Then amidst much joy the happy evening
waned to night.
The royal palace of Hampton Court, in which Charles had decided
on spending his honeymoon, had been raised by the magnificent
Wolsey in the plenitude of his power as a place of recreation.
Since his downfall it had been used by royalty as a summer
residence, it being in truth a stately pleasure house. The great
pile contained upwards of four hundred rooms. The principal
apartments had cedar or gilded and frescoed ceilings, and walls
hung with rare tapestries and curtains heavy with gold.
Moreover, these rooms contained furniture of most skilful design
and costly manufacture, and were adorned by the choice works of
such masters of their art as Holbein, Bellini, Vansomer, Rubens,
and Raphael; and withal enriched with Indian cabinets, such as
never were seen in England before, which the queen had brought
with her from Portugal.
The great hall had been the scene of many sumptuous banquets.
The chapel was rich in carved designs. Her majesty's bedroom,
with its curtains of crimson silk, its vast mirror and toilet of
beaten and massive gold, was a splendid apartment--the more so
from its state bed, which Evelyn says was "an embroidery of
silver on crimson velvet, and cost L8,000, being a present made
by the States of Holland, when his majesty returned, and had
formerly been given by them to our king's sister, ye Princess of
Orange, and being bought of her againe, was now presented to ye
king.
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