Monuments of Honor | ||
Oceanus and Thetis.
Thetis.
What braue Sea Musicke bids vs Welcome, harke!
Sure this is Venice, and the day Saint Marke,
In which the Duke and Senate, their course hold:
To wed our Empire with a Ring of Gold.
Oceanus.
No Thetis y'are mistaken, we are led
With infinite delight from the Lands head:
In ken of goodly shipping and you bridge,
Venice had neare the like suruey that ridge,
Of stately buildings which the riuer Hem,
And grace the siluer streame, as the streame them:
That beautious seate is London so much fam'd,
Where any Nauigable Sea is nam'd;
And in that bottome Eminent Marchants plac't,
As rich, and venturous as euer grac't,
Venice or Europe these two Riuers heare,
Our followers may tell you where we are;
This Thamesis, that Mid-way who are sent,
To you most worthy Pretor to present,
Acknowledgment of duty neare shall err,
From Stanes vnto the Ancient Rochester;
And now to grace their Tryumph in respect,
These pay vs tribute, we are pleasd to select
Seated beneath this Globe; whose ample fame
In the remotest part a'the earth is found,
And some of them haue circled the Globe round:
These you obserue are liuing in your eye,
And so they ought, for worthy men neare dye:
Drake, Hawkins, Furbisher, Gilbert, braue Knights,
That brought home gold, and honor from sea fights,
Candish, Carlile, and Dauis, and to these,
So many worthies I could adde at Seas,
Of this bold Nation, it would enuy strike,
Ith' rest ath' World, who cannot shew the like;
Tis action valews honor as the flint,
Looke blacke and feeles like ice, yet from within't,
Their are strooke sparkes which to the darkest nights,
Yeeld quicke and percing food for seuerall lights.
Thetis.
You haue quickned well my memory, and now
Of this your gratefull Tryumph I allow,
Honor lookes cleare and spreads her beames at large,
From the graue Senate seated in that Barge,
Rich Lading swell your bottomes, a blest Gale,
Follow your ventures that they neuer faile;
And may you liue successiuely to weare,
The Ioy of this day, each man his whole yeare.
This Shew hauing tendred this seruice to my Lord vppon the Water, is after to be conueyed a Shore, and in conuenient place employd for adorning
In the highest seate a Person representing Troynouant or the City, in throned in rich Habilaments, beneath her as admiring her peace and felicity, sit fiue eminent Cities, as Antwerpe, Paris, Rome, Venice and Constantinople: vnder these sit fiue famous Schollers and Poets of this our Kingdome, as Sir Ieffery Chaucer, the learned Gower, the excellent Iohn Lidgate, the sharpe witted Sr. Thomas Moore, and last as worthy both Souldier and Scholler, Sir Phillip Sidney, these being Celebrators of honor, and the perseruers both of the names of men, and memories of Cities aboue, to posterity.
I present riding afore this Temple, Henry de Royall, the first Pilgrime or Gatherer of quartridge for this Company; and Iohn of Yeacksley, King Edward the thirds Pavillion maker, who purchast our Hall in the sixt yeare of the aforesayd Kings gouernment: These liued in Edward the firsts time likewise, (in the sixt of whose Raigne, this Company was confirmed a Guild or Corporation by the name of Taylors, and Linnin Armores, with power to choose a Maister and Wardens at Midsomer)
The speech of Troynouant.
History , Truth, and Vertue seeke by name,
To celebrate the Merchant-Taylors fame;
That Henry de Royall, this wee call
Worthy Iohn Yeacksley purchast first their Hall;
And thus from low beginnings their oft-springs
Societies claime Brother-hoods of Kings.
I Troynovant plac't eminent in the eye
Of these admire at my felicity:
Fiue Cities, Antwerpe and the spacious Paris,
Rome, Venice, and the Turkes Metropilis:
Beneath these, fiue learned Poets worthy men,
Who do eternize braue acts by their pen;
Chaucer, Gower, Lidgate, Moore and for our time
Sr. Phillip Sidney, glory of our clime,
These beyond death a fame to Monarckes giue,
And these make Cities and Societies liue.
The next deliuered by him, represents Sir Phillip Sidney.
To Honor by our Wrightings Worthy men,
Flowes as a duty from a iudging pen,
And when we are emploid in such sweet praise,
Bees swarme and leaue their honey on our bayes:
Euermore Musically Verses runne,
When the loth'd vaine of flattery they shun.
