lodgings, opened, and a person advanced towards him. The new-comer had broad, brown, martial-looking features, darkened still more by a thick coal-black beard, clipped short in the fashion of the time, and a pair of enormous moustachios. He- was accoutred in a habergeon, which gleamed from beneath the folds of a russet-coloured mantle, and wore a steel-cap in lieu of a bonnet on his head, while a long sword dangled from beneath his cloak. When within a few paces of the youth, whose back was towards him, and who did not hear his approach, he announced himself by a loud cough, that proved the excel- lence of his lungs, and made the old walls ring again, startling the jackdaws roosting in the battlements. " What ! composing a vesper hymn, my Lord of Surrey ?" he cried with a laugh, as the other hastily thrust the tablets, which he had hitherto held in his hand, into his bosom. " You will rival Master Skelton, the poet-laureate, and your friend Sir Thomas Wyat, too, ere long. But will it please yc ur lordship to quit for a moment the society of the celestial Nine, and descend to earth, while I inform you that, acting as your representative. I have given all needful directions for his majesty's reception to- morrow." " You have not failed, I trust, to give orders to the groom of the chambers for the lodging of my fair cousin, Mistress Anne Boleyn, Captain Bouchier?" inquired the Earl of Surrey, with a significant smile. "Assuredly not, my lord •" replied the other, smiling in his turn. " She will be lodged as royally as if she were Queen of Eng- land. Indeed, the queen's own apartments are assigned her. 1 ' "It is well," rejoined Surrey. "And you have also provided for the reception of the Pope's legate, Cardinal Campeggio ?"" Bouchier bowed. b 2 WlNusOR CASTLE. " And for Cardinal Wolsey?" pursued the other. The captain bowed again. " To save your lordship the necessity of asking any further questions," he said ; " I may state briefly, that I have done all as if you had done it yourself." " Be a little more particular, captain, I pray you," said Surrey. " Willingly, my lord," replied Bouchier. is In your lord- ship's name, then, as vice-chamberlain, in which character I presented myself, I summoned together the dean and canons of the College of Saint George, the usher of the black- rod, the governor of the alms-knights, and the whole of the officers of the household, and acquainted them, in a set speech, which, I flatter myself, was quite equal to any that your lord- ship, with all your poetical talents, could have delivered, that the king's highness being at Hampton Court, with the two cardinals, Wolsey and Campeggio, debating the matter of divorce from his queen, Catharine of Arragon, proposes to hold the grand feast of the most noble order of the Garter, at thus his castle of Windsor, on Saint George's day, — that is to say, the day after to-morrow, — and that it is therefore his majesty's sovereign pleasure that the Chapel of Saint George, in the said castle, beset forth, and adorned with its richest furniture ; that the high altar be hung with arras representing the patron saint of the order on horseback, and garnished with the costliest images and ornaments in gold and silver; that the pulpit be covered with crimson damask, inwrought with nowers-de-iuces of gold, portcullices, and roses ; that the royal stall be canopied with a rich cloth of state, with a haut-pas beneath it of a foot high ; that the stalls of the knights-companions be decked with cloth of tissue, with their scutcheons set at the back ; and that all be ready at the hour of tierce, — hard tertid vespertind, as appointed by his majesty's own statute, — at which time the eve of the feast shall be held to commence." " Take breath, captain," laughed the earl. " I have no need," replied Bouchier. " Furthermore, I •delivered your lordship's warrant from the lord chamberlain to the usher of the black rod, to make ready and furnish Saint George's Hall, both for the supper to-morrow and the grand feast on the following day ; and I enjoined the dean and canons of the college, the alms-knights, and all the other officers of the order, to be in readiness for the occasion. And now having fulfilled my devoir, or rather your lordship's, I am content to resign my post as vice-chamberlain, to resume my ordinary