Volume I Part 14 (2/2)

”The king shall enjoy his own again!”

When this warlike symphony had ceased the populace with one accord huzzaed, and shouted ”G.o.d save the King!” They hailed and warmly congratulated His Majesty's arrival at his Castle of Dublin, where, having alighted from his horse, he was met at the portal by the host,[43] which was overshadowed by a gonfalon, or canopy of state, borne by four Roman bishops, and accompanied by a numerous train of friars singing, and attended by other clergy of the same persuasion, along with the t.i.tular primate at their head, who wore a triple crown, or tiara. The king was conducted by them into the chapel-royal, which had been built by the Duke of Tyrconnel,[44] where _Te Deum_ was chanted upon the welcome and happy arrival of His Majesty.

[43] Life of King James.

[44] This is literally true: this chapel was pulled down, and a new one built during the administration of the present Duke of Bedford.

These ceremonies being concluded, His Majesty subsequently retired to the new apartments, which had been recently built and decorated by Tyrconnel, where the king dined.

It having been intimated to the king that upon the following day the triennial perambulation of the liberties and franchises of the city of Dublin was to take place; and His Majesty having been humbly solicited to witness the same, most graciously gave his consent. The riding of the franchises, or ”riding the fringes,” as popularly called, was in fact a most brilliant and truly imposing public spectacle, not to be equalled, and quite surpa.s.sing, every other pageant then or since known in Europe.

CHAPTER XII.

Praetexta, et trabeae, fasces, lectica, tribunal.

Quid, si vidisset Praetorem curribus altis Enstantem, et medio sublimem in pulvere circi In tunica Jovis, et pictae sarrana ferentem Ex humeris aulaea togae, magnaeque coronae Tantum orbem, quanto cervix non sufficit ulla?

JUVENAL, Sat. x.

----Fasces, chains, litters, purple gowns.

What! had he seen, in his triumphal car, Amid the dusty cirque conspicuous far, The praetor perched aloft, superbly drest In Jove's proud tunic, with a trailing vest Of Tyrian tapestry, and o'er him spread A crown too bulky for a mortal head?

GIFFORD'S JUVENAL.

Peradventure, kind reader, thou art no lover of history or chronicles, no admirer of antiquarian research, and art withal (forefend us!) in thine heart a determined foe to every matter and circ.u.mstance pertaining to the ”dark, backward, and abysm of time.” If such, gentle reader, be the materials of which thou art made, pause fair and softly, if it so beseemeth thee, ere thou venturest again to open this volume, from perusal of which, in sober seriousness, we would make bold to dissuade thee, courteous reader! lest perchance the discussion might ”hurt thy health, and prejudice thy conscience,” as the sage Sancho Panza hath said of yore.

The day appointed for the display of the grand and solemn pageant of the perambulation of the liberties and franchises of the city of Dublin had arrived. This event only occurred every third year; and upon this august occasion was to be witnessed by the royal eye of the princely James. The arrangement of the procession and of its various details presented the most grand and magnificent spectacle ever witnessed in the Irish metropolis. It was a custom so singular, so unlike any procession or pageant known in any other realm, that when it did occur the n.o.bility and gentry from every near and foreign land crowded to Dublin to behold the splendid array of this unique and magnificent spectacle. Upon this triennial occurrence the interest was most highly increased, and the stately pomp and splendour of the pageant aided and augmented by the cheering presence of the sovereign.

The grand cavalcade in slow and solemn measure advanced, preceded by a n.o.ble troop of heavy dragoons;--we mention heavy dragoons distinctly to mark to the reader's attention the distant period of time of which we here speak; for at that period light dragoons were unknown in the British service. The enlivening trumpets rent the air; meanwhile the military bands played at intervals loyal and national airs; banners waving on high, and the various flags and ensigns attached to the numerous vessels in the river, all undulating in the breeze; while around and upon every side the genius of ancient chivalry seemed to preside and conduct the procession. Sir John Ottrington, Lord Mayor of the city of Dublin, came in great pomp, pride, and circ.u.mstance of civic distinction, in his magnificent state coach; his dignified head was arrayed in a full flowing peruke, upon which much care and caution had been studiously expended for its adornation; and that day witnessed good-man shaver, Bob Basin to wit, the city barber, a proud and happy man, who seemed all-sufficient to enjoy the triumph of the day, in which, as he modestly conceived, he had done ”the State some service, and they knew it.” This most formidable bushy specimen of a peruke was c.u.mberously surmounted by the bulky civic crown, which was in sooth unwieldy and most unbecoming in its conformation and appearance; indeed not dissimilar to that worn by the Herald King at Arms upon the high ceremonial of a coronation. The Lord Mayor was attired in full court dress, over which was worn a flowing scarlet gown, and around his neck was suspended the splendid gold enamelled collar which had been most graciously presented to the city of Dublin by Charles the Second, of chaste and pious memory! It must not forsooth be disguised that the costume was as c.u.mbersome as it was unbecoming; yet still the ladies all unanimously agreed in the opinion that Sir John Ottrington was ”a very pretty fellow in his day;” a most portly personage he was, who would have become any costume, civil or military, nay, even the hodiern foppery of an English Field-Marshal--tags, bobs, cordons, trappings, ribands, feathers, and so forth. However, had any modern taken a glance at a similar figure, he must a.s.suredly have been incontinently reminded of his facetious old acquaintance, Lord Grizel, in the inimitable and humorous burletta of O'Hara's _Tom Thumb_!

