Something similar to Knole House is Penshurst Place, about ten miles away, but with an atmosphere and traditions quite different from the Sackville-West mansion.  This great palace, just adjacent to the village of Penshurst, was built in the Thirteenth Century, passing shortly after into the hands of the Sidney family, with whom it has remained ever since.  Of the Sidneys, one only is known wherever the English language is spoken—­the gallant young knight, Sir Philip, who, when still below the age of thirty, lost his life while fighting for a forlorn cause in the Netherlands.  Of all the brilliant array of statesmen, soldiers and writers who graced the reign of Queen Elizabeth, none gave greater promise than did young Sidney.  Nothing is more characteristic of him than the oft-told story of how, when suffering from his death-wound on the field of Zutphen, he gave to a wounded soldier by his side the cup of water brought to him with the greatest difficulty.  There are few who have received a higher or a more deserved tribute than that of the poet Watson, when he mused upon

                    “the perfect knight,
    The soldier, courtier, bard in one,
      Sidney, that pensive Hesper-light
    O’er Chivalry’s departed Sun.”

Naturally, we were interested in the ancestral home of such a man and the many historical associations which have gathered round it.  It was at the close of a busy day for us when we reached Penshurst and learned that half an hour remained before the house would be closed for the day.  Admission was easily gained and ample time given to inspect such parts of the house as were shown.  We entered the great park through a gateway near the church where several members of the Sidney family are buried.

The palace stands in a large open space with a level lawn in front, and the five hundred years which have passed over it have dealt kindly with it.  Few of the ancient places which we had seen in England were in better state of preservation.  Nor was this due so much to restoration as in many cases.  It had never been intended as a fortified castle and had escaped the ravages of war which destroyed so many of the strongholds.  Its most striking feature is the baronial hall with its high, open-raftered roof, maintained in general appearance and furnishing much as it was five hundred years ago.  It is of great size, and in early days the tables probably furnished cheer to hundreds of revelers at a time.  At one end of the room is a gallery which the musicians occupied, and at the other, our attention was called to a small opening through which the lord of the establishment could secretly witness the doings in the hall.  A remarkable feature is the fireplace, situated in the center of the room and without chimney of any kind, the smoke being left to find its way out through the windows or apertures in the roof, as the case might be—­a striking example of the discomforts of the good old days when knighthood was in flower.