one, that of your simple gentleman, and to attend you back to Hampton Court, whenever it shall please you to set forth." " And that will not be for an hour at the least," replied the earl ; " for I intend to take a solitary ramble in the Home Park." " What ! to seek inspiration for a song, — or to meditate upon the charms of the fair Geraldine, eh ! my lord ?" rejoined Bou- THE HOME PARK. 5 chier. " But I will not question you too shrewdly. Only let me caution you against going near Heme's Oak. It is said that the demon hunter walks at nightfall, and scares, if he does not in- ]ure, all those who cross his path. At curfew toll I must quit the castle, and will then, with your attendants, proceed to the Garter, in Thames Street, where I will await your arrival. If we veach Hampton Court by midnight, it will be time enough, and as the moon will rise in an hour, we shall have a pleasant ride." " Commend me to Bryan Bowntance, the worthy host of the Garter," said the earl ; " and bid him provide you with a bottle of his best sack in which to drink my health." " Fear me not," replied the other. " And I pray yom' lord- ship not to neglect my caution respecting Heme the hm;;er. In sober sooth, I have heard strange stories of his appearance ct late, and should not care to go near the tree after dark." The earl laughed somewhat sceptically, and the captain reite - rating his caution, they separated; — Bouchier returning the way he came, and Surrey proceeding towards a small drawbridge crossing the ditch on the eastern side of the castle, and forming a means of communication with the Little Park. He was challenged by a sentinel at the drawbridge, but on giving the password, he was allowed to cross it, and to pass through a gate on the further side opening upon the park. Brushing the soft and dewy turf, with a footstep almost as light and bounding as that of a fawn, he speeded on for more than a quarter of a mile, when he reached a noble beech-tree, standing at the end of a clump of timber. A number of rabbits were feeding beneath it, but at his approach they instanth plunged into their burrows. 3LD BEECH TREB IN OMI V»R». G WIXDSOB CASTLE Here lie halted to look at the castle. The sun had sunk ba hind it, dilating its massive keep to almost its present height, and tinging the summits of the whole line of ramparts and towers, ince rebuilt and known as the Brunswick Tower, the Chester Tower, the Clarence Tower, and the Victoria Tower \yi*b rosy lustre. Flinging himself at the foot of the beech-tree, the youthfu 1 earl indulged his poetical reveries ior a short time, and then rising, retraced his steps, and in a few minutes the whole o^ the south side of the castle lay before him. The view compre- hended the two fortifications recently removed to make way for the York and Lancaster towers, between which stood a gate approached by a drawbridge; the Earl Marshal's Tower, now styled, from the monarch in whose reign it was erected, Edward the Third's Tower; the Black -rod's lodgings; the Lieutenant's — now Henry the Third's Tower; the line of embattled walls, constituting the lodgings of the Alms-Knights; the tower tenanted by the governor of that body, and still allotted to the same officer; Henry the Eighth's Gateway; and the Chancellor of the Garter's Tower, — the latter terminating the line of build- ing. A few rosy beams tipped the pinnacles of Saint George's •Chapel, seen behind the towers above mentioned, with fire; but with this exception, the whole of the mighty fabric looked cold and grey. At this juncture, the upper gate was opened, and Captain Bouchier and his attendants issued from it, and passed over the drawbridge. The curfew bell then tolled ; the drawbridge was raised ; the horsemen disappeared ; and no sound reached the .listener's ear, except the measured tread of the sentinels on the ramparts, audible in the profound stillness. The youthful earl made no attempt to join his followers, but having gazed on the ancient pile before him, till its battlements and towers grew dim in the twilight, he struck into a footpath leading across the park, towards Datchet, and pursued it until it brought him near a dell rilled with thorns, hollies, and underwood, and overhung by mighty oaks, into which he unhesitatingly plunged, and soon gained the deepest part of it. Here, owing to