nd the staff of Saint Edward, of my
Lord of Bath; and the spurs, of my Lord of Pembroke. Come, pray you
now, let me take breath!--Well, after all this, the Bishops and nobles
did homage to her Highness; but the time would not serve for all, seeing
the homage to the altar had taken so much away; so they knelt in groups,
and had a spokesman to perform for them. My Right Reverend Lord Bishop
of Winchester was for himself and all other Bishops; old Norfolk stood
alone as a Duke (for all the other Dukes were in the Tower, either alive
or dead); the Lord Marquis of Winchester was for his order; my Lord of
Arundel for the Earls, my Lord of Hereford for the Viscounts, and my
Lord of Burgavenny for the Barons. All these kissed her Highness' left
cheek; and all this time stood my Lord of Shrewsbury by her, aiding her
to hold up the sceptre. Well then, believe it who will, my masters, but
after all this came the mass. And no sooner begun, than the Bishop of
Lincoln and the Bishop of Hereford marched straight out of the church,
mitres and all. It was nigh four of the clock ere her Grace came from
the Abbey; and she came in a gown of purple velvet, with the crown upon
her head, and every noble and noble lady following in cramoisie, and on
their heads crownets [the old form of the word coronet] of gold. Three
swords were borne afore her, and a canopy over her, carried of the
Wardens of the Cinque Ports: and in one hand she held a sceptre of gold,
and in the other a ball of gold, which she twirled and turned in her
hand as she came. And no sooner had she set foot in the Hall, than the
people fell a-scrambling for the cloth and rails. Yea, they were not
content with the waste meat cast out of the kitchen to them, but they
pulled down and carried off the kitchen also."

"Come, Ferris, be reasonable in your Romaunts," said Mr Holland.

"Who did ever hear any man to be reasonable in a Romaunt?" asked he.
"But this is not romance, 'tis truth. Why, the kitchen was but cast up
of boards outside the Palace, for the time and occasion; and they made
it a waste indeed. It was candle-light ere her Grace took barge."

"But was there no pardon proclaimed?" said John.

"Lo' you, now! I forgat that. Ay, afore the anointing, my gracious
Lord Chancellor proclaimeth her Majesty's goodly pardon unto all
prisoners whatsoever and wheresoever--save and except an handful only,
to wit, such as were in the Marshalsea, and the Fleet, and the Towe