f Gloucester, the Bishops of
Winchester and Salisbury, the Earl of Warwick, and others....

"Item. That the King uses to wear the livery of the collar of the Duke
of Guienne and of Lancaster.

"Item. That persons of the retinue of the King wear the same livery.

"To which our lord the King then answered to the said earl....

"That soon after the coming of his said uncle of Guienne, when he came
from Spain last into England, that himself our lord the King took the
collar from the neck of the same his uncle and put it on his own neck,
and said that he vowed to wear and to use it in sign of good love of
whole heart between them also, as he did the liveries of his other
uncles.

"Item (as to the third). Our lord the King said that it was by leave
from him, and by his wish, that persons of his retinue wear and use the
same livery of the collar."

This practice of one of our early sovereigns seems to afford a precedent
for the mode in which divers gentlemen and persons of quality voluntarily
showed civility towards Richard Evelyn, and for that in which several
gentlemen of birth and estate testified their respect and affection for
Humphrey Chetham. Nicholas Assheton also appears to have the support of
this royal precedent in so far as relates to his accepting and wearing the
livery of a friend and neighbour; and the custom of his day evidently lends
its sanction to his forming, upon a state occasion, one of the body of
menial servants in attendance upon Sir Richard Houghton, when he went to
meet the king.

Another passage in the _Rolls of Parliament_ seems to afford a respectable
civic precedent for the services performed by Nicholas Assheton and other
liveried gentlemen, when they waited at the lords' table at Houghton Tower:

"11^{th} Edward III. A.D. 1337.

"A [=n]re Seigneur le Roy et a son conseil monstre Richard de Bettoyne
de Loundres, qe come au Coronement [=n]re Seigneur le Roy [=q] ore est
il adonge Meire de Loundres fesoit l'office de Botiller ove CCC e LX
vadletz vestutz d'une sute chescun portant en sa mayn un coupe blanche
d'argent come autres Meirs de Loundres ountz faitz as Coronementz des
[crossed p]genitours nostre Seigneur le Roy dont memoire ne court pars
et le fee q appendoit a cel jorne c'est asavoir un coupe d'or ove la
covercle et un ewer d'or enamaille lui fust livere [crossed p] assent
du Counte d