In this State Room, when the King first appears, every Person present, receives him with a profound Homage: After which turning from the Company to a large Velvet Chair, by which stands the Father Confessor, he kneels down, and remains some Time at his Devotion; which being over, he rising crosses himself, and his Father Confessor having with the motion of his Hand intimated his Benediction, he then gives Audience to all that attend for that purpose. He receives every Body with a seeming Complaisance; and with an Air more resembling the French than the Spanish Ceremony. Petitions to the King, as with us, are delivered into the Hands of the Secretary of State: Yet in one Particular they are, in my Opinion, worthy the Imitation of other Courts; the Petitioner is directly told, what Day he must come for an Answer to the Office; at which Time he is sure, without any further fruitless Attendance, not to fail of it. The Audience being over, the King returns through the Gallery to his own Apartment.
I cannot here omit an accidental Conversation, that pass'd between General Mahoni and my self in this Place. After some talk of the Bravery of the English Nation, he made mention of General Stanhope, with a very peculiar Emphasis.
"But," says he, "I never was so put to the Nonplus in all my Days, as that General once put me in. I was on the road from Paris to Madrid, and having notice, that that General was going just the Reverse, and that in all likelyhood we should meet the next day: Before my setting out in the Morning, I took care to order my gayest Regimental Apparel, resolving to make the best Appearance I could to receive so great a Man. I had not travell'd above four Hours before I saw two Gentlemen, who appearing to be English, it induc'd me to imagine they were Forerunners, and some of his Retinue. But how abash'd and confounded was I? when putting the Question to one of 'em, he made answer, Sir, I am the Person. Never did Moderation put Vanity more out of Countenance: Tho' to say Truth, I cou'd not but think his Dress as much too plain for General Stanhope, as I at that juncture thought my own too gay for Mahoni. But," added he, "that great Man had too many inward great Endowments to stand in need of any outside Decoration."
Of all Diversions the King takes most delight in that of Shooting, which he performs with great Exactness and Dexterity. I have seen him divert himself at Swallow shooting (by all, I think allow'd to be the most difficult) and exceeding all I ever saw. The last time I had the Honour to see him, was on his Return from that Exercise. He had been abroad with the Duke of Medina Sidonia, and alighted out of his Coach at a back Door of the Palace, with three or four Birds in his Hand, which according to his usual Custom, he carried up to the Queen with his own Hands.
There are two Play-houses in Madrid, at both which they act every Day; but their Actors, and their Music, are almost too indifferent to be mentioned. The Theatre at the Bueno Retiro is much the best; but as much inferior to ours at London, as those at Madrid are to that. I was at one Play, when both King and Queen were present. There was a splendid Audience, and a great Concourse of Ladies; but the latter, as is the Custom there, having Lattices before them, the Appearance lost most of its Lustre. One very remarkable Thing happen'd, while I was there; the Ave-Bell rung in the Middle of an Act, when down on their Knees fell every Body, even the Players on the Stage, in the Middle of their Harangue. They remained for some Time at their Devotion; then up they rose, and returned to the Business they were before engag'd in, beginning where they left off.
The Ladies of Quality make their Visits in grand State and Decorum. The Lady Visitant is carry'd in a Chair by four Men; the two first, in all Weathers, always bare. Two others walk as a Guard, one on each Side; another carrying a large Lanthorn for fear of being benighted; then follows a Coach drawn by six Mules, with her Women, and after that another with her Gentlemen; several Servants walking after, more or less, according to the Quality of the Person. They never suffer their Servants to over load a Coach, as is frequently seen with us, neither do Coachmen or Chairmen go or drive as if they carried Midwives in lieu of Ladies. On the contrary, they affect a Motion so slow and so stately, that you would rather imagine the Ladies were every one of them near their Time, and very apprehensive of a Miscarriage.
I remember not to have seen here any Horses in any Coach, but in the King's, or an Embassador's; which can only proceed from Custom; for certainly finer Horses are not to be found in the World.
At the Time of my being here, Cardinal Giudici was at Madrid; he was a tall, proper, comely Man, and one that made the best Appearance. Alberoni was there at the same Time, who, upon the Death of the Duke of Vendome, had the good Fortune to find the Princess Ursini his Patroness. An Instance of whose Ingratitude will plead Pardon for this little Digression. That Princess first brought Alberoni into Favour at Court. They were both of Italy, and that might be one Reason of that Lady's espousing his Interest: tho' some there are, that assign it to the Recommendation of the Duke of Vendome; with whom Alberoni had the Honour to be very intimate, as the other was always distinguish'd by that Princess. Be which it will, certain it is, she was Alberoni's first, and sole Patroness; which gave many People afterwards a very smart Occasion of reflecting upon him, both as to his Integrity and Gratitude. For, when Alberoni, upon the Death of King Philip's first Queen, had recommended this present Lady, who was his Countrywoman, (she of Parma, and he of Placentia, both in the same Dukedom) and had forwarded her Match with the King, with all possible Assiduity; and when that Princess, pursuant to the Orders she had received from the King, passed over into Italy to accompany the Queen Elect into her own Dominions; Alberoni, forgetful of the Hand that first advanced him, sent a Letter to the present Queen, just before her Landing, that if she resolved to be Queen of Spain, she must banish the Princess Ursini, her Companion, and never let her come to Court. Accordingly that Lady, to evince the Extent of her Power, and the Strength of her Resolution, dipatch'd that Princess away, on her very Landing, and before she had seen the King, under a Detachment of her own Guards, into France; and all this without either allowing her an Opportunity of justifying her self, or assigning the least Reason for so uncommon an Action. But the same Alberoni (though afterwards created Cardinal, and for some Time King Philip's Prime Minion) soon saw that Ingratitude of his rewarded in his own Disgrace, at the very same Court.
I remember, when at la Mancha, Don Felix Pachero, in a Conversation there, maintain'd, that three Women, at that Time, rul'd the World, viz. Queen Anne, Madam Mantenon, and this Princess Ursini.
Father Fahy's Civilities, when last at Madrid, exacting of me some suitable Acknowledgment, I went to pay him a Visit; as to render him due Thanks for the past, so to give him a further Account of his Countryman Brennan; but I soon found he did not much incline to hear any Thing more of Murtough, not expecting to hear any Good of him; for which Reason, as soon as I well could, I changed the Conversation to another Topick. In which some Word dropping of the Count de Montery, I told him, that I heard he had taken Orders, and officiated at Mass: He made answer, it was all very true. And upon my intimating, that I had the Honour to serve under him in Flanders, on my first entring into Service, and when he commanded the Spanish Forces at the famous Battle of Seneff; and adding, that I could not but be surprized, that he, who was then one of the brightest Cavalieroes of the Age, should now be in Orders; and that I should look upon it as a mighty Favour barely to have, if it might be, a View of him; he very obligingly told me, that he was very well acquainted with him, and that if I would come the next Day, he would not fail to accompany me to the Count's House.