"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

05 January 2021

Magnificence.


For his procession through London on Twelfth Day, for example, he wore "a robe of wrought purple furred velvet, the inside white and black, like powdered ermine, with a coat … of the same; the garment welted above with blue and yellow gold tinsel, his hat garnished with purple velvet, striped with threads of silver …" and so on, and was accompanied by his revenue, all also richly dressed, enough magnificence to "turn any moderate man’s head."  Stow describes his progress by river from Greenwich to Tower wharf, from which he was conducted to the house of the Lord Mayor for a great banquet.  Afterwards, he was given a silver gilt cup, "a hogshead of wine and a barrel of beere … for the traine that followed him."

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