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


But some years later, and in the same month,
August, Mary Stuart, IN widows weeds, stood
At the same altar, with "that long lad" Lord
Darnlcy, and their nuptials were all over be-
tween five and six O'clock-lOng before break.
fast time.
The most romantic of all tho marriages Of
our princesses was perhaps that of Mary, the
next daughter Of Henry VII. She was the
and he subject Of her brother Henry VIII.
A king won her and welded her, Louis XII.
Of France and yet she married the subject,
her true lover, after ALL She was sent across
the sea to her royal husband and with an eS-
cort Of two thousand archers Of IIenry'S body
guard, bevy of very pale knights and palcr
ladies, was cast ashore, about three leagues to
the east of Boulognc, where there still stands
hut which is said to have been the telnpora
ry palace Of "NIadamc Mary, pearl of England"
There was a wild sort Of court held on the
sands, and some gay doings, at which one Mis-.
tress Ammo BOlcyn was among the most lively
performers. Then there was a gay cOrteiye to
Abbeville, where Louis MI. cSpouscd Madam
Mary, to whom the city made substantial pre-.
scnts Of oxen, sheep, corn, and riH oriiadiH.
In few months the queen was Il widow, aud
then speedily cnsucd that private marriage
with Charles Brandon, Duke Ot Suffolk
which, being an accomplished fact, the king
was fan to sanction. The princess kept house
in the Borouh and the dust of wife, who
was happier with duke than with king.
lies within the splendid ruins at Bury ST. Ed
munds.
We pass by the marriage Of Queen Mary
Tudor with Philip H. at Winchester, to notice
OF Ac
Elizabeth, daughter Of James to Frederick,
Count Palatine, aitcrward the "Winter King"
Of Bohemia. The most singular incident con-
nected with the performance Of this marriage
was that it was regularly asked by the publ.
cation of banns in tho Chapel Royall Tho
nuptals were celebrated in February, l6l3-
So pure and brilliant looked the bride aud her
twelve maids TINT their passage, It is said,
''lOooked like Milky Way" The expenses
of this gorgeously celebrated marriage cost
the country nearly .Rl00,000 nearly $4,000
was expended in fireworks alone on the
Thames. The lords and ladies about Court
got up masque, ut their own charge, md,
says Winwood, al hear there is an order Civ.
en- for fl 800 to provide one upon the Kings
cost " y gigantic outlay for miscrablerc-
sult
In May, 1641, occurred the last or what
may be called the child-marriagcs, when Ma
ry, daughter Of Charles l., then in her tenth
year, was married in the Chapel Royal, White.
hall, to William, altcrward second Prince Of
Orange. There was bcvy Of very little
bridesmaids, all in cloth of silver, and Bishop
Wren blessed the happy union! The bride.
groom was only eleven. The wedding frstiv-
ivity had much the aspect Of good romping
''children's party" and when King, Queen
and Court escorted the children to their res.
pectivc rooms, there were few more weary
than the little herr and heroine Of tho day.
After the lapsesof Six-and-thirty years an
other Mary, daughter Of the Duke Of York,
(James I'D was married to another and great
er William Of Orange, the son Of the couple
last mentioned. This was in November, 1877,
The lady is said to have been unwilling and
Charles II. had no greater delight than in ma.
king the great Dutch lover drunk, and indu.
him TO break the windows Of tho maids Of
honor The incident worth rcmarking on
this occasion is that the ceremony of marrigc
took place in the bed chamber Of the Princess
at nine o'clock at night. Charles II. acted AZ
"father," and kept the whole assembly in ecS-
tacy or wonder at tho excess Of his joviaty
and his loud irrcvcrancc. HIe interrupted the
Bishop, and talked jokihgly to the bride, an
swercd moro than was SGT down for him as
"lathcr," aud, finally, after supper was over,
speeches made, posSet drunk and cake broken,
the merry and tipSy monarch dIcw the cur.
tains with his own royal hand, and haloo
such as Squire Western might have given Of
''St George for England"
The same joyous "fathcr" gave away the
Princess Annie to George Of Denmark In July,
1883. The ceremony took place in the Chapel
Royal at st. James, and was splendid and
tOlerably decorous. Tho people were not for.
gotten on this occasion Wine, puppit shows
and diversions were provided for them gratis,
and the church bells chimcd from overy
StceplC throughout the entire night.
The first marriage in England Of Princess
Of the Georgian era occurred just half cen.
tury after the marriage last recorded. In
March, 1888, the Prince Of Orange, whom
Queen Caroline called an "animal," and
George the Second "baboon," was cspouScA
to the Princess Ammo "in tho French Chapel "
St. James. The groom was hideously ugly,
and tho bride was marked by tho smallpox,
The ceremony took place in the evening AT
midnight there was public supper, and At
two in the morning the unromantic couple
sat up in bed in rich undresscs, while the
Court and nobility, as chronicler remarks,
"frcSh frOm-an- oxhilirating supper aud
strong wines, dCfiled before them, making
pleasant rOmarks the while, as fair gentlemen
used to make who were born in our Angus
tan age" As similar ohScrvances marked
the other royal marriages of such children Of
George the Second as entered into the hap.
py state, q simple record Of the fact to mark
the tone Of the times will suffice.
This custom, which had grown ont Of the
solemn pageaWt which used to take bride and
bridegroom to their thresholds and there leave
them with honest blessings and good wishes,
was omitted at the wedding Of George the
Third with Queen Charlotte. But even on
that occasion the bride, who had been travel.
ing all day, had to sup in public, and could
hardly hold up that remarkably plain face oI
aers, when Two in the morning struck, and
she was permitted to retire.
Soon afterward-when the Duke of Bruins.
wick married the Princess ANgusta-a very
beggarly wedding was followed by q right
royal supper at Leicester House; and never
since that time have kings, queens, and such
like august persOnagcs assembled to hold high
festival In "LincOlin Fields" On that occa.
sion however, dramatic festivities marked the
event; and with our usual happy felicity the
bridegroom was entertained at Convent Gar.
1 ~ L.