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"WILLTA^r AND ItfAHY.

121

Princely banquets followed one another in rapid succession.The meats were served in gold; and, according to that old-Teutonic fashion with which Shakspeare had made his country-men familiar, as often as any of the great princes proposed ahealth, the kettle drums and trumpets sounded. Some Eng-lish lords, particularly Devonshire, gave entertainments whichvied with those of Sovereigns. It was remarked that the Ger-man potentates, though generally disposed to be litigious andpunctilious about etiquette, associated, on this occasion, in anunceremonious manner, and seemed to have forgotten theirpassion for genealogical and heraldic controversy. The tastefor wine, which was then characteristic of their nation, theyhad not forgotten. At the table of the Elector of Brandenburgmuch mirth was caused by the gravity of the statesmen of Hol-land, who, sober themselves, confuted out of Grotius andPuflendorf the nonsense stuttered by the tipsy nobles of theEmpire. One of those nobles swallowed so many bumpers thathe tumbled into the turf fire, and was not pulled out till his finevelvet suit had been burned. *

In the midst of all this revelry, business was not neglected.A formal meeting of the Congress was held at which Williampresided. In a short and dignified speech, which was speedilycirculated throughout Europe, he set forth the necessity of firmunion and strenuous exertion. The profound respect withwhich he was heard by that splendid assembly caused bittermortification to his enemies both in England and in France.The German potentates were bitterly reviled for yielding pre-cedence to an upstart. Indeed the most illustrious amongthem paid to him such marks of deference as they wouldscarcely have deigned to pay to the Imperial Majesty, mingled

* Relation de la Voyage de Sa Majestd Britannique on I-Iollande;Burnet, ii. 72.; London Gazette, Feb. 12. 19, 23. 1G9J; Mdmoires du Comtede Dohna; William Fuller’s Memoirs.

CHAP.

XVII.

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