Part 14
Father, desist a while, till I send forth A few words to our friend, that man of worth.— The power that heaven, love, and the city’s choice, Have all conferr’d on thee, with mutual voice, As it is great, reverend, and honourable, Meet it with equal goodness, strive t’ excel Thy former self; as thy command exceeds Thy last year’s state, so let new acts old deeds; And as great men in riches and in birth— Heightening their bloods and joining earth to earth— Bestow their best hours and most serious cares In choosing out fit matches for their heirs, So never give thou over day or hour, Till with a virtue thou hast match’d this power; For what is greatness if not join’d with grace? Like one of high blood that hath married base. Who seeks authority with an ignorant eye, Is like a man seeks out his enemy; For where[301] before his follies were not spread, Or his corruptions, then they’re clearly read E’en by the eyes of all men; ’tis so pure A crystal of itself, it will endure No poison of oppression, bribes, hir’d law, But ’twill appear soon in some crack or flaw: Howe’er men soothe their hopes with popular breath, If not in life, they’ll find that crack in death. I was not made to fawn or stroke sin smooth; Be wise and hear me, then, that cannot soothe: I’ve set thee high now, be so in example, Made thee a pinnacle in honour’s temple, Fixing ten thousand eyes upon thy brow; There is no hiding of thy actions now, They must abide the light, and imitate me, Or be thrown down to fire where errors be. Nor only with these words thy ear I feed, But give those part that shall in time succeed, To thee in present, and to them to come, That Truth may bring you all with honour home To these your gates, and to those, after these, Of which your own good actions keep the keys. Then, as the loves of thy Society Have[302] flow’d in bounties on this day and thee, Counting all cost too little for true art, Doubling rewards there where they found desert, In thankfulness, justice, and virtuous care, Perfect their hopes,—those thy requitals are; With fatherly respect embrace ’em all, Faith in thy heart and Plenty in thy hall, Love in thy walks, but Justice in thy state, Zeal in thy chamber, Bounty at thy gate: And so to thee and these a blessèd night;— To thee, fair City, peace, my grace and light!
Trumpets sounding triumphantly, Zeal, the champion of Truth, on horseback, his head circled with strange fires, appears to his mistress, and thus speaks:
See yonder, lady, Error’s chariot stands, Braving the power of your incens’d commands, Embolden’d by the privilege of Night And her black faction; yet, to crown his spite, Which I’ll confound, I burn in divine wrath.
TRUTH.
Strike, then; I give thee leave to shoot it forth.
ZEAL.
Then here’s to the destruction of that seat; There’s nothing seen of thee but fire shall eat.
At which a flame shoots from the head of Zeal, which, fastening upon that chariot of Error, sets it on fire, and all the beasts that are joined to it.
The firework being made by master Humphrey Nichols, a man excellent in his art; and the whole work and body of the Triumph, with all the proper beauties of the workmanship, most artfully and faithfully performed by John Grinkin; and those furnished with apparel and porters[303] by Anthony Munday, gentleman.
This proud seat of Error lying now only glowing in embers—being a figure or type of his lordship’s justice on all wicked offenders in the time of his government—I now conclude, holding it a more learned discretion to cease of myself than to have Time cut me off rudely: and now let him strike at his pleasure.
_The manner of his Lordship’s Entertainment on Michaelmas day last, being the day of his honourable Election, together with the worthy_ SIR JOHN SWINNERTON, _Knight, then Lord Mayor, the learned and judicious_ SIR HENRY MONTAGUE, _Knight, master Recorder, and many of the Right Worshipful the Aldermen of the City of London, at that most famous and admired work of the Running Stream, from Amwell Head into the Cistern near Islington; being the sole invention, cost, and industry of that worthy master_ HUGH MIDDLETON, _of London, Goldsmith, for the general good of the City_.
PERFECTION, which is the crown of all invention, swelling now high with happy welcome to all the glad well-wishers of her admired maturity, the father and master of this famous work, expressing thereby both his thankfulness to heaven and his zeal to the city of London, in true joy of heart to see his time, travails, and expenses so successively greeted, this gives entertainment to that honourable assembly:—
At their first appearing, the warlike music of drums and trumpets liberally beats the air, sounds as proper as in battle, for there is no labour that man undertakes but hath a war within itself, and perfection makes the conquest; and no few or mean onsets of malice, calumnies, and slanders, hath this resolved gentleman borne off, before his labours were invested with victory, as in this following speech to those honourable auditors then placed upon the mount is more at large related.
