INNS of 
which he was freed from all the exercifes of the houfe, 
and alfo from the ceremony of “walking the old meafures 
about the hall at the times accuftomed.” The ceremo¬ 
nies to be obferved by the new readers were very curious. 
At the following fealt-day of All Saints, when fucli dig¬ 
nitaries as were educated at the inn were “ highly feaft- 
ed,” and came in their l'carlet robe's, the readers were to 
meet and conduft them to the upper end of the hall. 
“ For diftinftion and order’s fake, the one of them, viz. 
the ancient, hath a white ftaff in his hand ; the other a 
white rod, with which they ulher in the meat, following 
next after the mulic. When the meat is brought to the 
table, (which at fucli folemn feafts is always performed by 
young gentlemen of the houfe, under the bar,) the one 
of the two new readers elecl receives every difh of the 
gentlemen who carried it, and placeth it on the table, in 
decent order; the other ftanding by to wait on the judges. 
And during the feaft, they both, with folemn curtefes, 
welcome both the judges and ferjeants. Befides this, the 
puifne reader eledl ferves every mefs throughout the hall, 
receiving it from the fteward and placing it on the table. 
Dinner "being ended, they wait on the judges and fer¬ 
jeants ; ulhering them either into the garden or fome 
other retiring place, until the hall be cleanfed and pre¬ 
pared^ and then they ulher them again into the hall, and 
place them in their rooms, one after another. This being 
done, the ancient of the two, that hath the ftaff in his 
hand, Hands at the upper end of the bar-table ; and the 
other, with a white rod, placeth himfelf at the cupboard, 
in the middle of the hall, oppofite to the judges; where, 
the mufic being begun, he calletli twice the mafter of the 
revels. And, at the fecond call, the ancient, with his 
white ftaff, advanceth forward, and begins to lead the 
meafures ; followed, firft by the barrifters, and then the 
gentlemen under the bar, all according to their feveral an¬ 
tiquities ; and, when one meafure is ended, the reader at 
the cupboard calls for another, and fo in order. 
“ When the laft meafure is dancing, the reader at the 
cupboard calls to one of the gentlemen of the bar, as he 
is walking or dancing with the reft, to give the judges a 
fong-, who forthwith begins the firft line of any p/alm as 
he thinks fitteft, after which all the rejl of the company fol¬ 
low, and fing with him. Whilft they are thus walking and 
finging, the reader, with the white rod, departs from the 
cupboard, and makes his choice of a competent number of 
utter barrifters, and as many under the bar, whom he takes 
into the buttery, where there is delivered unto every bar- 
rifter a towel with wafers in it, and unto every gentle¬ 
man under the bar a wooden bowl filled with ipocras, with 
which they march in order into the hall, the reader with 
his white rod going foremoft. And when they come near 
to the half pace, oppofite to the judges, the company di¬ 
vide fhemfelves, one half (as well barrifters as thofe un¬ 
der the bar) ftanding on the one fide of the reader, the 
other on the other fide ; and then, after a low folemn 
congee made, the gentlemen of the bar firft carry the 
•wafers; the reft, with the new reader, ftanding in their 
-places. At their return they all make another folemn low 
congee, and then the gentlemen under the bar carry their 
bowls of ipocras to the judges; and, returning when the 
judges have drank, they make the like folemn congee, and 
fo all depart, faving the new readers ele£l, who wait upon 
the judges till their departure, and then ufher them down 
the hall unto the court-gate, where they take their leaves 
of them. Befides thefe folemn revels, or meafures aforefaid, 
they had wont to be entertained with pojl-revels, perform¬ 
ed by the better fort of the young gentlemen of the l'o- 
-ciety with galliards, corrantoes, and other dances; or elfe 
with ftage-plays ; the firft of thefe feafts being at the be¬ 
ginning, and the other at the latter end, of Chriftmas. 
But of late years thefe poft-revels have been difufed, both 
here and in the other inns of court.” 
The reader entered on his reading generally the begin¬ 
ning Monday in Lent, with much llate and ceremony. 
He firft abfented himfelf from commons for a time, and 
Vol. XI. No, 73j. 
