Through England on a side saddle in the time of William and MaryFiennes, Celia
History
Through England on a side saddle in the time of William and Mary
Fiennes, Celia
England -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
Next this was the Queen’s bedChamber, hung, the bed, window-curtaines
the same, all Rich Crimson Damaske. Here was the screen round the bed as
the manner is to all the Souveraignes beds. Over the Chimney was Prince
George’s Picture and by the side of the bed was the Duke of Glocester’s
in an oval. Thence into a Dressing-roome hung with Divers Coull^d
flowered sattin, chaires and stooles the same, ffine fflower’d muslin
window curtaines, A fine Little high screen burnt jappan of 4 Leaves,
another Chimney screen w^{th} 4 Leaves of the stone work in
ffigures—jndian. Out of this was y^e Queens Closet just over Prince
Georges but y^t was Locked. The other side was a little waiting roome to
Just such marble seates of Easem^t w^{th} the sluces of water as that
below was in the Queens bedChamber. Overright y^e Entrance of the
dressing-roome was another Little Closet with the tea Equipage, and
under that was such a Little tea roome within y^e drawingroome. Here in
the dressing roome was a backway to a little waiting passage, with
presses and such little wanscoate tables; this Leads to the back staires
where there is one bedchamber. The Queen’s appartment ffronts the
garden; out of the drawing roome you come on a terrass of Gravell, then
descend stepps down a green banck to a large green space that has 4
bench seates painted white; behind them is a Green bank, and a Large
space of green on Either end fill’d with trees, Lawrell ffrilleroy,
Cyprus, yews, heads a Pirramids, and Mirtles. This is ffenced with jron
palasadoes painted, to another garden cut in squares and figures, with
all sorts of fflowers and greens, which has at y^e End a Cut hedge and
Leads on to a sort of orchard with dwarfe trees. These gardens and
orchards is in Gravel Walks and Long green walks, in variety as such a
thing in miniature can admitt.
I drove through another part of Windsor to see a Race run by two
ffootemen—an English and Scotch—the fformer a taller Bigger man than the
other. The ground Measur’d and Cut even in a round ring, was almost four
mile; they were to run it round so often as to make up 22 mile, which
was the distance between Chareing Cross and Windsor Cross—that was five
times quite round and so farre as made up the odd miles and Measure.
They ran a round in 25 minutes. I saw them run the first three rounds
and halfe another, in an hour and seventeen minutes, and they ffinished
it in two hours and a halfe. The English gain’d the second round the
start, and kept it at the same distance y^e five rounds, and then the
Scotchman came up to him and got before him to the post. The Englishman
fell down within a few yards of the post. Many hundred pounds were won
and lost about it, they ran both very neately, but my judgment Gave it
y^e Scotchman because he seem’d to save himself to y^e Last Push.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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