“Where the Quene’s most excellente Majestie intendith in her Royal psonne to repair to her Princelie Palace of Whitehall, on Thursdaie next, in thafternoone; and for that I and my brethren thaldermen are commanded to attend on her Majesties psonne from Chelsey to the Whitehall; Theis therefore in her Majestie’s name to require you, that yourselfes, with six of the comliest psonages of your said Companye, be readie at the Parke Corner above Sainte James, on horseback, apparelled in velvette coats with chaynes of gold on Thursdaie by twoo of the clocke, in the afternoone, to waite upon me and my brethren the Aldermen to Chelsey for the recreating her Majestie accordinglie. And also that you provide sixe staffe torches lighth as need shall be required. Not failinge hereof, as you will answere the contrarie at your perill. “From the Guyldhall, this 28th of Januarie, 1588-9. “SEBRIGHTE.” Accordingly, on 30th “January 1588-9” (one may learn from Nichols) the Queen “travelled from Richmond to Chelsea and so to Westminster, and the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commoners of her Citie of London, in coates of velvet and chaines of golde, all on horsebacke, with the Captaines of the Cittie, to the number of fortie, betwixt five or six of the clock at torchlight.” Foreigners say we English take our pleasures sadly; and so we do in this rushing age. It is well, therefore, that we are being made to realise what the pageantry of ancient times really meant when our land was known as “Merrie England.” Latterly, our so-called “pageants” have been very tame—a few Venetian masts, some tawdry paper flowers, a little stained bunting, a multitude of dirty flags of all descriptions, and the route is ready. This tinsel display reached such a pitch in America, that a few years ago an order was made forbidding tawdry decorations, and nothing is allowed but flags—a perfect sea of flags. It so chanced that I was in America during the last two Presidential campaigns, and both in New York and Chicago there were thousands, yes, tens of thousands of flags arranged most beautifully and producing a wonderful effect: nothing more majestic could be imagined, even sky-scrapers looked less hideous. The appearance of our quaint old English streets on such occasions could be much improved by such a systematic arrangement, instead of festoons of damp and draggled pink and green tissue paper we call decoration.