Boscobel; or, the royal oak: A tale of the year 1651
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CHAPTER IV.
HOW CHARLES WAS LODGED IN THE EPISCOPAL PALACE; AND HOW DOCTOR CROSBYPREACHED BEFORE HIS MAJESTY IN THE CATHEDRAL.
The ancient episcopal palace--which had been prepared, as well ascircumstances would permit, for the reception of the king and hissuite--was a large and stately pile, and, from its size, grandeur,and the number of apartments it contained, was well fitted to be thetemporary residence of a monarch--even had that monarch been firmlysettled on the throne--and, indeed, it was again occupied by royalty ata later date, when George III. and his queen visited Worcester in 1788.By far the most important mansion in the city, it occupied a commandingposition on the left bank of the river, and from its fine bay windowspresented a very imposing fa?ade. The roof was lined with battlements,towers, and belfries, and on the highest of these towers the royalstandard now floated, while sentries were stationed at the river gate,and at the upper gateway. The palace was surrounded by high embattledwalls, within which was a garden laid out in the old formal style, andboasting a broad terrace. The garden had been utterly neglected bythe Roundheads, and the terrace was covered with grass. Internally,the mansion, which was erected probably about the beginning of thesixteenth century, contained a noble hall, with a richly carved screen,an exquisite chapel, a carved oak staircase of great beauty, conductingto a long gallery, the deeply embayed windows of which, while theyembellished the exterior, commanded fine views of the country, and thebroad intermediate tract once known as Malvern Chase, but now a mostfertile district, through which, as Dyer sings,
----the wide Majestic wave of Severn slowly rolls.
Considerable damage had been done to the gallery and the rooms openingfrom it by the Roundheads, who had torn down the fine old tapestry onceadorning the oak panels, and injured the carvings. Most of the oldfurniture, being of oak, had withstood a great deal of barbarous usage,and an immense ponderous bedstead, in which many a bishop had reposed,was prepared for his majesty. A good many other beds had to be providedfor the king's suite, and for his large retinue of servants, but thiswas satisfactorily accomplished, and luckily there were rooms enoughto accommodate all. Fortunately, also, the mansion possessed a vastkitchen, having no fewer than three large grates, whence hospitalityhad been dispensed by the worthy prelates in the olden time. At thesethree grates cooks had been at work, roasting and boiling, throughoutthe day.
The first persons presented to the king on his arrival at the palacewere Lord Talbot, Sir John Pakington, and Colonel Mervin Touchet,who had been kept prisoners by the commandant of the garrison. LordTalbot and Sir John said they had only waited to see his majesty, andwere about to depart instantly to raise recruits for his service, butCharles would have them stay and dine with him. Another person whom theking was delighted to see was Doctor Crosby, the loyal divine, who hadsuffered imprisonment for his zeal in his majesty's behalf.
Dinner was served in the great hall, and what it wanted inceremoniousness was more than compensated for by abundance of viandsand excellence of wine. Not much form was observed. The mayor occupieda seat on his majesty's right, and the sheriff on the left. Grace wassaid by Doctor Crosby. We shall not particularise the dishes, butwe must mention that a Severn salmon of prodigious weight--quite aregal fish, that had allowed itself obligingly to be captured for theoccasion--was set before the king. Moreover, the stewed lampreys werean entirely new delicacy to his majesty, and pleased him greatly.
Charles was in high spirits, and laughed and jested in the mostgood-humoured manner with those near him. Of a very sanguinetemperament, he had never doubted the success of his expedition, andthe events--unimportant as they were--that had occurred since hisarrival before Worcester heightened his confidence. For the first timehe had been victorious, and had been warmly welcomed by his subjects.He had been assured that a great number of recruits could be raised inthe county before the general Muster took place at Pitchcroft, and hefelt certain Lord Derby would bring him large levies from Lancashireand Cheshire. He would then give battle to Cromwell, defeat him, andmarch on triumphantly to London. His confidence seemed to be sharedby all the nobles and general officers present--even by the coldand cautious Lesley. While quaffing their claret and burgundy, theypredicted the utter defeat of old Noll and the destruction of allrebels.
