29. As straight as a ram's horn +31. St. Ursula and the eleven thousand virgins 33. On the mutability of human affairs LYDGATE'S MINOR POEMS. THE ENTRY OF HENRY THE SIXTH INTO THE following poem gives a very minute description of the manner in which Henry the Sixth was received in London after his coronation, and of the pageant upon that occasion. Three copies of it exist in MS. in the British Museum, viz. MS. Harl. 565, fol. 114-124; MS. Cotton. Julius, B. ii. fol. 87-98; and MS. Cotton. Cleop. C. iv. fol. 38-48. From the two first of these MSS. an edition was printed by Sir Harris Nicolas (London Chronicle, p. 235-250); but the third MS. has entirely escaped the notice of antiquaries, and, as it presents a more complete text than the other two, we give it verbatim. About one-third of this article, taken from MS. Harl. 565, is printed in Malcolm's "London," vol. ii. p. 89; but it conveys, as Sir H. Nicolas justly observes, "a very imperfect idea of the whole composition; for not only has the orthography of the extract been modernized, but the most interesting descriptions do not occur." The following extract from a continuation of the Brute Chronicle in MS. Harl. 3730, contains a brief account of the argument of our poem: "This same yere, the vj. day of Decembre, Kyng Henry the vj. was crouned Kyng of Fraunce at Paris in the church of oure Lady, with gret solempnité; there beyng present the Cardinalle of Englond, the Duke of Bedford, and many other lordis of Fraunce and of Englond; and after this coronacion and grett fest holdyn at Parys, the Kyng retornyd from thens to Rone, and so toward Caleis. And ther, the ix. day of Feveryere, londed at Dover, whom alle the comons of Kent mett at Beramdoun, between Canterbury and Dover, alle in rede B hodys. And so com forth tyll he com to the Blake-beth, where he was mett with the maier Jhon Welles, with alle the craftes of London, clad alle in white. And so thei brought hym to London the xxj. day of the same moneth." Now as Lydgate says that Henry entered London "on a thursday," and "toward the end of wyndy Februarie," the 21st of February, which fell on a Thursday, was doubtless the correct date at which the circumstance took place. We refer the reader also to the minute account of the ceremony given in Fabyan's Chronicle, (London, 1559, p. 423-7) in which will be found several of the verses used in the pageants. Another curious account of it is preserved in a manuscript at Lambeth Palace, and will be included in a volume I am now editing for the Camden Society. The "Rejoice to London" at the end of this poem, is also preserved in another of the Cottonian manuscripts, in a separate form. PUR LE ROY. TOWARD the ende of wyndy Februarie, The stormy reyne of alle ther highenes A tyme, I trow, of God for him provyded, Halewyd that day withe grete solempnyté. And lyke for Davyd aftyr his victory So this citee with lawde, preyse, and glorye, Ther clothing whas of colour fulle covenable; In statly wise whan thei were mett, Eche oone welle horsed, made no delay, The citezens eche one of the citee, In her entent that thei were pure and clene; In every craft as it whas welle sene ; To shew the trouthe that they did mene, Toward the Kyng had made hem feithefully, In sondery devise embroudered richely. |