115

At the entrance of Lady Elizabeth, queen of Henry VII. , into theCity of London , “ al the strets ther which she shuld passe by, wereclenly dressid, and besene with cloth of tapestrye and arras; and somestreetes, as Chepe, hanged with riche clothes of golde, velvettes, andsilkes.’’*

Some notion of the pricesf of hangings may be collected from aletter of Gilbert Talbot’s to his father, the Earl of Shrewsbury, dated1576, wherein he says, “ I have seen many fayre hangynges, and yo rL. may have of all prycesse, eyther xis. a styck, or vii. grotes, iiis. m.vs. or vis. the styck, eaven as yo r L. will bestow; but there is of vs. thestycke that is very fayre: but unless yo r L. send upp a measure of whatdepthe and bredthe you wolde have them, suerly they will not be to yo rL.’s lykynge; for moste of them are very shallow, and I have yet seene

* Leland.

“ I will not speake of the rich arras, the costlie tapestrie, the fine clothes, both of goldeand silver, the curious velvets, the beautiful sattins, nor pleasant silkes which did hang inevery street she passed. The wine that ran continually out of the conduits, and the gravellingof the streets, needeth not to be remembered .”— Hall’s Chron. of England.

On the 24th of June, 1509, Henry VIII. , in the first year of his reign, with his queen,departed from the Tower, through London : the streets were hanged with tapestry and cloth ofarras, and a great part of the south side of Cheape with cloth of gold, and so was some partof Cornehill. “ The streets were railed and barred on the one side, from ouer against Grace-Church to Bredstreet in Cheapside, where euerie occupation stood in their liueries in order,beginning with base and meane occupations, and so ascending to the worshipful crafts.Highest, and lastlie, stood the maior with the aldermen. The goldsmiths’ stals vnto the endof the Old Change, being replenished with virgins in white, with branches of whitewax.”— Holingsiied.

t The usual wages of an embroyderer was 8d. a day; but those employed at Hengrave“ amending arras” received no more than 6d. a day.