the thickness of the hollies, and the projecting arms of other lar^e overhanging timber, added to the uncertain light above, the gloom was almost impervious, and he could scarcely see a yard before him. Still he pressed on unhesitatingly, and with a sort of measurable sensation at the difficulties he was encountering uddenlv, however, he was startled by a blue phosphoric light streaming through the bushes on the left, and, looking up, he be- held at the foot of an enormous oak, whose giant roots protruded like twisted snakes from the bank, a wild, spectral-looking object, possessing some slight resemblance to humanity, and habited, so far as it uoi'ld hfletermined, in the skins of deer. THE HAUNTED DKI.L. " strangely disposed about its gaunt and tawny-coloured limbs. On its head was seen a sort of helmet, formed of the skull of a stag, from which branched a large pair of antlers; from its left arm hung a heavy and rusty-looking chain, in the links of which burnt the phosphoric fire before mentioned ; while on its right wiist was perched a large horned owl, with feathers erected, and red staring eyes. Impressed with the superstitious feelings common to the age, the young earl, fully believing he was :n tiie presence of a super- natural being, could scarcely, despite his courageous nature, winch no ordinary matter would have shaken, repress a cry. Crossing himself, he repeated, with great fervency, a prayer against evil spirits, and as he uttered it, the light was extinguished, and the spectral figure vanished. The clanking of the chain was iieard, succeeded by the hooting of the owl ; then came a horrible burst of laughter; then a fearful wail; and all was silent. Up to this moment, the young earl had stood still, as if spell- bound ; but being now convinced that the spirit had fled, he pressed forward, and, ere many seconds, emerged from the brake The full moon was rising, as he issued forth, and illuminating the glades and vistas, and the calmness and beauty of nil around seemed at total variance with the fearful vision he had just wit- nessed. Throwing a shuddering glance at the haunted dell, he was about to hurry towards the castle, when a large lightning- scathed and solitary oak, standing at a little distance from him, attracted his attention. b WINDSOR CASTI..".. This was the very tree connected with the wild legend of Heme the hunter, which Captain Bouchier had warned him not to ap- proach, and he now forcibly recalled the caution. Beneath it he perceived a figure, which he at first took for that of the spectral hunter ; but his fears were relieved by a shout from the person, who at the same moment appeared to catch sight of him. Satisfied that, in the present instance, he had to do with a being of this world, Surrey ran towards the tree, and on approaching it perceived that the object of his alarm was a young man, of very athletic proportions, and evidently, from his garb, a keeper of the "orest. He was habited in a jerkin of Lincoln-green cloth, with the voyal badge woven in silver on the breast, and his head was protected by a flat green cloth cap, ornamented with a pheasant's tail. Under his right arm he carried a cross-bow ; a long, silver- tipped horn was slung in his baldric; and he was armed with a short hanger, or wood-knife. His features were harsh and prominent ; and he had black beetling brows, a large coarse mouth, and dark eyes, lighted up with a very sinister and malignant ex- pression. He was attended by a large, savage-looking stag-hound, whom he addressed as Bawscy, and whose fierceness had to be restrained as Surrey approached. " Have you seen anything ?" he demanded of the earl. " I have seen Heme the hunter himself, or the fiend in his likeness," replied Surrey. And he briefly related the vision he had beheld. " Ay, ay, you have seen the demon hunter, no doubt," replied the keeper, at the close of the recital. " I neither saw the light, nor heard the laughter nor the wailing cry you speak of; but Bawsey crouched at my feet, and whined, and I knew some evil thing was at hand. Heaven shield us !" he exclaimed, as the hount \ crouched at his feet, and directed her gaze towards the oak, uttering a low, ominous whine. " She is at the same trick again." The earl glanced in the same direction, and half expected to see the knotted trunk of the