pointed to officiate for the time, and the ceremony was performed in royal or domestic chapels, or in conventual or collegiate churches, where no fonts were required, because no parish and no cure of souls were annexed to them (5).

Always before the christening, and generally before the birth of a royal child, a baptismal font was prepared. The church was hung with rich tapestry, or cloth of gold, called Arras, from the town of that name in Artois, where it was manufactured. The ceilings as well as the walls of the porch were covered with the same. The floor was boarded and carpetted. The altars were hung with rich embroidered cloths, and sumptuously furnished with images, and church-plate. In a conspicuous part of the church, an area was railed in, and on the rails was tacked with brass nails cloth of scarlet, or blue, or such colour as the mistress of the ceremonies directed, fringed or bordered according to her taste. Within the railing there were three open spaces: one faced the door of the church, and by this the company entered the area: the second faced the high altar at the upper end of the church, for the purpose of passing from the area to the altar: the third was opposite what they called the travers. Trave is a

frame. A baptismal travers was a high frame of wood set on the floor like a skreen, and hung with curtains of coloured silks, satin, damask, or tapestry, plain fringed, or embroidered, and set off at the top with deep valence, and corniche, like the tester and head of a bed. The travers was a sort of retiring room for the ladies, who waited on the royal infant at his baptism, and it was furnished with chairs, cushions, pans of lighted well-burnt charcoal, basons, napkins, water warm and cold, perfumes, and so on, "ready for the chaunginge of the childe out of the clothes, and makinge it ready unto christendome:" and "afterward, to washe the childe if neade be, and to make him ready," cleanse him in case of accidents, and dress him after his baptism. The case referred to often happened, and the manuals of the monks provided for it.

Infans in fontem si stercorat ejice fontem :

Si dimittit in hunc urinam : quæstio non est (6).

(5) Lyndwood ubi sup.

Edmundi canon.

(6) Raymundi Summula. Fol. xlviii. De Sacr. confirm.

From this accident, some acquired a nick-name, which went with them through life, as Cyprian, Copronymus, and others. In the centre of the area a high platform was raised with steps carpetted all over. On a pedestal in the middle stood the font, by the side of which lay a broad step covered with scarlet cloth for the administrator to stand on. Sometimes an old font of stone was set, at other times a new one was made, but generally a silver font kept at Canterbury for the purpose was fetched and used on this occasion. Whatever it were, it was hung round withoutside with cloth of gold, and covered withinside and at bottom with raynes, that is, soft linen gathered and puckered in many folds, and intended, no doubt, to prevent any accidental bruising of the tender babe. Over the font was a large and rich canopy of damask, satin sarcenet, or raynes, bordered and valenced with fringe or cloth of gold. The whole was magnificent, and the taste of the ladies regulated every part, for before a queen lay in, "women were made all manner of officers for the month, as butlers, panters, and so on." The ordinances now recited were chiefly drawn up by Margaret, countess of Richmond and Derby, who placed all the decorations of the queen's lying-in-room, the royal bed, and the cradles, the nursery, the church, chapels, and altars; the habits of the prince, the font, the traverses, and the rest, with splendour and taste, properly disposing cloths, silks, velvets, linens and trains, adjusting the places and sizes of ornaments; the colours of white, brown, blue, scarlet, purple, silver, gold, ermine, crimson, russet, stripes, and shades; the appendages of silk-fringes, embroidery, lace, lawn, tassels, pommels, devices and coats of arms, so as to exhibit a superb apparatus of the magnificence and taste of the times (7). On such theatres a courtly prelate in imperial robes represented John the Baptist, the part of Jesus was performed in crimson lined with ermine by a princely babe, the silver font set forth the river Jordan, and the noble mistress of the ceremonies with magick wand like a goddess created a scenery, supplied the place of a deity, and covered the beggarly elements of popes and councils from contempt.

(7) Lelandi Collectanea Vol. iv. p. 179. Vol. ii. p. 663. Baptizatio regina Elizabethæ apud Grenwich.

At the baptism of Prince Edward, afterward king Edward VI. in the chapel of Hampton-Court, Archbishop Cranmer stood godfather for the prince, as he had done four years before for the Princess Elizabeth, who was born at Greenwich, and baptized in the conventual church of the Franciscan friars (8). Similar pomp was displayed at both, and the whole ceremonial is inserted in histories of the times. A detail would be tedious but two or three remarks may not be impertinent. The princess was born in September, the prince in October but both were carried to church and baptized in publick, and both by tine immersion, so that dipping had not then been exchanged for sprinkling on account of cold.

