t O N 
tile corporation, with five fat oxen, twenty fheep, twelve 
fwans, twelve cranes, twelve pheufiints, four dozen of par¬ 
tridges, twenty loaves of fugar, eight hogfneads of wine, 
and all forts of fpices, fruit, &c. 
Corn was at this time fo fcarce,-that many of the poorer 
fort perifhed for want, and a general famine was appre¬ 
hended. This dreadful calamity was, however, hopped 
in London, by a fupply of a thoufand quarters of corn 
given by the king, and by the importation of vaft quan¬ 
tities of grain from the continent; while, by the dili¬ 
gence and care of the mayor and Iberiffs, in preventing 
the bakers’ carts coming from Stratford from being plun¬ 
dered, the Londoners were better provided, and fooner 
relieved from their diftrefles, than any other part of the 
nation. 
In 1528 the fweating ficknefs broke out again with fuch 
violence as to cany off vail numbers of its viftims after 
an illnefs of five or fix hours ; which occafioned the ad¬ 
journment of the term, and prevented the annual folem- 
nity of the marching of the city-watch ; the latter, on ac¬ 
count of its expenfe to the city, was afterwards forbidden 
by the king, and was difeontinued until the 2d of Ed¬ 
ward VI. 
The following year was particularly remarkable for the 
proceedings on account of the divorce of Henry from 
queen Catharine. The collateral confequences of this 
divorce, were the fall of Wolfey, and the great work of 
the Reformation. See that article; and the article 
England, vol. vi. p. 635-639. 
The behaviour of the Londoners, who in every inftance 
obeyed the king’s pleafure, and concurred with his ma- 
jefty in his meafures to call off the Romifli yoke, pleafed 
him fo, that he expreffed his regard and grateful affeftion 
for them by cancelling the letters patent, granted by him- 
felf to fir William Sidney, on the 18th of June, in the 
thirteenth year of his reign, relating to the great beam and 
common balance, and reftoring the citizens to the tronage, 
or right of weights and beams, as it had been granted 
them by king Edward II. and king Henry IV., and had 
been ratified and confirmed by bis ovvn charter to the ci¬ 
tizens, dated on the 12th of July, in the firft year of his 
reign. 
The delicate bufinefs of the divorce of Henry from Ca¬ 
tharine having been ultimately fettled by Crannier, who, 
on the 28th of May, 1533, gave judgment on the marriage 
with Anne Boleyn, which had been privately celebrated 
fix months before, and declared it to be good and valid ;— 
the king ordered the lord-mayorto make all preparations ne- 
ceffary for conducting her from Greenwich to the Tower 
by water; and alfo that the city might be decorated on 
her proceeding from thence to Weftminfter. Thus the 
fantaftic mind of the monarch, doting upon the prefent 
objeft of his unruly paffion, decorated the future victim 
of his ficklenefs and cruelty with all the pageantry he was 
able to exaft from the ever-loyal city of London. How¬ 
ever the lord-mayor, in compliance with the royal man¬ 
date, ordered all the city companies to attend him on the 
29th of May, at Billingfgate, with their barges properly 
decorated, and good bands of mulic. In confequence of 
this, fifty barges were prepared, and about one o’clock fet 
off to attend the lord-mayor’s barge, which was richly or¬ 
namented ; with ft lift orders to keep at a proper diftance 
from each other during the proceffion. The city-barge was 
covered with gold brocade and lilken fails, with two rich 
(tandards of the royal arms at the head and ftern ; and a 
great variety of ftreamers and flags, containing the arms 
of the lord-mayor’s company, and thofe of the merchant- 
adventurers. Before the city-barge was. one mounted 
with ordnance, carrying figures of lavages, dragons, and 
other creatures, vomiting out fire and fmoke, and making 
an inceffant noife. On the left of the city-barge was one 
reprefenting a mount, on which Rood a white falcon 
crowned, perched on a golden flump, encircled with red 
and white roles; and round the mount fat beautiful vir- 
6 0 N. 73 
gins, finging and playing melodioufly on inftruments of 
nuific. After thefe followed all the companies’ barges,in 
their proper order ; and the whole formed a molt .beautiful 
and (pkndid appearance. The queen was highly pleafed 
with the magnificence of the proceffion ; and, on her ar¬ 
rival at the Tower of London, file returned the mayor and 
citizens her fiucere thanks for their pompous attendance. 
