146 &utn$ of IHtpgtone palace. 



fied, indeed, by the times in which they lived by the 

 hopes or the misgivings of that eventful period, but still 

 the same in all their bearings, on the weal or woe of 

 knight or lady, sire or son. 



Now there is another company sitting there ; men of 

 grave countenances and full age. Their plaited ruffs and 

 satin doublets, their high-crowned hats and plumes, 

 though reverently laid aside, the richness of their vest- 

 ments and, above all, their dignified demeanour, show 

 that they are of high degree. Some have broad and 

 ample foreheads, furrowed with deep thought; others 

 seem worn with care ; some again appear to have sustained 

 the shock of many battles, and among them are a few 

 with staffs and crosiers, whose countenances denote a 

 life of prayer and abstraction. This goodly company 

 are the counsellors of the king, together with the greater 

 and lesser barons and knights, assembled at his bidding : 

 they hold a parliament beneath the noble tree, for such 

 is the royal pleasure. The king presides in state among 

 them, and right and left, and immediately before him, 

 seats are placed for those whose rank entitles them to the 

 pre-eminence, while the burgesses sit apart. They are 

 deliberating on matters of great importance ; on the 

 affairs, perhaps, of Scotland ; for the young Queen Mar- 

 garet is dead, and the king is devising schemes for 

 obtaining possession of the country. It is a solemn sight 

 to, see men thus deliberating, as if eternity depended on 

 their decision, while the very tree beneath which they 



