At Gracious Church street was a costly and a marveilous connyng
pageaunt, made by the merchauntes of the Styllarde, for there was the
Mount Penasus, with the fountayne of Helycon, which was of white marble,
and iiii streames, without pype, did rise an elle hye and mette together
in a litle cuppe above the fountain, which ranne abundantly Racke and
Rennishe wyne 'til night! On the mountaine satte Apollo, and at his
feete satte Calliope, and on every side of the mountaine satte iiii
Muses playing on several swete instrumentes, and at their feete
Epigrammes and Poyses were written in golden letters, with the which
every Muse, accordyng to her propertie, praised the Quene.--"At the
conduite in Cornhill there were thre graces set in a throne; afore whom
was the _spryng of grace_ continually ronnyng--wine!" At the cross in
Chepe, "Master Baker, the recorder, with lowe reverence, makyng a proper
and briefe proposicion--gave to her, in the name of the citie, 1000
marks of golde in a purse of golde[55]." This was the last time (we mean
no reflection on its inhabitants,) that the Muses and Graces exhibited
themselves on such an occasion in the city. Hereafter the zeal of
contending religious parties in the state taught them to choose other
emblems of their desires and anticipations.
Edward VI.'s progress exhibited Valentine and Orson, "in Cheap," at due
distance from whom stood Sapience and the Seven Liberal Sciences, who
"declared certaine goodly speeches," for the instruction of the young
king. Various other allegorical personages harangued him by the way; but
the most singular spectacle was that whereby "Paul's steple laie at
anchor," as Holinshed expresses it. An Arragosen made fast a rope to the
battlements of St. Paul's, which was also attached to an anchor at the
gate of the dean's house; and descended upon it in the sight of the king
and assembled populace, to the no small gratification of both.
His sister Mary was welcomed into the city by "one Peter, a Dutchman,"
who placed himself on the weathercock of St. Paul's, holding "a streamer
in his hand five yards long;" occasionally kneeling down on the said
weathercock, "to the great marvell of the people," and balancing himself
sometimes on one foot and sometimes on another.
In her procession appeared "the ladie Elizabeth and the ladie Anne of
Cleve;" the queen rode in a chariot of cloth of tissue, her sister
following in "another chariot having a covering of cloth of
silver."--"She sat in a gowne of purple velvet, furred with powdered
ermins, having on her head a kall of cloth of tinsell, beeset with
pearle and stone, and above the same, vppon her head, a round circlet of
gold, beeset so richlie with pretius stones, that the value thereof was
inestimable; the same kall and circle being so massie and ponderous,
that she was faine to beare vp her head with her hand."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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