Sixthly, that auricular confession is expedient and necessary to be retained and continued, used and frequented in the Church of God. HENRY VIII. AND SPORT (1539). +Source.+--Holinshed, 556, 557; Edward Hall, _Henry VIII_. This year the plague was great and reigned in divers parts of this realm. The king kept his Christmas at Richmond. The twelfth of January divers gentlemen prepared to just, and the king and one of his privy chamber called William Compton secretly armed themselves in the little park of Richmond and so came into the justs, unknown to all persons. The king never ran openly before and did exceeding well. Master Compton chanced to be so sore hurt by Edward Nevill Esquire, brother to the Lord of Abergavenny, so that he was like to have died. One person there was that knew the king and cried: "God Save the King" and with that all the people were astonished, and then the king discovered himself to the great comfort of the people. The king soon after came to Westminster and there kept his Shrovetide with great banquetings, dancings and other jolly pastimes. In this year also came ambassadors, not only from the King of Aragon and Castile, but also from the Kings of France, Denmark, Scotland and other places, which were highly welcomed and nobly entertained. It happened on a day that there were certain noble men made a wager to run at the ring and parties were taken, and which party attained or took away the ring oftenest with certain courses, should win the wager. Whereof the King's Grace hearing, offered to be on the one party with six companions. The ambassadors hearing thereof, were much desirous to see this wager tried, and specially the ambassadors of Spain, who had never seen the king in harness. At the day appointed the king was mounted on a goodly courser, trapped in a purple velvet coat, the inner side thereof was wrought with flat gold of damask in the stool, and the velvet on the other side cut in letters, so that the gold appeared as though it had been embroidered with certain reasons[56] or posies. And on the velvet between the letters were fastened castles and sheafs of arrows of ducat gold with a garment, the sleeves compassed over his harness and his bases of the same work with a great plume of feathers on his head-piece that came down to the arson of his saddle and a great company of fresh gentlemen came in with his grace, richly armed and decked with many other right gorgeously apparelled, the trumpet before them goodly to behold, whereof many strangers (but specially the Spaniards) much rejoiced, for they had never seen the king before that time armed.