A troop of labourers, to the number of threescore or upwards, all in green caps alike, bearing in their hands the symbols of their several employments in so great a business, with drums before them, marching twice or thrice about the cistern, orderly present themselves before the mount, and after their obeisance,
_The Speech._[304]
Long have we labour’d, long desir’d and pray’d For this great work’s perfection, and by th’ aid Of heaven and good men’s wishes ’tis at length Happily conquer’d, by cost, art, and strength: After five years’ dear expense in days, Travail, and pains, beside the infinite ways Of malice, envy, false suggestions, Able to daunt the spirit of mighty ones In wealth and courage, this, a work so rare, Only by one man’s industry, cost, and care, Is brought to blest effect, so much withstood, His only aim the city’s general good; And where[305] before many unjust complaints, Enviously seated, have[306] oft caus’d restraints, Stops, and great crosses, to our master’s charge And the work’s hindrance, favour now at large Spreads itself open to him, and commends To admiration both his pains and ends, The king’s most gracious love: perfection draws Favour from princes, and from all applause. Then, worthy magistrates, to whose content, Next to the state, all this great care was bent, And for the public good, which grace requires, Your loves and furtherance chiefly he desires, To cherish these proceedings, which may give Courage to some that may hereafter live, To practise deeds of goodness and of fame, And gladly light their actions by his name. Clerk of the work, reach me the book, to shew How many arts from such a labour flow.
These lines following are read in the clerk’s book:
First, here’s the overseer, this tried man An ancient soldier and an artisan; The clerk; next him the mathematician; The master of the timber-work takes place Next after these; the measurer in like case; Bricklayer and enginer;[307] and after those The borer and the paviour; then it shews The labourers next; keeper of Amwell-head; The walkers last: so all their names are read; Yet these but parcels of six hundred more That at one time have been employ’d before; Yet these in sight and all the rest will say, That all the week they had their royal pay.
The Speech goes on.
Now for the fruits then: flow forth, precious spring, So long and dearly sought for, and now bring Comfort to all that love thee; loudly sing, And with thy crystal murmur struck together, Bid all thy true well-wishers welcome hither!
At which words the flood-gate opens, the stream let into the cistern, drums and trumpets giving it triumphant welcomes; and, for the close of this their honourable entertainment, a peal of chambers.[308]
CIVITATIS AMOR,
_&c._
_Civitatis Amor. The Citie’s Loue. An entertainement by water, at Chelsey and White-hall. At the ioyfull receiuing of that Illustrious Hope of Great Britaine, the High and Mighty Charles, To bee created Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornewall, Earle of Chester, &c. Together with the Ample Order and Solemnity of his Highnesse creation, as it was celebrated in his Maiesties Palace of Whitehall, on Monday, the fourth of Nouember. 1616. As also the Ceremonies of that Ancient and Honourable Order of the Knights of the Bath; And all the Triumphs showne in honour of his Royall Creation. London, Printed by Nicholas Okes for Thomas Archer, and are to be sold at his shop in Popes-head-Pallace. 1616._ 4to.
Reprinted in Nichols’s _Progresses of King James_, vol. iii. p. 208.
CIVITATIS AMOR.
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_The ample Order and Solemnity of Prince Charles his Creation._
His Majesty, as well to shew the bounty of his affection towards his royal son, as to settle in the hearts of his loving subjects a lively impression of his kingly care for continuance of the happy and peaceable government of this land in his issue and posterity, having determined to invest his princely Highness with those titles and solemnities [with] which the former princes of this realm have usually been adorned; it seemed fittest—both in regard of his Highness’ years, shewing the rare proofs of promising heroical virtues, and also that it would be a gladness most grateful and acceptable to the commonwealth—to have the solemnities thereof royally performed: to the effecting of which, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the city of London, with the several Companies, honourably furnished and appointed, and marshalled in fair and comely order—both by the care and industry of master Nicholas Leate, citizen and merchant of London, and one of the chief captains for the city; as also by the well-observed and deserving pains of master Thomas Sparro, water-baily, made, for that day, marshal for the water-triumphs—were ready attending, with a great train and costly entertainment, to receive his Highness at Chelsea, their barges richly deckt with banners, streamers, and ensigns, and sundry sorts of loud-sounding instruments aptly placed amongst them. And for his Grace’s first entertainment, which was near Chelsea, a personage figuring London, sitting upon a sea-unicorn, with six Tritons sounding before her, accompanied both with Neptune and the two rivers Thamesis and Dee, at his first appearing speaks as followeth.