tree burst open and disclose the figure of the spectral hunter. But nothing was visible — at least to him ■ though it would seem, from the shaking limbs, fixed eyes, and ghastly visage of the keeper, that some appalling object was pre- sented to his gaze. " Do you not see him ?" cried the latter, at length, in thrilling accents — " He is circling the tree, and blasting it. There ! he passes us now — do you not see him ?" " No," replied Surrey ; " but do not let us tarry here longer." So saying, he laid his hand upon the keeper's arm. The touch seemed to rouse him to exestion. He uttered a fearful cry, and set off at a quick pace along the park, followed by Bawsey, with MOHUAN FENWOLF. 9 her tail between her legs. The earl kept up with him, and neither halted till they had left the wizard oak at a considerable distance behind them. " And so you did n_>[ sec him ?" said the keeper, in a tone of exhaustion, as he wiped the thick drops from his brow. " I did not," replied Surrey. " That is passing strange," rejoined the other. " 1 myself haw seen him before, but never as he appeared to-night." "You are a keeper of the forest, I presume, friend?" said Surrey. " IJow are you named ?" " I am called Morgan Fenwolf," replied the keeper ; " and you?" " I am the Earl of Surrey, 1 ' returned the young noble. "What!" exclaimed Fenwolf, making a reverence ; "the son to his grace of Norfolk." The earl replied in the affirmative. " Why then you must be the young nobleman whom I used to see so often with the king's son, the Duke of Richmond, three or four years ago, at the castle ?" rejoined Fenwolf. " You are altogether grown out of my recollection." " Not unlikely," returned the earl. " I have been at Oxford, and have only just completed my studies. This is the first time I have been at Windsor since the period you mention." " I have heard that the Duke of Richmond was at Oxford, likewise," observed Fenwolf. " We were at Cardinal College together," replied Surrey. " But the duke's term was completed before mine. He is my senior by three years." " I suppose your lordship is returning to the castle ?" said Fenwolf. " No," replied Surrey. " My attendants are waiting for me at the Garter, and if you will accompany me thither, I will bestow a cup of good ale upon you to recruit you after the fright you have undergone." Fenwolf signified his grateful acquiescence, and they walked Dn in silence, for the earl could not help dwelling upon the vision he hau witnessed, and his companion appeared equally abstracted. Ir. this sort, they descended the hill near Henry the Eighths. Gate, and entered Thames-street. s-R, FROM TBA1IB II. »F BRYAN BOWNTANCE, THE HOST OF THE GARTt.R ; — OF THE DUKE OF SHOR*. DITCH ; OF THE BOLD WORDS UTTERED BY MARK FYTTON, THE HUTCH ER, AND HOW HE WaS CAST INTO THE VAULT OF THE CURFEW TOWER. Turning off' on the right, the earl and his companion con- tinued to descend the hill, until they came in sight of the Garter, — a snug little hostel, situated immediately beneath the Curfew Tower. Before the porch were grouped the eaiTs attendants, most of whom had dismounted, and were holding their steeds by the bridles. At this juncture, the door of the hostel opened, and a fat, jolly-looking personage, with a bald head, and bushy grey beard, and clad in a brown serge doublet, and hose to match, issued forth, bearing a foaming jug of ale, and a horn cup. His appearance was welcomed by a joyful shout from the attend- ants. "Come, my masters!" he cried, tilling the horn — ' ; here is a cup of stout Windsor ale, in the which to drink the health of our jolly monarch, bin ft' King Hal; and there's no harm, I trust, in calling him so.' 1 " Marry, is there not, mine host," cried the foremost attendant. *' I spoke of him as such in his own hearing not long ago, and he laughed at me in right merry sort. 1 love the royal bully, and will drink his health gladly, and Mistress Anne Bolevn's to boot." T1IU DUKE OF SHORKDITCR. il And he emptied the horn. " They tell me Mistress Anne Boleyn is coming to Windsor with the king and the knights-companions to-morrow — is it so?' 1 asked the host, again filling the horn, and handing it U another attendant. The person addressed nodded, but he was too much engrosser by the horn to speak. " Then there will be rare doings in the castle," chuckled the