Next day she went in procession from the Tower to Westminster, dressed
in white cloth of gold of damask, with a mantle of the same furred with
ermine. Reclining on a litter, she wore "Her faire yelow haire hanging
downe plaine behynd her bak, with a calle of pipes over it;" and
confined only on the forehead by a circlet of gold, ornamented with
precious stones. An elegant canopy of cloth of gold was borne over her
by four knights of the body; and immediately behind her rode four
baronesses on grey palfreys. The streets on this occasion were "clensed,
dressed, and beseene with clothes of tapestrie and arras; and some, as
Cheepe, hanged with rich clothe of golde, velvet, and silke; and along
the streets, from the Toure to Powles, stode in order all the craftes of
London in their liveries; and in divers places of the citie were
ordeynid singing children, some arayed like angelles, and other like
virgins, to sing swete songes as her grace passed by[53]."
Similar accounts are given by Hall of the progress of Henry VIII. and
Catherine of Arragon through the city. "The streates were railed and
barred on the one side; from over ageynst Grace churche unto Bredstreate
in Chepeside, where every occupacion stode in their liveries in ordre,
beginnyng with base and meane occupacions, and so ascendyng to the
worshipfull craftes; highest and lastly stode the maior with the
aldermen. The goldsmithes stalles, unto the ende of the Olde Chaunge,
beeing replenished with virgins in white, with braunches of white waxe;
the priestes and clerkes in rich copes with crosses and censers of
silver, censying his grace and the quene also as they passed[54]." The
latter was borne on a litter by two white palfreys, trapped in cloth of
gold.
Anne Boleyn's progress must not be unnoticed. Like Elizabeth's, it began
with a voyage from Greenwich, and the creation of a due number of
knights "bathed and shryven according to the old vsuage of
England."--"The high stretes where the queene should passe were all
graveled from the Toure to Temple barre, and railed on the one side;
within whiche rayle stode the craftes along in their order. And before
the quene and her traine should come, Cornehill and Gracious Street were
hanged with fyne scarlet, crimson and other greyned clothes, and in some
place with rich arras, tapestry, and carpettes, and the moste part of
the Chepe was hanged with clothe of tyssue, golde, velvet, and many
riche hangings whyche made a goodlie shewe."
Her connexion with the French court, it is to be supposed, suggested the
appearance of "xii Frenchmen, whiche were belongyng to the Frenche
ambassador," coming "fyrst" in her "company--in coats of blewe velvet,
with sleves of yelowe and blewe velvet, and their horses trapped with
close trappers of blewe sarcenet, powdered with white crosses." The
French ambassador also rode before her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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