Chapter XXIII: Superstitions of Royalty (2)

And on the Continent we find royalty tacitly in times past pandering to the superstitious spirit of their age, by sanctioning and upholding the cruelties to which supposed witches were subjected. And the most terrible scenes occurred in France, till happily the edict of Louis XIV. discharged all future persecutions for witchcraft, after which the crime was heard of no more.

The quarrel of Sancho I. of Portugal with the Bishop of Coimbra is, too, another evidence of the superstitious disposition of even a crusading monarch in those times, for it arose about a so-called witch, whom the King insisted on keeping in his palace.

And, turning to another phase of superstition of a less gloomy nature, may be briefly noticed the strong predilection displayed by some monarchs for a particular number or day of the year or week. Thus Dubois, in his _Mémoire Fidèle_, relates how Louis XIII. a few hours before his death--Thursday, May 14, 1643--summoned his physicians, and asked them if they thought he would live until the following day, saying that Friday had always been for him a fortunate day; that all the undertakings he had begun on that day had proved successful; that in all the battles fought on that day he had been victorious; that it was his fortunate day, and on that day he would wish to die.

Napoleon’s favourite and lucky day, like that of his nephew, Napoleon III., was the 2nd of the month. He was made consul for life on August 2, 1802; was crowned December 2, 1804; won his greatest battle, that of Austerlitz, for which he obtained the title of “Great,” December 2, 1805; and he married the Archduchess of Austria, April 2, 1810.

And going back to earlier days, according to Brantôme, Charles V. was partial to St. Matthias’s Day--February 24--because on that day he was elected emperor, on that day crowned, and on that day Francis I. was taken prisoner at the battle of Pavia. Henry IV. of France, again, considered Friday his lucky day, and began his undertakings by preference on that day.

The Prince of Orange--heir-apparent of the King of Holland--who died somewhat suddenly at Paris, June 11, 1879, was, it is said, very superstitious with regard to the numbers 6 and 11. As a sporting man, he always withdrew his horses when they were classed under the one or the other; and, by a curious coincidence, the Prince died on the eleventh day of the sixth month of the year, and at 11 o’clock. But, according to Fuller, Edward VI. was the exact opposite in point of superstition, for when it was remarked to him that Christ College, Cambridge, was a superstitious foundation, consisting of a master and twelve fellows, in imitation of Christ and His twelve apostles, he was advised by a covetous courtier to take away one or two fellowships so as to break that mystic number. “Oh no,” replied the King, “I have a far better way than that to mar their conceit; I will add a thirteenth fellowship to them”--which he accordingly did, to the disgust of the credulous and the approval of the wise.

INDEX

Agesilaus, anecdote of, 6

Albert of Austria, anecdote of his fool, 317

Alexander III., his physical strength, 124;
a boxer, 235;
attached to animals, 261

Alexis, Czar, prohibited smoking, 132

Alfonso of Castile, belief in astrology, 401-2

Alfonso IV. of Portugal, devoted to hunting, 149

Alfonso V., a writer, 371

Alfonso VI., his excesses, 25, 109-10;
horsemanship, 150;
affection for dogs, 258

Alfred the Great, practised falconry, 236-7;
a harper, 376

Amelia Sophia, Princess, a card player, 201-2;
lines attributed to, 368;
death, _ib._

Anjou, Duke of, rivalry of Henry III., 20

Anne, Queen, dressed during prayers, 36;
reputed love of strong drink, 52;
gastronomic tastes, 80;
fond of hunting, 143;
a card player, 199;
patron of the turf, 213;
escape at the Revolution, 234;
encouraged archery, 236;
particular in dress, 299-300;
patronage of D’Urfey, 333;
touched for “king’s evil,” 411

Anne of Austria, belief in astrologers, 400-1

Anne Boleyn, an epicure, 76;
danced with the French king, 101-2;
her physical defects: 290;
dirge written by, 361;
musical, 378;
prophetic incident, 419

Anne, Queen of Denmark, painting of, 139-40

Anne of Gonzaga, Princess Palatine, her dream, 425

Anne, Queen of James I., fashions of her reign, 297

Anne, Empress of Russia, fond of dancing, 107

Anne of Warwick, disguise of, 180-1

Armstrong, Archie, fool of James I., 332

Athelstan, King, horse-racing in time of, 204

Augustus, peculiarity of, 14;
afraid of lightning, 85;
fond of gaming, 184;
kept dwarfs, 239

Augustus, King of Poland, his love of dress, 297

Augustus the Strong, of Saxony, his feats, 124-5;
a china fancier, 132;
General Kyan and, 280

Bajazet II., Sultan, his dream, 427-8

Bébé, favourite dwarf of Stanislaus, 73, 240

Bernadotte, Baptiste (afterwards Charles XIV. of Sweden),
his superstition, 416-7

Bertin, Mademoiselle, Marie Antoinette’s milliner, 304

Bertoldo, Italian fool, 325

Bianca of Milan, died of indigestion, 74

Boleslaus II., King of Poland, worked as a porter, 173

Borra, fool of Martin of Aragon, 324

Borso, Duke of Ferrara, his jester, 325

Boruwlaski, Joseph, dwarf, story of, 239-40

Böttiger, originator of Dresden china, 132-3

Brusquet, famous Court jester, 315, 321-2

Buckingham, Duke of, and Queen Catherine, 161

Cambacérès, a noted epicure, 64

Cambridge, late Duke of, his homely tastes, 84

Campanella, the astrologer, 401

Carème, celebrated _chef_, 83

Carl August, Duke of Weimar, and Goethe, 263

Carlos, Don, son of Philip II., his violence, 31

Caroline, Princess, played at blind-man’s-buff, 6

Caroline, Queen, dressed during prayers, 36;
Sir Paul Methuen and, 272;
favoured a playwright, 344

