Under them were written epi fpective musical instruments. grams and poefies in golden letters, in which every Muse praised the queen, according to her character and office. At the Conduit in Cornhill appeared the three Graces; before whom, with no great propriety, was the fpring of Grace perpetually running wine. But when a conduit came in the way, a religious allufion was too tempting and obvious to be omitted. Before the spring, however, fate a poet, describing in metre the properties or functions of every Grace: and then each of these four Graces allot "diei fequentis: hoc diligentius obfer- e See Statut. Ecclef. Cath. Lichf. Dugd. Mon, iii. P. 244. col. 2. 10, p. 247. col. 2. 20. Statut. Ec waxen tablet, and not a schedule of parchment or paper, is intended. The inquifitive reader, who wishes to see more foreign evidences of this mode of writing during the courfe of the middle ages, is referred to a Memoir drawn up with great diligence and refearch by M. L'Abbé Lebeuf. MEM. LITT. tom. xx. p. 267. edit. 4to. The reafonings and conjectures of Wife and others, who have treated of the Saxon AESTEL, more particularly of those who contend that king Alfred's STYLE is ftill in being at Oxford, may perhaps receive elucidation or correction from what is here cafually collected on a fubject, which needs. and deferves a full inveftigation. To a Note already labouring with its length I have only to add, that without fuppofing an allufion to this way of writing, it will be hard to explain the following lines in Shakespeare's TIMON OF ATHENS, A&t i. Sc. i. My free drift Halts not particularly, but moves itself "In a wide fea of wax.". Why Shakespeare fhould here allude to this peculiar and obfolete fashion of writing, to exprefs a poet's defign of defcribing general life, will appear, if we confider the freedom and facility with which it is executed. It is not yet, I think, discovered, on what original Shakespeare formed this drama. clef, Collegiat, de Tonge, ibid, ECCLES, COLL. p.152. col. 2. 40. ted U 2 ted in a short speech to the queen, the virtue or accomplishment over which the feverally prefided. At the Conduit in Cheapfide, as my chronicler fays, fhe was faluted with "a rich pageaunt full of melodie and fong." In this pageant were Pallas, Juno, and Venus: before them stood Mercury, who prefented to her majefty, in the name of the three goddeffes, a golden ball or globe divided into three parts, fignifying wisdom, riches, and felicity. At entering faint Paul's gate, an antient portal leading into the church-yard on the east, and long fince destroyed, three ladies richly attired showered on her head wafers, in which were contained Latin diftichs. At the eaftern fide of faint Paul's Church-yard, two hundred fcholars of faint Paul's School, addressed her in chosen and appofite paffages from the Roman poets, tranflated into English rhymes. On the leads of faint Martin's church ftood a choir of boys and men, who fung, not fpiritual hymns, but new balads in praise of her majefty. On the conduit without Ludgate, where the arms and angels had been refreshed, was erected a tower with four turrets, within each of which was placed a Cardinal Virtue, fymbolically habited. Each of these perfonages in turn uttered an oration, promifing to protect and accompany the queen on all occafions'. Here we see the pagan history and mythology predominating in those spectacles, which were once furnished from the Golden Legend. Inftead of faints, prophets, apoftles, and confeffors, we have Apollo, Mercury, and the Mufes. Instead of religious canticles, and texts of fcripture, which were usually introduced in the course of these ceremonies, we are entertained with profane poetry, tranflations from the claffics, and occafional verses; with exhortations, not delivered by personified doctors of the church, but by the heathen divinities. . It may not be foreign to our purpose, to give the reader fome distinct idea of the polite amufements of this reign, among which, the Mafque, already mentioned in general terms, seems to have held the first place. It chiefly confifted of music, dancing, gaming, a banquet, and a display of grotesque perfonages and fantastic dresses. The performers, as I have hinted, were often the king, and the chief of the nobility of both fexes, who under proper difguifes executed fome preconcerted ftrategem, which ended in mirth and good humour. With one of these shews, in 1530, the king formed a scheme to surprise cardinal Wolfey, while he was celebrating a fplendid banquet at his palace of Whitehall". At night his majesty in a masque, with twelve more masquers all richly but strangely dressed, privately landed from Westminster at Whitehall stairs. At landing, feveral small pieces of canon were fired, which the king had before ordered to be placed on the shore near the house. The cardinal, who was separately feated at the banquet in the presence-chamber under the cloth of state, a great number of ladies and lords being feated at the fide-tables, was alarmed at this sudden and unusual noise : and