The Bed-Book of Happiness: Being a colligation or assemblage of cheerful writings brought together from many quarters into this one compass for the diversion, distraction, and delight of those who lie abed,—a friend to the invalid, a companion to the sleepless, an excuse to the tiredBegbie, Harold
General
The Bed-Book of Happiness: Being a colligation or assemblage of cheerful writings brought together from many quarters into this one compass for the diversion, distraction, and delight of those who lie abed,—a friend to the invalid, a companion to the sleepless, an excuse to the tired
Begbie, Harold
Literature -- Collections
One other show, in the year 1377, was made by the citizens for disport
of the young prince, Richard, son of the Black Prince, in the feast of
Christmas, in this manner: On the Sunday before Candlemas, in the night,
one hundred and thirty citizens, disguised, and well horsed, in a
mummery, with sound of trumpets, sack-butts, cornets, shalmes, and other
minstrels, and innumerable torchlights of wax, rode from Newgate,
through Cheap, over the bridge, through Southwark, and so to Kennington
beside Lambhith, where the young prince remained with his mother and the
Duke of Lancaster his uncle, the Earls of Cambridge, Hertford, Warwick,
and Suffolk, with divers other lords. In the first rank did ride
forty-eight in the likeness and habit of esquires, two and two together,
clothed in red coats and gowns of say or sandal, with comely visors on
their faces; after them came riding forty-eight knights in the same
livery of colour and stuff; then followed one richly arrayed like an
emperor; and, after him some distance, one stately attired like a pope,
whom followed twenty-four cardinals, and after them eight or ten with
black visors, not amiable, as if they had been legates from some foreign
princes. These maskers, after they had entered Kennington, alighted from
their horses, and entered the hall on foot; which done, the prince, his
mother, and the lords came out of the chamber into the hall, whom the
said mummers did salute, showing by a pair of dice upon the table their
desire to play with the prince, which they so handled that the prince
did always win when he cast them. Then the mummers set to the prince
three jewels, one after another, which were a bowl of gold, a cup of
gold, and a ring of gold, which the prince won at three casts. Then they
set to the prince's mother, the duke, the earls, and other lords, to
every one a ring of gold, which they did also win. After which they were
feasted, and the music sounded, the prince and lords danced on the one
part with the mummers, which did also dance; which jollity being ended,
they were again made to drink, and then departed in order as they came.
The like was in Henry IV., in the 2nd of his reign, he then keeping his
Christmas at Eltham, twelve aldermen of London and their sons rode in a
mumming, and had great thanks.
Thus much for sportful shows in triumphs may suffice. Now for sports and
pastimes yearly used.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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