The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-01 00:00:00

LING ARTIIVR'S ROUND TABLE.

" Mindful of his promise to the Duke of Norfolk to feast
his grace at Arthur's Round Table in Winchester Castle,
Philip appointed tho day before his departure for the ban-
quet. Twenty-four guests were invited, half of whom were
English nobles, and the other half Spanish grandees.
In the midst of the great hall of the castle, which was
more tban 150 feet long, and with a lofty roof of open
rafters, richly sculptured, was placed
the pride of warlike years,
Old Arthur's board—
in other words, the tamous Round Table, at which King
Arthur and his illustrious knights had often feasted.

" Framed by Uter Pendragon, Arthur's royal sire, who
fi,,urisl2ed early in the sixth century, or more than twelve
hundred years ago, this wondrous table was given by him
to King Leodegraunce of Camelyard, who held it in high
esteem. When Leodegraunce bestowed his fair daughter,
the lovely but erring Guenever, upon Arthur, he sent bim
at the same time, as the richest present he could bestow,
the royal table, causing it to be conveyed by a hundred
knights. Er.chanted with the gift, Arthur forthwith in-
stituted the order of the Round Table (the earliest military
order of knighthood), and had the places appointed for
himself and his twenty-four knights blessed by the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury. So runs toe legend. But by whom-
soever fashioned, the Round Table was at least remarkable
for antiquity in the time of Henry VIII., who had it h
painted for use at the banquet given by
ror Charles V. It still exists, as we have already int.l-
- to the Em. pe:
mated, and is constructed of stout oaken planks, painted in
parti-coloured rays, on the borders of which
Some thitish pen has sketched the names renowned,
In marks obscure, of Arthur's deathless peers.
"Obscure as an the characters, the names of Sir Tris-
tram, Sir Launcelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Percival, Sir
Gawaine, Sir Ector, Sir Bors, and other peerless knigbts,
may be read upon this scroll of fame. In Cromwell's time
the Round Table narrowly escaped destruction from the
Parliamentary soldiers, who never list an opportunity of
committing sacrilege of some kind. They set it up as a
target, and perforated it with bullets. In the centre of the
board is the Tudor rose, and the sovereign's place is indi
cared by a full-length portrait of Henry VIII., seated under
a canopy with an ermine mantle over his shoulders, and
holding the orb and sword.
.; The great hall in which the Round Table was set was
hung with ancient and somewhat faded arras, representing

in one place the interview of the twelve Roman knights
with Arthur, and in another the renowned British king re-
ceiving his sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake,
Five and twenty snits of armour of colossal size were placed
on stands against the walls, while the intervals were filled
with trophies composed of shields, spears, awcrds, battle-
axes, mac,s, and other weapons. The cushion of each
chair was embroidered in letters of gold with the name of
its occupant. A curiously carved oak chair, in which bluff
King Hal had sat, was assigned to Philip. On his right
sat the Lord Chancellor, and on tee left the Duke of Nor •
folk. the place next to Gardiner was allotted to the Duke
of Alva, while Norfolk's neighbour was the Duke of Me-
dina Celi. In this wise were the twt my-tour guests dia-
-1 posed—English and Spanish nobles alternately."
After these and many other festivities in honour of
the Royal marriage had taken place, Putty and
Mary made their public entry into London. A
scene, vividly portrayed in the gorgeous
colouring of three ceLturies back, which will
recall to many a reader the public entry
only the other day of another Prince and Princess,
a Royal bride and bridegroom. Queen Mary,
splendidly attired in cloth of gold, blazng with
jewels of inestimable value, sat in a gilt chariot,
drawn by six horses in housings of white satin
embroidered with gold, ridden by pages in crimson
satin ; while her Royal consort, mounted on a fiery
Andulasian barb, trapped with black taffetas and
silver lace, rode by her side, attended by fifty horse-
men in trappings of crimson velvet. Gorgeous as
the spectacle may have been, we doubt if the num-
ber and interest of the spectators could in any way
compare with that marvellous gathering of the
7th of March, which has for ever immortalised
that day in the annals of London pageantry !
The chief feature, however, in this instal-
ment of " Cardinal Pole," is the arrival in
England of the Cardinal himself as legate from the
Holy Sea. Here is an apparently life-like por-
trait of—