drove to the Nassau Palace to bring the Prince and Princess and their
suite to the Marquis's mansion. Here a guard of honour of thirty
musketeers was standing before the door, and they were conducted from
their coaches by Spinola preceded by twenty-four torch-bearers up the
grand staircase to a hall, where they were received by the Princesses of
Mansfeld, Velasco, and other distinguished dames. Thence they were led
through several apartments rich with tapestry and blazing with crystal
and silver plate to a splendid saloon where was a silken canopy, under
which the Princess of Conde and the Princess of Orange seated themselves,
the Nuncius Bentivoglio to his delight being placed next the beautiful
Margaret. After reposing for a little while they were led to the ball-
room, brilliantly lighted with innumerable torches of perfumed wax and
hung with tapestry of gold and silk, representing in fourteen embroidered
designs the chief military exploits of Spinola. Here the banquet, a cold
collation, was already spread on a table decked and lighted with regal
splendour. As soon as the guests were seated, an admirable concert of
instrumental music began. Spinola walked up and down providing for the
comforts of his company, the Duke of Aumale stood behind the two
princesses to entertain them with conversation, Don Luis Velasco served
the Princess of Conde with plates, handed her the dishes, the wine, the
napkins, while Bucquoy and Visconti in like manner waited upon the
Princess of Orange; other nobles attending to the other ladies. Forty-
eight pages in white, yellow, and red scarves brought and removed the
dishes. The dinner, of courses innumerable, lasted two hours and a half,
and the ladies, being thus fortified for the more serious business of the
evening, were led to the tiring-rooms while the hall was made ready for
dancing. The ball was opened by the Princess of Conde and Spinola, and
lasted until two in the morning. As the apartment grew warm, two of the
pages went about with long staves and broke all the windows until not a
single pane of glass remained. The festival was estimated by the thrifty