Hentzner, Travels in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth
1797

Whitehall, pp. 21ff

Tower of London, 26

In London:

We were shown, at the house of Leonard Smith, a tailor, a
most perfect looking-glass, ornamented with gold, pearl, sil-
ver, and velvet, so richly as to be estimated at five hundred
ecus du soleil. We saw at the same place the hippocamp and
eagle stone, both very curious and rare. (32)

Windsor Castle:

Besides what has been already mentioned, there are worthy
of notice here two bathing-rooms, ceiled and wainscoted with
looking-glass; the chamber in which Henry VI. was born;
Queen Elizabeth’s bedchamber, where is a table of red marble
with white streaks; a gallery everywhere ornamented with
emblems and figures; a chamber in which are the royal beds of
Henry VII. and his Queen, of Edward VI., of Henry VIII.,
and of Anne Boleyn, all of them eleven feet square, and cov-
ered with quilts shining with gold and silver; Queen Elizabeth’s
bed, with curious coverings of embroidery, but not quite so
long or large as the others; a piece of tapestry, in which is
represented Clovis, King of France, with an angel presenting
to him the Fleurs-de-lis to be borne in his arms; for before his
time the Kings of France bore three toads in their shield, in-
stead of which they afterwards placed three Fleurs-de-lis on
a blue field; this antique tapestry is said to have been taken
from a King of France, while the English were masters there.
We were shown here, among other things, the horn of a uni-
corn, of above eight spans and a half in length, valued at above
10,000 pounds; the bird of paradise, three spans long, three
fingers broad, having a blue bill of the length of half an inch, the
upper part of its head yellow, the nether part of a...colour; a
little lower from either side of its throat stick out some reddish
feathers, as well as from its back and the rest of its body; its
wings, of a yellow colour, are twice as long as the bird itself;
from its back grow out lengthways two fibres or nerves, big-
ger at their ends, but like a pretty strong thread, of a leaden
colour, inclining to black, with which, as it has not feet, it is
said to fasten itself to trees when it wants to rest; a cushion
most curiously wrought by Queen Elizabeth’s own hands (54-5)

Hampton Court

In the hall are these curiosities:
A very clear looking-glass, ornamented with columns and
little images of alabaster; a portrait of Edward VI., brother to
Queen Elizabeth; the true portrait of Lucretia; a picture of the
battle of Pavia; the history of Christ’s passion, carved in mother-
of-pearl; the portraits of Mary Queen of Scots, who was be-
headed, and her daughter; the picture of Ferdinand, Prince
of Spain, and of Philip his son; that of Henry VIII.—under it
was placed the Bible curiously written upon parchment; an
artificial sphere; several musical instruments; in the tapestry
are represented negroes riding upon elephants. The bed in
which Edward VI. is said to have been born, and where his
mother Jane Seymour died in child-bed. In one chamber were
several excessively rich tapestries, which are hung up when
the Queen gives audience to foreign ambassadors; there were
numbers of cushions ornamented with gold and silver; many
counterpanes and coverlids of beds lined with ermine: in short,
all the walls of the palace shine with gold and silver. Here is
besides a certain cabinet called Paradise, where besides that
everything glitters so with silver, gold, and jewels, as to dazzle
one’s eyes, there is a musical instrument made all of glass,
except the strings. Afterwards we were led into the gardens,
which are most pleasant; here we saw rosemary so planted
and nailed to the walls as to cover them entirely, which is a
method exceeding common in England.  (57).