Blazing Star by Larman Alexander;

Author:Larman, Alexander; [Larman, Alexander]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 2014-06-23T04:00:00+00:00

The twenty-fifth of June 1675 was a warm early summer’s day in London. The evening had certainly seen rare sport amongst the merry gang, who had dined with Charles at court earlier that evening and were now embarrassingly drunk. The rakes and bravoes, including Sackville, Buckhurst and others,* headed into the Privy Garden at Whitehall, where they came across a new piece of ostentation by Charles. He was a keen collector of astronomical items, and the crown jewel in his collection was a large, ornate sundial set with a complex design of glass spheres, on which portraits of the royal family were engraved. It had been constructed a few years earlier by Reverend Francis Hall, professor of mathematics at Liège University, and was rumoured to be the most expensive and elaborate instrument of its kind in western Europe. It was commonly regarded as the king’s pride and joy, and took up a prominent position in the garden. A sensible or moderate man admired it from a distance, and then steered well clear. Rochester had no intention of doing any such thing.

To the horror of his friends, he drew his sword and threw himself at the sundial, apparently taking exception to its phallic shape. According to one source, he was heard to yell: ‘What! Do you stand here to fuck time?’ (Another, more restrained account had him say: ‘Kings and kingdoms will tumble down, and so shall you.’) He then attacked the elaborate structure, madly slashing away at it. Emboldened by alcohol and the adrenaline of transgression, his work was soon finished. The priceless object lay in ruins over the garden. Returning to their drink-sodden senses, the terrified bravoes ran away from the now roused watch, in desperate hope that they would not be found out. Most avoided detection; Rochester, the ringleader, did not.

When Charles discovered the destruction of his beloved toy, he became apoplectic with rage and left court immediately to attempt to calm himself, much to the consternation of his hangers-on, who had no idea of his whereabouts for ten days. It turned out, rather prosaically, that the king was on a short cruise aboard the royal yacht. But the damage was done. Rochester fled from court immediately, knowing that disgrace would follow him. While he had been banished before, and allowed to return before, Charles’s anger this time was unprecedented. When what must have been an almighty hangover had abated, Rochester guessed he had finally overstepped the mark and lost Charles’s favour forever. At the time, he was twenty-eight. He had five years left to live. Or, to look at it another way, five years left in which to die.

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