The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-25

ciated with It.
A large and cultured audience list
ened last evening to Professor II. ID.
Winchester, Of Wesleyan university. in
his famous lecture, I'm an Old Castle"
given under the auspices of Asbury
church, of Green Ridge, in the
Bicycle club house. 1t was with
out doubt one of the most thoroughly
delightful events in the literary history
of Scranton. Professor Winchester's
vast attainments, his exquisite diction
and more than all his happy faculty
Of weaving historical interest into a
tale of centuries gone by captivated
the audience.
The 'old castle" is Ludlow, the spot
rich in tradition, famous in the Wars
of the Roses, rich in history, for here
unhappy Catherine, of Aragon spent
some Of her wretched days, leaving
the name of GATHERINGS tower to pre-
serve her memory; and here were the
two boy princes before they went to
the Tower. In the sixteenth century
Ludlow Castle was the seat of the
Prince of Wales. In 1858 Queen
Elizabeth sent Sir Henry Sidney to
dwell therein, and in the succeeding
fifty years it was the center Of great
events.
The speaker described the old castle
and the luxury of the times when the
silver and gold plate on a nobleman's
table was worth $4,000, and when in
doubets Of velvet, sashngs of satin,
velvet shoes with rubles in the buckles
and a cloud of rare lace gushing forth.
the courtiers of the day stepped down
the stately halls. Yet were they not
only courtiers but the conquerors Of
the world, the flower of chivalry.
LAND FULL OF JEWELS.
"Gold and Jewels why not?" naively
asked the speaker. What else were
they for, when the land was full of
them and twenty-five millions of treas
ure came in on one vessel. The ladies.
far be it from me to describe their
attire, but we can believe they kept
well in advance of the men as they
do yet. Any school girl remembers
that Queen Elizabeth had 5000 dresses
in her wardrobe"
y description of the Sidneys was
then given, particularly of Lady Mary,
sister of the Inflated Lady Jane Grey.
and her brother Lord Leicester, Earl
Of Dudley. whom Elizabeth, the wo-
man, loved, if Elizabeth. the Queen,
denied her hand. A wonderfully vivid
portrait Of Leicester was then given
the man who had seen his nearest
relatives perish on the sCaffod. and
who may have allowed his warincss
to degenerate into intrigue; who
killed Amy Robsart, and poisoned the
Earl of Essex, and yet whom Spenser
could not have called the Prince
Arthur of his Fairy Queen" had he
been all his enemies had said.
The brief meteor-like life of Mary
Sidney's son, Sir Philip, the pattern
gentleman" of his times, was pictured
with deft touches-dying as he did at
50, and calling forth that marvellous
obituary i'm which he is described as
one bearing the lineaments of the
GOSPEL" Mary Sidney, his sister, with
all her rare Eraces was also portrayed.
and that greatest of all epitaphs was
quoted
"Undcrncath this sable hcarsc
Lies the subject of all VERSE
Sidncy's sister. Pembroke's mother.
Death Gre thou hast slain another
Learned and fair and good as she
Time shall throw dart at thee"
PURITY OF SIDNEY'S AFFECTION.
Considerable space was devoted to
a portrait of Penelope Devereaux, Sir
Philip Sidneys stella" in the sonnets
of "AstrOphel and Stella" and his
early love so i'll fated, and SO unhappy
in her marriage to another. The pur-
ity of Sidney's affection was empha-
sized. Then followed d beautiful tri-
butte to Sir Walter Raleigh. who ac-
cOmpliShed the whole orbit of human
endeaVOr and achievment, and n
graphic view was given of the great
navigators of the times, including
Frobishcr Drake and Grenville.
a review of the literary beacons OF
the age was given including a vivid
portrait of Ben Jonson, Spenser a
Shakespeare play on its first night"
and lastly of John Milton. in connec-
tiOn with whom the speaker uttered
the clever eplgram that then 1.-THE Pur-
itans lost poetry and the poets lost
purity"
The final picture was of a reception
in this old castle to the Earl Of Bridge
water after which the scene closed
with a final glimpse only of Samuel
Butler in his chamber over the gate"
penning his satire of "Hudibras."
The lecture was one that held the
audience breathless with interest.