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[THE CITY’S[309] LOVE.
_The Entertainment by Water at Chelsea and Whitehall._
AT CHELSEA.
A personage figuring London, sitting upon a sea-unicorn, with six Tritons sounding before her, accompanied thither with Neptune, and the two rivers Thamesis and Dee, at the first appearing of the Prince speaks as followeth:]
LONDON.
Neptune, since thou hast been at all this pains, Not only with thy Tritons to supply me, But art thyself come from thy utmost mains To feast upon that joy that’s now so nigh me, To make our loves the better understood, Silence thy watery subject, this small flood.
Neptune gives action toward Thamesis, and speaks:
NEPTUNE.
By the timely ebbs and flows, That make thee famous to all those That must observe thy precious tides That issue from our wealthy sides, Not a murmur, not a sound, That may this lady’s voice confound!— And, Tritons, who by our commanding power Attend upon the glory of this hour, To do it service and the city grace, Be silent till we wave our silver mace.
LONDON.
And you, our honour’d sons, whose loyalty, Service, and zeal, shall be express’d of me, Let not your loving, over-greedy noise Beguile you of the sweetness of your joys. My wish has took effect, for ne’er was known A greater joy and a more silent one.
Then turning to the Prince, [she] thus speaks:
Treasure of hope, and jewel of mankind, Richer no kingdom’s peace did ever see, Adorn’d in titles, but much more in mind, The loves of many thousands speak in me, Who from that blessing of our peaceful store, Thy royal father, hast receiv’d most free Honours, that woo’d thy virtues long before, And ere thy time were capable of thee; Thou whose most early goodness, fix’d in youth, Does promise comfort to the length of time; As we on earth measure heaven’s works by truth, And things which natural reason cannot climb, So when we look into the virtuous aim Of thy divine addiction, we may deem, By rules of grace and principles of fame, What worth will be, now in so high esteem, And so betimes pursu’d; which thought upon, Never more cause this land had to rejoice; But chiefly I, the city, that has known More of this good than any, and more choice. What a fair glorious peace, for many years, Has sung her sweet calms to the hearts of men, Enrich’d our homes, extinguish’d foreign fears, And at this hour begins her hymns agen![310] Live long and happy, glory of our days! And thy sweet time mark’d with all fair presages, Since heaven is pleas’d in thy blest life to raise The hope of these, and joy of after ages.— Sound, Tritons; lift our loves up with his fame, Proclaim’d as far as honour has a name!
NEPTUNE.
Sound on!
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THE ENTERTAINMENT AT WHITEHALL.
This personage, figuring London, with the six Tritons sounding before, Neptune, and the two rivers, being arrived at Whitehall, where attend the Prince’s landing the figures of two sacred deities, Hope and Peace, thus speaks:
LONDON.
Hope, now behold the fulness of thy good, Which thy sick comforts have expected long;— And thou, sweet Peace, the harmony of this flood, Look up, and see the glory of thy song.
Hope, leaning her breast upon a silver anchor, attended with four virgins all in white, having silver oars in their hands, thus answers:
HOPE.
Fair and most famous city, thou hast wak’d me From the sad slumber of disconsolate fear, Which at the music of thy voice forsak’d me, And now begin to see my comforts clear; Now has my anchor her firm hold agen, And in my blest and calm security The expectations of all faithful men Have their full fruits, being satisfied in me. This is the place that I’ll cast anchor in, This, honour’s haven, the king’s royal court; Here will I fasten all my joys agen, Where all deservers and deserts resort: And may I never change this happy shore Till all be chang’d, never to alter more!
