After them entered six ladies, whereof two were apparelled in crimsin sattin and purple,Certeine la|dies richlie attired and a [...]|ter a strange fashion. embrodered with gold, and by viniets ran floure delices of gold, with maruellous rich & strange tiers on their heads. Then two ladies in crimsin and purple, made like long slops embrodered and fret with gold after an|tike fashion: and ouer that garment was a short garment of cloth of gold scant to the knee, fashioned like a tabard all ouer, with small double rolles, all of flat gold of damaske, fret with frised gold, and on their heads skarfs and wrappers of damaske gold, with flat pipes, that strange it was to behold. The other two ladies were in kirtels of crimsin & purple sattin, embrodered with a viniet of pomegranats of gold, all the garments cut compasse wise, hauing but demie sléeues, naked downe from the elbowes, and ouer their garments were vochets of pleasants, rolled with crimsin veluet, and set with letters of gold like characts, their heads rolled in pleasants and tipets like the Aegyptians, embrodered with gold. Their faces, necks, armes, and hands, couered in fine pleasants blacke: some call it Lumbardines, which is maruellous thin; so that the same ladies see|med to be Nigers or blacke Mores. Of these foresaid six ladies, the ladie Marie, sister vnto the king was one, the other I name not.The ladie Marie sister to the king. After that the kings grace and the ladies had dansed a certeine time, they depar|ted euerie one to his lodging.

In this yeare also came ambassadors, not onelie from the king of Arragon and Castile, but also from the kings of France, Denmarke, Scotland, and o|ther places, which were highlie welcomed, and noblie interteined. It happened on a daie, Edw. Hall in Hen. 8. fol. vij. Running at the ring. that there were certeine noble men made a wager to run at the ring and parties were taken, and which partie atteined or tooke awaie the ring oftnest with certeine courses, should win the wager. Whereof the kings grace hearing, offered to be on the one partie with six com|panions. The ambassadors hearing thereof,The king ve|rie roiallie ar|raied runneth at the ring in the sight of the ambassadours & beareth the prise awaie. were much desirous to see this wager tried, and speciallie the ambassadours of Spaine, who had neuer séene the king in harnesse. At the daie appointed, the king was mounted on a goodlie courser, trapped in purple veluet cut, the inner side whereof was wrought with flat gold of damaske in the stoole, and the veluet on the other side cut in letters: so that the gold appeared as though it had beene embrodered with certeine rea|sons or posies. And on the veluet betwéene the let|ters were fastened castels and sheafs of arrowes of EEBO page image 806 ducket gold, with a garment, the sléeues compassed ouer his harnesse, and his bases of the same worke, with a great plume of feathers on his head péece, that came downe to the arson of his saddle, and a great companie of fresh gentlemen came in with his grace richlie armed and decked, with manie other right gorgeouslie apparelled, the trumpets before them goodlie to be hold, whereof manie strangers (but speciallie the Spaniards) much reioised; for they had neuer séene the king before that time armed.

On the other side came in another band of gen|tlemen freshlie apparelled, and pleasant to behold, all apparelled in cloth of gold, checkered with flat gold of damaske, & poudered with roses; and so euerie man ran: but to conclude, the prise was giuen vnto the king. Euerie man did run twelue courses, the king did beare away the ring fiue times, and atteined it thrée. And these courses thus finished, the Spanish ambassadours desired to haue some of the badges or deuises, which were on the kings trapper. His grace therof knowing, commanded euerie of them to take thereof what it pleased them, who in effect tooke all or the more part; for in the beginning they thought they had béene counterfeit, and not of gold; as they were. On Maie day then next folowing in the second yeare of his reigne,King Henrie goeth a mai|eng with o|ther of his courtiers. his grace being yoong, and wil|ling not to be idle, rose in the morning verie earlie to fetch maie or greene boughs, himselfe fresh & rich|lie apparelled; and clothed all his knights, squiers and gentlemen in white sattin, and all his gard and yeo|men of the crowne in white sarcenet: and so went e|uerie man with his bow and arrowes shooting to the wood, and so repaired againe to the court, euerie man with a gréene bough in his cap.