One of these, who made a particularly fine
harangue, represented the River Thames, as a gentleman whose
"garment loose and flowing, coloured blue and white, waved like
water, flags and ozier-like long hair falling o'er his shoulders;
his beard long, sea-green, and white." And so by slow degrees
the king came to Temple Bar, where he was entertained by "a view
of a delightful boscage, full of several beasts, both tame and
savage, as also several living figures and music of eight waits."
And having passed through Temple Bar into his ancient and native
city of Westminster, the head bailiff in a scarlet robe and the
high constable, likewise in scarlet, on behalf of the dean,
chapter, city, and liberty, received his majesty with great
expressions of joy.
Never had there been so goodly a show so grand a procession; the
citizens, still delighted with their young king, had certainly
excelled in doing him honour, and some foreigners, Heaton says,
"acknowledged themselves never to have seen among all the great
magnificences of the world any to come near or equal this: even
the vaunting French confessed their pomps of the late marriage
with the Infanta of Spain, at their majesties' entrance into
Paris, to be inferior in its state, gallantry, and riches unto
this most illustrious cavalcade." Amongst those who witnessed
the procession was Mr. Pepys, who has left us a realistic
description, without which this picture would be incomplete. He
tells us he arose early on this day; and the vain fellow says he
made himself as fine as could be, putting on his velvet coat for
the first time, though he had it made half a year before.
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