of Poland, Sweden, Russia, and Saxony are also expected here, but their names and the number of their retinue have not yet been received."

Lady Arabella Stuart, in a letter written in December, 1603, says that the King would at Christmas feast all the Ambassadors this "confusion of imbassages." From a contemporary Spanish narrative (see Rye's England as Seen by Foreigners) it appears that Don Juan Tassis, Count of Villamediana, the Spanish Ambassador above mentioned, arrived at Dover with a large train, on August 31, 1603, and reached London on September 9. He did not, however, stop here on account of the Plague, which in the previous week had swept off 4,900 persons, but proceeded by water to Kingston (Kuirckston), afterwards to Hampton Court, Staines, Windsor (Wunyer), Maidenhead, Henley, Oxford, and Southampton. After considerable delay, by reason of one of his retinue dying, as it was reported, of the Plague at Oxford, he received an audience of the King at Winchester, on October 4. It is stated that in eight weeks upwards of 30,000 persons had died of the Plague in London. Don Juan remained two years in London as Ordinary Ambassador, living with a "magnificence worthy of the monarch whom he represented." He sent out to Spain, as presents to Philip III. and his principal ministers, no less than two hundred English horses of great value; but the beautiful and rich presents that he received from King James he dedicated to the service of God in the Church of the Convent of St. Augustine of Valladolid (Chifflet, Maison de Tassis, 1645, p. 186). The office of Postmaster was hereditary in the Tassis family. Count Villamediana is one of the personages represented in the large "Conference picture which was acquired for the National Portrait Gallery at the Hamilton Palace sale in July, 1882. It represents the Conference at Somerset House, between the English and Spanish Commissioners for the treaty of peace concluded in August, 1604. Velasco, Constable of Castile, and the Count of Aremberg are likewise conspicuous figures. Mr. Scharf is of opinion that it is the work of Marc Gheeraedts, rather than of

Juan Pantoja, the Spanish painter, to whom it had been attributed. This important historical picture was purchased for £2,520.

Among other valuable presents bestowed on the Constable of Castile on this occasion by King James, was a very ancient gold enamelled pyx, one of the crown jewels, which the recipient, soon after his return to Spain, gave to the Convent of Medina del Pomar; the Abbess, being in want of money, sold it, and a few years ago it was purchased in Paris, by Baron Pichon, who considers it of very great value. The Duke of Frias, a descendant of the Constable, endeavoured by a legal process to recover it, but was unsuccessful. It was stated at the trial (1885), in Paris that a magnificent pearl necklace, which had been sent as a present from Queen Anne, of Denmark, to the Constable's wife, and which had cost £1,400, had then recently been sold by the Duke to a jeweller.

The "Venetian Ordinary Ambassador above mentioned must have been the Secretary Giovanni Carlo Scaramelli, who, after forty-four years' cessation of diplomatic relations with England, had been specially despatched by the Senate to Queen Elizabeth, in order to complain of the injuries inflicted by the English on Venetian vessels. He arrived in London in the beginning of February, 1603, and received his first and only audience with the aged Queen on Sunday, February 16, just six weeks before her death. After allowing him to kiss her hand, she addressed the envoy thus: "Welcome to England, Mr. Secretary, it is high time for the Republic to send to see a Queen who on every occasion has done it so much honour." In October, Scaramelli was lodging at Kingston, and left for Venice soon afterwards. Pietro Duodo and Nicolo Molino, who came to congratulate King James, arrived in England in November; the former left at the beginning of 1604, and Molino remained as Ordinary Ambassador; his Report (" Relazione") is printed in Barozzi's collection. Buwinckhausen, the Wirtemberg Ambassador, and the writer of the German account of the Coronation, returned in August, 1603.

30s.

To ffarmer... hewing of pannell The Pannell are pyled on 2 heapes in the Garden and are in number 133 dozen of pannell of punchion 41 dozen for the which he is fullie paid.

The number of bourdes sawed and reckoned on the other side of the leaffe are (accompting there withall their veales and wastes kirffes) seven score and ten hundredd. Whereof I gave to Mr. Raffe Sheldon of Beoley toward the bourding of his newe house at Weston in Warwickshire 20 hundred. So there remayneth to me piled in the masons work-house 6 score and 10 hundredd.

In the name of God Amen. Nowe purposing by God's assistance to go forward withe building of Kyer House and reparinge the ruyns thereofI brought John Bentley ffreemason from Oxford (where he wrought the newe addition to Sir Thomas Bodleigh his famous library) with me as I came from London to Kyer to take instructions from me by veinge the place to draw me a newe platte for I altered my first intent, because I wold not encroche on the Churchyard, nor alter it, nor build a new Churchyarde more convenient hard by because my consyence wold have accused me of doinge the same, of purpose only to grace myne owne house.*

The church and churchyard were on the eastern side of a courtyard on two levels, and divided by a flight of steps, quite close to the house.

position with regard to piscina and sedilia is indicated in the block below. The inner (ie., towards the chancel) edge of the arch is rebated, but there are no indications of hinges, the walls being plastered. The outer edge is chamfered off to a square aperture.

The lower part of the window in the centre of the north wall, for about eighteen inches above the sill (which is four feet from the ground), is narrower than the glazed portion, and this narrower part is stopped up with a flagstone. There are no indications of hinges or how it was originally stopped; and inside the chancel it is covered up by a modern sill.

Trowell Church and its Low Side Windows.

BY JOHN WARD.

JOME low side windows and other peculiarities of the chancel of Trowell Church, East Notts, are well worthy of consideration. The general character of this chancel will be better gathered from the following sketches from my note-book (not made to scale) of the sidewalls, than from a description. The main fabric is of Early English untrimmed masonry in thin courses, indicated by the closer shading. To this period belong the windows and doorway of the north wall, and the filledin arch on the opposite side. The filling-in of this arch is either of Perpendicular date (the date of its window and plinth, which is carried also round the south aisle), or later, the window and plinth (presumably of a chapel on this side) being re-used. eastward window of this south wall is also a Perpendicular insertion. Immediately below its sill is a square aperture (about eighteen inches wide and sixteen inches high, and four feet six inches from the ground), now filled in flush with the chancel wall. Its inner face is still open, and takes the form of a piscina-like opening; its floor, however, is quite flat. Its

The

The westward window of this north wall is immediately to the right of the priest's door. It is somewhat smaller than the above, and its lower part is similarly filled in with a flagstone, but is as wide as the upper part. The sill is two feet ten inches above the ground, but the internal arrangement is hidden by modern work. This is a casement window; the iron framework is certainly very old. On the external chamfer of each jamb, and extending from the level of the top of the flagstone to the spring of the arch, is a line of cement filling a groove of some sort, but there is nothing to indicate its nature.