tion, he might lose this his fifth chance of obtaining a wife. He therefore directs, that, if his procurators cannot fulfil his commands to the very letter, they shall, "over and above every form contained in the aforesaid letters, without the payment of the money appropriated for us, in whatever way ye can, take her with you, and safely and securely bring her to us in England." The "fair damsel The "fair damsel" was accordingly placed in the hands of the embassy; and, amidst the rejoicings of the whole kingdom of Provence, she took her way, accompanied by a gallant cavalcade, among which were more than three hundred ladies on horse-back, through Navarre and France, to England.

A pleasing trait, and one that shews that the era of chivalry was approaching, if not indeed already commenced, is here recorded by Matthew Paris. The king of Navarre, that minstrel, and most knightly monarch, Thibaut the Seventh-he, whose songs are not even yet forgotten in the province over which, six hundred years ago, he bore sway-no sooner heard that the daughter of the minstrel-loving Raymond sought to pass through his territory, than, like a knight of romance, he summoned a goodly array of men at arms, "and joyfully made ready to accompany them through his lands, for five days; his own innate munificence defraying every expense, both for horses and men," although the royal train amounted to many hundreds. When arrived at the confines of France, they received an hospitable welcome from the queen dowager and her son, who a short time before had married the elder sister of

Elinor. The marriage train finally arrived at Dover, from whence they proceeded to Canterbury, where Henry was awaiting their coming. There she was married; the service being performed by archbishop Edmund, and the bishops who accompanied her. Then with a splendid train of prelates and nobles, they set forth for London; when, on the 20th of January, the feast of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, the king wearing his crown, Elinor, "with incomparable and unheard-of splendour, was crowned at Westminster."

The prolix historian then proceeds to describe the gallant array of the royal procession, and the gorgeous appearance which, even at this early period, was made by the city of London, with a minuteness which, in spite of his most cumbrous and ridiculous style, entitles him to the thanks of every antiquary. "There had assembled together so great a multitude of the nobility of both sexes, so great a number of the religious orders, so great a concourse of the populace, so great a variety of players, that the city of London could scarcely contain them in her capacious bosom. Therefore was the whole city adorned with silk hangings, and with banners, crowns, and palls, tapers and lamps, and with certain marvellous ingenuities and wonders; all the streets being cleansed from mud, dirt, and sticks, and every thing offensive. The citizens of London going to meet the king and queen, ornamented and trapped, emulously sported their swift horses. And on the same day, when they went from the city to Westminster, that they might discharge the service

of butler to the king in his coronation (which is acknowledged to belong to them of ancient right), they went in well-marshalled array, adorned with silken vestments, wrapped in gold-woven mantles, with fancifully devised garments, sitting on valuable horses, refulgent with new bits and saddles. And they bore 360 golden or silver cups, the king's trumpeters going before, and sounding their trumpets, so that so wonderful a novelty produced a laudable astonishment in the spectators."* The worthy monk of St. Albans next dilates upon the splendour of the feast, and the order of the services of the different vassals;-remarking, with great satisfaction, that the abbot of his own convent took precedence, "as of right he is to be preferred," of every other abbot at the dinner. A fuller, and in all probability a more accurate, account has been lately printed from the City Records; and some passages of this earliest account of the coronation of a queen shall be given." In the 20th year of the reign of king Henry, son of king John, queen Elinor, daughter of Hugh earl of Provence, was crowned at Westminster, on the Sunday before the Purification, the king wearing his crown, and the bishops assisting. And these served in order, in that most elegant and unheard-of feast. The bishop of Chichester, the chancellor, with the cup of precious stones, which was one of the ancient regalia of the king, clothed in his pontificals, preceded the king; who was clad in royal attire, and wearing

* Matthew Paris.

This is a mistake for Raymond.

the crown.

Hugh de Patishull, at that time the king's treasurer, walked before with the patine, clothed in a dalmatica; and the earls of Chester, Lincoln, and Warren, bearing the swords, preceded him. But the two renowned knights, Sir Richard Siward and Sir Nicholas de Molis, carried the two royal sceptres before the king; and the square purple cloth of silk, which was supported upon four silver lances, with four little bells of silver gilt, held over the king wherever he walked, was carried by the barons of the Cinque Ports; four being assigned to each lance, from the diversity of ports, that one port should not seem to be preferred before the other. The same in like manner bore a cloth of silk over the queen, walking behind the king, which said cloths they claimed to be theirs by right, and obtained them. And William de Beauchamp of Bedford, who had the office of almoner from times of old, found the striped cloth or burel, which was laid down under the king's feet, as he went from the hall as far as the pulpit of the church of Westminster; and that part of the cloth that was within the church always fell to the sexton, in whatever church the king was crowned; and all that was without the church was distributed among the poor, by the hands of William the almoner.

"At the king's table, on the right hand of the king, sat the archbishops, bishops, and certain abbots, who wished to be privileged at table; and on the left hand sat the earls, and some barons, although very few; but none claimed their seats by any right. And on that day the office of seneschal was served by Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, to whom

that office by right belonged; and the office of the napery was that day served by Henry of Hastings, whose office it was of old to serve. Walter de Beauchamp, of Hammerlegh, laid the salt-cellar and the knives; and after the banquet was at an end, he received the knives and the salt-cellar as his right. On that day the earl Warren served the office of butler, in the stead of Hugh de Albiniac, earl of Arundel. Under him, at his side, served master Michael Belot, whose office it was, as secondary, to hold the cup, well replenished with wine, to be handed to the earl of Arundel when the king might require it. Master Michael had the office of butler in the king's house, by ancient right, under the earl. And Andrew,* mayor of the city of London-who came there to serve in the butlery, with 360 cups, because the city of London is held to serve in the butlery to help the chief butler, as is the city of Winchester in the kitchen to help the steward,—claimed master Michael's place of standing before the king; but was repulsed by order of the king, who said that no one ought by right to serve there, but only master Michael; and so the mayor gave way, and served the two bishops at the king's right hand; and after the banquet, the earl butler received the king's cup with which he had served him, as his right; and master Michael received that earl's robe as his right."

"William de Beauchamp, on that day, served the office of almoner; and he had that day the whole jurisdiction relative to the disputes and offences of

* Andrew Buckerel, who was mayor from 1231 to 1237.