backs, while the counterpanes were of similar materials, often decorated with exquisite needlework. His own pillow-cases are described: "seamed with black silk and fleur-de-lys of gold"; and with "white silk and fleur-de-lys of red silk." Which bedsteads among the very many magnificent ones described in his Inventory, were for Wolsey's own use, is not stated therein. Probably he slept in the "Greate Riche bedstede, having 4 gilte postes and 4 boulles' with Cardinall hattes gilte"; or in the "Trussing bedstede of alabaster with my Lordes arms and flowers gilt upon the sides." If he reclined in the first of these, his upturned eyes would meet a "ceiler" of red satin, "wrought with a great red rose of needlework, embossed with garters and portcullis; with a valance of fringe of white, green, yellow, tawny and blue silk." Many other beds of equal gorgeousness are mentioned, WOLSEY'S FURNITURE. 33 some of carved and gilt oak and other wood, with ceilers and testers of right arras of old work, "with the sun in the ceiler"; with testers of hawking and fowling; with "fowls and beasts having banners about their necks with the arms of England and France"; "with small imagery of children bathing and playing in water"; with trees and divers beasts with scriptures, and with pictures "of our Lady and her son in her arms wrought with needlework." The chairs, cushions, tables, chests, and cupboards that furnished Wolsey's palace were not less resplendent, being of silk, silk velvet, and cloth of gold, often embroidered with his initials or arms, and Cardinal's hats. The Cardinal's "andirons" were articles on which much artistic decoration CARDINAL WOLSEY'S ARMS AS ARCHBISHOP OF YORK. was lavished. For instance, he had eight pairs made of brass, some displaying roses and his own arms, others with mermaids, with lions, with angels, and with fools on the tops. Of seventeen pairs more of iron, six were enriched "with my Lordes armes and Cardinall hattes on the toppes," four with his arms and gilt balls, three with lions, five with dragons, two with balls, one with roses, and one with the arms of England. Twenty-two pairs more displayed his own arms, gilt, with balls of metal; and a few had scutcheons and crosses of St. George, and double roses on either side of their shanks." 66 "As for the furniture of his Chapel," says Cavendish, "it passeth my capacity to declare the number of costly ornaments and rich jewels, that were used to be occupied in the same continually. For I have seen in procession about the D hall forty-four of very rich copes, of one suit, worn, besides the rich crosses and candlesticks and other ornaments necessary to the furniture of the same.” A curious item in regard to the images was the "Seyntes Apparell," with which they were clothed, according to the usage of that day. There were two "coats for our Lady," one of crimson velvet, guarded with cloth of gold, and set with counterfeit pearls; the other of black damask, guarded with crimson velvet, and bordered with white satin; and also "a coat for her son," of black velvet, guarded with cloth of gold. There were, of course, numerous vestments, crosses, candlesticks, bells, censers, chalices, pixes of gold and silver, and many images of saints. His pictures were, as became an ecclesiastic, chiefly of a religious type, consisting of altar-pieces for his chapel and private rooms. But that he also appreciated the new development of pictorial art, we have evidence in his bespeaking a picture of Quentin Matsys. For jewellery, of course, the Cardinal had but little use; but yet we find a goodly enumeration of rings, signets, aiglets, girdles, and chains, many of which were bestowed in presents to ladies and royal persons. There remains to be noticed the most valuable of all Wolsey's effects, namely his gold and silver plate, of which he had so large an amount that the Venetian ambassador, Marco Antonio Venier, estimated what he saw in 1527, at Hampton Court alone, as worth 300,000 golden ducats, or about £150,000, which, if we are to multiply by ten to give the equivalent in modern coin, yields the astounding sum of a million and a half! Giustinian gives the same sum as the value of his silver in 1519; and he informs us that wherever he might be, there was always a sideboard of plate worth £25,000, and in his own chamber a cupboard with vessels to the amount of £30,000. Nor must we suppose that his acquisitions were prompted merely by love of vulgar ostentation; on the contrary, the old records show that he was ever on the alert to procure articles of artistic workmanship. And his taste in this regard was exhibited, not only in his crosses, censers, monstrances, paxes, chalices, and such like sacred vessels, but likewise in his chains, rings, staffs, seals, and candlesticks; while the THE CARDINAL'S HOUSEHOLD AND RETINUE. 