host; "and many a lusty pot will be drained at the Garter. Alack a day ! how times are changed since I, Bryan Bown- tance, first stepped into my father's shoes, and became host of the Garter. It was in 1501 — twenty-eight years ago — when King Henry the Seventh, of blessed memory, ruled the land, and when his elder son, Prince Arthur, was alive likewise. In that year, the young prince espoused Catharine of Arragon, our present queen, and soon afterwards died ; whereupon the old kinjr. not liking — for he loved his treasure better than his own flesh — to part with her dowry, gave her to his second son, Henry, our gracious sovereign, whom God preserve ! Folks said then the match wouldn't come to good ; and now we find they spoke the truth, for it is likely to end in a divorce." ' k Not so loud, mine host! 1 ' ciied the foremost attendant; " here comes our young master, the Earl of Surrey." " Well, I care not," replied the host, bluffly. " I've spoken no treason. I love my king; and if he wishes to have a divorce, I hope his holiness the pope will grant him one, that's all." As he said this, a loud noise was heard within the hostel, and a man was so suddenly and so forcibly driven forth, that lie almost knocked down Bryan Bowntance, who was rushing in to see what was the matter. The person thus ejected, who was a powerfully-built young man, in a leathern doublet, with his mus- cular arms bared to the shoulder, turned his rage upon the host, and seized him by the throat with a gripe that threatened him with strangulation. Indeed, but for the intervention of the carl's attendants, who rushed to his asssistance, such might have been his fate. As soon as he was liberated, Bryan cried, in a voice of mingled rage and surprise, to his assailant — " Why, what's the matter, Mark Fytton ? — are you gene mad, or do you mistake me for a sheep or a bullock, that you attack me in this fashion ? My strong ale must have got into your addle pate with a vengeance."" " The knave has been speaking treason of the king's highness,''* said a tall man, whose doublet and hose of the finest green cloth, as well as the bow and quiverfull of arrows at his back, pro- claimed him an archer — " and therefore we turned him out!" "And you did well, Captain Barlow," cried the host. " Call me, rather, the Duke of Shoreditch,'' rejoined the tall archer; "for since his majesty conferred the title upon me, though it were but in jest, when I won this silver bu.c:le, I shall ever 12 WINDSOR CASTLE. claim it. I am always designated by my neighbours in Shoreditcb as his grace ; and I require the same attention at your hands. To-morrow I shall have my comrades, the Marquises of Clerken- well, Islington, Hogsden, Pancras, and Paddington, with me, and then you will see the gallant figure we shall cut." " I crave your grace's pardon for my want of respect," replied me host. " I am not ignorant of the distinction conferred upon you at the last matah at the castlc-butts by the king. But to the matter in hand. What treason hath Mark Fy tton, the butcher, been talking?" " I care not to repeat his words, mine host," replied the duke ; " but he hath spoken in unbecoming terms of his highness and Mistress Anne Boleyn." " He means not what he says," rejoined the host. " He is a loyal subject of the king ; but he is apt to get quarrelsome over his cups." " Well said, honest Bryan," cried the duke ; " you have one quality of a good landlord — that of a peacemaker. Give the knave a cup of ale, and let him wash down his foul words in a health to the king, wishing him a speedy divorce and a new queen, and he shall then sit among us again." " I do not desire to sit with you, you sclf-dubbcd duke," re- joined Mark ; " but if you will doff your fine jerkin, and stand up with me on the green, I will give you cause to remember laying hands on me." " Well challenged, bold butcher!" cried one of Surrey's at- tendants. " You shall be made a duke yourself." " Or a cardinal," cried Mark. " I should not be the first of my brethren who has met with such preferment." " He derides the church in the person of Cardinal Wolsey !" cried the duke. " He is a blasphemer as well as traitor." " Drink the king's health in a full cup, Mark," interposed the host, anxious to set matters right, " and keep your mis- chievous tongue between your teeth." " Beshrew