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fpective mufical inftruments. Under them were written epigrams 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"vando, quod capellani Miffam, ad quam "die fabbati, ut præmittitur, intitulantur,

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per integram celebrent feptimanam." Dugd. MONAST. tom. iii. EccLES. COLL. i. 10. Nothing could have been a more convenient method of temporary notation, especially at a time when parchment and paper were neither cheap nor common commodities, and of carrying on an ac-. count, which was perpetually to be obliterated and renewed: for the written furface of the wax being easily smoothed by the round or blunt end of the ftyle, was foon again prepared for the admiffion of new characters. And among the Romans, the chief use of the ftyle was for fugitive and occafional entries. In the fame light, we must view the following parallel paf-, fage of the Ordination of bifhop Wykeham's fepulchral chantry, founded in Winchefter cathedral, in the year 1404. " Die "fabbati cujuflibet feptimanæ futuræ, mo"nachi prioratus noftri in ordine facerdo"tali conftituti, valentes et difpofiti ad "celebrandum, ordinentur et intitulentur ❝ in Tabula feriatim ad celebrandum Mif"fas prædictas cotidie per feptimanam "tunc fequentem, &c." B. Lowth's WYKEHAM. Append. p. xxxi. edit. 1777. Without multiplying fuperfluous citations, I think we may fairly conclude, that whenever a Tabula pro Clericis intitulandis occurs in the more antient rituals of our ecclefiaftical fraternities, a PUGILLARE or

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 inqui fitive reader, who wishes to fee 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 Le. beuf. 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 investigation.

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 express 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

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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 fhowered on her head wafers, in which were contained Latin diftichs. At the eastern fide of faint Paul's Church-yard, two hundred fcholars of faint Paul's School, addressed her in chosen and appofite passages from the Roman poets, tranflated into English rhymes. On the leads of faint Martin's church stood a choir of boys and men, who fung, not spiritual 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 personages 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 fpectacles, which were once furnished from the Golden Legend. Inftead of faints, prophets, apostles, and confeffors, we have Apollo, Mercury, and the Mufes. Instead of religious canticles, and texts of scripture, 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 perfonified doctors of the church, but by the heathen divinities.

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It may not be foreign to our purpose, to give the reader fome diftinct idea of the polite amufements of this reign, among which, the Masque, already mentioned in general terms, seems to have held the first place. It chiefly confifted of mufic, dancing, gaming, a banquet, and a display of grotefque perfonages and fantastic dresses. The performers, as I have hinted, were often the king, and the chief of the nobility of both sexes, who under proper disguises 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 mafque, with twelve more mafquers all richly but ftrangely dreffed, privately landed from Westminster at Whitehall stairs. At landing, several 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 feparately seated at the banquet in the presence-chamber under the cloth of ftate, a great number of ladies and lords being feated at the fide-tables, was alarmed at this fudden and unufual noife: and immediately ordered lord Sandys, the king's chamberlain, who was one of the guests, and in the fecret, to enquire the reason. 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 prefent 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 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 ■ A game of hazard with dice.

It then belonged to Wolfey.

fignedly

fignedly loft all that remained in the cup to the cardinal; whose fagacity was not eafily to be deceived, and who now began, from some circumstances, to suspect 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 masque 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 mafquers 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 costly cookery and confectionary were ferved up; the contrivance and fuccefs of the royal joke afforded much pleasant conversation, and the night was spent in dancing, dice-playing, banketting and other triumphs. The old chronicler Edward Hall, a cotemporary and a curious obferver, 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 maske is, they tooke their leave and departed, and fo did the queene and all the ladies "."

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I do not find that it was a part of their diversion in thefe entertainments to display humour and character. Their chief aim

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feems to have been, to furprise, by the ridiculous and exaggerated oddity of the visors, 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 instance, in the great hall of the palace, the ufual place of performance, a vaft mountain covered with tall trees arose suddenly, 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 ship 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 castle was reared, with numerous towers, gates, and battlements; and furnished with every military preparation for fustaining 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 castle 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 veftments, fpangled and plated with gold, of the moft curious and coftly workmanship. They affaulted the castle; 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 see 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,

• Hollinsh, iii, 812,

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