of his friends he added to his claim that he had been adopted heir by King Richard. This falsehood was introduced to set aside the superior titles of Edmund Mortimer, earl of March, and Richard, earl of Cambridge, in right of whom the house of York subsequently claimed the crown, and this gave rise to the wars of the Roses. Jane, queen of Henry IV., was crowned in the year 1403, but the ceremony was not remarkable for its brilliancy or splendour. HENRY V. Henry V. was crowned on the 9th of April, 1413. Holinshed informs us, "Such great hope, and good expectation, was had of this man's fortunate successe to follow, that within three daies after his father's deceasse, diverse noblemen and honorable personages did to him homage, and swore to him due obedience, which had not beene seene doone to anie of his predecessors, kings of this realme, till they had beene possessed of the crowne. He was crowned the ninth of April, being Passion Sundaie, which was a sore ruggie and tempestuous day, with wind, snow, and sleet, that men greatlie marvelled thereat, making diverse interpretation what the same might signifie." Hardyng mentions this tempest in his rhyming chronicle : On Passyon Sundaye after was this kyng, With stormes fell and haylstones grete also. Katherine of France, the queen of Henry V., was crowned on the 24th of February, 1420; the account which Holinshed gives of the magnificence displayed upon this occasion, is far too characteristic of the age to be omitted. "It is worth the noting, to consider and take a view of the goodlie order and reverend dutifulnesse exhibited on all sides to the new queene. .... After the great solemnization of the foresaid coronation in the church of St. Peter's, at Westminster, was ended, the queene was conveied into the great Hall of Westminster, and there set to dinner. Upon whose right hand sat, at the end of the table, the archbishop of Canterbury, and Henrie, surnamed the Rich, cardinall of Winchester. Upon the left hand of the queene sat the king of Scots in his estate, who was served with covered messe, as were the foresaid bishops, but yet after them. Upon the same hand and side, near the boord's end, sat the duchesse of Yorke and the countesse of Huntington. The earle of March, holding a scepter in his hand, kneeled upon the right side; the earle marshall, in like manner, upon the left of the queene. The duke of Glocester, Sir Humfre, was that daie overseer, and stood before the queene bareheaded. Sir Richard Nevill was that daie carver to the queene, the earle's brother of Suffolk cupbearer, Sir John Stewart sewar, the Lord Clifford pantler, in the earle of Warwicke's steed, the Lord Willoughbie buttler, in steed of the erle of Arundell, the Lord Graie Ruthin, or Ruffin, naperer, the Lord Audleie almoner, in steed of the erle of Cambridge. The earle of Worcester was that daie earle marshall, in the earle marshall's absence, who rode about the Hall upon a great courser, with a multitude of tipped staves about him, to make and keepe roome in the said Hall. Of the which Hall, the barons of the Cinque Ports began the table upon the right hand, towards St. Stephen's chappell, and beneath them, at the table, sat the vowchers of chancerie. Upon the left hand, next to the cupboord, sat the maior and his brethren, the aldermen of London. The bishops began the table, against the barons of the Cinque Ports; and the ladies against the maior. Of hich two tables, for the bishops began the bishops of M 2 London and Durham, and for the ladies the countesse of Stafford and the countesse of North. "The feast was all of fish, for the ordering of the service whereof were diverse lords appointed head officers, as steward, controller, surveior, and other honourable officers. For the which were appointed the earles of Northumberland and Westmoreland, the lord Fitzhugh, the lord Furnevall, the lord Graie of Wilton, the lord Ferres of Grobie, the lord Poinings, the lord Darcie, the lord Dacres, and the lord De la Warre. These, with others, ordered the service as followeth: and, for the first course, brawne in mustard, eeles in burneur, pike in herbage, fuiment with balien, lamprie powdered, trout, codling, plaice fried, martine fried, crabs, leech lumbard flourished tartes, and a devise called a pellican, sitting on hir nest with hir birds, and an image of St. Katharine (the patron saint of the queen) holding a booke, and disputing with doctors, holding this poesie in her right hand, writen in faire and legible letters, Madame la Reine (my lady the queen,) and the pelican answering, ' C'est la signe et du roy, Et a tout sa gent, Elle mette sa content. 'Tis the sign of the king, That great joy he will bring, To all in his land, By this fair lady's hand. "The second course was, gellie coloured with columbine flowers, white potage or creame of almonds, breame of the sea, conger, cheuen, barbill and roch, fresh salmon, halibut, gurnard, rochet broiled, smelts fried, crevis or lobster, leech-damaske, with the king's poesie flourished thereon, Une sans plus (One without more), lamprie fresh baked, flampeine flourished with a scutchion roiall, and therein three crowns of gold, with flour de luces and floure of camomill wrought of confections, with a devise of a panther, and an image of St. Katherine, with a wheele in one hand, and a scrowl with a poesie in the other; to wit, La royne ma fille, In cesta ile, Per bon resoun, Aves renoun. This princess, my daughter, "The third course was, dates in compost, creame motle, carpe deore, turbut, tench, pearch with goion, fresh sturgion with welks, porperous rosted, crevesse de eau doure, pranis, eeles rosted with lamprie, a leech, called the white leech, flourished with hawthorn leaves and red hawes; a marchpane garnished with diverse figures of angels, among which was set an image of St. Barnabas, holding this poesie: Il est ecrit, It is Heaven's decree, "And, lastly, a devise of a tiger looking in a mirror, and a man sitting on horse-backe, holding in his arms a tiger's whelpe, with this poesie: Per force, sans resoun, ie ay prise ceste best. By force, without noise, I have taken this beast. and with his own hand making a countenance of throwing of mirrors at the great tiger, with this poesie: Gile che mirrour The force of this mirror 66 Thus with all honour was finished the solemn coronation, after which the queene sojourned in the palace of Westminster till Palme Sundaie following; and on the morrow she tooke her journie towards Windsor, where the king and she held their Easter." HENRY VI. Henry VI. was crowned at Westminster, Nov. 6th, 1429, being then only in the ninth year of his age. The coronation feast was celebrated at Westminster with great splendour; but we shall only notice a few of the dishes and devices. In the first course, Fabian tells us there were, among other royal viands, "Bore hedes in castellys of gold and enarmed," "Custard royall, with a lyopard of golde syttyng therein, and holding a floure de lyce." The pageant for this course was, "A sotyltie of Seynt Edwarde and Seynt Lowys armed, and upon eyther his cote armoure, holdyng atwene them a figure lyke unto Kynge Henry, standynge also in his cote armoure, and a scripture passynge from them both, sayinge,-Beholde II perfyght kynges under one cote armoure,' and under the fete of the said seyntes was wryten this balade: Holy seyntes, Edward and Seynt Lowyce, Concerve this braunche born of your precious bloode, Inherytour of the flour de lyce so gode: This sixt Henry to reygne and to be wyse, God graunte he may, to be your mode, And that he may resemble your knyghthode and vertue. The most remarkable dishes in the second course were, "Gely, party wryten and notyd with Te Deum Laudamus, a whyte leche plantyd with a rede antelop, a crowne about his necke with a chayne of golde.” The device, or "sotyltie," was, "An emperoure and a kynge, arayed in mantellys of garters, which figured Sygysmounde the emperoure, and Henry V., and a fygure lyke unto Kynge Henry the VI. knelynge to fore theym, with this balade takkyd by hym: Agayn, myscreauntes, the emperour Sygysmunde Cheryshed the churche, to Lollers gave a fall, In the third course we need only notice one dish, A bake mete, lyke shylde, quarteryd red and whyte, sette with losynges gilt and floures of borage." This |