The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-27
THE EMPEROR IN ENGLAND.
NOTABLE GUESTS WHOSE VISIT!
ARE RECALLED by KAIsERs.
A Question as to the Real Motives Of
Williams Comfng-Generous En-
glish Hospitality to the Dfgni-
taries OF Continental Europe.

tarles of Continental Europe.
Between the downfall of the Roman en-
pire of the west and the beginning OF our
own century four emperors have landed
upon our English shores. The first OF these,
Baldwin II. of Constantinople, though he
was the son-in-law of the crusading hero
Jean de Brienne-for seven long years of
war and strain the octogenarian emperor
Of the east--was at first hardly suffered to
set foot upon the coast april, 1880. as he
came without an invitation on the occa-
sion Of his first visit. Though given so
dubious a welcome he managed to leave
the country f700 riches than he entered Il;
and when he came second time-a penni.
less. fugitive beggar who had been forced
to sell the holest treasures OF Christen-
dom, the cross on which Christ had suf-
fered and the crown Of thorns that once
had circled the Savior's head-he seems
to have got nothing at all, even though
he now trumped up tale Of kinship to
the king q24D.
The next imperial visitor was one of
quite another kind 1t was the last year
OF the fourteenth century "a. ID. 140O) and
Henry Nv. of England had just supplanted
his unfortunate cousin, Richard H., on the
throne. when all Europe was startled by
the news that Manuel H., emperor OF Con-
stantinople, had already started on a Dill.
grimage to the west to beg the leading
monarchs there for aid against the Turks.
His progress was long, triumphant
march. Wherever he went there was rev.
elry and feasting. In England he received
welcome such as never yet has been
given to any foreign prince. At Black
heath Henry Nv. met him and led him
through London in state December ~.
Christmas was spent at Ethan. There
were 5ousts and revelries OF every kind.
The grave aldermen Of London with their
little "sones" (sons) to help them came
out to the old Kent manor house in
Christmas week and maiden him a greet
mommyng u. e.. masquerade with King
OF Misrule or Unreason in the true old
style). for which they hadde greet
thanke." At the tournament Henry's
eldest daughter, little maiden of some
nine winters, was queen of beauty; and,
In the affected style of the age, strangely
clad warriors from every realm of fairy
land or fact presented their homage or
ran their courses in the lists before her
Manuel looking down upon this strange
scene either in bewilderment or delight,
Everyone was delighted with the visit;
Manuel had never met with so gracious
host as Henry-who, SO he wrote to a
Greek friend at Florence, was full of
charms and friendly unto ALL"
not gaze enough on this splendid looking
emperor Of fifty. this model of manly &C.
tivity and we'll proportioned vigor. They
doubtless whispered to one another the
tales that came from Paris as to his al
most superhuman agility; how when the
French king met him outside Paris. Of
fering him a splendid milk-white horse.
Manuel had, then and there, leaped from
his own steed onto the strange courser
without so much as setting even one foot
upon the ground. They wondered at his
snow-white beard-once of q full, rich
golden hue-that fell down In profusion
over his broad breast-like the boards of
the French heroes in the greatest of all
medieval epics. They wondered at his
simple dress of flowing white and at his
piety as manifested in the daily services
he frequented-services conducted in his
own Greek tongue, and not in the foreign
Latin idiom to which they were accus-
toned. And they heard, perhaps. with
deeper interest still, rumors of q strange
band of mobiles" still living in Constants
nople who claimed descent from British
heroes now dead a thousand years and
more-"nobles" who still, in the far-ofr
metropolis Of the East, spoke their own
English tongue and still bore in their
hands the same huge battleaxes that
nad crushed the Norman down at Hast
ings.
The next emperor to visit England was
Slgsmund-the emperor of the west He,
like Manuel, came to England from Paris.
and he. too. had great hopes of inducing
the king Of England, Henry ", to make
peace with the king of France and join in
one common effort against the conuueripg
Turk. He was welcomed with a splendor
that surpassed even the welcome of Man.
uel- Richard de Beauchamp, the great Earl
OF Warwick, called the prince of cour-
tesy" by his contemporaries, met him at
Calais. The kings youngest brother, the
good Duke Humphrey" Of Gloucester.
the founder of the Bodlian library at OK
FORD. was sent down to receive him at
Dover. At Canterbury he was entertained
by Archbishop Chicheley, the founder of
All Souls college; at Rochester and Dart
ford he was met by two more Of the royal
brothers, the Dukes of Bedford and Clar-
ence; while at Blackheath stood the king
himself, Henry ", fresh with all the glory
OF Agincourt round his brow, and round
him gathered some 5000 Of his greatest
knights and mobiles, along with the mayor
OF London, Master Nicholas Wotton, the
draper, accompanied by his aldermen and
the city companies, In all the splendor Of
their scarlet robes and many-colored liv-
cries. With characteristic modesty Henry
quartered his imperial guest in his own
palace at Westminster. while he himself
sought humble lodging at Lambeth.
Parliament was not allowed to break up
till the emperor had arrived; and. few
days later, Sigsmund was hurried off to
Windsor to be made Knight OF the Gar
ter under circumstances Of unusual splen-
dor.
The next emperor to land In England
was Charles W; but the story OF his two
visits, especially the last one, when Lon
don was decorated to greet him as II never
was before and probably as 1t never has
been since, would take too long to speak
of here. He alone, of all the emperors we
have dealt with. had not visited Paris be-
fore he came to London. He alone came
with the fixed intention of making dis
cord between the two realms that both
Manuel and Sigsmund had longed to recon-
cile.
Once more we have an emperor in En-
gland. He. too, has not visited Paris on