Vertue low bred aspiring to high deedes.
These passing on, in the next place, my Lord is incountred with the person of S. Iohn Hawkwood in compleate Armour, his plume and Feather for his Horses shafforne of the Companies colours, white and Watchet: this worthy Knight, did most worthy seruice, in the time of Edward the third in France, after serued as Generall.
Diuers Princes of Italy, went to the Holy-land, and in his returne backe, dyed at Florence, and there lyes buried with a faire Monument ouer him: This worthy Gentleman was Free of our Company; and thus I prepare him to giue my Lord entertainment.
Sir Iohn Hawkwoods
Speech.
My birth was meane, yet my deseruings grew
To eminence, and in France a high pitch flew,
From a poore common Souldier I attaind,
The stile of Captaine, and then Knight-hood gaind;
Serud the Blacke Prince in France in all his warrs;
Then went t'the Holy-land, thence brought my scars.
And wearied body which no danger feard.
To Florence where it nobly lyes Inteerd,
There Sir Iohn Hawkewoods memory doth liue,
And to the Merchant-Taylors fame doth giue.
After him followes a Triumphant Chariot with the
First the Victorious Edward the Third, that first quartered the Armes of France with England, next the Munificent Richard the Second, that kept Ten-Thousand daily in his Court in Checkróule, By him the Graue and discreet Henry the Fourth, in the next Chayres the Scourge and Terrour of France, Henry the Fifth, and by him his religious, though vnfortunate Sonne, Henry the sixt: the two next Chayres are supplied with the Persons of the Amarous and Personable Edward the Fourth (for so Phillip Commineus, and Sir Thomas Moore describe him) the other with the bad man, but the good King, Richard the third, for so the Lawes he made in his short Gouernment doe Illustrate him; But lastly in the most Eminent part of the Chariot I place the wise and politique Henry the Seauenth, houlding the Charter by which the Company was Improued from the Title of Linin-Armorers into the name of Master and Wardens of Merchant-Taylors of Saint Iohn Baptist. The Chayres of these
The speaker in this Pageant is Edward the third, the last Line of his speech is repeated by all the rest in the Chariot.
Edward the Third.
View whence the Merchant taylors honor springs
From this most Royall Conuenticle of Kings:
Eight that Successiuely wore Englands Crowne
Held it a speciall honor, and renowne:
(The Society was so worthy, and so good)
T'vnite themselues into their Brotherhood.
Thus Time, and Industry attaine the prise,
As Seas from Brookes, as brookes from Hillocks rise,
Let all good men this sentence oft repeate,
By vnity the smallest things grow great.
The Kings.
By vnity the smallest things grow great.
And this repetition was proper, for it is the Companies Motto: Concordia paruæ res crescunt.
After this Pageant rides Queene Anne, wife to Richard the second, free likewise of this Company,
And in regard our Company are stild Brethren of the Fraternity of St. Iohn Baptist, and that the ancient Knights of St. Iohn of Ierusalem, (to which now demolisht House in St. Iohns Streete, our Company then vsing to go to offer, it is recorded Henry the seuenth then accompaning them, gaue our Mr. the vpper hand,) because these Knights, I say, were instituted to secure the way for Pilgrimes; in the desert, I present therefore two of the Worthiest Brothers of this Society of St. Iohn Baptist I can find out in Hystory. The first Amade le Graunde, by whose ayde Rhodes was recouered from the Turkes, and the order of Anuntiade or Salutation instituted with that of foure letters FERT, signifying,
Next I bring our two Sea Tryumphs, and after that, the Shippe called the Holy-Lambe, which brings hanging in her Shrowdes the Golden-Fleece, the conceite of this being that God is the Guide and Protector of all Prosperous Ventures.
To second this, follow the two beasts, the Lyon and Cammell proper to the Armes of the Company; on the Camell rides a Turke, such as vse to Trauaile with Carauans, and one the Lyon a Moore or wild Numidian.