Caroline Matilda, wife of Christian VII., her riding habit, 301

Casimir II. of Poland, story of, 188

Casimir IV., his death, 151

Catherine, queen of Henry VIII., pageants before, 153-4

Catherine of Aragon, proficiency in dancing, 100;
pageant at her marriage, 154;
disliked show, 295

Catherine of Braganza, queen of Charles II., 50-1;
fond of dancing, 104-5;
love of sport, 140;
masquerading adventures, 161;
frolic at Saffron Walden, 182;
fond of cards, 196;
played on Sunday, 197;
wore low-necked dresses, 290;
wore short skirts, 298;
patroness of Italian opera, 380

Catherine II., a plain liver, 72;
fond of the ballet, 108;
anecdote of, _ib._;
ruse practised on Joseph II., 175;
enjoyed whist, 193;
fond of animals, 261;
caged her perruquier, 302-3;
literary powers, 372

Catherine de Medicis, belief in astrologers, 398-9

Catherine Parr. _See_ Katherine

Charlemagne, an epicure, 57-8;
his strength, 124;
his water clock, 128;
devoted to the chase, 144;
privilege granted to hounds, 248;
taste for music, 385;
his talisman, 408

Charles I., a chess-player, 3;
secret obligations of, 13;
his abstemiousness, 48;
encouragement of the masque, 160;
journey to Spain incognito, 181-2;
horse-racing in his reign, 208;
played at golf, 228,
and bowls, 229-30;
athletic feats of, 232;
his Court dwarf, 244;
opinion on dogs, 252;
his whipping-boy, 307;
patron of the drama, 340;
his literary ability, 365-6;
predictions of his death, 420-1;
consulted astrologers, 421

Charles II., his debauches, 49-50;
tea introduced by his queen, 50;
his gastronomic tastes, 78;
knighting of a sirloin, 78;
his table pillaged, 79;
fond of dancing, 103-4,
and of masquerading, 161;
gambling in his reign, 196;
encouraged horse-racing, 209-12;
fire at Newmarket, 211;
Rye House Plot, 211-2;
bred race-horses, 212;
a tennis player, 226;
his walking powers, 232;
fond of dogs, 252-3;
the pickpocket and, 268;
rejoinder to Dr. Stillingfleet, 269;
victim of a joke, _ib._;
low-necked dresses in his reign, 289-90;
his jester, 333;
fond of theatricals, 340;
anecdote of, 341;
poetical talent, 366-7;
account of battle of Worcester, 367;
his taste for music, 381;
touched for “king’s evil,” 411

Charles of Austria, died of eating mushrooms, 74

Charles the Bold, his Court fool, 320

Charles Edward, Prince, capture of his baggage, 410

Charles the Fat, his excuse, 10

Charles V. of France, tennis in his reign, 227

Charles VI. of France, fond of disguises, 169-70;
narrow escape, 170;
a gambler, 184;
his cards, 185

Charles VII. of France, fond of pleasure, 39;
his Scots archers, 236;
introduced long coats, 288-9

Charles VIII. of France, death of, 8

Charles IX. of France, his excesses, 21;
disguise, 171;
partiality for dwarfs, 239

Charles X. of France, flight of, 147-8;
a whist player, 192;
joke of, 278

Charles III. of Mantua, his disguises, 179

Charles II. of Spain, played at “jouchets,” 5;
opened coffins, 27;
his wild fancies, 90

Charles III. of Spain, devoted to hunting, 150-1

Charles IV. of Spain, fond of hunting, 151;
his wit and spirit, 287

Charles V., Emperor, celebrates his funeral, 27-8;
a hard drinker, 43-4;
an epicure, 69;
manner of eating, 69-70;
suffered from indigestion, 70;
his mechanical taste, 126-7;
journeys incognito, 176;
adventure with a cobbler, 177-8;
partial to dwarfs, 242;
anecdote of, 279;
settled a dispute, _ib._;
disregard of dress, 292-3;
his Court fools, 315;
taste for music, 387-8;
faith in amulets, 413-4;
his lucky day, 431

Charles XII. of Sweden, a plain liver, 74;
his endurance, 98;
bitten by a dog, 258;
reply of, 286

Charlotte, Queen, her dress, 301-2

Chesterfield, Earl of, and George IV., 54

Chicot, fool of Henry III., 322

Childeric III., the “Phantom King,” 96

China, Emperor of, use of dancing, 112-3;
whipping-boy to, 310

Christian I. of Denmark, despised Court fools, 313

Christian II, and his dwarf, 240-1

Christian IV., enjoyed a carouse, 42

Christina, Queen of Sweden, her masculine habits, 16;
personal
habits, 17;
her death predicted, 18;
fond of rose-water, 42;
change of religion, 167;
travelled in disguise, 171-2;
her wit, 286;
dress, 294;
influence on Roman society, 354

Clod, jester to Queen Elizabeth, 331

Coetier, Jacques, physician to Louis IX., 113-4

Condé, Prince Henry of, as an epicure, 66

Consort, Prince, love of music, 383

Cumberland, Duke of, his corpulence, 82

Cymburga of Poland, her strength, 125

D’Artois, Comte, his follies, 22

Dee, Dr., and Queen Elizabeth, 407-8

D’Enghien, Duc, anecdote of, 117

Denmark, Queen of, her disguise, 172

D’Epernay, Duke, dread of a leveret, 86

De Rohan, Chevalier, story of, 190

D’Escars, Duc, _maître d’hôtel_ to Louis XVIII., death of, 62-3

De Soubise, Prince, an epicure, 57

De Teil, Comte, and Queen Marie Casimire, 10

Dickens, Charles, and Queen Victoria, 369-70

Diniz, of Portugal, a poet, 370

Dunand, _maître d’hôtel_ to Napoleon, 65

D’Urfey, song-writer, patronised by Queen Anne, 333

Edward I., as chess player, 2;
his pranks, 31-2;
intemperance, 46;
activity, 124;
disliked show, 295;
lover of music, 377;
comet appeared at his birth, 397