Then Peace, sitting on a dolphin, with her sacred quire, sings this song following:
_The song of_ PEACE.
_Welcome, O welcome, spring of joy and peace! Born to be honour’d and to give increase To those that wait upon thy graces; Behold the many thousand faces That make this amorous flood Look like a moving wood, Usurping all her crystal spaces; ’Mongst which_ THE CITY’S LOVE _is first, Whose expectation’s sacred thirst Nothing truly could allay But such a prince and such a day. Welcome, O welcome! all fair joys attend thee! Glory of life, to safety we commend thee!_ THO. MIDDLETON.[311]
[The Prince[312] landed at the common stairs at Whitehall, the nobility and his officers preceding. In the Hall he was received by the Duke of Lennox, lord steward of the household, the controller and officers of the household; in the Great Chamber by the Lord Chamberlain, and Viscount Fenton, captain of the guard. He proceeded no further than to the door of the Presence.]
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PRINCE CHARLES HIS CREATION.
The day’s Triumph ended, to the great honour of the city and content of his Highness, who, out of the goodness of his love, gave the Lord Mayor and Aldermen many thanks, on Monday following, the lords and peers of the realm being all assembled at Whitehall, his Highness then proceeded in this manner to his creation:
First went [the Prince’s Gentlemen, according to their degrees; his learned Counsel; the drums;] the trumpets; then the Heralds and Officers of Arms, in their rich coats; [the Earl Marshal with his vierge;[313] the Lord Chamberlain with his white staff]; next followed the Knights of the Bath, being six-and-twenty in number, apparelled in long robes of purple satin, lined with white taffeta; then Sir William Segar, knight, alias garter principal king of arms, bearing the letters patents; the Earl of Sussex the purple robes; the train borne by the Earl of Huntington, the sword by the Earl of Rutland, the ring by the Earl of Derby, the rod by the Earl of Shrewsbury, the cap and coronet by the Duke of Lennox lord steward. His princely Highness, supported by the Earls of Suffolk and Nottingham, came bareheaded, [followed by the principal Gentlemen of his chamber], and so entered the great hall, where the King was set in his royal throne, and the whole state of the realm in their order.
The Prince made low obeisance to his Majesty three times; and after the third time, when he was come near to the King, he kneeled down on a rich pillow or cushion, whilst Sir Ralph Winwood, principal secretary, read his letters patents: then his Majesty, at the reading of the words of investment, put the robes upon him, and girded on the sword; invested him with the rod and ring, and set the cap and coronet on his head. [When the patent was fully read, it was delivered to the King, who delivered it to the Prince, kissing him once or twice. At the putting on of the mantle, and delivering of the patent, the trumpets and drums sounded.]
With which ceremony the creation being accomplished, the King arose, and went up to dinner; but the Prince, with his lords, dined in the hall, and was served with great state and magnificence, accompanied at his table with divers great lords, as the Earl of Suffolk, lord treasurer; the Earl of Arundel, lord marshal; the Earl of Nottingham, lord admiral; the Duke of Lennox, lord steward; the Earl of Pembroke, lord chamberlain; the Earls of Shrewsbury, Derby, [Huntington], Rutland, and Sussex; the Prince sitting in a chair at the upper end, and the rest in distance about four yards from him, one over against another, in their degrees; all which were those that were employed in several offices of honour about his royal creation. [The Earl of Southampton acted as cup-bearer, the Earl of Dorset as carver, the Lord Compton as sewer,[314] and doctor Sinhowse, the Prince’s chaplain, said grace.] At another table, in the same room, on the left hand of the Prince, sat the Knights of the Bath, all on one side, and had likewise great service and attendance. [After some music, the song of forty parts was sung by the gentlemen of the chapel and others, sitting upon degrees over the screen at the north end of the Hall; which was sung again by the King’s commandment, who stood as a spectator in the room over the stairs ascending to the Great Chamber.] About the midst of dinner, Sir William Segar, knight, alias garter principal king of arms, with the rest of the King’s Heralds and Pursuivants of Arms, approached the Prince’s table, and with a loud and audible voice proclaimed the King’s style in Latin, French, and English, thrice; and the Prince’s, in like manner, twice: then the trumpets sounding, the second course came in; and dinner done, that day’s solemnity ceased.
