ON Tuesday the 18. of March, being the second day after his Highnesse entrance into the Palace, di­uers Ambassadors and Graundes of Spaine, desired leaue of the Prince to come and kisse his hands. And that day the Duke of In­fantado, and the Duke of Cea, Grand­child to the Duke of Lerma, came [Page 2] accompanied with diuers Noble­men and Caualleros of their owne Families, to see him, and to offer him their seruice; after dinner the Prince went abroad, and ranne some cour­ses at the Ring.

On Wednesday the 19. the King being accompanied with his Bro­thers, Don Carlos, and the Infante Car­dinall, came to visit the Prince in his lodgings, from whence they all went into the Kings quarter, where hee was entertained with musicke, and saw many rare and curious pi­ctures.

The next morning being Thurs­day, the King came againe into his Highnesse lodging, and conducted him by a priuate way to his Coach, with whom entred Don Carlos, the Infante Cardinall, the Lord Marquesse [Page 3] Buckingham, the Conde of Oliuares, the Marquesse of Carpio, and the Earle of Bristol: they went about foure leagues from the towne to hunt the Wolfe, where they found many hundreds of the country people driuing the mountaines, who brought neere vn­to the seuerall standings of the King and the Prince, where they were pla­ced with their Peeces, some Wolues; but they had not the fortune to kill any. That day his Maiesty and his Highnesse dined abroad in the fields vpon the ground, and spent the rest of the day with shooting in their peeces.

Fryday the one and twentieth of March, being the day whereon the late King of Spaine died, was spent by the King and those of his Court, in deuotion and in performance of [Page 4] such Ceremonies as are vsually eue­ry yeere done by them there in re­membrance of his Obsequies.

The next day the Cardinall Spino­la, and diuers others, Ambassadors and Graundes came to kisse the Prin­ces hands in the morning. After din­ner the King accompanied with his Brothers, and the Conde of Oliuares, came into the Princes quarter to visit him, with whom hee went downe into the Gardens, from whence ta­king Coach, they passed into the fields to see some flights of the Earle of Bristolls high flying Hawkes: And afterwards they ran sundry courses at the Ring that day.

On Sunday the 23. of March, the Prince remained priuate in his lod­ging till towards the euening, and then hee walked into the Gardens. [Page 5] The Conde of Monterey feasted the Lord Marquesse of Buckingham, the Earle of Bristoll, and Sir Walter Aston, at dinner that day, and pre­sented the Lord Marquesse with di­uers Crystall vessels of great worth. And towards night there arriued the Earle of Carlisle, the Lord Viscount Andouer, the Lord Montioy, with o­thers.

The next morning the Prince was visited againe by the President of Castile, and the Presidents of the o­ther Counsells, who came to let him know, that since the time that the King their Master had giuen them charge to receiue and obey all such Consultas and Commands as shall come from his Highnesse, there had beene a stay made of all businesses in their Courts, for that hitherto his Highnesse had not beene [Page 6] pleased to dispose of any thing; In regard whereof they said they had taken the boldnesse to put him in minde thereof, and to beseech him to beleeue, that the Order which they had receiued from his Maie­sty was not complementall, but re­ally desired and intended. And therefore they humbly intreated the Prince, that hee would vouchsafe to giue some speedy order for the dis­patch of bufinesse, and the bestow­ing of such places as were then, or should heereafter happen to bee void. In the euening of the same day, there was running at the Ring, and at the Está Firmo; his Highnesse breaking many staues very well, and with great applause.

The day following being Tues­day, the King carried his Highnesse abroad a hunting to the Pardo, [Page 7] where they spent all the day, and had no very good sport, yet they saw many Stags and Boares: They did eat together vpon the ground in the open fields with very good appetites.

The six and twentieth, the Prince spent in dispatching away a Messen­ger from thence hither. On which day there arriued at Madrid the Mar­quesse of Inojoça, who was gouernor of Millan, and now Vice-King of Nauarre, from which place hee was sent for, to prepare himselfe to goe into England, as Am­bassador extraordinary to the King our Soueraigne. The more to honor him in this imployment, beside his personall merit, hee was sworne a Counsellor of State, he is to depart within few daies.

[Page 8] Thursday the seuen and twenti­eth, was the first day of a Parlia­ment held in the Kings Palace, at which his Maiesty was present in the morning. After dinner hee came vnto his Highnesse, and tooke him into his owne lodgings, where they spent part of that afternoone in conuersation, and in beholding diuers Masters of defence, who played at seuerall weapons before them.

The next day, after dinner, his Highnesse passed away the time a­while in a Garden adioyning to his lodgings: and about foure or fiue of the clocke he was by the Con­de of Oliuares conducted to a win­dow in the Palace, to see diuers Fencers play; and from thence to the Kings Armory, where (amongst many others which were both rich [Page 9] and curious) hee saw the Armes of the Emperour Charles the fifth; and of the French King, Francis the first.

The nine and twentieth of this moneth was his Maiesties Birth-day, which caused much brauery and gallantery in the Court. In the morning of this day, the Prince sent the Earle of Bristoll vnto the King, to giue him the En hora buena, as also to the Queene and to the In­fanta, to congratulate with them (as is the custome of that Court) that his Maiesty did on that day cumplir An̄os: The same day the Lord Marquesse of Buckingham had his first audience of the Infanta, who receiued him and those that went with him, with much curte­sie. In the euening the King hauing with him the Queene, the Infanta, [Page 10] Don Carlos, and the Infante Cardinall, attended on by the whole Court, went in a solemne manner to vi­sit a Monastery of the Descalsas, wherein liueth the Infanta Doña Margarita, Daughter to the Empe­rour Maximilian, and great Aunt to his Maiesty. His Highnesse to see them went priuatly in a Coach, and was conducted in such a man­ner, that at their going thither, and returning, he saw them passe by in foure seuerall places.

