Sex life in England / Iwan Bloch.

  • Iwan Bloch
Date:
1934
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Sex life in England / Iwan Bloch. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    28/368 page 24
    SEX LIFE IN ENGLAND 111111111; 1111111111111111111111111111 n 1111111111 r i Catherine of Braganza, whom the monarch had chosen for his consort arrived, May 13, 1662, the king was with Lady Castlemaine, as Pepys has related in his diary. But there was no light burning before her house, which caused a bit of a sensation. The king and his paramour had sent for a scale to weigh themselves; and these sportive measurements estab- lished the fact that the Lady, who was with child, was the heavier. In general, the Castlemaine acted arrogantly enough to the new queen. Pepys relates that once the queen, who was in the company of her ladies, said to Lady Castlemaine that she feared the king would take cold if he would stay at Castlemaine's far into the night. The latter answered aloud that the ruler never stayed very late with her; he generally left early— although rarely before two or three in the morning—and that very likely he spends the night elsewhere. Just then the king entered and as he heard this impertinent remark he whispered something into her ear, called her a bold and rude woman and ordered her to leave the court. She did so immediately and moved into lodgings on Pall Mall where she remained for two or three days. She then sent to ask the monarch whether she could have her things removed, to which he answered that she had better come to see them. So she came, the king went to her and they again became good friends. Such brief separations were not infrequent, but this energetic woman knew well how to manipulate the weak ruler so as to make him toe the mark. Pepys has preserved for us some specimens of her art in this respect. Once, after the lovers had experienced one of their periodic reconciliations, she did not live at Whitehall but with a Sir D. Harris whither the king came to visit her. Harris later related how she had de- manded that the monarch go down on his knees to beg her forgiveness and promise never again to insult her in that fashion. She actually threat- ened to send all his natural children packing to his door. In her passion she cried that she wanted to be rid of the king and to have printed all his letters to her. Despite the resistance of the queen, Lady Castlemaine was assigned to the court of the latter. In 1662 she bore the king a second child, Charles. More and more now she began to have numerous other affairs. Never- 124:
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3