there is danger left the houses, loaded as they will be with people, all preffing forward in the fame direction, fhould fall down upon the proceffion. The least evil that can be expected is, that in fo clofe a crowd, fome will be trampled upon, and others fmothered; and furely a pomp that cofts a fingle life is too dearly bought. The new streets, as they are more extenfive, will afford place to greater numbers, with lefs danger. In this propofal I do not forefee any objection that can reasonably be made. That a longer march will require more time, is not to be mentioned, as implying any defect in a fcheme of which the whole purpose is to lengthen the march and protract the time. The longest courfe which I have propofed is not equal to an hour's walk in the Park. The labour is not fuch, as that the king should refuse it to his people, or the nobility grudge it to the king. Queen Anne went from the palace through. the Park to the Hall, on the day of her coronation; and when old and infirm, used to pass on folemn thanksgivings from the palace to St. Paul's church *. Part In order to convey to the reader fome idea how highly parade and magnificence were estimated by our ancestors, on thefe folemn occafions, I shall take notice of the manner of conducting lady Anne Boleyn from Greenwich, previous to her coronation, as it is recited by Stow. King Henry VIII. (fays that hiftorian) having divorced queen Catherine, and married Anne Boleyn, or Boloine, who was defcended from Godfrey Boloine, Mayor of the city of London, and intending her coronation, fent to order the Lord Mayor, not only to make all the preparations neceffary for condu&ing his royal confort from Greenwich, by water, to the Tower of London, but to adorn the city after Part of my scheme fuppofes the demolition of the C Gate-houfe, a building fo offenfive, that, without any occafional reafon, it ought to be pulled down, for it dif graces the prefent magnificence of the capital, and is a continual nuifance to neighbours and paffengers. A longer after the most magnificent manner, for her paffage through it to Wefiminfter. In obedience to the royal precept, the mayor and common-council not only ordered the company of Haberdashers, of which the lord mayor was a member, to prepare a magnificent ftate barge; but enjoined all the city corporations to provide themselves with barges, and to adorn them in the moft fuperb manner, and efpecially to have them fupplied with good bands of mufic. On the 29th of May, the time prefixed for this pompous proceffion by water, the mayor, aldermen, and commons, affembled at St. Mary-bill; the mayor and aldermen in fcarlet, with gold chains, and those who were knights, with the collars of SS. At one they went on board the city barge at Billingfgate, which was moft magnificently decorated, and attended by fifty noble barges, belonging to the feveral companies of the city, with each its own corporation on board; and, for the better regulation of this proceffion, it was ordered, that each barge should keep twice their lengths afunder. Thus regulated, the city barge was preceded by another mounted with ordnance, and the figures of dragons, and other monfters, inceffantly emitting fire and fmoke, with much noife. Then the city barge, attended on the right by the Haberdashers ftate barge, called the Bachelors, which was covered with gold brocade, and adorned with fails of filk, with two rich standards of the king's and queen's arms at her head and ftern, besides a variety of flags and ftreamers, containing the arms of that company, and thofe of the merchant adventurers; befides which, the fhrouds and ratlines were hung with a number of fmall bells: on the left was a barge that contained a very beautiful mount, on which flood a white falcon crowned, perched upon a golden ftump enriched with rofes, A longer courfe of fcaffolding is doubtlefs more expensive than a fhorter; but it is hoped that the time is now past, when any design was received or rejected according to the money that it would coft. Magnificence cannot be cheap, for what is cheap cannot be magni ficent. being the queen's emblem; and round the mount fat feveral beautiful virgins, finging, and playing upon inftruments. The other barges followed in regular order, till they came below Greenwich. On their return the proceffion began with that barge which was before the last, in which were mayor's and sheriff's officers, and this was followed by thofe of the inferior companies, afcending to the lord mayor's, which immediately preceded that of the queen, who was attended by the Bachelors or ftate barge, with the magnificence of which her majesty was much delighted; and being arrived at the Tower, the returned the lord mayor and aldermen thanks, for the pomp with which the had been conducted thither. Two days after, the lord mayor, in a gown of crimson velvet, and a rich collar of SS, attended by the fheriffs, and two domestics in red and white damask, went to receive the queen at the Tower of London, whence the fheriffs returned to