COURT, 73 
kept his chamber, that his re-appearance might be with 
more fplendour. On the Sunday afternoon preceding his 
entry on his office, he went to church accompanied by 
fuch benchers as were in town, two of whom, generally 
the next precedent readers, were appointed for his affift- 
ants. He was, befides, accompanied by at leaft twelve or 
fourteen fervants, in rich liveries, and the fame night at 
fupper took his place in tile hall, in a chair prepared for 
him at the upper end of the benchers’ table. The fol¬ 
lowing morning he chofe his fub-leclurer, to whom deli¬ 
vering his bag of books and papers, he repaired to the par¬ 
liament-chamber to breakfaft ; that ended, he went into the 
hall, where the whole fociety awaited his coming, and, refl- 
ing at the cupboard, there took the oaths of fupremacy and 
allegiance. He then feated himfelf at the lower end of the 
bench-table, where the fub-lefturer firft read over the fta- 
tute, or that part of it he intended to difeufs. The reader 
himfelf then began “ with a grave fpeech, excufing his 
own weaknefs, with defire of their favourable cenlures ; 
and concluded with the reafons wherefore he made choice 
of that ftatute.” Thefe readings were frequently ho¬ 
noured with the attendance of fuch judges and lerjeants 
as had been brought up in the houfe, who came always 
in their purple robes and. fcarlct hoods, and were placed on a 
form oppofite to the benchers, with their backs to the rea¬ 
der. The debate finiffied with a grand feaft, in which the 
principals of the company were entertained by the reader 
at his own table, and every other mefs throughout the 
hall was honoured with an extraordinary difh. Other ar- 
guings fucceeded the removal of the dinner-cloth, and 
this agreeable method of ftudy was followed three days in 
the week, viz. every Monday, Wednefday, and Friday ; 
“the other intermediate days,” fays an author of the 
time, “being fpent in fealting and entertainment of 
ft rangers, who are commonly great lords and other emi¬ 
nent perfons. But, be the guefts of never fo high a de¬ 
gree, the reader, within the precinfts of the houfe, hath 
precedence of them; and at the table keeps his chair at 
the upper end. His expences, during this time of read¬ 
ing, are very great; infomuch as fome have fpent above 
fix hundred pounds in two days lefs than a fortnight, 
which now is the ufual time of reading.” 
This excefs had been gradually increafing; for, by are 
order of the bench, made in the reign of Philip and Mary, 
every fummer reader was enjoined to fpend fifteen bucks 
in the hall, during his time of reading, on pain of a fine. 
And ffiortly after, to avoid all occafion of fuperflucus 
expence, by another order, in the reign of the fame king 
and queen, the reader was enjoined not to exceed thole 
fifteen bucks ; but few fummer readers afterwards had 
lefs than threefcore bucks, befides red deer; fome fpent 
fourfeore, and even a hundred. One brace of thefe 
bucks were commonly bellowed on New Inn, to feaft the 
ftudents there; and the neighbouring parilhes to the Tem¬ 
ple alfo tailed of the reader’s bounty. The houfe con¬ 
tributed a fmall fum towards this expence, allowing each 
reader one hogffiead of wine, or si. in money; and a fpe- 
cial admittance of any gentleman into the houfe, or 5I. 
more in lieu of it. And, in the laft week of his reading, 
a coftly feaft was provided for the entertainment of fo¬ 
reign ambalfadors, peers, and men of eminent quality; 
which, though called the reader's feafi, was not at his coll, 
it being impofed on four gentlemen of the houfe, who 
were called ftewards of the feaf. 
The readings held originally during the fpace of a 
month, but were afterwards reduced to three weeks, and 
then to a fortnight. When they were finiffied, it was 
ufual for the ftudents to accompany the reader with great 
Hate and folemnity to his refidence, and to treat him at 
night with a plentiful fupper, at their own charges. 
The reader was thus created a bencher. The firft par¬ 
liament of the fucceeding term he was invited by the 
benchers; where being come, and modeltly taking the 
loweft feat, one of his affiftants, in a formal oration, de¬ 
clared the reader’s great learning, and the expence he had 
U been 
