The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the TempleAddison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
History
The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the Temple
Addison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
Templars -- History
The procession from the Temple to the palace of Whitehall was the most
magnificent that had ever been seen in London. "One hundred gentlemen in
very rich clothes, with scarce anything to be seen on them but gold and
silver lace, were mounted on the best horses and the best furniture that
the king's stable and the stables of all the noblemen in town could
afford." Each gentleman had a page and two lacqueys in livery waiting by
his horse's side. The lacqueys carried torches, and the page his master's
cloak. "The richness of their apparel and furniture glittering by the
light of innumerable torches, the motion and stirring of their mettled
horses, and the many and gay liveries of their servants, but especially
the personal beauty and gallantry of the handsome young gentlemen, made
the most glorious and splendid show that ever was beheld in England."
These gallant Templars were accompanied by the finest band of picked
musicians that London could afford, and were followed by the _antimasque_
of beggars and cripples, who were mounted on "the poorest, leanest jades
that could be gotten out of the dirt-carts." The habits and dresses of
these cripples were most ingeniously arranged, and as the "gallant Inns of
Court men" had their music, so also had the beggars and cripples. It
consisted of _keys, tongs, and gridirons_, "snapping and yet playing in
concert before them." After the beggars' antimasque came a band of pipes,
whistles, and instruments, sounding notes like those of birds, of all
sorts, in excellent harmony; and these ushered in "_the antimasque of
birds_," which consisted of an owl in an ivy bush, with innumerable other
birds in a cluster about the owl, gazing upon her. "These were little boys
put into covers of the shape of those birds, rarely fitted, and sitting on
small horses with footmen going by them with torches in their hands, and
there were some besides to look unto the children, and these were very
pleasant to the beholders." Then came a wild, harsh band of northern
music, bagpipes, horns, &c., followed by the "_antimasque of projectors_,"
who were in turn succeeded by a string of chariots drawn by four horses
abreast, filled with "gods and goddesses," and preceded by heathen
priests. Then followed the chariots of the grand masquers drawn by four
horses abreast.
The chariots of the Inner and Middle Temple were silver and blue. The
horses were covered to their heels with cloth of tissue, and their heads
were adorned with huge plumes of blue and white feathers. "The torches and
flaming flamboys borne by the side of each chariot made it seem lightsom
as at noonday.... It was, indeed, a glorious spectacle."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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