Edward II., a player of cross and pile, 2;
his freaks, 32;
amused by dancing, 99;
his female jester, 329;
lines written by him, 358-9;
visit of Raymond Lully, 406

Edward III., his taste for hunting, 136;
race-horses in time of, 205

Edward IV., his intemperance, 46;
his extravagant dinners, 75;
meeting with Elizabeth Woodville, 137;
anecdote of his jester, 329-30

Edward VI., his whipping-boy, 306, 309;
superstition, 431-2

Eleanor, Queen of Henry II., story of, 302;
dramatic patroness, 334;
a troubadour poet, 357-8

Eleanora of Castile, fond of literature, 358

Elizabeth, Queen, a chess player, 3;
her indecision, 34;
drank common beer, 47;
her bill of fare, 77;
detested dwarfs and monsters, 86;
aversion to smells, 87;
patroness of dancing, 102;
fond of hunting, 138;
pageants and masques at Kenilworth, 156-7;
her support of the masque, 158;
horse-racing in reign of, 206;
tennis in her reign, 224;
sports of her reign, 231-2;
fond of animals, 251;
rejoinders made to her, 265-6;
fond of jests, 266;
love of finery, 295-6;
her jesters, 331;
patroness of the drama, 336-8;
literary compositions, 363-4;
musical, 379;
and the comet, 397;
belief in occult sciences, 407-8;
talisman presented to, 409;
credulity, 413

Elizabeth, queen of Edward IV., fond of nine-pins, 231

Eric XIV. of Sweden, violence of, 15;
his fate, 15;
superstitions, 402, 415

Essex, Earl of, his masque before Elizabeth, 156-7

Feodor, son of Ivan IV., his bell-ringing hobby, 124

Ferdinand I. of Austria, his weak mind, 96

Ferdinand II., story of his jester, 316

Ferdinand I. of Naples, taste for fruit, 73

Ferdinand II., Grand Duke of Tuscany, “the fool of his health,” 89

Ferdinand V., the Catholic, a hunter, 148;
disliked finery, 292

Ferrand, Count of Flanders, a chess player, 4

Francis I. of France, injured at snowballs, 8;
his licentiousness, 40;
fond of hunting, 145;
introduced short hair, 288;
his Court fools, 320-1

Frederic, Elector, collector of relics, 131;
advice of his fool, 318

Frederic of Baden, Princess, wife of Gustavus IV., 19

Frederick, Austrian prince, died of eating melons, 58

Frederick the Great, an epicure, 66;
cost of his dinner, 67;
his bill of fare, 68;
activity, 97;
collector of snuff-boxes, 132;
denounced hunting, 148;
his masked ball in 1745, 165-6;
his dogs, 259;
and horses, 260;
anecdote of, 264;
retort to, 282-3;
Carlyle’s story of, 283;
General Ziethen’s reply to, 283-4;
slovenly habits, 293;
fond of theatricals, 352-3;
a musician, 389-91

Frederick II., anecdote of, 319;
a writer, 374;
belief in astrology, 403;
alchemy in the reign of, 405-6

Frederick III., his indolence, 96

Frederick, Prince of Wales, his sudden death, 226-7;
fond of private theatricals, 344;
lines written by, 368-9

Frederick William I., a hard drinker, 38;
his bill of fare, 68;
passion for recruiting giants, 93-4;
eccentricities, 95;
fond of hunting, 148;
his coarse jokes, 281-2;
ignored fashion, 293;
fools at his Court, 319;
fond of music, 389

Frederick William III., averse to hunting, 148

Gadbury, John, astrologer, 404

Gascoigne, Judge, committed the Prince of Wales, 33

Geoffrey, son of Henry II., dissolute habits, 45

George I., fond of good living, 81;
horse-racing in his reign, 213;
partial to dwarfs, 244;
his humour, 270-1;
indifferent to fashion, 300;
fond of the play _Henry VIII._, 342;
death predicted, 423

George II., apparition seen by, 30;
his temperate habits, 53;
anecdote of, 81;
his exactness, 88-9;
his anger, 89;
fond of hunting, 143-4;
at Heidegger’s masquerade, 164-5;
gaming in his reign, 200;
Lady Deloraine and, 200-1;
horse-racing in reign of, 214;
his humour, 271-2;
instituted naval uniform, 301;
encouraged immoral dramas, 343

George III., fond of children, 6;
played at backgammon, 7;
his abstemiousness, 53-4, 82;
no lover of the turf, 214;
love of humour, 273-4;
his sons whipped, 310;
Quin the actor and, 344;
patron of the drama, 345;
attacks on, 346-7;
Mrs. Bellamy and, 346;
death of Princess Amelia, 368;
attached to church music, 382

George IV., his intemperance, 54-5;
adventure with a dog, 54;
reception of his bride-elect, 55;
his favourite dishes, 83-4;
a gambler, 202;
patron of the turf, 214-7;
at Brighton races, 216;
interest in Ascot and Goodwood, 217-8;
patron of the prize-ring, 234-5;
connection with Mary Robinson, 347;
fond of music, 382-3

George Castriot, Prince of Albania, his strength, 125-6

Gonella, jester of Duke of Ferrara, 325

Grammont, Count de, and Louis XIV., 7

Gustavus III., his extravagance, 41-2;
death, 166;
incognito travels, 179

Gustavus IV., his eccentricities, 19;
deposition, 20;
a writer, 373

Hanover, King of, his musical taste, 388

Hardicanute, a gourmand, 57

Heidegger, practical joke on, 164-5

Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I., her fancy for dwarfs, 243-4;
story of, 298;
taste for music, 379;
consulted a prophetess, 421-2

