408 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



king and his realm ; to accomplish his 

 commandment they sent out caters, 

 purveiors, and divers other persons, 

 my lord's friends, to make prepa- 

 ration ; also they sent for all the 

 expert cookes and connyng persons 

 in the art of cookerie which were 

 within London or elsewhere, that 

 might he gotten to beautify this 

 noble feast ; the purveiors provided, 

 and my lord's friends sent in such 

 provision as one would wonder to 

 have seen. The cookes wrought 

 both day and night with subtleties 

 and many crafty devices, where 

 lacked neither gold, silver, nor other 

 costly thing meet for their purpose: 

 the yeomen and groomes of the 

 wardrobe were busied in hanging 

 of the chambers, and furnishing the 

 same with beds of silk and other 

 furniture in every degree : then my 

 lord cardinall sent me (Mr. Caven- 

 dish) being his gentleman usher, 

 with two other of my fellows thi- 

 ther, to foresee all things touching 

 our rooms to be nobly garnyshed : 

 accordingly our pains were not small 

 nor light, but daily travelling up 

 and down from chamber to cham- 

 ber — then wrought the carpenters, 

 joiners, masons, and all other arti- 

 ficers necessary to be had to glorify 

 this noble feast. There was car- 

 riage and recarriage of plate, stuff, 

 and other rich implements, so that 

 there was nothing lacking that could 

 be imagined or devised for the pur- 

 pose. I'here was also provided two 

 hundred and eighty beds furnished 

 with all manner of furniture to them 

 belonging, too long particularly to 

 be rehearsed, but all wise men do 

 sufficiently know what belongeth to 

 the furniture thereof, and that is 

 sufficient at this time to be said. 



The day was come to the French- 

 men assigned, and they ready assem- 



bled before the hour of their ap- 

 pointment, wherefore the officers 

 caused them to ride to Hanworth, 

 a place and parke of the kinges, 

 within three miles, there to hunt 

 and spend the day untill night, at 

 which time they returned againe to 

 Hampton-Court, and every of them 

 was conveyed to their severall cham- 

 bers, having in them great fires, 

 and wine to their comfort and re- 

 lief, remaining there untill their 

 supper was ready. The chambers 

 where they supped and banquetted 

 were ordered in this sort : fii'st the 

 great wayting chamber was hanged 

 with rich arras, as all other were, 

 and furnished with tall yeomen to 

 serve. There were set tables round 

 about the chamber, banquetwise 

 covered ; a cupboord was there, 

 garnished with white plate, having 

 also in the same chamber to give the 

 more light, four great plates of 

 silver set with gi-eat lights, and a 

 great fire of wood and coales. The 

 next chamber, being the chamber 

 of presence, was hanged with very 

 rich arras, and a sumptuous cloth of 

 estate furnished with many goodly 

 gentlemen to serve the tables, or- 

 dered In manner as the other cham- 

 ber was, saving that the high table 

 was removed beneath the cloth of 

 estate toward the middest of the 

 chamber covered. Then there was 

 a cupboord, being as long as the 

 chamber was in breadth, with six 

 deskcs of height, garnyshed with 

 guilt plate, and the nethermost desk 

 was garnished all with gold plate, 

 having with lights one paireof can- 

 dlestitkcs of silver and guilt, being 

 curiously wrought, which cost three 

 hundred markes, and standing upon 

 the same, two lights of waxe, burn- 

 ing as bigge as torches to set it 

 fortli. This cupboord was barred 



