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spurs ;" in the second, St. George riding and fighting with the dragon, with his spear in his hand; and in the third, St. George and the King's daughter leading the lamb in at the castle-gates. It is a question, we humbly conceive, whether "his Majesty's servants," in the year 1416, were not more splendidly and correctly attired than "his Majesty's servants" in the year 1836. As far as the chivalric appointments went, indeed, it does not admit of a doubt; for nothing can be less like armour than the "leather conveniences" into which theatrical tailors stuff our modern representatives of the "mirrors of knighthood."

The valuable labours of Mr. Wharton, in his "History of English Poetry," and of Mr. Payne Collier, in his "Annals of the Stage," have brought to light many curious notices of the expenses attending the getting up of pageants and dramatic shows during the reigns of Henry the Sixth, Edward the Fourth, Richard the Third, and Henry the Seventh; and the Chronicles of Hall and Holinshed are replete with descriptions of the gorgeous masqueradings of our eighth Harry and his splendid court. Grotesque effect, or mere magnificence, appear, however, to have been the principal objects in such exhibitions, which were little more than the disguisings and mummings we have before mentioned; but a roll in the Chapter-house at Westminster, examined by Mr. Collier, contains some particulars respecting the interludes performed at Richmond during the Christmas holidays, A. D. 1514-15. In one, called "The Triumph of Love and Beauty," written and acted by Master William

* 3 vols. small 8vo. London, 1831.

Cornyshe, and others of the King's Chapel, and the children of the Chapel, "Venus and Bewte dyd tryumph' over al ther enemys, and tamed a salvadge man and a lyon, that was made very rare and naturall; and moreover Venus dyd synge a song with Bewte, which was lykyd of al that harde yt, every staffe endyng after this

sorte:

"Bowe you downe, and doo your deutye,

To Venus and the goddess Bewty;

We tryumpe hye over all,

Kings attend when we doo call.'"

The costume of the fair performers in this interlude is dimly shadowed forth by the items in an account discovered with this paper. Venus, it appears, was arrayed in a surcoat and mantle of yellow sarcenet, adorned with hearts and wings of silver; and a piece of cypress silk, valued at 48., was "spent and employed for the tyer (attire) of the lady called Bewte, and the other half for the lady called Venus."* A taste more fanciful than classical seems, therefore, to have prevailed at this period; and the antiquary alone would understand, or be interested in, the long dry list of "Garments for Players," quoted also by Mr. Collier, † and dated the 7th of Henry the Eighth. They appear to have been principally intended for miracle-plays, and were composed of the richest stuffs, cloths of gold and silver, crimson and blue velvets and satins, &c.; and the list terminates with "Item, cappes of divers fassions for players, and of divers colours, xviii. of sattin and sarcenet, olde peces.

* Annals of the Stage, vol. i. p. 65-6. + Ibid. vol. i. p. 80.

Item, certain peces of garments in a coofer (coffer), with borders of embroidery, being loose to some, to alter garments from tyme to tyme, as shal be thought convenient."

In the thirteenth year of the same reign (1522), the Lord of Misrule paid, amongst other charges, for disguisings, &c. at Christmas,*

"To a man at Datchet, for playing the Fryer before the Princesse (Mary) 8d.

"Item. For making a payre of sloppys for Jakes when he played the Shipman; and a blewe garment made lyke harness (armour) for the same Jakys, and another garment for Master Renyngton, 12d." The said Master Jakes, or Jack, or whatever his name might be, was therefore dressed in the loose breeches, called slops, worn at this period by sailors; but whether the Shipman he represented was supposed to be of his own time, or of Noah's, we have no evidence before us. There is also an item, "Paid for mendyng of Adam's garments that was brokyn, 4d." If this Adam was not the player himself, we must suppose it was a miracle-play on The Creation" that was performed; in which case we must hope it was after the expulsion from Paradise that Adam's garments were broken. An entry in the same account, of" 8d. paid to a man at Wyndsore, for killing of a calfe before my lady's grace, behynde a clothe," Mr. Collier thinks inexplicable unless we knew the story of the play. It was most probably that of the "Prodigal Son," which has furnished the subject for a drama in our

66

* Household Expenses of the Princess Mary, Chapter-house, Westminster. Collier's Annals, vol. i. p. 9.

own days. If so, the killing of a real fatted calf was indeed a vigorous adherence to the sacred original.

Under the date 1527,* we find an entry for "divers necessaries bought for the trymyng of the Father of Heaven!" which establishes the curious fact that, even at that time, the Creator was introduced as a character in a pageant, in the same manner as he had been in the miracle-plays. St. George, likewise, figured in the spectacle; and 4s. were paid for the work of two tailors for two days upon his coat. Cavendish, in his "Life of Cardinal Wolsey," mentions an interlude played at Greenwich, in Latin and French, the apparel for which was "of such exceeding riches that it passeth his capacity to expound ;" and the original account of it by Gibson + furnishes us with the following enumeration of the singular dresses and characters in it. We shall modernise the spelling for the accommodation of our readers. "First, an orator in apparel of gold; a poet in apparel of cloth of gold; Religion, Ecclesia, Veritas, like novices, in garments of silk, and veils of lawn and cypress silk; Heresy, False-Interpretation, Corruptio scriptoris, like ladies of Bohemia, apparelled in garments of silk of divers colours; the heretic Luther, like a party friar, in russet damask and black taffeta; Luther's wife, like a 'frow' of Spires in Germany, in red silk; Peter, Paul, and James, in three habits of white sarcenet, with three red mantles, and hairs (wigs) of silver of Damaske,+ * Folio volume in Chapter-house, Westminster. Collier's Annals, vol. i. p. 99.

+ Offic. Copy, Chapter-house. Collier, vol. i. p. 107-9.

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Wigs, called in those times hairs," and "chevelers," (chevelures,) are frequently described as made with silk, or gold and

and pelyuns (whatever they may be) of scarlet,-a most mysterious apostolic costume, of which the perukes are by no means the least extraordinary portion; a cardinal in his apparel; two sergeants in rich apparel; the Dauphin and his brother, in coats of velvet embroidered with gold, and caps of satin bound with velvet; a messenger in tinsel satin; six men in gowns of green sarcenet; six women in gowns of crimson sarcenet; War, in rich cloth of gold, and feathers, armed; four Germans in apparel all cut and slit, of silk (that is, slashed in the full German fashion of that time); Lady Peace, in lady's apparel, all white and rich; and Lady Quietness, and Dame Tranquillity, richly beseen in lady's apparel." A part of this "apparel," it appears, had been used in the preceding month of May; but a vast deal of it was new and costly, including "8 beards of gold, and 6 of silver set on vizors," and the hire of hairs (wigs) for the ladies, besides "the hire of a circlet, and a rich paste with the attire thereto." We might fill volumes with similar descriptions; but the above is quite sufficient to illustrate the state of dramatic costume at this period, and to show that little or no progress had been made from the time of Edward the Third towards propriety of habiliments, which, in the eyes of all sorts of artists of

silver stuff. In a moral, called " Mind, Will, and Understanding," (Digby MSS. No. 133, in the Bodleian Library,) Wisdom is represented with a beard of gold, (Esculapius was so described by the ancients,) a cheveler or periwig on his head. "Foure heares of silke, and foure garlandes of flowres," are mentioned in the Lansdown MSS., No. 59. Temp. Eliz. A.D. 1589.

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