Henry I., loss of his son, 45;
a hunter, 135;
menagerie formed by him, 249-50;
treatment of a lampooner, 264;
dismayed by a storm, 425

Henry II., a chess player, 2;
drunkenness of his sons, 45;
horse-racing in time of, 204

Henry III., first poet-laureate in his reign, 358;
esteemed musicians, 377

Henry V., his mad pranks, 33-4;
reformed habits, 46;
dined off porpoise, 75;
a harpist, 378

Henry VI., lines written by, 360;
belief in alchemy, 406-7;
trial of Duchess of Gloucester, 429

Henry VII., dramatic performances in his reign, 334-5;
astrologers consulted for his wife, 405

Henry VIII., a card player, 8;
his intemperance, 47;
an epicure, 75;
partial to dancing, 99-100;
stripped by the onlookers, 100;
performed a ballet, 101;
execution of Anne Boleyn, 137;
hunted with Anne, 137-8;
his masques, 152-4;
a gambler, 194-5;
lover of horses, 206;
a tennis player, 223-4;
established a cock-pit, 233;
an archer, 235;
a falconer, 237;
Sir Thomas More’s reply to, 265;
his Court jesters, 330;
patron of the drama, 335-6;
literary attainments, 360-1;
his amulet, 408;
cramp rings in his reign, 410-1

Henry III., Emperor, despised Court fools, 313

Henry V., Emperor, story of, 168-9

Henry II. of France, first wore silk stockings, 303;
killed at a tournament, 311-2;
his Court fools, 321

Henry III. of France, played at “cup and ball,” 5;
his follies, 20;
afraid of cats, 86;
fond of other animals, 262;
his jester Chicot, 322

Henry IV. of France, fond of children, 6;
an epicure, 58;
fond of the ballet, 114;
a gambler, 186;
fond of dogs, 262;
disliked finery, 292;
his whipping-boys, 307;
marriage, 310;
his female fool, 323;
assassination predicted in a dream, 426;
his lucky day, 431

Henry V. of France, story of, 223

Henry, Duke of York, a dancer, 101

Henry Plantagenet, Duke of Anjou, introduced pointed shoes, 289

Henry, Prince, son of James I., a tennis player, 224-5 ;
played at golf, 228

Heraclius, Emperor, dread of the sea, 85

Heywood, John, Court jester, 330-1

Isabella, mother of Philip II., anecdote of, 91

Isabella Eugenia, Archduchess, story of, 288

Ivan IV., savage freaks of, 11;
a drunkard, 38;
his Court fools, 327;
story of his cruelty, _ib._

James I. of Aragon, a writer 371

James I. of Scotland, a chess player, 4;
murder of, 225;
musical talent, 385

James IV. of Scotland, celebration of his marriage, 163;
adventures in disguise, 178;
a tennis player, 226

James I., a card player, 8;
at church, 35;
enjoyed a carouse, 42, 47-8;
his household expenditure, 77;
detested pork, 77-8;
knighted a sirloin, 78-9;
shuddered at sight of a sword, 87;
enjoyed hunting, 138-9;
his mishaps, 139;
masques and pageants, 158-9;
patron of horse-racing, 206;
first public races, 207;
fond of cock-fighting, 233;
played quoits, 237;
fond of animals, 251-2,
and of buffoonery, 266-7;
Buckingham’s trick, 268;
regulated dress, 291;
indifferent to dress, 293;
his whipping-boy, 308;
Court fools, 331-2;
patron of the drama, 337, 338-40;
fond of literature, 364-5;
belief in witchcraft, 428-9

James II., averse to hard drinking, 51;
in exile, 106-7;
fond of hunting, 140-1;
entertained at Copthall, 141-2;
masques at St. Germains, 162;
state of his disbanded soldiers, 163;
a horseman, 212-3;
Milton’s rejoinder to, 270;
the stage in his reign, 341.
_See also_ York, Duke of

Joachim, Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, dwarfs collected by his wife, 242

Joan, Queen of Naples, romantic tale of, 111

Joanna of Navarre, married by proxy, 310;
lines by Edward, Duke of York, on, 359

John, King of England, as chess player, 2;
his drunkenness, 45;
visit to Nottingham, 46;
fond of venison, 75;
a hunter, 136;
a sportsman, 205;
his dress and that of his queen, 294-5

John of Austria, Don, his living chess-board, 4

John I. of Portugal, encouraged literature, 371

John II., patronised literature, 371

John V., lover of music, 110,
and literature, 371

John Frederick, Elector of Saxony, a chess player, 3

Joseph II., Emperor, his plain fare, 74;
visit to Catherine II., 175;
averse to ceremony, _ib._;
fond of the theatre, 352

Josquin, composer, and Louis XII., 385

Katherine Parr, her “Lamentation of a Sinner,” 362;
fortune predicted, 420

Killian, fool of Albert of Austria, 317-8

Killigrew, Tom, jester to Charles II., 333

Klaus, jester of Elector Frederick, 318

Konrad, jester of Maximilian I., 314-5

Kotzebue, anecdote of the Emperor Paul, 12

“Le Glorieux,” fool to Charles the Bold, 320

Leopold, “the Angel,” his self-denial, 93

Leopold I. of Austria, fond of music and the drama, 351-2

Loaysa, Cardinal, confessor to Charles V., 70

Lola Montes, mistress of Ludwig of Bavaria, 22

Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, Prince, a pianist, 392

Louis the Debonnaire and the comet, 396

Louis IX., forbade chess, 5;
controlled by his physician, 113-4;
introduced wigs, 289

Louis XI., anecdote of, 97;
fond of the chase, 145;
journeys in disguise, 171;
anecdotes of, 275-6;
disliked finery, 291;
the astrologer and, 399-400;
healed by touch, 413

