Chapter I: Preface

It has been remarked that to write of the private and domestic acts of monarchs while still alive savours of scandal and bad taste, but when dead their traits of character, however strange and eccentric they may have been in their lifetime, at once become matter of history. Adopting this rule, we have confined ourselves in the present work to dealing with royalty in the past; and, in a field so wide, we have, as far as possible, endeavoured to make each chapter concise and representative of the subject treated. The following pages, whilst illustrating the marvellous versatility of royalty, when seriously analysed tend to show how vastly superior the latter-day sovereigns have been when compared with those of earlier times, many of whose extraordinary freaks and vagaries as much degraded the throne, as the refined and cultivated tastes of her late Majesty Queen Victoria elevated and beautified it.

T. F. THISELTON-DYER.

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

I. ROYALTY AT PLAY 1

II. FREAKS OF ROYALTY 10

III. ROYAL REVELRY 37

IV. ROYAL EPICURES 57

V. CURIOUS FADS OF ROYALTY 85

VI. DANCING MONARCHS 99

VII. ROYAL HOBBIES 120

VIII. THE ROYAL HUNT 135

IX. ROYAL MASQUES AND MASQUERADES 152

X. ROYALTY IN DISGUISE 168

XI. ROYAL GAMESTERS 184

XII. ROYALTY ON THE TURF 204

XIII. ROYAL SPORTS AND PASTIMES 223

XIV. COURT DWARFS 239

XV. ROYAL PETS 247

XVI. ROYAL JOKES AND HUMOUR 264

XVII. ROYALTY AND FASHION 288

XVIII. ROYALTY WHIPT AND MARRIED BY PROXY 306

XIX. COURT JESTERS AND FOOLS 313

XX. ROYALTY AND THE DRAMA 334

XXI. ROYAL AUTHORS 357

XXII. ROYAL MUSICIANS 376

XXIII. SUPERSTITIONS OF ROYALTY 395

INDEX 433

LIST OF ETCHED PORTRAITS

QUEEN ELIZABETH _Frontispiece_

EDWARD I. _To face page_ 46

EDWARD III. ” 136

CHARLES II. ” 210

CHARLES IX., KING OF FRANCE ” 240

LOUIS XIV. ” 348

ROYALTY