But though Jack undoubtedly nourished the most bloody designs against the lawyers, he was not allowed to put them into execution, or the Temple would have shared a worse fate than it met with from his pre-rogue Tyler. Shakspeare, apparently on the authority of a tradition current in his day, has laid the scene of the first feud between the rival houses of York and Lancaster in the Temple Gardens. "PLANTAGENET. Since you are tongue-ty'd, and so loth to speak, And stands upon the honour of his birth, If he suppose that I have pleaded truth, From off this brier pluck a white rose with me. SOMERSET. Let him that is no coward nor no flatterer, But dare maintain the party of the truth, WARWICK. I love no colours; and, without all colour I pluck this white rose with Plantagenet. SUFFOLK. I pluck this red rose with young Somerset ; VERNON. Stay, lords and gentlemen, and pluck no more SOMERSET. Good Master Vernon, it is well objected; And I. PLANTAGENET. VERNON. Then for the truth and plainness of the case, Warwick's prophecy, when he, Plantagenet, and Vernon are left alone with the lawyer, that their brawl Should send between the red rose and the white, was only too moderate, for not thousands alone, but tens and hundreds of thousands, perished in those long disastrous wars, as every reader of history is aware. In the reign of Elizabeth, a grand chivalric entertainment was given in the Temple, of which the following interesting account is preserved in Dugdale's "Origines Judiciales." The favourite, Dudley, earl of Leicester, is the Palaphilos alluded to. "OF THE GRAND CHRISTMAS KEPT HERE. "In the fourth year of Queen Elizabeth's reign there was kept a magnificent Christmas here, at which the Lord Robert Dudley (afterwards Earl of Leicester) was the chief person, (his title Palaphilos,) being constable and marshall, whose officers were as follows:: Mr. Onslow, Lord Chancellor. Anthony Stapleton, Lord Treasurer. John Fuller, Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Christopher Hatton, Master of the Game (He was afterwards Lord Chancellor of England.) And there were fourscore of the guard, besides many others not named here." Touching the particulars of this grand feast, Gerard Leigh, in his "Accidence of Armory," page 119, &c., having spoken of the Pegasus worn for the arms of this society, thus goes on-"After I had travelled through the east parts of the unknown world, to understand the deeds of arms, and so arriving in the fair river of Thames, I landed within half a league of the fair city of London, which was (as I conjecture) in December last. And drawing near the city, suddenly heard the shot of double canons, in so great a number and so terrible, that it darkened the whole ayr; wherewith, although I was in my native country, yet stood I amazed, not knowing what it meant. Thus, as I abode in dispair, either to return or continue my former purpose, I chanced to see coming towards me an honest citizen, clothed in a long garment, keeping the highway, seeming to walk for his recreation, which prognosticated rather peace than perile; of whom I demanded the cause of this great shot, who friendly answered. 'It is,' quoth he, a warning shot to the constable marshal of the Inner Temple to prepare to dinner.' 666 'Why,' said I, 'what, is he of that estate that seeketh no other means to warn his officers than with so terrible shot in so peaceable a country?' 'Marry,' saith he, he uttereth himself the better to be that officer whose name he beareth.' "I then demanded what province did he govern, that needeth such an officer. He answered me,'the province was not great in quantity, but antient in true nobility. A place,' said he, 'privileged by the most excellent princess, the high governor of the whole island, wherein are store of gentlemen of the whole realm, that repair thither to learn to rule, and obey by law to yield their fleece to their prince and commonweal; as also to use all other exercises of body and mind, whereunto nature most aptly serveth to adorn by speaking, countenance, gesture, and use of apparel, the person of a gentleman, whereby amity is obtained and continued, that gentlemen of all countries, in their young years, nourished together in one place, with such comely order and daily conference are knit by continual acquaintance in such unity of minds and manners, as likely never after is severed, than which is nothing more profitable to the commonweal.' "And after he had told me thus much of honour of the place, I commended in mine own conceit the policy of the governor, which seemed to utter in itself the foundation of a good commonweal; for that the best of their people, from tender years trained up in precepts of justice, it could not choose but yield forth a profitable people to a wise com monweal; wherefore I determined with myself to make proofe of that I heard by report. "The next day, I thought, for my pastime, to walk to this temple; and entering in at the gates, I found the building nothing costly. But many comely gentlemen of face and person, and thereto very courteous, saw I to pass to and fro, so as it seemed a prince's sport to be at hand; and passing forward, entered into a church of antient building wherein were many monuments of noble personages armed in knightly habit, with their cotes depainted in antient shields, whereat I took pleasure to behold. Thus gazing as one bereft with the rare sight, there came unto me an herehaught, by name Palaphilos, a king of armes, who courteously saluted me, saying for that I was a stranger, and seeming by my demeanour a lover of honour, I was his guest of right; whose courtesy (as reason was) I obeyed, answering I was at his commandment. "Then,' said he, 'ye shall go to mine own lodging here within the palace, where we will have such cheer as the time and country will yield us.' Where I assure you I was so entertained, as no where met I with better cheer or company, &c. "Thus talking, we entered the Prince his hall, where anon we heard the noise of drum and fyfe. 'What meaneth this drum?' said I. Quoth he, This is to warn gentlemen of the household to repair to the dresser; wherefore, come on with me, and ye shall stand where ye may best see the hall served;' and so from thence brought me into a long |