The champion then throws down his gantlet; which having lain some small time, the herald takes up, and delivers it again to him. They then advance in the same order to the middle of the hall, where the herald makes proclamation as before; and lastly, to the foot of the steps, when the said herald and those who precede him going to the top of the steps, proclamation is made a third time; at the end whereof the champion casts down his gantlet, which being taken up and redelivered to him by the herald, he makes a low obeisance to his majesty, whereupon the king's cupbearer brings to the king a gilt bowl of wine with a cover; and his majesty drinks to the champion, and sends him the bowl by the cupbearer; which the champion (having put on his gantlet) receives, and retiring a little, drinks thereof; he then makes his humble reverence to his majesty, and, accompanied as before, departs out of the hall, taking the bowl and cover as his fee. The LARGESS.-Immediately after this, the officers of arms descending from their gallery, Garter, and the two provincial kings of arms, with their co 60 The words of the challenge in the reign of Henry IV. as reported by Fabian, are as follows:-he "caused an herowde to make proclamacyon, that what man wolde say that kynge Henry was not ryghtfull enherytour of the crowne of Englande and rightfully crowned, he was there redy to wage with hym batayle." Grafton, under Richard III. has it “that whosoever woulde saye that kynge Richard was not laufully kynge he woulde fighte with hym at the utteraunce.” ronets on their heads, followed by the heralds and pursuivants, come to the lower end of the hall, and making their obeisance to his majesty, procede to the middle of the hall, where they make a second obeisance, and a third at the foot of the steps; and having ascended, Garter cries out three times Largess 61 :his majesty's largess is then given, which Garter proclaims aloud as follows: Serenissimi, potentissimi, et excellentissimi monarcha Dei gratiâ, Magnæ Britanniæ et Hiberniæ regis, fidei defensoris, Largess. Du tres-haut, tres-puissant, et tres-excellent monarque par la grace de Dieu, roy de la Grande Bretagne et de l'Irlande, defenseur de la foy, Largess. Of the most high, most mighty, and most excellent monarch by the grace of God, king of Great Britain and Ireland, defender of the faith, Largess. After each of these proclamations they all make their obeisance, and descending, go backwards to the middle and lower end of the hall, crying Largess 61 The custom of giving a largess to the officers of arms is not peculiar to the time of a coronation, being observed also at the feast of an investiture of the Garter at Windsor, where the donation is made by the new knights as well as the sovereign. It was formerly usual at banquets of state. See Leland, Collectanea, vol. iv. p. 234, or Dallaway's Inquiries, p.148. The form of crying largess will be somewhat illustrated hereafter in the coronation of Elizabeth, queen of Henry VII.: but the most perfect commentary upon our text will probably be found in the humbler festivities of a harvest home. The following notice of the amount of a royal largess at coronations thrice in each place, with the king's style in Latin, French, and English, as before. And lastly, coming to the lower end of the hall in the same order, they again cry the Largess in like manner; they then repair to their table, and sit down to dinner. The SECOND COURSE is now carried up to their majesties' table by the gentlemen pensioners, with the same solemnities as the former. Then the lord of the manor of Nether Bilsington in Kent61 presents to his majesty three maple cups, by reason of the tenure of the said manor: after which, the king's cupbearer brings up the mayor of Oxford 6 as assistant (with other burgesses of that city) in the office of botelry, who presents to the king, on his knee, a gilt cup of wine covered; and his majesty bestows on him the maple cups which he had just before received. Lastly, the lord of the manor of Liston in Essex 63 brings up a charger of wafers to their majesties' table; and the lord mayor of London, being accompanied by the king's cupbearer, comes from the cupboard (where he attends with twelve of the citizens to assist the chief butler of England), and presents to the is said to be from a roll of the time of Richard II. :-" Quant le roy est coroné-de auncient accustomez aux roys de armes et heroldes appertient notable et plentereuse largesse, come de c. l." &c.-Thynne's Discourse; see Dallaway's Inquiry, p. 142, 147. 61 See 63 See 144. P. 62 See king (when their majesties are eating the wafers) a bowl of wine in a gold cup; and his majesty having drunk thereof, returns the cup to the lord mayor as his fee. Their majesties having dined, rise from the table, and water being brought as before dinner, they wash: grace being then said by the clerk of the closet, they take again the regalia which have been held near them all dinner-time, and, attended as before, they withdraw into the court of Wards, where the crowns, orb, and sceptres are delivered to the dean of Westminster and the master of the jewel house. It is perhaps unnecessary to remark that the several ceremonies of the day whose history is now concluded must derive a great portion of their effect from the multitudes of spectators which fill with life and joy the places allotted to their performance. They are also followed in the evening by fireworks, illuminations, and other public festivities in honour of the new-crowned king. A CHRONICLE OF ENGLISH CORONATIONS. IN the former part of this work I endeavoured to trace the origin of the ceremonies which are used in the inauguration of kings: it now remains to give such an account of their history in the practice of our own country, as may be gathered from the writings of our historians. The preaching of Christianity, which led to the introduction of these sacred and impressive rites, and established them in the room of ruder and less curi-. ous forms, occurred at a time when the art of recording events had made so little progress amongst us, that the precise date of their adoption may rather be |