From hence the Knights walk two and two in procession to St. George’s chapel, preceded by the poor knights, prebends, heralds, pursuivants, and other officers of the order, in their several habits; being arrived there, the Knights elect rest themselves in chairs behind the altar, and are respectively introduced into the chapter house, where the Knights commissioners (Garter and the other officers attending) invest them with the surcoat or upper habit of the order, while the register reads the following admonition: “take this robe of crimson to the increase of your honour, and in token or sign of the most noble order you have received, wherewith you being defended, may be bold, not only strong to fight, but also to offer yourself to shed your blood for Christ’s faith, and the liberties of the church, and the just and necessary defence of them that are oppressed and needy.” Then Garter presents the crimson velvet girdle to the commissioners, who buckle it on, and also girds on the hanger and sword.
The procession of each Knight elect separately is afterwards made into the choir attended by the Lords commissioners, and other companions of the order, and preceded by the poor knights, prebends, &c. as before, Garter in the middle carrying on a crimson velvet cushion, the mantle, hood, garter, collar, and george, having the register on his right hand, who carries the New Testament, and the oath fairly written on parchment, and the black rod on his left. On entering the choir, after reverence made to the altar, and the Sovereign’s stall, the Knights are conducted to their several stalls, under their respective banners, and other ensigns of honour. The Knights elect then take the oath, and are compleatly dressed, invested with the mantle of the order, and the great collar of St. George, which is done with great state and solemnity.
After the installation, the Knights make their solemn offerings at the altar, and prayers being ended, the grand procession of the Knights is made from the choir in their full habits of the order, with their caps frequently adorned with diamonds and plumes of feathers, on their heads, round the body of the church, and passing out at the south door, the procession is continued in great state through the courts of the castle into St. George’s hall, preceded by his Majesty’s music; in the following order, the poor knights of Windsor; the choir of St. George’s chapel; the canons, or prebends of Windsor, the heralds, and pursuivants at arms; the dean of Windsor, register of the order, with garter king at arms on his right hand, and on his left the black rod of the order; the Knights companions, according to their stalls, their trains supported by the choristers of St. George’s chapel.
The Knights having for some time rested in the royal apartments, a sumptuous banquet is prepared, if the Sovereign be present, in St. George’s hall, and in his absence, in the great guard chamber next adjoining, and the Knights are introduced and dine with great state in the habits of the order, the music attending. Before dinner is ended, Garter king at arms proclaims the style and dignity of each Knight, after which the company retire, and the evening is closed with a ball for the ladies in the royal lodgings. For the farther illustration of the preceding account of Windsor Castle, we have given a plan of it, which shews the exact disposition of the whole, and the situation of its several parts with regard to each other. The perspective view is taken from
Windsor great park and forest. As we have already described the town of Windsor, the little park and castle, and given some account of the order of Knights of the garter, we are naturally led to mention the great park, which lies on the south side of the town and opens by a noble road in a direct line to the top of a delightful hill at near thee miles distance. This road leads through a double plantation of trees on each side, to the ranger’s or keeper’s lodge, at present the residence of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, who has greatly improved the natural beauties of the park, and by large plantations of trees, extensive lawns, new roads, canals, and rivers, has rendered this villa an habitation worthy of a Prince.
The great park is fourteen miles in circumference, and is well stocked with deer and other game; many foreign beasts and birds are here also kept by his Royal Highness, who is continually adding new improvements. The new erected building on Shrub’s hill, adorned beneath with the prospect of the most beautiful verdure, and a young plantation of trees, is very elegant, and promises in a short time to afford the most delightful rural scene, the noble piece of water below, produced at a great expence from a small stream, is now rendered capable of carrying barges and boats of pleasure. Over this river, which terminates in a grotto, and large cascade, his Royal Highness has erected a bridge on a noble and bold plan, it consisting of one single arch 165 feet wide.
But his Royal Highness’s attention is not confined to the park alone; but in like manner extends to the adjoining forest, which is of great extent, and was appropriated to hunting and the residence of the royal game by William the Conqueror, who established many laws and regulations for the preservation of the deer, that are still observed. In this extensive tract of land are several pleasant towns and villages, of which Wokingham, situated near the center of the forest, is the principal, and though the soil is generally barren and uncultivated, yet it is finely diversified with hills and vales, woods and lawns, and interspersed with pleasant villas. These rural scenes are finely painted by Mr. Pope, who resided here when he wrote his Windsor forest, and was himself a native of the place, being born at Binfield.
Here waving groves and chequer’d scenes display,
And part admit, and part exclude the day;
There, interspers’d in lawns and op’ning glades,