At the House of the Magician (23 page)

There were many attempts on Elizabeth’s life and most of these derived from the supporters of the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots. She had a good claim to the English throne being, like Elizabeth, a granddaughter of Henry VII. In 1585, Anthony Babington’s coded
correspondence with Mary was deciphered by Sir Francis Walsingham’s spy network, revealing a complex plan to unseat Elizabeth and put Mary on the throne of England. These attempts increased, sometimes involving foreign powers, until Elizabeth reluctantly signed Mary’s death warrant in 1587.

Use at least thirteen (it should be an odd number) of long stems of fresh lavender, not dried, and two or three metres (the amount will depend on the length of your stalks) of narrow coloured ribbon in whatever colour you choose.

1.  Make a bunch of the lavender stems, lining them up at the
base
of the flower heads rather than the tops of the flowers.

2.  With the ribbon, carefully tie the stems together just below the heads, leaving one end of ribbon much longer than the other, although the shorter end must still be longer than the length of the flower heads.

3.  Gently bend back each stem surrounding the flower heads until they are completely enclosed, as if in a cage, keeping the longer end of the ribbon on the outside, and allowing the shorter end to hang down in the ‘cage’. Then spread the stalks so that they are evenly spaced around the flowers.

4.  Taking the longer end of the ribbon, weave it under and over each stem in turn, using firm and even movements and pulling the stems fairly tight, until you run out of flowers to cover.

5.  Tie a firm knot at the base of the ‘cage’ with both ends of the ribbon, and finish with a bow.

Hung in your wardrobe, this wand will make your clothes smell sweet and deter moths.

bruisewort
– a plant supposed to heal bruises, such as ox-eyed daisy or comfrey

caudle
– hot spiced wine drink made with gruel, egg yolk, oatmeal, etc. sometimes used a medicine

ceruse
– a white lead pigment used as makeup

chafing dish
– portable brazier to hold burning coals; dishes of food could be reheated on it

coffer
– a box or chest for keeping valuables

coster
– someone who sells fruit or vegetables from a barrow or stall

coxcomb
– a foppish fellow; a conceited dandy

equerry
– an officer in the royal household

ewer
– a pitcher with a wide spout and handle for pouring

flummeries
– cold puddings, sweet and bland, made with oatmeal or flour

frowsy
– unkept; of shabby appearance

gee-gaw
– decorative trinket; a bauble

goldcups
– old name for buttercup or crowfoot plant

Groat
– English silver coin worth four old pence, used from the 14th century to the 17th century

harridan
– a woman with a reputation for being a scold or a nag

horn book
– Early primer showing alphabet, etc. consisting of a wooden board protected by a thin sheet of cattle horn

jumbales
– small flat ring-shaped cakes or cookies

kirtle
– the skirt part of a woman’s outfit. During this time everything (skirt, bodice, sleeves, ruff) came separately and were pinned together during dressing

litter
– a man-powered form of transport, consisting of a chair or couch enclosed by curtains and carried on a frame or poles

lye
– a cleansing solution traditionally made from wood ash and ‘bedchamber urine’

lying-in
– the period just before and after a woman’s confinement during childbirth

medlars
– fruit of deciduous tree similar to an apple, now little grown

neocromancer
– sorcerer, black magician. One who tries to conjure up the dead

pipkin
– small metal or earthenware vessel

porringer
– a shallow dish or cup, usually with a handle, and used for eating soup, stews or porridge

posset
– a drink of hot milk curdled with ale or beer, flavoured with spices; a common recipe for treating colds

pribbling
– an insulting term

prinked up
– to dress oneself finely; to deck out and preen oneself

puttock
– an insulting term

Rhenish
– a dry white wine

ribband
– a ribbon

samite
– a heavy silken fabric, often woven with gold or silver threads

sarcenet
– fine soft silk fabric used for clothing and ribbons

scabious
– field flower with round heads of pale blue flowers, thought effectual for treating coughs

scry
– to see or divine, especially by crystal-gazing

simples
– medicines made from herbs

tansy
– yellow-flowered plant related to dandelion; used for cleaning the skin of discolouration

tinctures
– medicinal extract in a solution of alcohol

trencher
– wooden or pewter plate for serving or cutting food

trug
– long shallow basket for carrying flowers or fruit

vittles
– food; also spelled
victuals

wool-carder
– someone who combs the wool in order to align the fibres before weaving

Elizabeth the Queen
, Alison Weir
Pimlico, 1999

The Life and Times of Elizabeth
, Neville Williams
Book Club Associates, 1972

Elizabeth the Great
, Elizabeth Jenkins
Phoenix Press, 1958

John Dee 1527–1608
, Charlotte Fell Smith
Constable and Company, 1909

Barnes and Mortlake Past
, Maisie Brown
Historical Publications Limited, 1997

The Gentlewoman’s Companion
, Hannah Woolley (1675)
Prospect Books, 2001

Elizabeth’s London
, Liza Picard
Phoenix, 2003

Our first glimpse of the frost fair came just as dusk was
falling and the air was soft and misty all around. Viewed
under these conditions any place can take on a kind of
enchantment, but to come around the bend in the river, to
hear music playing and see the fair from a distance, lit at
each side of the river by huge baskets of burning coals, was
truly a glimpse of a kind of faeryland …

Find out what the future holds for Lucy in the
follow-up to
At the House of the Magician …

BY ROYAL COMMAND

Turn the page to find out more …

BY ROYAL COMMAND

The Queen, the Spy and the Fool
in a Tale of Romance and Royal Conspiracy