upon this subject, of the early part of the reign of Henry VIII., is preserved in the Chapter-house,

8 Henry VIII. Jan. 24. To Richard Gybson for diverse

things by hym bought for the

kings disguysings opon 12th
nyght last past

9 Henry VIII. Dec. 25. To one Sigemonde Skeyf, an Al

mayn, for an instrument called a
Regalle

To the kings players in rewarde
[No Lord of Misrule is men-
tioned this Christmas, and, per-
haps, the players did not perform
on account of the pestilence then
prevailing.]

10 Henry VIII. Dec. 9. To Edmonde Travore, whom the

kyng hath appointed to be Lorde

of mysrule this Cristmes

Jan. 1. To the Lorde of Mysrule

£. s. d.

130 19 0

22 0 0

13 6 8

200

400

6 13 4

13 6 8

11 Henry VIII. Dec. 4. To Willm Wynnesbury Lorde of

mysrule this Cristemes

To Richard Gybson opon a war

raunt for the revells, called a

maskelyn, at New-hall in Essex 207 5 1

Jan. 1. To Wynnesbury Lorde of mys

Westminster, under the following title, A Booke of the Kings Revell stuff, being in the charge of John

Farlyon*, lately deceased, whiche is now com

-11 Henry VIII. Jan. 6. To Mr. Cornisshe for playing £. s. ď. afore the king this Cristemas

with his children

To the gentelmen of the kings
chapell

To the kings players

To the kings olde players

To John Haywoode synger wages

Dec. 1. To Willm Tolly to be Lorde of
mysrule for his expenses and

charges for executing the same

6 13 4

13 6 8

3 6 400 0 0

200

6 13 4

3 6 8

4 0 0

To the kings players in rewarde
To the kings old players in re-
warde

To William Mortemer, brawderer,
Richard Gibson, and diverse other
opon à warraunt for clothes of
golde, silks, velvetts and other di-
verse apparelles, as well for the
kings owne person, as for other
by his commaundement had and
made, as well for the Justs and
Tourneys royal lately holden at
Guysnes; as also for masculers
and other diverse things as more

playnely apperith by the samé
warraunt

March. Half yere wages: for John Eng

* In the Liber Numerator. Scaccarii of Henry VIII., in the Chapter

'mytted unto one Brigges, being appointed unto the same rowme; whiche said stuff is remaynyng in ⚫ certain cofers, or standerds, at Warwicke Inne, Lon'don.' It commences with an inventory of stuff concernyng a Triumph and Justs, and it then proceeds to a list of Masking garments, or for disguisings,' including parts of the apparel for 9 separate masks. The dresses for the Palmers Mask,' which seems complete, are the following:

Itm 8 shorte cloks for Palmers of skarlet, with Keys embrouderd upon their shulders.

Itm 8 hatts to the same of crymson satten with scalop shells embrodered before.

Itm 8 scrippes of crymson satten with their gir'dells.

'Itm 8 pair of crymson satten boots.

'Itm 8 Palmers staves, clapdishes, and beeds.' Every mask consisted of 8 persons, and among the articles in coffers are 24 visors. There is also an enumeration of hats of Tartary fashion,' and of mantles

house, under date of Easter, 6 Henry VIII., the following entry, regarding the office held by this person, is met with :

'Johi Farlyon Custod. Vestuarum sive apparatum omnium singu'lorum jocorum, larvatorum, vocat. Maskes, Revelles and Disguysings; ac etiam apparatus et trappers omnium et singulorum equorum nos'trorum ordinat. et appunctuat. pro hastiludiis, de feod. suo ad vja per 'diem sibi debit. a 28 die Novembr anno vjto salt. pro cxx diebus ad fratam predictam attingat ad summam 40s.

One of the articles enumerated is 'a pavillion of cloth of gold ' embroidered with H. K. and lined with green sarcenet.' Others are 24 barbs for great horses, cordings for barbs, bases,' &c.

according to the Irish fashion,' which, doubtless, belonged to masks of Tartars and Irishmen.

The masks given early in the reign of Henry VIII., both by the King and Wolsey, were most splendid and expensive; and Cavendish, in his Life of the Cardinal, inserts an elaborate and picturesque description of one of them, in which the King and several of his nobility masked as shepherds, and took Wolsey by surprise when he was giving a banquet to his friends and adherents. It is unnecessary to quote the passage, as the work in which it is found is deservedly in the hands of everybody*. Stow, in his Chronicle, places this occurrence in the year 1516, and is indebted to Cavendish for the detailed particulars he supplies.

By an original account, in his own hand-writing, in the Chapter-house, Westminster, it appears, that in 1514 Richard Gibson was employed upon a very important task, viz., the repair of all the tents, halls and pavilions at Calais, probably in anticipation of the arrival there of the King's sister, Mary, on her way to Paris for her marriage with Louis XII. of Francet.

* See the excellent edition of 'Cavendish's Life of Wolsey,' produced under the care of Mr. Singer, London, 1827, p. 112.

This document is entitled thus:- Here enseweth a Declarycion ' of Rychard Gibson, yeman tayllor to owr Sovrayne lord the King, ' for all reparacyons done upon the Kings Tentts, hallys and pavyl

6 lyons, beyng at Callys, as in the 6th yere of his rayngne, & for stuff

by the sayd Rychard provyded and bought, and wagys to workmen " peyd for the sayd reparacyons.'

The account is extremely long and minute, including every parti

The apparel for the court revels was kept at Warwick Inn, and probably the dresses of the King's players were deposited in similar coffers and standards.' Of these dresses I have an enumeration, as early as the year 1516, under the title of Garments for Players,' which, perhaps, is only part of a longer inventory of the same kind. It is, however, in the form in which it exists, of considerable value, as it serves to throw light on the nature of the theatrical amusements of the time: whether it belonged to any independent company of performers, or to one of the theatrical establishments of the court, it is impossible to decide; but from the costliness of some of the materials, we may be inclined to conclude in favour of the latter. It once formed the fly-leaf of an old book, and is in the following terms:

GARMENTS FOR PLAYERS.

'A°. VII. Henr. VIII.

'A long garment of cloth of golde and tynsell, for 'the Prophete upon Palme Sonday.

cular of expenditure for materials and workmen. The tents, pavilions, and halls' were no less than forty-two in number, and the covering of all of them appears to have been canvas. In addition to these, four new pavilions,' each requiring one hundred and fifteen ells of canvas, were prepared by Gibson, besides two halls made new,' in each of which one hundred and forty yards of canvas were consumed. The difference between a tent, a pavilion, and a hall, is not pointed out. They all went by different names, as 'the Flowerdelyce,' 'the Harpe,' 'the Gold Cross,'' the Red Rose,' 'the Rose Whyte & Red,' &c. No doubt the greater part of these suffered in the calamity which befel them in 1520, when, as Stow informs us, the canvas banquetting-houses, &c., were blown away in a hurricane.