 | Lady Layard’s Journal Go to a Date Search the Journal |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |
9 December 1870 — Madrid | |
Friday. 9th [December 1870]. This is the day for the great excursion arranged for the Corps Diplomatiques by Señor Sagasta Minister of F Affairs– The excursion was to the Escurial– Luckily the day was warmer & the sun bright. After a hasty early breakfast we repaired to the Italian “du Nord” & there found the special train awaiting us & most of the colleagues assembled also Del Cerro & De Blas (Under Sec: of F.A.) Soon up bustled Mme Karnicky (the Austrian Ambr & wife) with a small carpet bag—muff—parasol, box of bonbons &c– She said “dans mon etat” the Dr has allowed me to go to the Escurial—& after much fuss we got her safely into the saloon carriage & in an hour’s time we were at the Escurial. There carriages waited & took us up to the Palace. We deposited our cloaks in the private apartments wh are hung with the Goya tapestry. Some little time or other for some reason or other unknown to me the sarcophagus of the Empr Charles Vth laid in the Pantheon in the Escurial had been opened & not reclosed & Sagasta promised us that if he took us to the Escurial we should be allowed to look on the body of the Empr– Palmaroli had heard of this & went down this morng by an early train & when we arrived he came & talked to me & I got him permission to join the party– His object was to make some sketch of the royal body, wh he since has done & is going to give it to me– It is a small oil sketch. While the party went round the private rooms I sat & warmed myself & talked to Pal as I had been over the Palace before– At abt 12 we went in to a magnificent breakfast laid in the largest of the rooms, but I confess I thought it a wearisome affair. I sat on Sagastas left & M. Blondeel (the Belgian Minister) handed me in– It was a sumptuous repast—quite a dinner with champagne & ices & lasted an hour & ½– After it we went to another room for coffee & the gentlemen to smoke & then impatiently prepared for the rest of the expedition– All the rooms we went thro’ were temporarily hung with some of the most splendid tapestry I ever saw– It was all from the cellars of the Palace at Madrid & is magnificent– Some of it from Raphael’s cartoons all embroidered over in gold & silver & some from Flemish pictures. They told us there were 4000 metres of it altogether eno’ to hang on each side of the road from the Palace at Madrid to the Atocha. We visited Philip II’s cell—saw his chairs & stools & the place where his bed was put so that from a little window he could see the high altar & where he died– Out of this cell a door opens into the church a cold immense undecorated building– We then went to the Pantheon. I, Mr Blanc, Adeline & de Blas hurried down to see the great Emperor in quiet before the crowd came down & I was the first with Mr Blanc (the Italian Minister) to mount the scaffold– The man who lifted the cloth held a taper & we looked on the mortal remains of the great man. What a lesson the sight of his black skeleton was—& how one felt in one moment the nothingness of the greatest man– One moment before & ones excited imagination could only picture the proud ruler of so many nations—& in the next all this was obliterated at the sight of his skeleton. The only remaining trace of feature was the Austrian chin wh still retains part of the short red beard– The mouth is fallen in & but a gash & the head is still covered with a small white damask cap embroidered with gold under which Palmaroli told me he found on examination that some hair still existed. The whole body was enveloped in a piece of rather coarse linen edged with a rough narrow lace & over that a piece of red damask– On descending from the scaffolding I crept up again to the church & on the way met the whole party going down & I could not help feeling how their laughter & noisy talking & joking jarred upon my feelings. I was glad to find myself alone in the church & I sat quietly for a little while on a projecting stone of one of the pillars until M Villaamil came & offered to show me the embroideries in the sacristy & there I stayed till the rest of the party joined me– We then went over the rest of the building the monastery, library &c & saw some holy reliques kept in a tiny chapel. After seeing everything we got into the carriages & were driven down to the Casa de los Infantes in the garden where we had biscuits & Ponchà la Romaine & then went to the station abt ½ past 6 & went back by special to Madrid—pleased—tired—& glad to have got Mme Karnicky safe back—altho’ she did not see the body of Charles Quint for fear it might make a “facheuse impression.” We brought Messrs Palmaroli & Ffrench home to dine with us & went to bed early– | |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |