Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-04-24


us pass to the first real love match of Prin.
cess Royal, namely, that of Eleanora, the eld-
est daughter Of Edward l., with Henry, Duke
Of Bar. The Duke was visitor to the En-
glish King, and during q sojourn here Of some
months learned to appreciate and win the
Princess ElcanOra. The lover paid his own
expenses and endowed his bride with terrific
rics which made her the weaIthicst of duches-
ses. The wedding took place in Bristol in
1898; and MS the Lord Primatc was absent,
and his Grace Of York was out Of favor, the
Archbishop of Dublin had the honor of
uniting this pair Of princely lovers. The fes-
tval held in celebration OF the marriage, at
Bar, in presence of the illustriOus couple,
ended, however, fatally. The old Duke of
Brabant, stimulated by the beauty of the
bride, and eager TO win the crown Of victory
from her hands, fought in the lists with such
earnestness, that something Ikea real combat
ensucd, and he received such injuries from
his adversary, Sir Pierre dc Baulienont, that
he soon after died.
ltmay here be noticed that at these nuptinls
things did not always go as merry as the mar
riagc bells. Thus, when the lively Joanna, an
other Of Edwards daughters mar led Gilbert
dc Clare, Earl of Gloucester, the bride had in.
deed, q splendid wardrobe provided for her by
the gallant bridegroom, but her unmarried sis
tcrs wore old robes, to repair which the court
tailors spent nine weary days; and as the viva.
cious Joanna herself happened to displeasc her
royal parent, they took her new dresses away
from her after the ceremony was over, observ.
irg that they woulddo for her next sister, Mar
garet. At the ceremony the modest sum of28
siiillings--no great ldr0eSse, even If VIC multiply
it by twenty, to get its equivalent in modern
coin-was scattered among the people for n
general scramble. We arc afraid, too, that
matters did not pass so pleasantly as wonld
have been desircdin the temporary hall erected
at Westminster for the marriage banquet. We
arc sorry to say II, but some of the guests got
uproariousIy drunk, and Foulk St EdInonds
was so much more tipsy and riotous than the
rest, that he actually smashed several Of tho ta.
blcs, and We hope, had a splitting headache
next morning.
Joanna was the lady who, when she lost her
lord, married privately with one of his young
and handsome squires, Rauf dc Mchermer. Her
fathers wrath was terrific, but the irresistible
Princess at last pacified him by the remark that
as it was not held disgraceful for great Earl
to marry an honest yet low.bOrn maiden, she
could not see why she was to be blamed for
wedding with gallant and worthy youth
And so this humble squire became the son-in-
law of the King of England, who powerful as
he was, was as helpless here as any other IA
ther having wiliul daughter
The Princess Margaret, named above mar.
ricd John Of Brabant, gently who was more
Of sportsman than lover. They were uni
ted at Westminster in July, 1890; the bride
had half Golconda on her person, and the
bridegroom changed his dress not less than
three times, and each change, as with cques-
trians in the circle exhibited him more splen-
did than before. When the ceremony was over,
hundreds Of the nobility of both sexes trav-
crsed the streets Of London singing the chorus
Of rejoicing and there seems to have been a
very decent attempt at an illumination at the
palace, the brilliancy of which may be vouched
for from the fact that four boys had been en-
gagged whole fortnight in collecting candles
for the occasion!
1t was very ordinary circumstance for most
Of these royal brides to have many successive
lovers before they could secure man honest
or prudent enough to keep his word.
Joanna, the second daughter Of Edward the
Third, affords another illustration Of the little
lclicacy with which nuptial arrangements
were made at this period. She was on her
way to espouse the son of the Duke of Austrin:
but she returned, on an intlligible intimation
that courteous Austria" had changed his
mind. Subsequently she went as far as Bor.
dcaux, awaiting there the good will of Peter
the Cruel, to whom she was affianccd; but as
tho plague smote and killed her near that city.
she may be said to have had lucky escape
The married daughters Of Edward tho iV.
experienced very different destinics. The
marriage Of the eldest, Elizabeth, with the
Earl Of Richmond, Henry the Seventh, united
tho Two Roses. The anxiety of both par.
ties for this union was very great. Henry
himself had been grievously alarmed by q
hostile report that the princess (heiress to the
Crown was already married and when the
Parliament, on the Speaker recommending
this match to him. universally rose and bowed
to him in sign that such was their wish also.
the new king replied, with ready alacrity,
that he was every willing so to do" This
also was a January wedding. 1t was solemn.
lied at Westminster in 1886; and the fcsti.
val amuscments consisted of tournaments,
Masses dances bontires, rejoicing chorouscs,
and tremendous banqucts throughout London,
Henry VII. could not procure Royal husbands
for his wifc's sisters, and he accordingly
united them with noble gentlemen
Princes Cecilia, indeed, united herselE and
that priority, to Viscount Wells, who had
been smitten by her beauty, but who, when
received nt Court, occupied place at table
inferior in dignity to that Of his wife. She
lost nothing by not meeting with q Prince
and she loved private life so well, that When
Lord Wells died, after dozen years Of wed.
lock, in 1893, Cecilia, only few months sub.
sequently, took for her liege lord one Thomas
Kyme, man SO utterly unknown to those
magnificent persoDages, the heralds, that he
is supposed to have been very low fellow
indeed. Thomas was not acknowledged al
Court but Cecilia" lived with him IN such
comfort as small means could procure, about
four years. This was one ofthSlowcst match.
es ever contracted by q Royal Princess ol
England.
llcnryS daughter, Margaret, found in James
w., Of Scotland a husband who considered
himself equal in rank with her sire. The
marriage Of this Princess Royal did not take
place in England, but tho betrothal was cole.
brated ut Richmond, in 1902. We now find
something resembling the dramatic mas0uc
among the festivities of the occasion, and
poetry and song shared with mountCbanks,
as noble jousters did with less noble tumblcrs'
in doing honor to the celebrations. A weary
journey took the youthful princess to HOLY.
rood where she was formally welded To hrr