me if I drink the king's health, or that of his minion, Anne Boleyn !" cried Mark, boldly. " But 1 will tell you what I will drink. I will drink the health of King Henry's lawful consort, Catharine of Arragon ; and I will add to it a wish, that the pope may forge her marriage chains to her royal hus- band faster than ever." " A foolish wish," cried Bryan. " Why, Mark, you are clean crazed !" " It is the king who is crazed, not me !" cried Mark. " He would sacrifice his rightful consort to his unlawful passion ; and you, base hirelings, support the tyrant in his wrongful conduct !" " Saints protect us !" exclaimed Bryan. " Why this is flat treason. Mark, I can no longer uphold you." " Not if you do not desire to share his prison, mine host," MA UK FYTTOS, 13 cried tlie Duke of Shoreditch. " You have all heard him call the king a tyrant. Seize him, my masters !"' " Let them lay hands upon me, if they dare !'' cried the butcher, resolutely. " I have felled an ox with a blow of my fist before this, and I promise you I. will shew them no better treatment." Awed by Mark's determined manner, the bystanders kept alool " I command you, in the king's name, to seize him !" roared Shoreditch. " If he offers resistance, he will assuredly be hanged." " No one shall touch me !" cried Mark, fiercely. " That remains to be seen," said the foremost of the Earl of Surrey's attendants. " Yield, fellow !" " Never!" replied Mark ; " and I warn you to keep off." The attendant, however, advanced; but before he could lay hands on the butcher, he received a blow from his ox-like fist that sent him reeling backwards for several paces, and finally stretched him at full length upon the ground. His companions drew their swords, and would have instantly fallen upon the sturdy offender, if Morgan Fenwolf, who, with the Earl of Surrey, was standing among the spectators, had not rushed forward, and, closing with Mark before the latter could strike a blow, grappled with him, and held him fast till he was secured, and his arms tied behind him. " And so it is you, Morgan Fenwolf, who have served me this ill turn, eh ?" cried the butcher, regarding him fiercely. " I now believe all I have heard of yen." " What have you heard of him ?" asked Surrey, advancing. " That he has dealings with the fiend, — with Heme the hunter," replied Mark. " If I am hanged for a traitor, he ought to be burnt for a wizard." " Heed not what the villain says, my good fellow," said the Duke of Shoreditch ; "you have captured him bravely, and I will take care your conduct is duly reported to his majesty. To the easfie with him ! To the castle ! He will lodge to-night in the deepest dungeon of yon fortification," pointing to the Curfew Tower above them, "there to await the king's judgment ; and f j-morrow night it will be well for him if he is not swinging from the gibbet near the bridge. Bring him along !" And followed by Morgan Fenwolf and the others, witu the prisoner, he strode up the hill. Long before this, Captain Bouchier had issued from the hostel, and joined the earl, and they walked together after the crowd. In a few minutes, the Duke of Shoreditch reached Henry the Eighth's Gate, where he shouted to a sentinel, and told him jvhat had occurred. After some delay, a wicket in the gate was opened, and the chief persons of the party were allowed to pass {h rough it, with the prisoner, who was assigned to the custody of a couple of arquebusiers. 14 WINDSOR CASTLE. By this time, an officer had arrived, and it was agreed, at the suggestion of the Duke of Shoreditch, to take the offender to the Curfew Tower. Accordingly, they crossed the lower ward, and passing beneath an archway near the semicircular range of habi- tations allotted to the petty canons, traversed the space before the west end of St. George's Chapel, and descending a short flight of stone steps at the left, and th reading a narrow passage, presently arrived at the arched entrance in the Curfew Tower, whose hoary walls shone brightly in the moonlight. E&S1EUN VIEW OF 1BE IDHtIS TO They had to knock for some time against the stout oak door, be- fore any notice was taken of the summons. At length, an old man, who acted as bellringer, thrust his head out of one of the narrow pointed windows above, and demanded their business. Satisfied with the reply, he descended, and opening the door, admitted them into a lofty chamber, the roof of which was composed of stout planks, crossed by heavy oaken rafters, and supported bv beams of the same material. On the left, a steep, ladder-like flight of wooden steps led to an upper room ; and from a hole in THE CURFEW TOWER. 