At night, to crown it with more heroical honour, forty worthy gentlemen of the noble societies of Inns of Court,[315] being ten of each house, every one appointed, in way of honourable combat, to break three staves, three swords, and exchange ten blows a-piece—whose names, for their worthiness, I commend to fame—began thus each to encounter other: and not to wrong the sacred antiquity of any of the houses, their names are here set down in the same order as they were presented to his Majesty; viz. of the
Middle Temple—Master Strowd, Master Izord. Gray’s Inn—Master Courthop, Master Calton. Lincoln’s Inn—Master Skinner, Master Windham. Inner Temple—Master Crow, Master Vernon. Middle Temple—Master Argent, Master Glascock. Gray’s Inn—Master Wadding, Master St. John. Lincoln’s Inn—Master Griffin, Master Fletcher. Inner Temple—Master Parsons, Master Brocke.[316] Middle Temple—Master Bentley, senior, Master Peere.[317] Gray’s Inn—Master Selwyn, Master Paston. Lincoln’s Inn—Master Selwyn, Master Clinch. Inner Temple—Master Chetwood, Master Smalman. Middle Temple—Master Bentley, junior, Master Bridges. Gray’s Inn—Master Covert, Master Fulkes. Lincoln’s Inn—Master Jones, Master Googe. Inner Temple—Master Wilde, Master Chave. Middle Temple—Master Wansted, Master Goodyeere. Gray’s Inn—Master Burton, Master Bennet. Lincoln’s Inn—Master Hitchcock, Master Neville. Inner Temple—Master Littleton,[318] Master Trever.
[During the fifth of November, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Treason, the festivities were suspended. On that day Bishop Andrews preached before the King at Whitehall, on Psalm[319] xxvii. 3; and his Majesty knighted Sir William Segar, garter king at arms.]
On Wednesday, the sixth day of November, to give greater lustre and honour to this triumph and solemnity, in the presence of the King, Queen, Prince, and Lords, fourteen right honourable and noble personages, whose names hereafter follow, graced this day’s magnificence with running at the ring[320]; viz.
The Duke of Lennox, lord steward. Earl of Pembroke, lord chamberlain. Earl of Rutland. Earl of Dorset. Earl of Montgomery. Viscount Villiers. Lord Clifford. Lord Walden. Lord Mordaunt. Sir Thomas Howard. Sir Robert Rich. Sir Gilbert Gerrard. Sir William Cavendish. Sir Henry Rich.
Having thus briefly described the manner of his Highness’ creation, with the honourable service shewn to the solemnity both by the lords and gentlemen of the Inns of Court, I should have set a period, but that the Knights of the Bath, being a principal part and ornament of this sacred triumph, I cannot pass them over without some remembrance: therefore thus much out of the Note of Directions from some of the principal officers of arms, and some observation of credit concerning the order and ceremonies of the knighthood:—
The lords and other that were to receive the honourable order of the Bath repaired on Saturday, the second of November, to the Parliament House at Westminster, and there in the afternoon heard evening prayer, observing no other ceremony at that time, but only the heralds going before them, in their ordinary habits, from thence to King Henry the Seventh’s chapel at Westminster, there to begin their warfare, as if they would employ their service for God especially; from whence, after service ended, they returned into the chamber they were to sup in. Their supper was prepared all at one table, and all sate upon one side of the same, every man having an escutcheon of his arms placed over his head, and certain of the King’s officers being appointed to attend them. In this manner, having taken their repast, several beds were made ready for their lodging in another room hard by, after the same manner, all on one side; their beds were pallets with coverings, testers, or canopies of red say,[321] but they used no curtains.
The Knights in the meanwhile were withdrawn into the bathing-chamber, which was the next room to that which they supped in; where for each of them was provided a several bathing-tub, which was lined both within and without with white linen, and covered with red say; wherein, after they have said their prayers and commended themselves to God, they bathe themselves, that thereby they might be put in mind to be pure in body and soul from thenceforth; and after the bath, they betook themselves to their rest.