James was certainly aware of the stark contrast between the great finery of Elizabeth’s court and begrimed appearance of his own favorites, which was already attracting a great deal of unfavorable comment. There was a comic story doing the rounds at Theobalds that a religious fanatic dressed like a serving man had managed to sneak into the palace. When the guards caught up with him and asked whom he served he had responded, “The Lord Jehovah,” to which a weary constable replied, “Well let him pass; I believe it is some Scottish Lord or other.”
Similarly, the Countess of Cumberland and her daughter, the thirteen-year-old Lady Anne Clifford, were horrified to discover that they had caught lice after sitting in Sir Thomas Erskine’s chamber.
Source:
Lisle, Leanda De. "Hope and Fear" After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England. New York: Ballantine, 2005. 181. Print.
Original Source Listed:
G. P. V. Akrigg, A Jacobean Pageant: the Court of King James, pp. 49-50.
Further Reading:
Elizabeth I / The Virgin Queen / Gloriana / Good Queen Bess
De Vere Theobalds Estate / Theobalds Palace / Theobalds House
יְהֹוָה / יהוה (YHWH) / Jehovah
Scott's don't need pampering.