Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/278

 264 ANNUAL R E GIST E R, 1758.

kifs fparkling with rings and jew'=^ls, '. m.irk of particular fa- vour. Wh-^rever fh'- turned her face, as fhe was going along, every body fc]\ down on their knees. The ladies of the cfurt followed next to her, v^ry handfome and weil-fhaped, and, for the moi* parr, drefTcd in whr.e; (he v\ as yu-irded on each l:de by the gentitmen -pen- sioner.', fifty in umber, with gilt "battlc-axfs. In the anti-ch-:p'-l, next the ha'!, where we wer^, pe- titions w<'re prefcnted to her, nnd Ihe r'-ceived chi^m moft graciouliv, which occaliored th^ accl^mati n oi Long li've ^ee?? Eliz'ibetb! fhe anfv'er'-d it with, I thank you, my good pKople. In the chnpel was ex- cellent mufic ; as loon as it and the rer> ice was over, which fcarce exceeded ha'f an i:our, trie queen returned in the fame Itare and orde--, and prepared to go to dinner. But, v.hile fhe was liiil at pravers, we faw her table fet out with thi fol- lowing folemnity : A genileman entered the room bearing a rod, and along with him .mothrr who had a tabie-cloth, which, after they had both kneeled three times, with the utmoft veneration, he fpread upon the table ,- and, after kneeling again, they both retired. Then came two others, one with the rod again, the other with the falt- feller, a plate, and bread; when they had kneeled, as the others had Cone, and placed what was brought upon the table, they two retired with the fame ceremonies performed by the firl!. At \\\\\ came an unmarried lady (we were tuld /he was a counteLs^ and alon^ with her a married one, bcaiing a tailing knife; the former w. s drcilVd in white fi!k, uhn, when Hie had prollrated herfelf three linus, in ihe njoi> grateful

manner, approached the table, rub- bed the plaf s with bread and fait, with as much awe as if the queen had be-'n prefent ; when they had waited there a little while, the yeo- men of the guard entered, bare- headed, clothed in fcarlet, with golden rofes upon their backs, bringing in at each turn a courfe of twenty-four difhe-, ferved in plate, moft of them g'lt; thefe difhes were received by gentlemen in the fdme order they werebroughr, and phiccd upon the table, while the lady taller gave to each of the guard a mouthful to eat of the particular difh he had b.'oughi, for lear of poifi.n. During the time that this guard, which confills of the lall'^It and ftoutell men that can be found in all England, being carefully feleded for this (ervice, were bringing dinner, twelve trum- pets, and two kettle-drum?, made the hall ring for half an hour toge- ther. At the end of all this cere- monial, a number of unmarried ladiv^s appeared, who with parti- cular folemnity, lifted the meat oft the table, and conveyed it into the que-n's inner and more private chamber, where, after (he had chofen for herfeU, the reft goes to the ladies of the court. The queen dines and fups alone, with a \t\y fev attendants ; and it is very feKlom that any body, foreigner or n.itive, ii admi tec at that time, and then only at the intercef&on of fomebody in power.

Defcriptions cf Theobalds and Ncn- fuch, from Hentz,er.

HeobalJs belongs to Lord Burle'oh the irealurer. In the gallery was painted t:ie genea- logy of the kings of England ;

from

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