Next day, being Sunday, was comparatively calm after the great previousexcitement. Not that the city had by any means resumed its ordinaryaspect--that was clearly impossible with a large army encamped outsidethe walls, and many regiments quartered within them--but the Scottishsoldiers, being strict observers of the Sabbath, conducted themselvesin a very orderly and decorous manner. Much preaching was there inthe camps at Red Hill and Pitchcroft, and officers might be heardreading the Bible and holding forth upon sacred texts to their men, wholistened with the profoundest attention.
All the churches--and Worcester, as we know, abounded in churches--werefilled with congregations in which the military element predominated;but the cathedral--as might be expected, since it was known thatthe king would attend divine service there--collected within it allthe principal personages of the city, all the chief officers of thearmy, and as many regiments as the vast pile could contain. Never,perhaps, before or since, has the interior of this grand old edificepresented such a striking sight as it did on this memorable occasion.Its marble monuments and effigies, its chantry and lady-chapel, hadbeen mutilated, as we have already told, by the Roundheads, but theseinjuries were now concealed from view by the throng collected withinthe aisles of the choir and the retro-choir. Owing likewise to theattention being directed to other objects, the loss of the splendidpainted glass in the windows was scarcely noticed. The majestic pillarslining the broad nave rose up amid a mass of troops that not onlyoccupied the body of the fane, but the aisles. Seen from the entranceof the choir, paved with steel caps, and bristling with pikes, muskets,and carabines--for the men all carried their arms--the nave presentedan extraordinary coup-d'oeil. Stationed within the south transept,Pitscottie's Highlanders contributed materially to the effect of thepicture. All the nobles in attendance upon the king, with the generalofficers, occupied the stalls in the choir--Charles being seated in thebishop's throne.
As this was the first time on which the service of the Church ofEngland had been performed within the cathedral since its desecrationby the Parliamentarians, it may be conceived with what satisfactionthe members of that religion were enabled to resume their own formof worship within it--and this satisfaction was heightened by thecircumstances under which they came back. The organ was gone, but themilitary music substituted seemed not inappropriate to an occasionwhen hymns of triumph were sung. Certes, the drums, trumpets, andother martial instruments, resounding from the roof, produced anextraordinary effect.
The sermon was preached by Doctor Crosby, and was a most eloquent andfervid discourse. The pale countenance of the venerable dean flushed,and his eyes blazed as with fire, while he denounced the murderers ofthe martyr king, and declared that the vengeance so long delayed wouldspeedily fall upon them. Rebellion, which had stalked unchecked throughthe land, would be crushed, and the monarchy restored. To Charles heattributed the highest spiritual authority, and spoke of him as "inall causes, and over all persons, next under God, supreme head andgovernor"--expressions at which his Presbyterian hearers took greatoffence. The earnestness, however, of his manner could not fail toimpress them with a conviction of his sincerity.
A council of war was subsequently held within the palace, and it wasdecided that the fortifications should at once be thoroughly repaired,so as to enable the city to stand a siege, if necessary, though notidings had yet been heard of Cromwell. After an early repast, Charlesrode forth with his retinue into the city, and was surprised to findthe High-street so empty, and almost all the houses shut up; but hissurprise ceased when he reached the camp at Pitchcroft, and foundthat the vast plain was covered with people, and resembled a fair.The Scottish soldiers were quiet, and took no part in the profanerecreations of the dissolut
e Cavaliers, who were everywhere swaggeringabout, and making love to all the pretty damsels.
Charles was enthusiastically received, but he did not stay long onPitchcroft. After riding through the principal line of tents, hereturned and crossed the river to St. John's, where Dalyell's brigadewas placed to protect the approach to the bridge. Lower down, on themeadows on this side of the river, Pitscottie's Highlanders wereencamped, and the king passed them on his way to Powick, which hedesired to see. From the Highlanders' camp, which was almost oppositethe episcopal palace and the cathedral, the finest view of oldWorcester could be obtained, and he paused for some minutes, enrapturedby the charming picture.
A delightful ride of a mile, or somewhat more, along this bank of theSevern brought the king and his attendants to the Teme at its point ofjunction with the larger river, and then following its deeply-ploughedchannel, and watching its swift-flowing current through the fringingtrees, they rode on to Powick.
Near Powick there was a woody island of some little extent, round whichrushed the river--here, as elsewhere, too deep to be forded. The islandwas gained by a bridge from either bank, and the importance of thepoint was so obvious, that the king determined to place a battery uponit.