Louis XII., story of, 188;
anecdote of Josquin and, 385

Louis XIII., a chess player, 5;
taste for fruit, 58;
a dancer, 114;
fond of the chase, 145;
averse to gambling, 188;
Sully’s rebuke of his favourites, 276;
Bassompierre’s rejoinders to, 277;
his courtiers beardless, 289;
his Court fool, 323;
credulity, 400;
lucky day, 430-1

Louis XIV., fond of backgammon, 7;
and billiards, _ib._;
an epicure, 58-9;
suicide of his _chef_, 60-1;
consideration for ex-King James, 106-7;
fond of dancing, 114-5;
his favourite dances, 115;
anecdote of him, 116;
mechanical coach constructed for him, 129;
passion for jewels, 130;
the crown of Agrippina, 130-1;
fond of hunting, 146,
and of gambling, 188-90;
the Capuchin and, 278;
his wig, 302;
remark of, 307;
his Court jesters, 323-4;
patron of the drama, 347-8;
remark on the comet, 398;
stopped persecutions for witchcraft, 430

Louis XV., his profligacy and devotion, 30;
an epicure, 61-2;
speculated in corn, 97;
story of, 191;
his wanton character, 262;
retort to Lauragais, 277;
indifference to drama and music, 348

Louis XVI., his mechanical taste, 127-8;
passion for hunting, 146;
gambling in his reign, 191;
remark about Charles IV., 287;
dress in his reign, 303;
touched for “king’s evil,” 412

Louis XVII., played quoits, 237

Louis XVIII., an epicure, 62;
invented a dish, 63;
his narrative of his escape, 374-5

Louis Philippe, anecdote of, 278-9

Ludwig of Bavaria, his follies, 22

Ludwig II., his eccentricities, 23-4;
deposition, 25;
taste for building, 133-4;
acquaintance with Wagner, 393-4

Marguerite, second wife of Edward I., story of, 136

Maria Theresa, Empress, her mourning, 28;
dwarf presented to her, 239;
supported the drama, 350

Marie Antoinette, fond of dancing, 117-8;
anecdote of her, 147;
a gambler, 191-2;
her conduct at the races, 221;
dress, 304-5;
interest in theatricals, 349-50;
affection of audience for her, 350;
taste for music, 386-7

Marie Casimire of Poland, curious amusement of, 10

Marie Louise, her marriage, 312

Mary, Queen, a dancer, 102, 155;
fond of wagers, 195-6;
lover of animals, 251;
the drama in her reign, 336;
her literary work, 363;
talented in music, 378-9

Mary II., a dancer, 105;
averse to gaieties, 106;
fond of cards, 198;
witty remark, 270;
patron of the drama, 341;
at the theatre, 342;
goes to see a fortune-teller, 423

Mary, Queen of Scots, masques in her reign, 163;
sports of her reign, 232;
fond of archery, 235;
her favourite lap-dog, 251

Mary Beatrice, queen of James II., receptions at St. Germains, 162;
disliked cards, 197;
her pet dogs, 254;
aversion to paint, 298-9

Matilda, Empress, her escape from Stephen, 169

Matilda of Scotland, talent for music, 376-7

Matthias II., story of his jester, 315-6

Maximilian, Archduke, married by proxy, 311

Maximilian I., his Court fools, 313-4

Maximilian II., fond of hunting, 148-9

Mazarin, Cardinal, reply to Louis XIV., 190

Mendoza, fool of Henry II., 321

Menicucci, jester of Grand Duke Ferdinand I., 326

Montespan, Marchioness de, and the crown of Agrippina, 130-1

Napoleon I., as chess player, 1;
played at blind-man’s-buff, 6;
fondness for children, _ib._;
“the little red man,” 30;
epicures of his reign, 64;
a fast eater, 65;
suffered from indigestion, _ib._;
in a temper, 66;
a favourite dance, 115;
story of, 193;
averse to gambling, _ib._;
his fortune predicted, 416-7;
his lucky day, 431

Nelle, Matthias II.’s fool, 315-6

Nicholas, Czar, his gaze, 14

Orleans, Regent Duke of, an epicure, 63

Patch, fool to Henry VIII., 330

Paul, Emperor of Russia, Kotzebue’s story of, 12;
regulated dress, 291;
his jesters, 328-9

Pedro, Charles V.’s jester, 315

Pedro I. of Portugal, a dancer, 109

Peter the Great, violence of, 14;
his orgies, 37-8;
his bills of fare, 71;
aversion to being looked at, 93;
boat-building hobby, 121-2;
visit to Holland, 122;
and to England, 123;
learned smithing, 124;
attended a masked ball, 176;
story of, _ib._;
partial to dwarfs, 241;
his monkey, 260-1;
remark about lawyers, 284-5;
plain dress, 299;
his Court fools, 327-8

Peter III., military mania, 12

Philibert de Chalon, Prince of Orange, gambled his soldiers’ pay, 185

Philip of France, anecdote of his fool, 320

Philip III. of France, his belief in soothsayers, 415-6

Philip, Landgrave of Baden, advice of his fool, 318

Philip II. of Spain, as chess player, 1;
story of his wife’s parrots, 256-7;
married by proxy, 311;
his Court fool, 322

Philip III., died through excess of etiquette, 92;
fond of dancing, 110

Philip IV., story of his wife’s stockings, 303-4

Richard Cœur de Lion, fond of venison, 75;
horse-racing in reign of, 204;
discovered by Blondel, 329;
prediction to, 418

Richard II., an epicure, 75;
story of his greyhound, 249-50

Richard III., entertained players, 334;
charge of sorcery, 429

Robinson, Mary, actress, and George IV., 347

Roderick, last king of the Visigoths, and his dog, 250

Romanus, Emperor, his dream, 427

Rudolph, Archduke of Austria, patron of music, 392-3

Scogan, jester to Edward IV., 329

Sebastian, Don, freak of, 26;
decreed plain living, 74;
his restlessness, 98;
physical strength, 125;
fond of hunting, 149

