Hyde Park, Kensington, London, England, British Isles [Map]

Henry Machyn's Diary. 7th December 1551. The vij day of Desember at Hyd parke [Map] a gret muster of men of armes: the furst the kynges trumpeters; [then] my lord Bray, in gylt harnes, captayn of the pe[nsioners, and a] gret baner of the kynges armes; and then cam the pensyoners in caumplet harnes, and gret hars, in [white and] blake, v and v a ranke, and after them cam the[ir servants, in number] a C. with grett harse, and harnes in whyt and blake, [and speres]. The secound my lord Tresorer, a C. men of arms, broderyd cott, red and whyt, and ther spers, ys [standard] a faucon of gold. The iij was [the] duke of Northumberland (age 47), with [C. men] of armes in welvet in-brodery, trumpeters, [his standard] a lyon crounyd gold. The iiij my lord marqws Northamtun (age 39) a C. men of armes, in yelow and [black], spers and pensels and trumpeters. The yerlle of Bedford (age 66) a C. men of armes and [in] red and whyt, ys standard a gott whyt, and a trumpeter, and pensels and spers, cotes red and whyt and blake. The yerle of Rottland (age 25) a C. men of armes in yelow and bluw; ys standard a pekoke, and pensels. The yerle of Huntyntun (age 37) men of armes 1. in bluw, and speres, and standard, and pensels. The yerle of Penbroke (age 50) C. men of armes. My lord Cobam (age 54) 1. men of armes, in blak and whyt. My lord Chamburlayne l. men of armes, cote(s) of whyt [and] red, and speres cotes in-brodere, and pensels. M. tresorer Cheyney a C. men of armes, all blake, and speres and pensells, by-syd costerells and geton.... and armes a-pone the blake at ... pryche the Skott of saynt Peters in Cornhyll ... the morow dyd pryche doythur Bartelett a godly ... at the berehyng was the masters and compeny of the ...

Note. Muster in Hyde Park. This is described nearly in the same terms in the King's diary. Burnet has misprinted the date Dec. 4 instead of 7.

Note. The Scot of St. Peter's in Cornhill. This preacher has been before mentioned in p. 6 as "the Skott the curett" of St. Peter's. Whether he was the same as Richardson, whose popularity as a preacher is mentioned in p. 91, has not been ascertained.

John Evelyn's Diary. 24th January 1682. This evening I was at the entertainment of the Morocco Ambassador at the Duchess of Portsmouth's (age 32) glorious apartments at Whitehall [Map], where was a great banquet of sweetmeats and music; but at which both the Ambassador and his retinue behaved themselves with extraordinary moderation and modesty, though placed about a long table, a lady between two Moors, and among these were the King's (age 51) natural children, namely, Lady Lichfield (age 17) and Sussex (age 20), the Duchess of Portsmouth, Nelly (age 31), etc., concubines, and cattle of that sort, as splendid as jewels and excess of bravery could make them; the Moors neither admiring nor seeming to regard anything, furniture or the like, with any earnestness, and but decently tasting of the banquet. They drank a little milk and water, but not a drop of wine; they also drank of a sorbet and jacolatt [Note. This may be chocolate?]; did not look about, or stare on the ladies, or express the least surprise, but with a courtly negligence in pace, countenance, and whole behavior, answering only to such questions as were asked with a great deal of wit and gallantry, and so gravely took leave with this compliment, that God would bless the Duchess of Portsmouth and the Prince (age 9), her son meaning the little Duke of Richmond. The King came in at the latter end, just as the Ambassador was going away. In this manner was this slave (for he was no more at home) entertained by most of the nobility in town, and went often to Hyde Park [Map] on horseback, where he and his retinue showed their extraordinary activity in horsemanship, and flinging and catching their lances at full speed; they rode very short, and could stand upright at full speed, managing their spears with incredible agility. He went sometimes to the theaters, where, upon any foolish or fantastical action, he could not forbear laughing, but he endeavored to hide it with extraordinary modesty and gravity. In a word, the Russian Ambassador, still at Court behaved himself like a clown compared to this civil heathen.

Adeline Horsey Recollections. If Lord Cardigan (age 50) and I had met in 1909 instead of in 1857 no particular comment would have been made on our friendship, but in 1857 Society was scandalised because I had the courage to ride and drive with a married man who had an unfaithful wife.

There was another and a stronger reason for the wagging tongues of slander, for they were prompted by jealousy. Lady Cardigan (age 50) was then very ill, and every one knew that her death was only a question of a year or two. Once free, Lord Cardigan would be a prize well worth winning by match-making matrons with marriageable daughters, and his openly avowed affection for me had put an end to these hopes, I was not in the least disturbed by the incessant gossip, but my father (age 58) and my brothers were much worried and annoyed at the reports which were circulated, and although Lady Georgina Codrington (age 31) wrote to my father and begged him not to make a fuss about things, he suddenly became very angry and declared he would leave London for good and take me with him.

A most distressing scene followed. I said that, as there was no evil in my friendship with Lord Cardigan, I refused to give up his acquaintance, or to be taken into the country against my will, and I steadily defied my father and brothers to make me alter my decision. Family quarrels are, perhaps, the most rankling of any, for they are generally retaliative, and much is said that is never forgotten or quite forgiven; ours was no exception, and the result of it was that I decided to leave home. With me, to think has always been to act, so I ordered my horse "Don Juan" to be brought round, and I rode away to liberty. My own income rendered me perfectly independent; I put up at a quiet hotel in Hyde Park Square, and looked about for a furnished house. I did not go into exile alone, for my father's valet, Mathews, came with me, and his fidelity was well rewarded when he entered Lord Cardigan's service after our marriage.

I was lucky enough to find a charming little furnished house in Norfolk Street Park Lane, and I installed myself there with Mathews and three other servants. It was a quiet household, and although at first things seemed strange to me, I was very happy. I rode with Cardigan every day in the Park [Map], regardless of the averted glances of those who had once called themselves my friends. I often wonder why friendship is so apostrophised, for real friends in trouble are practically non-existent, especially at the moment they are most needed. The ideal friend, whose aim in life should be to forget "base self", as the poets say, is as extinct as the Dodo, and those who talk most about friendship are usually the first to forget what is the true meaning of the word.