198 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book IV. 



speech, the King left him, so did the Prince, and (after a 

 while) the Ambassador returned to his Lodgings. 



"This was on Thursday; the Saturday following about 

 ten of the clock at night, came to my Lodging one of the 

 Pages of the Bedd-Chamber to tell me from his Majesty, that 

 his pleasure was I should invite the Ambassador to dine with 

 him the next day; which I performed in the morning, and had 

 his Majesties Coach (no more) attending at the Court gate, 

 about Noone when the King having ordered, that a Noble man 

 should fetch him from his Lodging, it was held by others 

 needlesse, and except at his first Audience (now past) and at 

 his last, I onely might serve the turn for his conduction, 

 which was allowed of, and I with Sir James Spence onely, 

 brought him through the Presence into the withdrawing 

 Chamber, where the King within a while entering, he took 

 him to dinner in the Presence Chamber. About the midst of 

 the Table (as accustomed) sate the King, at his left hand the 

 Prince, and at the Tables end beneath, the Ambassador, who 

 had for his Carver none but the Princes, and for his cup one 

 of his own Gentlemen.* Before dinner a question grew 

 (which was diversely argued according to opinions) whether 

 the Prince were to sit covered at dinner or no in Presence of 

 his Father, seeing that the Ambassador, as a Kings repre- 

 sentant, was not to sit uncovered ? Some affirmed, they had 

 seen the Prince sit bareheaded, when an Ambassador had his 

 hat on : others otherwise. But the King cleared all, when 

 after I had given him a hint of the question, and that him- 

 selfe had sate a while uncovered, he put on, and willed the 

 like to be done by the Prince, and the Ambassador. The 

 Ambassadors Gentlemen had no Table appointed for them 

 (by the King's express order) because (he said) the young 

 Prince of AnJiaitlts\ Gentlemen (who had been with him the 

 weeke before) had none, though the reason might not seem 



* The description of this state banquet recalls that given by Edward 

 I. to John, King of France, when a prisoner in England after the battle of 

 Poictiers. 



t John George I., Count of Anhalt. He arrived in England about the 

 same time as the Swedish Ambassador. 