Sophie, Queen of Denmark, story of, 111-2

Stanislaus, ex-King of Poland, his wine, 40;
extravagant habits, 41;
an epicure, 72;
his pie, 73;
taste for building, 134;
fond of hunting, 151;
a card player, 203;
his dwarfs, 240;
his wit, 285;
reply to Voltaire, _ib._;
the young actor and, 354-6;
his writings, 373-4

Stich, jester of Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, 317

Tarleton, fool of Queen Elizabeth, 331

Tennyson, Lord, and Queen Victoria, 29, 370

Thurneysser, famous astrologer, 404-5

Tippoo Saib, talisman of, 409

Triboulet, fool of Francis I., 320-1

Ulrica, sister of Frederick the Great, her stratagem, 174-5

Ulysses and his hound, 247

Vatel, _chef_ to Louis XIV., his tragic death, 60-1

Victoria, Queen, fond of games, 4;
romped with children, 7;
morbid tendency, 28;
belief in spirits, 29;
plain liver, 84;
attended races, 220;
dwarfs at her Court, 245;
love for animals, 255;
appreciated wit, 275;
patron of the drama, 347;
her literary work, 369-70;
love of music, 384

Vladislaus, King of Poland, had fits at sight of apples, 86

Wenceslaus, the Emperor, a hard drinker, 39;
roasted his cook, 59

William the Conqueror, as chess player, 1;
his temperance, 44;
physical strength, 124;
dwarfs in his retinue, 243;
saved by his jester, 329;
his bard, 376;
disbelief in omens, 396

William Rufus, anecdote of, 424

William III., wore his hat in church, 35;
drank ale, 47;
joined in debauches, 49, 51;
his vulgar behaviour, 79-80;
hatred of mourning, 88;
fond of coursing, 142;
at the cock-fight, 143;
a gambler, 198-9;
patron of racing, 213;
Sir E. Seymour’s retort to, 280;
refused to touch for “king’s evil,” 412

William IV., advocate for temperance, 56;
his favourite dish, 84;
horse-racing in his reign, 219;
sale of his stud, 220;
patron of golf, 229;
appreciated jokes, 274

William I. of Germany, anecdote of, 424

William, Prince, lost in the _White Ship_, 45

William the Silent, story of his spaniel, 257

York, Duke of, afterwards James II.,
story of, 49;
entertainments at Edinburgh, 164;
played golf, 228,
and pall-mall, 231

York, Frederick, Duke of, a lover of the turf, 218

THE END

Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
Edinburgh & London

FOOTNOTES:

[1] See Strutt’s “Sports and Pastimes.”

[2] See Smiles’ “Life and Labour,” p. 338.

[3] W. R. Morfill, “Russia,” pp. 253-254.

[4] Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. ii. p. 249.

[5] Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business.”

[6] “History of France,” vol. iii. pp. 191-192.

[7] See the “Romance of Ludwig II. of Bavaria,” by Frances Gerard.

[8] _Edinburgh Review_, 1869, vol. cxxix. p. 31.

[9] See _Edinburgh Review_, 1867, vol. cxxv. p. 513.

[10] See Jesse’s “England under the Stuarts,” 1846, vol. i. pp. 18-19.

[11] _Mémoires secrèts pour servir a l’histoire de la cour de Russie sous les règnes de Pierre-le-Grand et de Catherine I._

[12] _Edinburgh Review_, vol. ci. pp. 520-521.

[13] But later on we read that some dozen or two asses were kept to maintain his decaying strength. See Crowe’s “History of France,” vol. ii. p. 507.

[14] See Dr. Valpy French, “Nineteen Centuries of Drink,” p. 61.

[15] Jesse’s “Memoirs of the Court of England during the Reign of the Stuarts,” 1846, vol. i. pp. 60-61.

[16] Reresby’s Memoirs, p. 173.

[17] See his Diary under 1667.

[18] See _Spectator_, 462. Jesse’s “England under the Stuarts,” 1846, vol. iii. p. 338.

[19] Dalrymple’s Memoirs, vol. i. p. 132.

[20] Cole’s MSS., British Museum (vol. xxxi. p. 145), quoted in Jesse’s “Court of England” (1686-1760), vol. i. pp. 288-289.

[21] Parody on the “Vicar of Bray,” by Thomas Dampier, Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge; Cole’s MSS., vol. i. p. 145.

[22] “Memoirs of George IV.”

[23] Thackeray’s “Four Georges,” p. 367.

[24] “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. i. p. 307.

[25] “Vanderdoort, who had the charge of Charles I.’s collection, hung himself because a miniature by Gibson was missing at the moment.”--Walpole.

[26] Dr. Doran’s “Table Traits,” p. 86.

[27] See Vehse’s “Court of Prussia,” p. 226.

[28] Prescott and Robertson, “History of the Reign of Charles V.,” vol. ii. pp. 526-529; Vehse’s “Memoirs of the Court of Prussia,” p. 83.

[29] Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” 1857, vol. i. p. 316.

[30] “Romance of the Empress,” vol. ii. p. 181.

[31] See Dr. Doran’s “Table Traits.”

[32] See Wood’s “Letters of Royal Ladies,” vol. ii. p. 311.

[33] See Eccleston’s “Introduction to English Antiquities,” pp. 310-311.

[34] Lord Orford’s Works, vol. i. p. 149.

[35] Walpole’s Letters, vol. iii. p. 217.

[36] Wraxall’s “Hist. Memoirs,” vol. ii. pp. 5-9.

[37] “Diary and Letters of Madame d’Arblay,” vol. ii. p. 373.

[38] See Agnes Strickland’s “Lives of Queens of England,” vol. vi. p. 175.