see that every thing was in order. The streets were just before new gravelled from the Tower to Temple-Bar, and railed in on each fide, to the intent that the horses should not flide on the pavement, nor the people be hurt by the horfes; within the rails near Grace-church, stood a body of Anfeatic merchants, and next to them the feveral corporations of the city, in their formalities, reaching to the aldermens station at the upper end of Cheapfide. On the oppofite fide were placed the city constables dressed in filk and velvet, with staffs in their hands, to prevent the breaking in of the mob, or any other disturbance. On this occafion, Gracechurch-freet and Cornhill were hung with crimson and scarlet cloth, and the fides of the houses of a place then called Goldsmiths-row, in Cheapfide, were adorned with gold brocades, velvet, and rich tapestry. The ficent. The money that is so spent, is spent at home, and the king will receive again what he lays out on the pleafure of his people. Nor is it to be omitted, that if the coft be confidered as expended by the public, much The proceffion began from the Tower with twelve of the French ambaffador's domeftics in blue velvet, the trappings of their horfes being blue farfnet, interfperfed with white croffes; after whom marched thofe of the equeftrian order, two and two, followed by judges in their robes, two and two; then came the knights of the Bath in violet gowns, purfled with menever. Next came the abbots, barons, bishops, earls and marquises, in their robes, two and two. Then the lord chancellor, followed by the Venetian ambaffador and the archbishop of York: next the French ambassador and the archbishop of Canterbury, followed by two gentlemen reprefenting the dukes of Normandy and Aquitain; after whom rode the lord mayor of London with his mace, and Garter in his coat of arms; then the duke of Suffolk, lord high steward, followed by the deputy marshal of England, and all the other officers of state in their robes, carrying the fymbols of their feveral offices: then others of the nobility in crimson velvet, and all the queen's officers in fcarlet, followed by her chancellor uncovered, who immediately preceded his mistress. The queen was dreffed in filver brocade, with a mantle of the fame furred with ermine; her hair was dishevelled, and he wore a chaplet upon her head fet with jewels of inestimable value. She fat in a litter covered with filver tiffue, and carried by two beautiful pads cloathed in white damafk, and led by her footmen. Over the litter was carried a canopy of cloth of gold, with a filver bell at each corner, supported by fixteen knights alternately, by four at a time. After her majefly came her chamberlain, followed by her master of horse, leading a beautiful pad, with a fide-faddle and trappings of filver tiffue. Next came feven ladies in crimson velvet, faced with gold brocade, mounted on beautiful horfes with gold trappings. Then much more will be faved than loft; for the exceffive prices at which windows and tops of houses are now let, will be abated, not only greater numbers will be admitted to the fhew, but each will come at a cheaper rate. Some Then followed two chariots covered with cloth of gold, in the first of which were the duchefs of Norfolk and the marchionefs of Dorfet, and in the fecond four ladies in crimson velvet; then followed feven ladies dreffed in the fame manner, on horfeback, with magnificent trappings, followed by another chariot all in white, with fix ladies in crim fon velvet; this was followed by another all in red, with eight ladies in the fame drefs with the former: next came thirty gentlewomen, attendants to the ladies of honour; they were on horfeback, dreffed in filks and velvet; and the cavalcade was clofed by the horfe guards. This pompous proceffion being arrived in Fenchurch-street, the the queen ftopped at a beautiful pageant, crowded with children in mercantile habits; who congratulated her majefty upon the joyful occafion of her happy arrival in the city. Thence the proceeded to Gracechurch corner, where was erected a very magnificent pageant, at the expence of the company of Axfeatic merchants, in which was reprefented mount Parnaffus, with the fountain of Helicon, of white marble, out of which arose four fprings about four feet high, centering at the top in a fmall globe, from whence iffued plenty of Rhenifh wine till night. On the mount fat Apollo, at his feet was Calliope, and beneath were the reft of the Mufes, furrounding the mount, and playing upon a variety of mufical inftruments, at whose feet were infcribed several epigramsfuited to the occafion, in letters of gold. Her majefty then proceeded to Leadenhall, where ftood a pageant, reprefenting a hill encompaffed with red and white rofes; and above it was a golden ftump, upon which a white falcon, defcending from above, perched, and was quickly followed by an angel, who put a crown of gold upon his head. A little lower on the hillock fat St. Anne, furrounded by her progeny, one of whom made an oration, |