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

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HAMPTON COURT
he describes how the King himself would of a sudden,
as well as when expected, visit his great subject. As
he came to More's house at Chelsea, and would walk
with him in the garden by the space of an hour,
holding his arm about his neck, so he would come
to Wolsey, to whom only, as Roper says,1 he would
use similar familiarity. It may well have been at
Hampton Court that the scene occurred which Cavendish
so prettily describes, and that Shakespeare (or
Fletcher) used so happily.2
" And when it pleased the King's Majesty, for his
recreation, to repair unto the Cardinal's house, as he
did divers times in the year, there wanted no preparations
or goodly furniture, with viands of the finest
sort that could be gotten for money or friendship.
Such pleasures were then devised for the King's consolation
or comfort as might be invented or imagined.
Banquets were set forth, masks and mummeries, in so
gorgeous a sort and costly manner, that it was a
heaven to behold. There wanted no dames, nor
damsels, meet or apt to dance with the maskers, or
to garnish the place for that time, with other goodly
disports. Then was there all kind of music and
harmony set forth, with excellent fine voices both of
men and children.
" Ihave seen the King come suddenly thither in
a mask, with a dozen maskers, all in garments like
shepherds, made of fine cloth of gold and fine crimson
1Ed. Lumby,p. - 15.
Wordsworth'sEccl. Biog.,i.357-361.