2-* s. VI. m, Sept. 18. '58.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 



221 



LONDON, SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 18. 1858, 



ORIGINAL LETTEE OF JOHN NOTES, DESCEIBINQ THE 

 CREATION OF HESBY AS PKINCE OF WALES. 



The following letter is a copj' of one written by John 

 Noyes, M.P. for Calne (a small borough in Wiltshire), 

 during the reign of James I. If not too long for insertion 

 it may interest some of your readers. The copj' before 

 Die was taken in 1814 from the original MS. Libya. 



" Belov'd wife, my Comendations remembred 

 to youre selfe and to all my children, I Lave here 

 sent unto you the maner of the Creation of prince 

 Henrie. First, that great roome, which is called 

 the Councle of requests, was hanged rounde about 

 with Clothe of Arrasse, with five or six benches 

 or formes one above another rounde about the 

 house, and in the raidfles of the house there was 

 as it were an allie rayled on each side for a cleare 

 passage to goe in and out. At the upper end was 

 the Kinges throne with a rich canopy over his 

 head ; on his righte hande sate the Lorde Chan- 

 cellor, and at his lefte hande sate the Lorde 

 Treasurer, with the rest of the Lordes on each 

 side some. A litell distance beneath there sate 

 all the upper house of parlyment upon red woole 

 packes as the maner is ; the Lorde Bishopps sate 

 on the righte hande, and the Judges and Barrons 

 on the lefte hande. In the very middes of the 

 house there was a partition made after the maner 

 of a barre of Arrangement ; beneath the partition 

 sate the whole lower house of Parlyment, in the 

 middes of which, although unworthy, I placed 

 myselfe more boldlie than wiselie I confess. The 

 speaker of the lower house sate in his chayre face 

 to face right over against the Kinges majestic; 

 and in the upper part of the court of Requests 

 there were places of purpose provided for strange 

 Ambassador.';, as the Ambassadors of Spayn, of 

 France, and the ambassadors of the Lowe Coun- 

 tries. Likewise on the lefte hande there were 

 eeats prepared for the Lorde Maier of London, 

 with twenty of his bretherne, and a litell beneath 

 them sate the litell Sonnes of the nobilitie, I 

 think to the number of 24, which was a verie 

 goodiye sight to beholde so manie litell Infants of 

 such noble parentage, about the age of nine or 

 tenne yeares apeace, some more and some lesse. 

 At the verie lower end of the Court of Requests 

 in an upper roome, al'ove all the rcste, there sate 

 the Duke the Kinges second sonne, with his sister 

 the ladic P^Iizabeth and the ladie Arabella, with 

 manie other Ladies and maides of honor belong- 

 ing to tlie Court; onlie the Quenes Majestic her 

 selfe was not at this action for aught that I could 

 see or iieare. In an upper gallerie above all this 

 were placed the Trumpeters and Drum Players 

 to the number of twenty or thereabouts. Yf I 

 should goe about exactly to discribe the riche 



apparell that there was worne of all estates, this 

 whole paper would not contayne the one halfe 

 thereof. To passe by the. Kinges attyre, which 

 was gloriouslie garnished with pretious stones and 

 pearells, the noblemen had red velvet Garments 

 with ornaments of white pretious Furres uppon 

 theyer shoulders ; theyer hattes also were of red 

 velvet made after the maner of Cronetts w"" shin- 

 inge gold bandes, and they did weare athwart 

 theyer shoulders as it were girdles besett with 

 pretious pearells, as souldiers use to weare theyer 

 belts. The Lorde Maier of London and his bre- 

 therne were all in red scarlet gownes with chaynes 

 of golde about theyer ueckes for the most part of 

 them, with other ornaments uppon theyer shoul- 

 ders of silke changable coloures ; the Bishopps 

 were in white riche apparell with silke Rochets 

 about theyer neckes of changable coloures. The 

 Judges and Barrons were also in red gownes with 

 verie costlie and riche furniture about theyer 

 neckes. The noblemens litell sonnes were in 

 theyer doublets and hose of changable silks, with 

 theyer silke hattes and theyer feathers of divers 

 coloures. Yf I should undertake in hande to 

 write of the apparel and fasions of the Ladies and 

 maydes of honor, I should be as foolishe as they 

 were vain, and therefore I say no more than this, 

 that they were unspeakably brave and intollerable 

 curious ; yea, and some knights of the Lower 

 House of Parlyment (as it is thought) did weare 

 apparell worth an hundred pounds a man, laces of 

 golde almost an hande breadth apeace one above 

 another rounde about theyer Clokes was nothings 

 to speake of, for some of them the verie panes 

 of theyer breeches was nothing els but laces em- 

 broydered with golde. The whole house being 

 thus furnished with sumptuous and shininge ap- 

 parell, I thought myselfe to be like a crowe in the 

 middes of a great manie of golden feather'd doves. 

 Well, all this was yet nothinge to the maner of 

 the Prince's creation. After two bowres of ex- 

 pectation and more came the Prince in at the 

 lower end of the house, accompanied with five 

 and twentie Knights of the Bath ; so termed, as 

 some thinke, because they were bathed and 

 wash'd with swete waters, all which were clad 

 in purple saften garments after the fasion of 

 gownes, and the prince himselfe in the like gar- 

 ment of the same stuffe, but his Garment was 

 girded unto him, and so were none of the rest. 

 Then at the verie first appearing of the Prince all 

 the Trumpeters and drum players did sound out 

 theyer instruments, with other which played uppon 

 Cornets and flutes, with such an acclamation and 

 exultation as if the Heavens and the Earth would 

 have come together ; but this endureth but a 

 verie litell time. When the Prince was come into 

 the middes of the house there he stoode stille 

 awhile, beinge attended with his five and twenty 

 knightes ; then came there down two noblemen 



