lined with minever (a kind of ermine such as the bishops wore), and having upon their left shoulders a double cord of white silk with pendent tufts.

After a sumptuous feast in the hall of the Tower, Henry returned in state through Cheapside, the Strand, and Whitehall, to the palace of Westminster. The procession on this occasion is described as having been most brilliant and ostentatious. Henry himself rode on a white charger, bareheaded; around his neck glittered the jewelled order of the King of France; his broad body was enveloped in a German jacket, whose texture was the finest cloth of gold; and upon his left leg was to be seen the blue garter, symbol of supreme knightly dig nity. Upwards of six thousand horse escorted himamong them the highest baronial, civil, and military dignitaries of the realm. The young Prince of Wales, then but nine years of age, was conspicuous near his father, with his bright visage and careless bearing; the haughty Northumberland and the brave Westmoreland rode beside the sovereign, who might be said to have received the crown from their hands; the nobility were represented in goodly numbers-hardly any great baronial name but was borne by some one in that gorgeous throng; and last of all followed, in all the consequential pride of civic dignity, the corporation of the capital, and the companies of London, led by their wardens, wearing their curious liveries, and displaying the ensigns of their respective trades. The streets through which this pageant passed were decorated with taste and care by the enthusiastic populace. Mottoes and expressions of welcome faced Henry at every turning in bewildering numbers. Tapestries hung in festoons from house to house, repre

senting the life and triumphs of the new King. In Cheapside nine fountains were set up, whence gushed, in circling and splashing streams, unlimited wine of varied hues. The people gathered in the streets and on the housetops, and greeted with loud acclamations the appearance of their favorite and master; while he, riding slowly and complacently along, returned their salutations with a quiet suavity which was long remembered by those who saw him. The usual occupation of the bath followed upon the arrival at Westminster; then the King, after public prayer, retired.

The morning of the coronation day came, and Henry, as soon as he was dressed, called his confessor, and confessed himself. Thence he proceeded with his household to the chapel, where his soul sought further purity by the ceremony of three masses. The bishops, attended by many priests, assembled at the Abbey, and went thence in procession to the palace. The return to the Abbey was made by the church dignitaries going first, and the King and nobility fol lowing them. The King, adorned with the royal robes, went on foot; above him was borne a canopy of blue silk mounted on silver staves, to which were attached four ringing bells of gold, and supported by four burgesses of Dover, as was their ancient privilege. The dukes, earls, and barons wore scarlet robes reaching to the ground, mantles of rich ermine, and coronets of gold surmounted by hoods of ermine. On the King's right hand walked Henry, Prince of Wales, bearing the sword of mercy; on his left Northumberland, who had been created constable, bearing the sword of justice. Westmoreland, as Earl Marshal, bore the sceptre before the King. The scene within

the Abbey, as the procession entered, must have been superb. In the centre of the spacious nave was erected a high daïs, covered by a crimson cloth, and thereon the ancient throne, adorned with cloth of gold, worked with the heraldic symbols of English royalty; and over the throne hung a rich canopy. The interior was crowded with the nobility and best gentry of the land; and the fair sex, arrayed in gaudy ostentation, attended to lend graceful presence to the scene. The King proceeded to the throne and took his place thereon, arrayed in the royal robes, but having as yet no crown upon his head. Arundel, the primate, ascended the daïs, and addressed the multitude. "God hath given us this man," said he, "to be our lord and sovereign. Is it your will that he should be consecrated and crowned King of Eng land?" The assent was boisterous and unanimous; loud praises were mingled with the harmony of the single "ay;" hands were uplifted as if to swear allegiance. Henry then came down from the daïs.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, assisted by the prelates, stood at the altar, whither the King advanced. With the solemn Latin service the pri mate administered the rite of consecration; the King was consecrated on the head, the breast, the shoulders, the back, and the hands. Thus he became holy in the eyes of that superstitious age. As the head of the English Church he was then enrobed as a bishop, having a hood on his head, and shoes of crimson velvet upon his feet. Spurs, to indicate the church militant, were clasped about his ankles. The sword of justice was drawn, and having been blessed by the primate, was placed in the royal hand; Henry replaced it in the scabbard, and the primate girded it, thus sheathed,

about his waist. The hood was displaced to make way for the crown of St. Edward the Confessor, which was blessed by the primate, and put upon the royal head. This was the consummation of the ceremony which invested Henry completely with the sovereignty.

Then followed the feastings and revellings which formed such a contrast to the preceding solemnities, and which gave a vent to the jubilant feelings of the courtiers. The courtyards of the palace were ornamented with unique fountains; and from the mouths of lions, the tridents of Neptune, and the petals of marble flowers gushed wines, whence all might drink in common. Within the vast hall were spread five long tables, laden with the richest viands which the European markets could supply. At the head of the first sat the new monarch on a throne; by his side stood the Prince of Wales, to serve his royal father; and below Henry the archbishops and bishops were arranged in order of dignity, while at the foot of the table was the Earl of Westmoreland. At the second table were the five great lords of England; at the third the Lord Mayor and civic dignitaries of the metropolis; at the fourth the newly dubbed knights; at the fifth the rest of the company, below the order of nobility.

As the feast was proceeding merrily, a loud knock was heard upon the oaken doors. A knight of renown advanced into the hall, full-armed, upon a steed nobly barbed with crimson panoply. Another knight went before him, holding his lance, while Dymock himself held his drawn sword in his hand, and a naked dagger glistened at his girdle. Advancing to Henry, he kneeled and presented him a paper. In it was announced that "if any knight or

gentleman should dare maintain that King Henry was not a lawful sovereign, he (Dymock) would offer him combat in presence of the King, when and where his Majesty should be pleased to appoint." This challenge the King ordered to be proclaimed by his heralds in every part of London; and, as may be readily imagined, none stood forward to oppose himself to successful usurpation. Thus closed the memorable day on which was confirmed in royal state the first English King of the people's choice.

The Parliament which had already confirmed Henry's occupation of the throne, now, at his request, declared his eldest son, Henry, to be the heir apparent to the monarchy; and at the same time the young prince was created Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and Aquitaine, and Earl of Chester. The attainders which Richard had instigated against the Earls of Warwick and Arundel were cancelled, and those peers, ardent partisans of Bolingbroke, recalled from exile. The crime of treason was defined to be restricted to the description in the law of Edward the Third. In all their acts the members of the Parliament showed themselves to be wholly in the interest of the new King; who, when he had obtained from them what measures he pleased, dissolved them.

Before, however, Parliament rose, several matters of the first importance relative to the security of Henry's throne were disposed of. Lords Rutland, Kent, Huntingdon, Somerset, and Despencer, who had received from King Richard higher titles in the peerage, were arraigned on the charge of murdering the Duke of Gloucester, uncle to both the late and the present monarch. This gave rise to a fierce and long continued discussion in the House of Lords; chal