The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-02
THE QUEENS PLAIEANOE.


John Benefits serial In st. Nicholas"
Master Skylark, is a story of the time
OF Shakespeare n contains many quaint
pictures of old English life. In the July
number the hero. and his fellow-scholars
OF st. Paul's, are commanded to sing be-
fore the Queen, and there Is the follow
ing account of their reception
A smoking Inner was waiting them, Of
whitehall with red pepper. n a yellow
juice SO sour that Nick's mouth drew up
in a knot; but 1t was very good. There
were besides silver dishes full Of sugared
red c%urrants, and heaps of comats and
sweetmeats. which Master Gyles would
not allow them even to touch, and saffron
cakes with raisins in them, and spiced
hot cordial out of tiny silver cups. Bare
headed pages clad in silk and silver lace
waited upon them as II they were fedgling
kings; but the boys were too hungry to
care for that or to try to put on airs. and
waded into the meat and drink as if they
had been starved for a fortnight.
But when they had lone Nick saw that
the table off which they had eaten was
inlaid with pearl and silver fligree, and
that the tablecloth was of silk with woven
metal work and gems set In it worth more
than a thousand crowns. He was very
glad he had eaten first, for such wonder
full service would have taken away his
appetite.
And truly a wonderful palace was the
Queens Plaisance, as Greenwich House
was called. Elizabeth was born in it,
and so loved it most of all. There she
pleased oftenest to receive and grant au-
diences to envoy from foreign courts.
And there, on that account, as was al
a her proud, Jealous way, she made
a binding show Of glory and of wealth,
of science, art and power, that England,
to the eyes which saw her there, might
stand in second place to no dominion in
the world, however rich or great.
1t was a very house of gold.
Over the door where the lads marched
in was the Queens device, a golden rose,
with a motto set below in letters of gold,
'Dleu ct mon droit," and upon the walls
were blazoned coats of noble arms on
branching golden trees, of pure gold and
finest silk, costly beyond compare. The
royal presence chamber Shone with tap
estries of gold, of silver and of Oriental
silks, of as many shifting colors as the
birds of paradise, and wrought in ex-
quisite design. The throne was set with
diamonds, with rubies, garnets and sap
phires, glittering like a pastry crust OF
stars, and garnished with gold-lace work,
pearls and ornaments, and under the vel
vet canopy which hung above the throne
was embroidered in seed pearls, Viva
Regina Elizabetha!' There was no door
without a gorgeous usher there, no room
without a page, no corridor without a
guard, no post without a man of noble
birth to fill it.
On the walls of the great gallery were
mastery paintings of great folk, globes
showing all the stars fast in the sky, and
drawings of the world and all its parts
so real that one could see the savages
in the New World hanging to the under
side by their feet, like flies upon the cell
ing, How they stuck was more thar
Nick could make out; and where they
landed if they CHANGED to slip and fall
troubled him a deal, until in the sheer
multiplication of wonders he could not
wonder any more.