The next day being Palme Sun­day, his Maiestie and all the Court passed through some parts of the Palace, in a solemne and publique procession, the which the Prince likewise beheld from a secret place. In the afternoone the King and the Prince met to see the fencing againe, with which they [Page 11] entertained themselues some time. And this day his Highnesse gaue one thousand pounds sterling, to bee bestowed and distributed in the Holy weeke in almes, vpon pri­soners and other poore people of Madrid, which was greatly estee­med, and hath done him much honour with all sorts of people there.

On Munday the Genoa Am­bassador with all the Hombres de Negocios of that State, which were in Madrid, came and kis­sed his Highnesse hands. The rest of that day hee spent in reading Spanish and in priuate.

Vpon the second of Aprill, the Prince hauing with him the Lord Marquesse of Buckingham and the rest of the English Nobility [Page 12] that are there, went towards the Pardo to see the Earle of Bristols Hawkes flie, where they met the Kings Hawkes, which were made especially for the Kite and the Crowe: But the day prouing windie and vnfit to hawke in, his Highnesse went to hunt, at which he had much good sport, and killed two wilde Boares. In the euening, as hee returned, hee was met vpon the way by the Conde of Oliuares, and the Conde of Mon­terey, who waited on him to the Palace.

The next day being Wednes­day in the Holy weeke, the pub­lique and solemne exercise of de­uotion began, and the Procession, and the disciplinants which euery yeere doe vsually passe through the streets, and likewise (as their [Page 13] custome is) close by the Palace, so that the Prince beheld them out of his owne Chamber window. That day his Highnesse stirred not a­broad, but about the euening hee was visited by the Conde of Oliuares from his Maiesty.

On Thursday his Highnesse went priuatly and saw his Maiestie wash the feet of the poore, and performe other ceremonies vsually done vp­on that day. In the afternoone there passed by his Highnesse win­dow a greater Procession then had done the day before.

Good Friday was spent by that King in hearing Sermons, and in deuotion; and towards the euening when the great Procession was to passe by, the Conde of Oliuares, the Conde of Monterey, and others of the [Page 14] Counsell of State, came to the Prince his lodgings, and attended him all the time it was passing by, and afterwards his Highnesse went downe to walke in a Gar­den.

Satterday the Prince spent all the morning in priuate within his lod­ging, and in the afternoone desiring to giue his Maiesty the buenas Pas­cuas, as the vse is there, he could not bee permitted: But towards the euening his Maiesty accompanied with his two brothers, came into the Prince his lodgings, and gaue him the buenas Pascuas, where they sate and discoursed a good while.

The next day being Easter day, the Prince hauing desired leaue to repay the Visit and the buenas Pas­cuas, [Page 15] was accordingly about foure a clocke in the afternoone, brought by a priuate way vnto the King, with whom when hee had beene a short space, and performed that complement, he intimated a desire to doe the like vnto the Queene, and was presently conducted by his Maiesty, being also priuately attended by all the Grandes and great Ministers of the Court, from his owne side, vnto the Queenes, which is on the other side of the Palace, and there hee found the Queene and the Infanta together, at­tended by all the Ladies of the Court; This being the first time that hee had personally visited the Infanta. There were foure Chaires set; in the two middlemost sate the Queene and the Infanta; on the right hand of the Queene sate the Prince, and on the left hand of them all [Page 16] sate the King. When the Prince had giuen the Queene the buenas Pascuas, and passed some other comple­ments of gratitude, for the fauors he had receiued from her since his comming to the Court, he rose out of his Chaire, and went towards the Infanta, who likewise rose vp to entertaine him; and after fitting curtesies on both sides performed, there passed some discourse be­twixt them, such as was fit for the enteruiew of two such Princes, in which it pleased the Prince to command the Earle of Bristoll to doe him seruice as Interpreter. The Prince then retired himselfe to his Chaire, and sate downe a­gaine by the Queene, with whom he performed some short comple­ment. Afterwards they all rose vp, and with much courtesie tooke their leaues: in all which things [Page 17] the Prince his comportment was so naturall and sutable to his qualitie and greatnesse, that he gaue thereby iust cause to the Spaniards highly to honor him, as it appeares they gene­rally do. From the Queenes side he was conducted by his Maiesty, in the same Equipage that hee came thi­ther, vnto the Kings side, where when hee had entertained his High­nesse a while, with beholding from a Window certaine Masters and Gen­tlemen that exercised Fencing before them, his Maiesty then led him to another window that looked vpon a large place before the Court gate, and telling the Prince that he would only goe and see the Queene, tooke his Brother Don Carlos with him, lea­uing the Infante Cardinall with the Prince, to expect his returne. But before much time was passed, there appeared about threescore of the principall Nobility of that King­dome [Page 18] in the place before the win­dow, who were all very richly apparrelled with Embroyderies, and being on horsebacke ranne two and two together their seuerall ca­reeres: they had all their faces dis­couered, saue onely the King, Don Carlos, the Conde of Oliuares, and the Marquesse of Carpio, who had vi­zards.

On Easter Munday his Highnesse dispatched hither another messen­ger, at whose departure (God be thanked) hee enioyed perfect health, hauing beene continually from time to time exceeding much caressed and esteemed by that King, who delighteth ex­tremely in his company, and greatly honored by all the Court for his braue and Prince-like Com­portments.