where the Pope and his ministers being brought before the figure of Queen Elizabeth, receives his first sentence, and afterwards being led before the statue or tribunal of King Charles II., on the other side, he receives his final doom and downfall, namely, to be burnt with all his fry before Queen Besses throne, the ashes to be scattered about, that thence might never spring hereafter, in England one popish phenix ; "and, in remembrance of her happy days, and for the victories that God gives us in our days against the Pope and his emissaries, the solemnity is closed with fuzees and artificial fires." (1) In the Solemn Mock Procession of the year before, 1679, the Devil attended the Pope as his "right-trusty and well beloved cousin and counsellor;" caressed, hugged, whispered, and often instructed him aloud. The procession arriving at the eastern side of Temple-bar, where, the statue of Queen Elizabeth having been conspicuously ornamented, a song alluding to the protection of the protestants by that queen was sung; and his Holiness, after some compliments and reluctances, was decently toppled from all his grandeur into a vast bonfire over against the Inner Temple gate; "the crafty Devil leaving his Infallibility in the lurch, and laughing as heartily at his deserved ignominious end, as subtle Jesuits do at the ruin of bigotted lay catholics whom themselves have drawn in." (2) In Queen Anne's time the figure of the Pretender was added to that of the Pope and the Devil. A vain attempt to revive obsolete prejudices in England by dressing a statue, was made on the anniversary of King William, in 1821, when a clandestine decoration of his effigy in St. James's Square was effected during the night. The last Solemn Mock Procession round the bedizened statue of King William, in Collegegreen, Dublin, took place the same year. This annual insult to three-fourths of the people of Ireland was finally suppressed by Marquess Wellesley, the Lord Lieutenant. (1) This procession is engraved on a copper-plate, "sold by Jonathan Wilkins at the Star in Cheapside next to Mercer's chapel." (2) Brand, vol. ii., p. 519. Gent. Mag. vol. xxx., p. 515, from Lord Somers's Tracts. X. LORD MAYOR'S SHOW. Behold How London did pour out her citizens ! Shakspeare. AN historical description of the annual procession and ceremonial on the entrance of the Lord Mayor of London into office, might be a work of some interest to those citizens who unite antiquarian with civic feeling. But as an undertaking requiring so much labour in the execution is scarcely to be expected, and the Lord Mayor's show is the only stated exhibition in the metropolis that remains as a memorial of the great doings in the time of the pageants, I purpose some account of its ancient appearance, commencing with a description, on the authority of a MS. quoted by Dr. Nathan Drake. (1) It is "A breffe description of the Royall Citie of London, capital citie of this realme of England, (city arms). Wrytten by me, William Smythe, citizen and haberdasher of London, 1575." With a slight alteration of the orthography, the account is as follows: "The day of St. Simon and St. Jude, the mayor enters into his state and office. The next day he goes by water to Westminster in most triumph-like manner, his barge being garnished with the arms of the city; and near it a ship-boat of the Queen's Majesty being trimmed up and rigged like a ship of war, with divers pieces of ordnance, standards, pennons and targets of the proper arms of the said mayor, of his company, and of the mer (1) Shakspeare and his Times, vol. ii., p. 164. chants' adventurers, or of the staple, or of the company of the new trades; next before him goeth the barge of the livery of his own company, decked with their own proper arms, then the bachelors' barge; and so all the companies in London, in order, every one having their own proper barge, with the arms of their company. And so passing along the Thames, he landeth at Westminster, where he taketh his oath in the Exchequer before the judge there; which done, he returneth by water as aforesaid, and landeth at Paul's wharf, where he, and the rest of the aldermen take their horses, and in great pomp pass through Cheapside. And first of all cometh two great standards, one having the arms of the city, and the other the arms of the mayor's company; next them two drums and a flute, then an ensign of the city, and then about lxx or lxxx poore men marching two and two, in blue gowns, with red sleeves and caps, every one bearing a pike and a target whereon is painted the arms of all them that have been mayors of the same company that this new mayor is of. Then two banners, one of the king's arms, the other of the mayor's own proper arms. Then a set of hautboys playing, and after them certain wyfflers,(1) in velvet coats and chains of gold, with white staves in (1) Whiffler, Mr. Deuce says (Illustrations of Shakspeare, vol. i. p. 507) is a term undoubtedly borrowed from whiffle, another name for a fife or small flute; for whifflers were originally those who preceded armies or processions, as fifers or pipers; in process of time the term whiffler, which had always been used in the sense of a fifer, came to signify any person who went before in a procession. He observes, that Minshew defines him to be a club or staff-bearer, and that it appears, whifflers carried white staves. as in