[39] “Court of England” (1688-1760).

[40] _Edinburgh Review_, 1869, vol. cxxix. p. 30.

[41] “Curiosities of Literature: Spanish Etiquette,” 1858, vol. i. p. 195.

[42] “Curiosities of Literature: Spanish Etiquette,” 1858, vol. i. p. 195.

[43] Vehse’s “History of the German Courts”; _Edinburgh Review_, vol. civ. p. 409.

[44] See Vehse’s “History of the German Courts,” also _Edinburgh Review_, vol. civ. p. 410.

[45] See _Edinburgh Review_, April 1867, p. 512.

[46] See Hall’s “Chronicles”; Agnes Strickland’s “Queens of England.”

[47] See “Russia,” by W. R. Morfill, 1891, p. 192.

[48] “The Story of a Throne: Catherine II. of Russia,” vol. ii. p. 217.

[49] Mrs. Lilly Grove, “Dancing,” p. 310.

[50] See Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. ii. pp. 354-366.

[51] See “History of Dancing,” by Mrs. Lilly Grove, 1895 (Badminton Library), p. 243.

[52] In 1662 a royal academy of dancing was founded in Paris, and two years afterwards Beauchamps received the title of “Directeur de l’Académie de l’Art de la Danse.”

[53] Miss Pardoes, “Louis XIV. and the Court of France,” 1847, vol. ii. p. 112.

[54] _Histoire des Princes de Condé._

[55] Marie Antoinette. _Correspondance secrète entre Marie Thérèse, et le Comte de Merçy Argenteon, avec les lettres de Marie Thérèse et de Marie Antoinette._ Paris, 1874. See _Edinburgh Review_, 1876, vol. cxliv.

[56] “Peter the Great,” 1884, vol. i. pp. 135-137, 271.

[57] “Don Sebastian,” by Martha Walker Freer, 1864, p. 300.

[58] Prescott and Robertson, “History of the Reign of Charles V.,” vol. ii. pp. 526, 551-552.

[59] Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” 1857, vol. i. p. 321.

[60] See Soulavie’s “Historical and Political Memoirs of the Reign of Louis XVI.”

[61] Ibid.

[62] Sir David Brewster’s “Lectures on Natural Magic.”

[63] Miss Pardoe, “Louis XIV. and the Court of France,” vol. iii. pp. 4-5.

[64] D’Israeli’s “Curiosities of Literature,” vol. i. p. 242.

[65] “Court of Prussia,” p. 246.

[66] See Vehse’s “History of the German Courts”; _Edinburgh Review_, 1856, vol. civ. pp. 405-406.

[67] Rowland Whyte to Sir Robert Sidney.

[68] See Crowe’s “History of France,” vol. ii. p. 254.

[69] “Historical and Political Memoirs of the Reign of Louis XVI.”

[70] Warton’s “History of English Poetry.”

[71] Eccleston’s “Introduction to English Antiquities,” p. 308.

[72] See Payne Collier’s “Annals of the Stage,” vol. i. p. 303.

[73] On her progress through England in 1603 there was an elegant reception at Althorpe, when the “Masque of the Fairies,” by Ben Jonson, was represented. See Nichol’s “Progresses.”

[74] See Eccleston’s “English Antiquities,” pp. 427-429.

[75] See Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. i. pp. 128-129.

[76] Mrs. Lilly Grove, “Dancing,” p. 181.

[77] See Crowe’s “History of France,” vol. ii. pp. 44-45.

[78] Ibid. vol. ii. p. 41.

[79] Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. i. p. 372.

[80] Dr. Doran’s “Court Fools,” p. 381.

[81] “Gustavus III. and the French Court.” By A. Geffroy. See _Edinburgh Review_, vol. cliv. pp. 90-91.

[82] Steinmetz, “The Gaming Table,” vol. i. p. 70.

[83] _Quarterly Review_, 148, pp. 536-537.

[84] Steinmetz, “The Gaming Table,” vol. i. pp. 105-107.

[85] Agnes Strickland’s “Lives of the Queens of England,” vol. ii. p. 521.

[86] Ibid., vol. iv. p. 485.

[87] See Jesse’s “Court of England” (1688-1760), vol. iii. pp. 57-58.

[88] Jesse’s “Court of England,” vol. iii. pp. 213-214.

[89] “Four Georges.”

[90] See “History of Horse Racing,” 1863, pp. 20-21; Anderson’s “Origin of Commerce.”

[91] Devon’s “Issues of the Exchequer,” p. 180.

[92] “History of Horse Racing,” 1863, pp. 28-29.

[93] “A General System of Horsemanship.” By William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle.

[94] See “The Turf,” by Nimrod, 1851, pp. 7-8.

[95] See Nichol’s “Progresses of James I.,” vol. ii. p. 265.

[96] Ibid., vol. iii. p. 279.

[97] “The Turf,” by Nimrod, p. 9.

[98] Cooper’s “Annals of Cambridge,” vol. iii. p. 598.

[99] “The Turf,” by Nimrod, pp. 9-10.

[100] “The History of Horse Racing,” p. 72.

[101] “The Turf,” by Nimrod, p. 10.

[102] “The Turf,” by Nimrod, pp. 71-72.

[103] “The Turf,” by Nimrod, p. 73.

[104] See Strutt’s “Sports and Pastimes,” 1876, p. 160.

[105] “Pastimes and Players,” by Robert Macgregor, p. 109.

[106] Jesse, “England under the Stuarts,” vol. iii. pp. 309-310.

[107] See Sheppard’s “The Old Royal Palace of Whitehall,” 1902, pp. 69-71.

[108] “Pastimes and Players,” pp. 162-172.

[109] See E. J. Wood, “Giants and Dwarfs,” pp. 314-315.

[110] See E. J. Wood, “Giants and Dwarfs,” p. 257.

