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136

THE COURT

1553 to 1562.^[1] Many details are preserved of the Merchant Taylors' pageant of 1561 for Sir William Harper, and of the Ironmongers' pageant of 1566 for Sir James Draper, in the device of which James Peele, clerk of Christ's Hospital, and father of George Peele, had a hand. On both occasions the speeches and songs were entrusted to boys from Westminster, under the 'M^r of the quirysters', John Taylor.^[2] Some speeches are preserved from the Merchant Taylors' pageant of St. John Baptist for Sir Thomas Roe in 1568, while James Peele was again engaged by the Ironmongers to prepare a device, which, however, came to nothing, for Sir Alexander Avenon in 1569.^[3] It must be doubtful whether there was a pageant in every year, but when William Smythe described the installation ceremonies in 1575, he included as regular features the 'deveils and wyldmen' which met the returning mayor at Paul's Wharf, and 'the pageant of Tryumphe rychly decked, whervppon by certayne fygures and wrytinges (partly towchinge the name of the sayd mayor) some matter towchinge justice and the office of a magestrate is represented'.^[4] Von Wedel saw the Drapers' pageant for Sir Thomas Pullison in 1584.^[5] Custom seems to have assigned the provision of the pageant to the 'bachelors' of the Lord

↑ Machyn, 47, 72, 96, 117, 155, 270, 294. In 1553 were a 'duyllyll' and 'ii grett wodyn, with ii grett clubes all in grene, and with skwybes bornyng'. For 1540, cf. Mediaeval Stage, ii. 166. A fragment of a Salters' pageant, printed by E. D. Adams in M. L. N. xxxii. 285, from T. C. C. MS. B. 15, 39, may belong to 1530 or 1542, when they had Mayors.
↑ Clode, ii. 262; Nicholl, Ironmongers, 84; cf. ch. xii (Westminster). The subject in 1566 is not recorded. Richard Baker, painter-stainer, had £18 for the pageant and everything except the children and their apparel; John Tailor 40s. to find six children 'as well for the speeches as songs'; James Pele 30s. 'for his devise and paynes in the paggent'; and Thomas Giles of Lombard Street (cf. chh. iii, v) £5 10s. for apparel. The company paid 5s. 'to the prynter for printing of poses speches and songs, that were spoken and songe by the children in the pagent'.
↑ Clode, Memorials, 115; Nicholl, Ironmongers, 97, 'Paid unto James Pele and Peter Baker, for the devise of a pageant, which tok none effecte, xxvj^s. viij^d.'
↑ W. Smythe, A breffe description of London (1575); cf. Mediaeval Stage, ii. 165. Dramatic allusions are 2 Promos and Cassandra, i. 6, '[Enter] Two men, apparrelled lyke greene men at the Mayor feast, with clubbes of fyreworke'; Cobbler's Prophecy, 469, 'comes there a Pageant by, Ile stand out of the green mens way for burning my vestment'; Dutch Courtesan, iii. 1, 117, 'all will scarce make me so high as one of the giants' stilts that stalks before my Lord Mayor's pageant'; Northward Hoe, ii. 1, p. 195, 'Simon and Jude's gentlemen ushers'.
↑ 2 R. Hist. Soc. Trans. ix. 252, 'a representation in the shape of a house with a pointed roof painted in blue and golden colours and ornamented with garlands, on which sat some young girls in fine apparel, one holding a book, another a pair of scales, the third a sceptre. What the others had I forget.' He gives full details of all the installation ceremonies.

[1] Machyn, 47, 72, 96, 117, 155, 270, 294. In 1553 were a 'duyllyll' and 'ii grett wodyn, with ii grett clubes all in grene, and with skwybes bornyng'. For 1540, cf. Mediaeval Stage, ii. 166. A fragment of a Salters' pageant, printed by E. D. Adams in M. L. N. xxxii. 285, from T. C. C. MS. B. 15, 39, may belong to 1530 or 1542, when they had Mayors.

[2] Clode, ii. 262; Nicholl, Ironmongers, 84; cf. ch. xii (Westminster). The subject in 1566 is not recorded. Richard Baker, painter-stainer, had £18 for the pageant and everything except the children and their apparel; John Tailor 40s. to find six children 'as well for the speeches as songs'; James Pele 30s. 'for his devise and paynes in the paggent'; and Thomas Giles of Lombard Street (cf. chh. iii, v) £5 10s. for apparel. The company paid 5s. 'to the prynter for printing of poses speches and songs, that were spoken and songe by the children in the pagent'.

[3] Clode, Memorials, 115; Nicholl, Ironmongers, 97, 'Paid unto James Pele and Peter Baker, for the devise of a pageant, which tok none effecte, xxvj^s. viij^d.'

[4] W. Smythe, A breffe description of London (1575); cf. Mediaeval Stage, ii. 165. Dramatic allusions are 2 Promos and Cassandra, i. 6, '[Enter] Two men, apparrelled lyke greene men at the Mayor feast, with clubbes of fyreworke'; Cobbler's Prophecy, 469, 'comes there a Pageant by, Ile stand out of the green mens way for burning my vestment'; Dutch Courtesan, iii. 1, 117, 'all will scarce make me so high as one of the giants' stilts that stalks before my Lord Mayor's pageant'; Northward Hoe, ii. 1, p. 195, 'Simon and Jude's gentlemen ushers'.

[5] 2 R. Hist. Soc. Trans. ix. 252, 'a representation in the shape of a house with a pointed roof painted in blue and golden colours and ornamented with garlands, on which sat some young girls in fine apparel, one holding a book, another a pair of scales, the third a sceptre. What the others had I forget.' He gives full details of all the installation ceremonies.

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