the annual feast of the printers, founders, and Ink-makers, described by Randle Holme. Mr. Archdeacon Nares, in his Glossary, cites Grose's mention of the whifflers at Norwich, who make way for the corporation by flourishing their swords. A friend informs me that the dexterity of the Norwich whifflers in turning their swords to every possible direction is amazing. Mr. Archdeacon Nares remarks, that in the city of London, young freemen, who march at the head of their proper companies on the Lord Mayor's day, sometimes with flags, were called whifflers, or bachelor whifflers, not because they cleared the way, but because they went first as whifflers did; and he quotes a character in the old Play of the City Match, saying, "I look'd the next lord mayor's day to see you o' the livery, or one of the bachelor whifflers." their hands; then the Pageant of Triumph richly decked, whereupon by certain figures and writings, some matter touching Justice and the office of a magistrate is represented. Then sixteen trumpeters, eight and eight, having banners of the mayor's company. Then certain whiffiers in velvet coats and chains, with white staves as before. Then the bachelors, two and two, in long gowns, with crimson hoods on their shoulders of satin; which bachelors are chosen every year of the same company that the mayor is of, (but not of the living) and serve as gentlemen on that and other festival days, to wait on the mayor, being in number according to the quantity of the company, sometimes sixty, or one hundred. After them twelve trumpeters more, with banners of the mayor's company; then the drum and flute of the city, and an ensign of the mayor's company; and after, the waits of the city in blue gowns, red sleeves and caps, every one having a silver collar about his neck. Then they of the livery in their long gowns, every one having his hood on his left shoulder, half-black and half-red, the number of them according to the greatness of the company whereof they are. After them follow sheriffs' officers, and then the mayor's officers, with other officers of the city, as the Common Serjeant, and the Chamberlain; next before the mayor goeth the sword-bearer, having on his head the cap of honour, and the sword of the city in his right hand, in a rich scabbard, set with pearl, and on his left hand goeth the common crier of the city, with his great mace on his shoulder all gilt. The mayor hath on a long gown of scarlet, and on his left shoulder a hood of black velvet, and a rich collar of gold of SS. him rideth the old mayor also, in his and a chain of gold about his neck. and two (among whom is the recorder) all in scarlet gowns; those that have been mayors have chains of gold, the others have black velvet tippits. The two sheriffs come last of all, in their black scarlet gowns and chains of gold. In this order they pass along through the city to the Guildhall, where they dine that day, to the number of 1000 persons, all at the charge of the mayor and the two sheriffs. This feast costeth 4007., whereof the mayor about his neck, and with scarlet gown, hood of velvet, Then all the aldermen, two payeth 2007. and each of the sheriffs, 1007. Immediately after dinner, they go to St. Paul's church, every one of the aforesaid poor men bearing staff, torches, and targets, which torches are lighted when it is late, before they come from evening prayer." To this account from the MS. may be added that, in still more ancient times, the procession to and from Westminster was by land; until in 1453, Sir John Norman built a sumptuous barge at his own expense, for the purpose of going by water, when the watermen made a song in his praise, beginning, "Row thy boat, Norman," and the twelve companies, emulating their chief, have, from that period, graced the Thames on Lord Mayor's day. Mr. Stephen Jones, in his edition of the Biographia Dramatica, has drawn up a list of printed descriptions of the London Triumphs, or Lord Mayors' Shows, from whence it seems that the first account of this annual exhibition known to have been published, was written by George Peele, for the inauguration of Sir Wolstone Dixie, knight, on the 29th of October, 1585, when children personified the City, Magnanimity, Loyalty, Science, the Country, and the river Thames. They also represented a soldier, a sailor, and nymphs, with appropriate speeches. The show opened with a moor on the back of a lynx. On Sir Thomas Middleton's mayoralty, in 1613, the solemnity is described as unparalleled for the cost, art, and magnificence of the shows, pageants, chariots, morning, noon, and night triumphs. In 1665, the city pageants, after a discontinuance of about fourteen years, were revived. mund Gayton, the author of the description for that year, says that "our metropolis for these planetary pageants, was as famous and renowned in foreign nations, as for their faith, wealth, and valour." In the show of 1659, an European, an Egyptian, and a Persian, were personated. On Lord Mayor's day, 1671, the king, queen, and duke of York, and most of the nobility being present, there were "sundry shows, shapes, scenes, speeches, and songs, in parts;" and the like, in 1672, and 1673, when the king again 'graced the triumphs." The king, queen, duke, and duchess of York, Prince Rupert, the duke of Monmouth, foreign ambassadors, the chief nobility, and Secretary of State, were at the Ed |