Page:The Queens of England.djvu/269

ANNE OF WARWICK. 229 of the preparations had been intended for the coronation of the heir of King Edward the Fourth, who, with his brother, had ere this been consigned to an untimely grave. The great mag- nificence of this ceremony was also intended to dazzle the peo- ple, and prevent them from" directing their attention to the de- fective title of Richard. Without entering into all the details, it may suffice to say that no point of ceremony was allowed to be omitted, and it seems to have struck Richard that he had given deadly cause of offense to the Yorkists, he appeared on this occasion anxious to show the utmost court to the Lancas- trians, in order to bind them to his interests. But in this he signally failed, and such was the attachment of the people to that illustrious line that they preferred a collateral branch of that house to a direct descendant of the house of York. On the day of coronation King Richard and his queen came from Whitehall to Westminster, where they walked barefoot to King Edward's shrine, preceded by the clergy, bearing crosses, and the great officers of the household, bearing the re- galia. After making their offerings, they proceeded to the high altar, where they were crowned by Cardinal Bouchier, and then returned to Westminster, where a splendid feast had been prepared for them. Queen Anne, upon her coronation day, was more regally accoutred than of any of her royal pre- decessors. Amongst the items on record we find twenty-seven yards of white cloth of gold, for the queen, for a kirtle and train, and a mantle of the same, richly fured with ermine. In this dress she rode in her litter from the Tower to the palace of Westminster. Still more splendid were her coronation robes, which were all of rich purple velvet, furred with ermine, and adorned with rings and tassels of gold. She wore a golden circlet with precious stones upon her head, and thus attired she walked under a canopy, at each corner of which was a bell of gold. On each side of her walked a bishop, and her train was borne by my lady of Richmond. After the coronation the queen and her son resided at Wind- sor Castle. They then went on a progress, in the .course of which they made a long stay at Warwick Castle,' and here the king joined them. Thence they proceeded to York, where they were recrowned, and the formal investiture of their son, Edward, as Prince of Wales, took place. After the coronation Queen Anne walked through the streets of that city holding the little prince by the hand, while on his head he wore the demi-crown appointed for the heir of England.