15 the roof, descended a bell-rope, which was fastened to one of the beams, shewing the use to which the chamber was put. INTERIOR OF TUE CURFEW TCWEF Some further consultation was now held among the party as to the propriety of leaving the prisoner in this chamber, under the guard of the arquebusiers ; but it was at last decided against doing so, and the old bellringer being called upon for the keys of the dungeon beneath, he speedily produced them. They then went forth ; and descending a flight of stone steps on the left, came to a low, strong door, which they unlocked, and obtained admission to a large octangular chamber with a vaulted roof,, and deep embrasures terminated by narrow loopholes. The light of a lamp carried by the bellringer shewed the dreary extent of ihe vault, and the enormous thickness of its walls. "A night's solitary confinement in this place will be of infi- nite service to our prisoner, 1 ' said the Duke of Shoreditch, gazing around. " I'll be sworn he is now ready to bite off the foolish tongue that has brought him to such a pass." The butcher made no reply ; but being released by the arque- busiers, sat down upon a bench that constituted the sole fur- niture of the vault. fS WINDSOR CASTLE " Shall I leave him the lamp ?" asked the bellringer. " He may beguile the time by reading the names of former prisoners scratched on the walls and in the embrasures." "No; he shall not even have that miserable satisfaction," returned the Duke of Shoreditch. w He shall be left in the darkness to his own bad and bitter thoughts." With this, the party withdrew, and the door was fastened upon the prisoner. An arquebusier was stationed at the foot of the steps; and the Earl of Surrey and Captain Bouchier having fully satisfied their curiosity, shaped their course towards the castle gate. On their way thither, the earl looked about for Morgan Fenwolf, but could nowhere discern him. He then passed through the wicket with Bouchier, and proceeding to the Garter, they mounted their steeds, and galloped off towards Datchet, and thence to Staines and Hampton Court. iUsS^ ° F TIJE CRAND PROCESSION TO WINDSOR CAS- TLE;— OF THE MEETING OF KING HENRY THE EIGHTH AND ANNE BOLEYN AT THE LOAVER GATE; OF THEIR ENTRANCE INTO THE CASTLE; — AND HOW THE BUTCHER WAS HANGED FROM THE CURFEW TOWER. A joyous day was it for Wind- sor, and great were the prepa- rations made by its loyal inha- bitants for a suitable reception to their sovereign. At an early hour, the town was thronged with strangers from the neigh- itt WINDSOR CASTLE bourinjr villages, and later on, crowds began to arrive from London; some having come along the highway on horseback, and others having rowed in various craft up the river. All were clad in holiday attire, and the streets presented an ap- pearance of unwonted bustle and gaiety. The may-pole in Bachelors 1 Acre was hung with flowers. Several booths, with flags floating above them, were erected in the same place, whettf ale, mead, and hypocras, together with cold pasties, hams, capons, and large joints of beef and mutton, might be obtained. Mum- mers and minstrels were in attendance, and every kind of diver- sion was going forward. Here was one party wrestling ; there, another casting the bar ; on this side, a set of rustics were dancing a merry round with a bevy of buxom Berkshire lasses ; on that, stood a fourth group listening to a youth playing on the recorders. At one end of the Acre large fires were lighted, before which two whole oxen were roasting, provided in honour of the occasion, by the mayor and burgesses of the town ; at the other, butts were set, against which the Duke of Shoreditch, and his companions, the five marquesses, were practising. The duke himself shot admirably, and never failed to hit the bull's eye; but the great feat of the day was performed by Morgan Fenwolf, who thrice split the duke s shafts as they stuck in the mark. " Well done !" cried the duke, as he witnessed the achievement ; " why, you shoot as bravely as Heme the