THE PORTSMOUTH ROAD 175 



with his suite at the old hostelry, whose internal arrange- 

 ment by the way he threw into some disorder by bringing 

 his own cook with him — a very bad compliment to the 

 house surely. And the cook, whose name was Morris 

 Ken (no ancestor I presume of the Bishop) was not less 

 cook than acrobat ; continually pretending to fall off his 

 horse as he rode before the king through the forest, after 

 the manner of the clowns at Sanger's. And the Royal 

 Plantagenet is said to have laughed consumedly at this 

 foolish feat on the part of Ken, which had nothing to do 

 with his cooking ! and ordered twenty shillings to be 

 given him out of the parish poor box — I mean out of 

 the Royal Exchequer. 



Of crowned heads besides Edward the Second, who 

 have at times honoured Liphook with their august 

 presences may be numbered — Edward the Sixth, who 

 must at all events have come very near to the place, on 

 the only royal progress which he had time to make in his 

 short life — to Cowdray ; Elizabeth on her royal progress 

 from Farnham to the same fine seat (safely arrived 

 at which, need I say, that she shot the proverbial stag ?) ; 

 Charles the Second on his way to Portsmouth ; and 

 indeed every English king that was ever crowned, it seems 

 to me, and who was anxious for an outing, and wanted 

 to see his ships. 



Queen Anne however came to Liphook for a different 

 purpose, namely, to see her stags, which in those days 

 wandered over the royal Forest of Woolmer. With 

 which end in view she turned off the road at Liphook 

 after luncheon, and very unwisely (as she was always 

 rheumatic) reposed on a bank, which was smoothed for 

 that purpose, lying about half-a-mile to the east of 

 Woolmer Pond. Thus enthroned she saw the whole 

 herd of red deer, brought out by the keepers and driven 

 along the vale before her, consisting then of about 500 

 head. After which she went back to the Anchor to 

 dinner, no doubt well pleased with what she had seen, 

 and I hope took some hot toddy. 