immediately ordered lord Sandys, the king's chamberlain, who was one of the guests, and in the fecret, to enquire the reafon. Lord Sandys brought answer, that thirteen foreign noblemen of distinction were just arrived, and were then waiting in the great hall below; having been drawn thither by the report of the cardinal's magnificent banquet, and of the beautiful ladies which were present at it. The cardinal ordered them immediately into the banquetting-room, to which they were conducted from the hall with twenty new torches and a concert of drums and fifes. After a proper refreshment, they requested in the French language to dance with the ladies, whom they kiffed, and to play with them at mum-chance"; producing at the fame time a great golden cup filled with many hundred crowns. Having played for fometime with the ladies, they de It then belonged to Wolfey. A game of hazard with dice. fignedly 1 fignedly loft all that remained in the cup to the cardinal; whose fagacity was not eafily to be deceived, and who now began, from fome circumftances, to fufpect one of them to be the king. On finding their plot in danger, they answered, "If your grace "can point him out, he will readily discover himself." The cardinal pointed to a mafque with a black beard, but he was mistaken, for it was fir Edward Nevil. At this, the king could not forbear laughing aloud; and pulling off his own and fir Edward Nevil's mafque, convinced the cardinal, with much arch complaisance, that he had for once gueffed wrong. The king and the masquers then retired into another apartment to change their apparel: and in the meantime the banquet was removed, and the table covered afresh with perfumed clothes. Soon afterwards the king, with his company, returned, and took his feat under the cardinal's canopy of ftate. Immediately two hundred dishes of the most coftly cookery and confectionary were ferved up; the contrivance and fuccefs of the royal joke afforded much pleasant converfation, and the night was spent in dancing, dice-playing, banketting and other triumphs. The old chronicler Edward Hall, a cotemporary and a curious observer, acquaints us, that at Greenwich, in 1512, "on the daie of the Epiphanie at night, the king with eleven others was disguised "after the maner of Italie, called a Maske, a thing not seene "before in England: they were apparalled in garments long "and broad, wrought all with gold, with visors and caps of gold. And after the banket doone, these maskers came in, "with fix gentlemen difguifed in filke, bearing staffe-torches " and defired the ladies to danfe; fome were content, and fome "refused; and after they had danfed and communed togither, "as the fashion of the mafke is, they tooke their leave and departed, and fo did the queene and all the ladies P." I do not find that it was a part of their diverfion in these entertainments to display humour and character. Their chief, aim • Hollinsh. CHRON. iii. 921. feq. P CHRON. fol. XV. [See fupr. Vol. i. p. 239.] feems seems to have been, to surprise, by the ridiculous and exaggerated oddity of the vifors, and by the fingularity and splendor of the dreffes. Every thing was out of nature and propriety. Frequently the Mafque was attended with an exhibition of fome gorgeous machinery, resembling the wonders of a modern pantomime. For inftance, in the great hall of the palace, the ufual place of performance, a vast mountain covered with tall trees arose fuddenly, from whofe opening caverns iffued hermits, pilgrims, fhepherds, knights, damfels, and gypfies, who being regaled with spices and wine danced a morisco, or morris-dance. They were then again received into the mountain, which with a fymphony of rebecs and recorders clofed its caverns; and tumbling to pieces, was replaced by a fhip in full fail, or a castle befieged. To be more particular. The following device was shewn in the hall of the palace at Greenwich. A caftle was reared, with numerous towers, gates, and battlements; and furnished with every military preparation for sustaining a long fiege. On the front was infcribed Le fortreffe dangereux. From the windows looked out fix ladies, cloathed in the richest ruffet fattin," laid all over with leaves of gold, and every one knit "with laces of blew filk and gold, on their heads coifs and caps "all of golde." This caftle was moved about the hall; and when the queen had viewed it for a time, the king entered the hall with five knights, in embroidered vestments, spangled and plated with gold, of the most curious and coftly workmanship. They affaulted the caftle; and the fix ladies, finding them to be champions of redoubted prowess, after a parley, yielded their perilous fortrefs, defcended, and danced with their affailants. The ladies then led the knights into the caftle, which immediately vanished, and the company retired '. Here we fee the representation of an action. But all these magnificent mummeries, which were their evening-amufements on festivals, notwithstanding a parley, which my hiftorian calls a communication, 4 Hollinfh. iii, 812, |