All the _accessoires_ of city regalia were duly and circ.u.mspectly displayed at this truly splendid pageant. The ponderous city mace was regilt and richly burnished, which shone conspicuous and refulgent from the sinister window of the civic coach; while from the dexter side gently undulated, _in transitu_, the mayoral wand, like the caduceus of Mercury, imposing peace and silence on the dense and congregated mult.i.tude.

The sword of state was carried in the van, while the silver baton was borne by a corporate officer in the rere, attended by the city battle-axe guards, who followed the state coach two by two, while others of the guard flanked it, and the remaining number closed the procession.

It is but just to say, that all the civic regalia, in due pomp, and circ.u.mstance, and order, were displayed conformable to the ancient, laudable, and loyal usages of this most enlightened corporation.

The persons who personified the civic battle-axe guards were grenadiers hired for the occasion expressly, and duly selected from the ranks. The costume of these worthies, although varying in colour, yet resembled in shape and fas.h.i.+on that of the royal Buffetteers, (in popular parlance called beef eaters, from their portly appearance, no doubt;)[45] the bonnets were formed of green velvet, with a rich gold foliage of shamrocks, which surrounded them. The exterior habiliments were of rich green cloth, laced, and richly embroidered with national devices; and upon the breast of each were duly embroidered the city arms, namely, three castles in flames, and the motto, ”_obedientia civium, felicitas urbis_.” The hose were of red worsted, with large open clokes; the shoes short quartered and high heeled, with the appanage of small bra.s.s buckles. The partisans which they bore were similar to those of the royal battle-axe guards. As the procession slowly proceeded onward, the populace accommodated them-selves with great attention and most discreet silence, being right marvelously amazed at such unusual pomp and splendour.

[45] But actually so named from being the guard who preside over the royal buffet, or side-board.

Next in the proud pageant came the High Sheriffs, each in his own splendid state chariot, with a crowd of lackeys in rich liveries behind.

These worthies, Sir Mark Rainsford and Sir Edward Lloyd, not forgetting the Lord Mayor, did not escape the ceremonial of being knighted by King James. The Aldermen followed in their respective carriages. They were succeeded in the procession by the several guilds or corporations of the city, amounting in the aggregate to the number of twenty-five; at the unprecedented splendour of whose appearance the populace were verily struck with downright delight and astonishment.

The particular detail and explanation of each guild, as it advanced, halted, and retreated in the proud pageant, was explained most minutely by the Duke of Tyrconnel to his gracious and royal master. His Grace certainly acquitted himself with most sage, cautious, and circ.u.mspect discretion, but attended withal with sundry and various circ.u.mforaneous explanations; all which long ambages and diffuse prolixities purposely to avoid, we have cut down and curtailed the whole, which would otherwise not be contained in a chapter, but require an essay to give the entire. We have therefore abridged the particulars, and thrown the whole into as brief a narrative as the subject would admit of, premising that the splendid and imposing spectacle was beheld from the windows of the presence-chamber of Dublin Castle by the royal James, surrounded by all the beauty of the land, and encompa.s.sed by all the flower of chivalry.

The magnificence of the pageant of riding the franchises (or fringes, as corruptly called in popular parlance) was considerably increased in pomp and effect from the introduction of different individuals of the different corporations, who were attired in habits emblematical and ill.u.s.trative of the different trades of the different guilds. The characters were generally borrowed from the heathen mythology, and were strictly and cla.s.sically arrayed in proper pantheon costume.

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