This was no novelty, as the practice of one royal family will prove. Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII. was born at Winchester on the twentieth of October, fourteen hundred and eighty-six. The Sunday following he was carried in procession to the cathedral to be christened. Although the "wether was to coulde and to fowle to have been at the west ende of the chirche :" yet an accident happened, which obliged the company to wait in the church "iii owres largely and more." The Earl of Oxford had been appointed one of the three godfathers. His lordship was at Lavenham in Suffolk when the prince was born. A messenger was dispatched, and a time fixed for the baptism. His lordship set forward, hoping to arrive in time: but as "the season was al rayny," he could not reach Winchester so soon as he expected. The procession, however, set forward : news came the earl was near, yet he did not arrive. This was no inconvenience to the company, for there were traverses with fires in them in the church, and into one the prince was carried, while the nobility retired into others, and partook of spices, wines, and refreshments. At length, a courier arrived with intelligence that Lord Oxford was "within a myle." The bishop then began the service; for the Earl of Derby and Lord Maltravers had been appointed godfathers at the baptism, and the queen dowager godmother, and the Earl of Oxford had been appointed godfather at the confirmation, which followed baptism, and which was perform

:

ed at the high altar where the child was carried as soon as he was dressed after his baptism. The service therefore proceeded, for the part of Lord Oxford came in toward the latter end and "incontinent after the prince was put into the fount, then entrede th' Erle of Oxinforde: From the font the prince was had to his travers." From thence, after he was dressed, he was carried to the altar, upon which his royal godmother laid him. After some ceremonies, Lord Oxford "toke the prince in his right arme, and the bishop of Excester confermyd him (9).

Three years after, his majesty thought fit to create Arthur and some others Knights of the Bath. The thirtieth of November was fixed on for the ceremony, and bathing the night before was a part of it. Neither the tender age of the prince, nor the weak state of his health, (for some say he was born a month before his time and it is certain he died before he was fifteen) nor the season of the year, nor the time of night, was supposed to render bathing hazardous: but "when it was nyght the prince's bayne [bath] was prepared_in the kinge's closet. And in the entre betwene the parlia ment chambre and the chapelle was the baynes of the Erle of Northumberland, and the Lord Maltravers, and the Lord Gray Ruthyn." While they were thus preparing for knighthood, about nine o'clock of the same night the queen was delivered of a princess, afterward Margaret, queen of Scotland. All the furniture of her majesty's lying-in-room is described with punctilious detail, but there doth not appear any utensil for a private baptism of necessity, and the abbey church at Westminster, and the rich font at Canterbury, were "prepayred as of old tyme ben accustumed for kyngs chyldren."

Next

day, the thirtieth of November, the new-born princess was carried in procession to the church to be christened: and "as son as she was put into the font, all the torchess wer light, and the taper also, and the officers of arms put on ther cotys of arms," and the herald pronounced her name and title. After the whole service had been performed, the procession returned "wythe nois of trompettis, and with Crystis blessyng. Amen." So little did the royal family dread bathing their chil

(9) Leland, ut sup. Vol. iv.

dren, and so little did they encourage private baptism, that a female child, the day after her birth, was carried to church and baptized by trine immersion, when the court had begun or were about beginning to keep Christmas, and at a season when "the meazellis wer soo strong and in especiall amongis the ladies and gentilwemen, that sum died of that sikeness, as the Lady Nevill, doughter of William Paston: wherfor on Seint John's day the Qween was prively cherched or purified (1)."

This,

To return to the children of Henry VIII. The font used at the baptism of the Princess Elizabeth was silver, probably the old one of Canterbury: that of Prince Edward, "the most dearest sonne of the king," was of silver gilt, and very likely a new one. however, is not certain, for there was one of silver gilt used at the baptism of Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII. Each was set upon a stage with steps carpetted, having above a canopy of crimson satin fringed with gold, and a travers on the floor near the bottom step with lighted charcoal, basons, water, perfumes, and all other conveniences to wash the children, "if need were." "All the tyme of the princes opening," noblemen," with aprons and towels about their necks," stood round the steps, the "baptizer" and the godfathers stood under the canopy, to "abide the coming," of the lady godmother and the princes out of the travers, and the ceremony of hallowing the font was performed meanwhile. All this is a preparation for undressing in order to dip, and for dipping after undressing (2). Since sprinkling took place, no such services are necessary.

After baptism, "in tyme the prince was making ready in his travers," the officiating part of the company were waited on with basons and towels: then they were "served with spice in spice-plates, wyne and wafers, and all other estates and gentiles within the church and the court were served with spice and ypocras, and all other had bread and sweet wyne." Next Te Deum was sung and lastly the prince was brought out of his travers, and carried home in procession along with the

(1) The same, p. 250.

(2) Baptizatio- --- Christening ----- as above - - - - Fox's Acts and Monu ments. An. 1533. Queene Elizabeth christened, p. 962.