35 descriptions of his goblets, cups, flagons, bowls, basins, ewers, plates, saucers, dishes, etc., of gold, of silver, and of silver gilt, show that his collection, could it be brought to the hammer at Christie's, would outdo those of all modern collectors. CHAPTER III. CARDINAL WOLSEY'S MAGNIFICENCE. RICH as was the furniture of the Cardinal's palace, and vast as was its extent, it was only just adequate to meet the requirements of the enormous and splendid household which he maintained. The estimates given of the number of his retainers are various, but we shall be safe within the mark if we put them down as consisting of at least 500 persons. Among these were many lords and gentlemen of the first families in England, who, according to the custom of that age, took up their residence with the great ecclesiastics for the political and educational advantages thereby to be gained. His hall, in which there was constantly kept open table, was presided over by three officers-a steward (who was always a priest), a treasurer (who was a knight), and a comptroller (a squire). These were assisted by a cofferer, who was a doctor, and numerous marshals, yeomen, ushers, grooms, and almoners. He had two principal kitchens, one being the privy kitchen for his own table. Here reigned his master cook, a functionary attired in velvet and satin, and wearing a gold chain round his neck. The small room where he sat and gave his orders to his subordinates may still be seen, opening into one of the great kitchens, now used as a lumber room on the north of the old palace. The servitors in the other kitchens and the adjoining offices (which also remain pretty much in their original state) were upwards of eighty in number, and consisted of assistant cooks, yeomen, grooms, and labourers of the kitchen, scullery, pastry, scalding house, saucery, buttery, ewery, cellar, wafery, bakehouse, etc. Besides these there were the hallkitchen, with two clerks of the kitchen, a clerk comptroller, a surveyor of the dresser, a clerk of the spicery and two master cooks and twelve assistant cooks, and labourers and children of the kitchen. Nearly a hundred servants more were employed in his wardrobe, laundry, woodyard, etc.; and at the porter's lodge at the great gate were two yeomen and two grooms. The Cardinal's stud and stable were, of necessity, on a similar scale. Like the King, he had a master of the horse; and also a clerk of the stable and a yeoman of the same, a saddler, farrier, a yeoman of his chariot, a sumpter man, a yeoman of his stirrup, a muleteer, and sixteen grooms besides helpers. Of horses and mules, besides upwards of a hundred serving for his household, for his escort, and for carts, there were six horses to wait on my Lord at Hampton Court and other places," and six gray and white ambling mules "for my Lord's own saddle." 66 The officers of his chapel were even more numerous still. Besides sixty priests in copes, who attended the services on great festivals and walked before the Cardinal in procession round the cloisters of Hampton Court, there were: first, a Dean, "a great divine, and a man of excellent learning"; then a Sub-dean; a repeater of the choir; a Gospeller, and a Pisteller, that is, two priests, who respectively sang the gospel and the epistle of the day at High Mass; twelve singing priests, twelve singing children, and sixteen singing laymen, besides "divers retainers of cunning singing men, that came at divers sundry principal feasts." These formed a choir that far excelled that of the King, who declared that, if it was not for the personal love he bore him, he would have boys and men and all. For his Majesty complained that "if any manner of new song should be brought unto both the said chapels to be sung ex improviso, then the said song was better and more surely handled" by the Cardinal's choir than his own. But even all these were exclusive of his personal attendants, who numbered no less than a hundred and sixty persons. They were his High Chamberlain, his Vice-Chamberlain, twelve gentlemen ushers, daily waiters, eight gentlemen |