[111] _Quarterly Review_, vol. cix. p. 203.

[112] “Memoirs of Charles I.,” _Quarterly Review_, vol. cix. pp. 202-203.

[113] _The Spectator_, February 9, 1901.

[114] See Burnet’s “History of his Own Time,” vol. iv. p. 406, note.

[115] “Dictionary of National Biography.”

[116] See Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. i. p. 233.

[117] See D’Israeli’s “Curiosities of Literature,” vol. i. pp. 228-29.

[118] Prescott’s “History of Ferdinand and Isabella,” 1851, vol. ii. p. 521.

[119] Dr. Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. ii. p. 288.

[120] Jesse, “Under the Stuarts,” vol. ii. p. 211.

[121] Planché, “British Costume,” 1859, p. 319.

[122] “British Costume,” p. 330; Paper on Naval Uniforms, by Mr. Ellis, read at the Society of Antiquaries, March 18, 1830.

[123] See “Life of Caroline Matilda, Queen of Denmark,” by Sir C. F. Lascelles Wraxall.

[124] Mons. de Masson, _Mémoires Sècrets sur la Russie_.

[125] “The Private Life of Marie Antoinette,” by Jeanne Louise Henriette Caupan, 1884.

[126] “History of the Reformation,” 1865, vol. ii. p. 373.

[127] “Ecclesiastical Memorials,” 1822, vol. ii. p. 507.

[128] “History of his Own Time.”

[129] “Fortunes of Nigel,” chap. vi.

[130] “History of France,” vol. ii. pp. 647-648.

[131] See “History of Court Fools,” to which we are indebted for many facts in this chapter.

[132] “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. ii. pp. 170-171.

[133] Strutt’s “Sports and Pastimes,” 1876, p. 233.

[134] See Collier’s “Annals of the Stage,” 1879, vol. i. pp. 83-85.

[135] Ibid., p. 89.

[136] See Collier’s “Annals of the Stage,” 1879, vol. i. p. 97.

[137] See Collier’s “Annals of the Stage,” vol. i. p. 187, and Harleian MS., No. 146.

[138] “Annals of the Stage,” vol. i. p. 366.

[139] Dr. Doran’s “Their Majesties’ Servants,” vol. ii. p. 136.

[140] Dr. Doran’s “Their Majesties’ Servants,” vol. ii. p. 141.

[141] Jesse’s “Memoirs of the Life and Reign of George III.,” vol. ii. p. 60.

[142] “Four Georges,” p. 343.

[143] Dr. Doran’s “Their Majesties’ Servants,” 1888, vol. iii. p. 36.

[144] “The French Stage in the Eighteenth Century.” Frederick Hawkin’s Introduction, pp. xii.-xiii.

[145] Ibid., vol. i. pp. 113-14.

[146] “History of Marie Antoinette.”

[147] Madame Campan, “Private Life of M. Antoinette.”

[148] “Court of Austria,” vol. ii. pp. 8, 9.

[149] See Doran’s “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. ii. pp. 297-298.

[150] “The French Stage,” Theodore Hook, 1841.

[151] “Royal and Noble Authors.”

[152] See D’Israeli’s “Curiosities of Literature” (James I.).

[153] _Edinburgh Review_, 1823, vol. xxxix., p. 87.

[154] _Ency. Brit._, 9th edition (Article “Portugal”).

[155] Stephens’ “History of Portugal,” 1891, pp. 89, 90-91.

[156] W. R. Morfill, “Russia,” pp. 245-246.

[157] “Catherine II. of Russia,” from the French of R. Waliszewski, 1894, vol. ii.

[158] “Monarchs Retired from Business,” vol. ii. pp. 321-322.

[159] See _Edinburgh Review_, vol. xxxix. pp. 85-86.

[160] Agnes Strickland, “Lives of Queens of England,” vol. iv. p. 191.

[161] “Lives of Queens of England,” vol. iv. pp. 453-454.

[162] See _Quarterly Review_, vol. cvi. p. 103; “Chappell’s Popular Music of the Olden Times.”

[163] “Four Georges,” 1878, p. 343.

[164] “The Croker Papers: The Correspondence and Diaries of the late Right Honourable John Wilson Croker, LL.D., F.R.S., Secretary to the Admiralty from 1809 to 1830.” Edited by Louis J. Jennings, 1884.

[165] Theodore Martin’s “Life of Prince Consort,” vol. i. pp. 85-86.

[166] “Dictionary of National Biography.”

[167] See the “Private Life of Mary Antoinette,” by Jeanne Louise Henriette Campan, 1884, vol. i. pp. 184-185.

[168] Prescott and Robertson, “History of the Reign of Charles V.,” vol. ii. p. 553.

[169] Frances Gerard, “The Romance of Ludwig II. of Bavaria,” _The Standard_, September 18, 1899.

[170] See Buckle’s “History of Civilisation,” 1867, vol. i. pp. 376-377; and Lecky’s “History of Rationalism in Europe,” 1871, vol. i. p. 283.

[171] Flammarion’s “Astronomical Myths,” p. 345.

[172] _Edinburgh Review_, vol. lxxx. p. 210.

[173] Crowe’s “History of France,” vol. ii. pp. 251-252.

[174] See “Finger Ring Lore,” William Jones, p. 166.

[175] See paper on “Royal Cramp Rings” in _Archæological Journal_, vol. xxi. pp. 103-113.

[176] “History of the Reign of Charles V.,” 1857, vol. ii. p. 540.

[177] See Crowe’s “History of France,” vol. i. pp. 297-298.

[178] “Memoirs of the Court of England” (1688-1760), vol. ii. pp. 313-314.

[179] See Crowe’s “History of France,” vol. i. p. 363.

End of Project Gutenberg's Royalty in All Ages, by T. F. Thiselton-Dyer