Hampton Court ... Illustrated with forty-three drawings by Herbert ...

ELIZABETH'S DEATH 67
The Palace which impressed Hentzner so much was
constantly throughout her reign the home of Elizabeth
and her court. Her own memories of semi-imprisonment
there, relieved by occasional gaieties, or her two
attacks of small-pox in 1562, were not bitter enough to
blind her to its attractions. Many a Christmas was
celebrated there with masques and revels. The accounts
once at least show the significant entry " for making of
new hearths in the great kitchen at Hampton Court
for boyling of brawnes against Christmas." Greedy as
she was of money — almost as greedy as she was of
praise — Elizabeth was lavish in her expenditure on
decoration and on entertainment, and year after year
the most sumptuous preparations were madefor Christmas
festivities. Gradually even the Queen's spirits
tired, and in 1598 occurred her last recorded visit to
the Palace, " more privately," as her cousin Lord
Hunsdon (Mary Bullen's son) wrote, " than is fitting
for the time or beseeming her estate." Even then,
though she was sixty-five, she is said to have been
seen " dancing the Spanish Panic to a whistle and
taboureur, none being with her but mv Lady Warwick."1
Four years later, after weeks when she
would attend to no business but hear only " old
Canterbury tales," she passed away.
1 Quotedby Mr. E.Law from Miss Strickland's " Life ofElizabeth."