On the 31 It of May, being the day appointed for her 
majefty’s proceffion to Weftminfter, ftie was received at 
the Tower-gate, by the lord-mayor in a gown of crimfon 
velvet, and a rich collar of SS. attended by the (lieriffs and 
two domefticsin red and white damafk. From the Tower 
to Temple-bar the ftreets were new gravelled, and railed 
on each fide; within which, in Gracechurch-ftreet, flood 
the company of Hanfeatic merchants; and next to them 
the feveral corporations of the city, in their refpeftive for¬ 
malities, reaching to the aldermen’s ftation at the farther 
end of Cheapfide. On the outfide were placed the city- 
conftables, dreffed in fiIk and velvet, with ftaves in their 
hands to keep off the crowd and prevent difturbances, 
Goldfmith’s Row, in Cheapfide, was hung with velvet and 
gold brocades ; and Gracecurch-flreet, and Cornhill, .with 
crimfon and fcarlet cloth. 
Twelve of the French ambaffador’s fervants preceded- 
the proceffion ; they were dreffed in blue velvet, mounted 
on horfes trapped with bine farfnet, interfperfed with 
white erodes ; after whom marched thofe of the equeftrian- 
order, two and two, followed by the judges in their robes; 
after them the knights of the bath, in violet gowns 
trimmed with meniver; then the abbots, barons, bifhops, 
earls, and marquifes, in their robes, two and two; after 
thefe the lord-chancellor, the Venetian ambaffador, and 
the archbilhop of York; next, the ambaffador of France 
and the archbilhop of Canterbury, followed by two gen¬ 
tlemen who reprefented the dukes of Normandy and 
Aquitaine; then proceeded the lord-mayor of London, 
with his mace and coat of arms ; then the duke of Suf¬ 
folk, lord high Reward, and the lord Howard as deputy- 
maflhal of England. Next followed all the other great! 
officers of Hate, in their robes, carrying the fymbols of 
their feveral offices ; thefe were followed by the nobility, 
in crimfon velvet, and all the queen’s officers in fcarlet, 
followed by her chancellor uncovered, who immediately 
preceded his mid refs fitting in a litter or chair covered 
with tiffue of filver, and drawn by two beautiful pads, 
clothed in white damalk, and led by her footmen. The 
charming young queen was dreffed in a filver brocade,, 
with a mantle of the fame, furred with ermine: her hair 
hung loofe, and on her head was a chaplet adorned with 
jewels of ineftirnable value. Over the litter was a canopy 
of cloth of gold, fupported by (ixteen knights alternately, 
four at a time, with a filver bell hanging at each corner. 
Her majefty’s chamberlain followed next, and after him 
her matter of the horfe, leading a (lately pad with a fide- 
faddle and trappings of filver tiffue; next to thefe came 
feven ladies in crimfon velvet, faced with gold brocade, 
and mounted on beautiful horfes richly trapped with 
gold ; thefe were followed by two chariots covered with 
cloth of gold, in which were the duchefs of Norfolk and 
marchionefs of Dorfet in the firll, and in the fecor.d four 
ladies in crimfon velvet; next came feveral ladies in the 
lame apparel on horfeback, adorned with beautiful trap¬ 
pings ; then a third chariot all in white, carrying fix la¬ 
dies in crimfon velvet; then a fourth all in red, in which 
were eight ladies in the fame drefs; then thirty gentle¬ 
women, attendants on the ladies of honour, on horfeback, 
dreffed in filks and velvets ; and the whole was clofed by 
the guards, well mounted and elegantly accoutred. 
On her majefty’s arrival in Fenchurch-ftreet, (lie (lopped 
at a beautiful pageant, crowded with children in merca- 
torial habits ; who, in a ftudied addrefs, congratulated the 
queen on her happy arrival. She then proceeded to Grace- 
church corner, where was erefted a magnificent pageant. 