The fourth eminent Pagiant, I call the Monument of Charity and Learning, this fashioned like a beautifull Garden with all kind of flowers, at the foure Corners, foure artificiall Bird Cages, with variety of Birds in them: this for the beauty of the Flowers, and melody of the Birds, to represent a Spring in Winter: in the middest of the Garden, vnder one Elme-tree, sits the famous and worthy Patriot Sir Thomas White; who had a dreame that hee should build a Colledge where two bodies of an Elme sprang from one roote, and beeing inspired to it by God, first rod to Cambridge, to see if he could find any such, Failing of it there,
This I haue heard Fellowes of the House of approued credit, and no way superstitiously giuen, affirme to haue bin deliuered from man to man, since the first building of it, and that Sir Thomas White inuiting the Abbot of Osuye to dinner in the aforesayd Hall, In the Abbots presence, and the hearing of diuers other graue persons affirm'd by Gods Inspiration in the former receited maner, he built and endowed the Colledge.
This relation is somwhat with the largest, only to giue you better light of the figure: the cheife person in this is, Sir Thomas White, sitting in his Eminent Habit of Lord Maior, on the one hand sits Charity with a Pellican on her head, on the other
The Speech of Learning.
To expresse what happinesse the Country yeilds,
The Poets faign'd Heauen in th'Elizian fields;
We figure here a Garden, fresh and new,
In which the chiefest of our blessings grew:
This worthy Patriot here, Sr. Thomas White,
Whilst he was liuing had a dreame one night,
He had built a Colledge and giuen liuing too't,
Where two Elme-bodies sprang vp from on root;
And as he dreamt, most certaine tis he found,
The Elme neare Oxford, and vpon that Ground,
Built Saint Iohns Colledge, Truth can testifie
His merrit, whilst his Faith and Charity
Was the true compasse, measur'd euery part,
And tooke the latitude of his Christian heart;
Faith kept the center, Charity walkt this round,
Vntill a true circumference was found;
Each worthy Senator to do the like.
The last, I call the Monument of Gratitude, which thus dilates it selfe.
Vppon an Artificiall Rocke, set with mother of Pearle, and such other precious stones, as are found in quarries, are placed foure curious Paramids charged with the Princes Armes, the three Feathers, which by day yeeld a glorious shew, and by night a more goodly, for they haue lights in them, that at such time as my Lord Maior returnes from Pauls, shall make certaine ouals and squares, resemble pretious stones, the Rocke expresses the riches of the Kingdome Prince Henry was borne Heire to, the Piramids, which are Monuments for the Dead, that hee is deceased: on the top of this rests halfe a Celestiall Globe, in the middest of this hangs the Holy Lambe in the Sun-beames, on either side of these, an Angell, vpon a pedestall of gold stands the figure of Prince Henry with his Coronet, George and Garter; in his left hand hee holds a Circklet of Crimson Veluet, charged with foure Holy Lambes, such as our Company choose Masters with; in seuerall Cants beneath sits, first Magistracy tending a Bee Hiue, to expresse his Grauety in Youth, and forward industry to haue proued an absolute Gouernour: Next Liberality, by her a Dromedary shewing his speed and alacrety in gratifying his Followers: Nauigation with a Iacobs Staffe and Compasse, expressing that his desire
The Speech of Amade le Graunde.
Of all the Triumphs which your eye has view'd
This the fayre Monument of Gratitud;
This cheefly should your eye, and care Imploy
That was of al your Brother-hood the Ioy,
Worthy Prince Henry fames best president,
Cald to a higher Court of Parliament,
And which Crownd all, when he was truely good:
On Vertue, and on Worth he still was throwing
Most bounteous shewers, where er'e he found them growing,
He neuer did disguise his wayes by Art
But shooted his intents vnto his hart,
And lou'd to do good, more for goodnesse sake,
Then any retribution man could make.
Such was this Prince, such are the noble hearts;
Who when they dye, yet dye not in all parts:
But from the Integrety of a Braue mind,
Leaue a most Cleere and Eminent Fame behind.
Thus hath this Iewell not quite lost his Ray,
Only cas'd vp 'gainst a more glorious day.
And bee't rememberd that our Company
Haue not forgot him who ought ner'e to dye:
Yet, wherfore should our sorrow giue him dead,
When a new Phnæix springs vp in his stead:
That as he seconds him in euery grace,
May second him in Brother-hood, and place.
Good rest my Lord, Integrity that keeps
The safest Watch and breeds the soundest sleeps.
Make the last day of this your houlding seate,
Ioyfull as this, or rather more compleate.
Monuments of Honor | ||