hunter. Old wives tell us he used to split the arrows of his comrades in that fashion." " He must have learnt the trick from Heme himself in -the forest,'' cried one of the bystanders. Morgan Fenwolf looked fiercely round in search of the speaker, but could not discern him. He, however, shot no more, and refusing a cup of hypocras offered him by Shoreditch, disappeared among the crowd. Soon after this, the booths were emptied, the bar thrown down, the may-pole and the butts deserted, and the whole of Bachelors' Acre cleared of its occupants — except those who were compelled ro attend to the mighty spits turning before the fires, — by the ioud discharge of ordnance from the castle gates, accompanied by the rino-in" - of bells, announcing that the mayor and burgesses of Windsor, together with the officers of the order of the Garter, were setting forth to Datchet Bridge, to meet the royal procession. Those who most promptly obeyed this summons beheld the lower castle gate, built by the then reigning monarch, open, *vhile from it issued four trumpeters clad in emblazoned coats, --vith silken bandrols depending from their horns, blowing loud Qmfares. They were followed by twelve henchmen, walking four •iOreast, arrayed in scarlet tunics, with the royal cipher, fJ.iE., orked in gold on the breast, and carrying gilt pole-axes over chclv shoulders. Next came a company of archers, equipped in helm and brigandine, and armed with long pikes, glittering, as THE CHIEF OFFICERS OF THE GAKTER. 19 did their steel accoutrements, in the bright sunshine. They were succeeded by the bailiffs and burgesses of the town, ridino- three abreast, and enveloped in gowns of scarlet cloth ; after whom rode the mayor of Windsor, in a gown of crimson velvet, and attended by two footmen, in white and red damask, carrying white wands. The mayor was followed bv a companv of the town guard, with partisans over ine shouiders. Then came the sheriff of the county and his attendants. Next followed the twenty-six alms-knights, (for such was then their number,) walking two and two, and wearing red mantles, with a scutcheon of Saint George on the shoulder, but without the garter sur- rounding it. Then came the thirteen petty canons, in murrey- coloured gowns, A'ith the arms of Saint George wrought in a roundel on the shoulder ; then the twelve canons, similarly attired ; and lastly, the dean of the college in his cope. A slight pause ensued, and the chief officers of the Garter made their appearance. First walked the Black-rod, clothed in a russet- coloured mantle, faced with alternate panes of blue and red, em- blazoned with flower de luces of gold, and crowned lions. He carried a small black rod, the ensign of his office, surmounted with the lion of England in silver. After the Black-rod came the Garter, habited in a gown of crimson satin, paned and emblazoned like that of the officer who preceded him, bearing a white crown with a sceptre upon it, and having a gilt crown, in lieu of a cap, upon nis head. The Garter was followed by the Register, a grave personage, in a black gown, with a surplice over it, covered by a mantelet of furs. Then came the chancellor of the order, in his robe of murrey-coloured velvet lined with sarcenet, with a badge on the shoulder consisting of a gold rose, enclosed in a garter wrought with pearls of damask gold. Lastly, came the Bishop of Winchester, the prelate of the order, wearing his mitre, and habited in a robe of crimson velvet lined with white taffeta, faced with blue,, and em- broidered on the right shoulder with a scutcheon of Saint George, encompassed with the garter, and adorned with cordons of blue silk mingled with gold. Brought up by a rear-guard of halberdiers, the procession moved slowly along Thames Street, the houses of which, as weU as those in Peascod Street, were all more or less decorated, — the humbler sort being covered with branches of trees, intermin- gled with garlands of flowers, while the better description was hung with pieces of tapestry, carpets, and rich stuffs. Nor should it pass unnoticed that the loyalty of Bryan Bowntance, the host of the Garter, had exhibited itself in an arch thrown across the road opposite his house, adorned with various coloured ribands and flowers, in the midst of which was a large shield, exhibiting the letters f£. and