Now when the childe had pronounced his oration, and the Quenes highnes so thankefully had receiued it, she marched forwarde towarde gracious streate, where at the upper ende, before the sygne of the Egle, the citie had erected a gorgeous & sumptuous arke as here foloweth.
A stage was made whiche extended from thone syde of the streate to thother, rychelye vawted with batlementes conteining three portes, and ouer the middlemost was auaunced .iii. seueral stages in degrees. Upon the lowest stage was made one seate royall, wherin wer placed two personages represeting kynge Henrie the seuenth and Elizabeth hys wyfe daughter of king Edward the fourth, eyther of these two princes sitting vnder one cloth of estate in their seates, no otherwyse diuyded, but that thone of them which was king Henrie the seuenth proceding out of the house of Lancastre, was enclosed in a read rose, and thother which was Queen Elizabeth being heire to the house of Yorke, enclosed with a whyte rose, eche of them royallie crowned, and decently apparailled as apperteineth to princes, with Sceptours in their handes & one vawt surmounting their heades, wherin aptlie wer placed two tables, eche conteining ye tytle of those two princes. And these personages were so set, ye the one of them ioyned handes with thother, with ye ring of matrimonie perceiued on ye finger. Out of the which two roses sprang two braunches gathered into one, which wer directed vpward to the second stage or degree, wherin was placed one, representing the valiant & noble prynce king Henrie theight which sprong out of the former stocke, crowned with a crowne imperiall, & by him sate one representing ye right worthie ladie quene Anne, wife to the said king Henrie theyght, & mother to our most soueraign ladie quene Elizabeth that now is, both apparelled with Sceptours & diademes, and other furniture due to the state of a king & quene & .ii. tables surmounting their heades wherein were written their names & tytles. From their seate also proceaded vpwardes one braunche directed to the third and vppermost stage or degree, wherin lykewyse was planted a seat royall, in the whiche was sette one representynge the Quenes most dradde soueraygne Ladie, crowned and apparelled as thother prynces were. Oute of the forepart of thys pageaunt was made a standyng for a chylde, whiche at the quenes maiesties comyng declared unto her ye hole meaning of the said pageaunt. The two sydes of the same were filled with loude noyses of musicke. And all emptie places thereof were furnished with sentences concerning unitie. And the hole pageant garnished with redde roses and white and in the forefront of the same pageant in a faire wreathe was written the name, and title of the same, which was The vniting of the two houses of Lancastre and Yorke. This pageant was grounded vpon the Queenes maiesties name. For like as the long warre betwene the two houses of Yorke and Lancastre then ended, when Elizabeth doughter to Edwarde the fourthe matched in mariage wyth Henry the seventhe heyre to the howse of Launcaster : so synce that the Queenes maiesties name was Elizabeth, and forsomuch as she is the onelye heire of Henrie the eyght, which came of bothe the houses as the knitting vp of concorde, it was deuised that like as Elizabeth was the first occasion of concorde, so she another Elizabeth might maintaine the same among her subiectes, so that vnitie was the ende wherat the whole deuise shotte, as the Queenes maiesties names moued the firste grounde. This pageant now against the Quenes maiesties comming was addressed with children representing the forenamed personages, with all furniture dew vnto the setting forthe of such a matter well ment, as the argument declared, costly and sumptuouslye set forthe, as the beholders can beare witnes. Now the Queenes maiestye drewe nere unto the sayde pageant, and forsomuch as the noyse was great by reason of the prease of people, so that she could skace heare the childe which did interprete the saide pageant, and her chariot was passed so farre forward that she could not well view the personages representing the kinges and Queenes abouenamed: she required to haue the matter opened vnto her, which so was, and euery personage appointed, and what they signified, with the ende of vnitie & ground of her name, according as is before expressed. For the sight wherof, her grace caused her chariot to be remoued back, & yet hardley coulde she see, because the children were set somewhat with the farthest in. But after that her grace ahd understode the meaning therof, she thanked the citie, praised the fairenes of the worke, and promised, that she would doe her whole endeuour for the continuall preseruacion of concorde, as the pageant did emporte. The childe appointed in the standing abouenamed to open the meaning of the said pageant, spake these wordes unto her grace.
The two princes that sit vnder one cloth of state,
The man in the red rose, the woman in the white:
Henry the .vii. And Queene Elizabeth his mate,
By ryng of mariage as man and wife vnite.
Both heires to both their bloodes, to Lancastre the king
The Queene to Yorke, in one the two houses did knit,
Of whom as heire to both, Henry the eyght did spring,
In whose seat his true heire thou quene Elsabeth dost sit.
Therefore as ciuill warre, and shede of blood did cease
When these two houses were vnited into one
So now that iarre shall stint, and quietnes encrease,
We trust, O noble Queene, thou wilt be cause alone.
The which also were written in laten verses, and bothe drawen in two tables uppon the forefront of the sayde pageant as hereafter foloweth.
Hii quos iungit idem solium quos annulus idem:
Hæc albente nitens, ille rubente Rosa:
Septimus Henricus Rex, Regina Elizabetha,
Scilicet Hæredes gentis vterque suæ:
Hæc Eboracenis, Lancastrius ille dederunt
Connubio, e geminis quo foret vna domus
Excipit hos hæres Henricus copula regum
Octauus, magni Regis imago potens
Regibus hinc succedis auis, Regique parenti
Patris iusta hæres Elizabetha tui.
Sentences placed therin concerning unite.
Nullæ concordes animos vires domant.
Qui iuncti terrent, deiuncti timent.
Discordes animi soluunt, concordes ligant.
Augentur parua pace, magna bello cadunt.
Coniunctæ manus fortius tollunt onus.
Regno pro menibus æneis ciuium concordia.
Que diu pngnant diutius lugent.
Dissidentes principes sulditorum lues.
Princeps ad pacem natus non ad arma datur
Filia concordiæ copia, neptis quies.
Dissentiens respublica hostibus placet.
Qui idem tenent, diutius tenent.
Regnum diuisum facile dissoluitur.
Ciuitas concors armis frustra tentatur.
Omnium gentium consensus firmat fidem. &.
These verses and other pretie sentences were drawen in voide places of this pageant, all tending to one ende that quietnes might be mainteined, and all dissention displaced, and that by the Queenes maiestie, heire to agrement, and agreing in name with her, which tofore had ioyned those houses, which had ben thoccasion of much debate and ciuill warre within this realme, as maye apeare to soche, as will search cronicles, but be not to be touched in this treatise onely declaring her graces passage through the citie, and what prouisiou the citie made therefore. And ere the Quenes maiestie came within hearing of this pageant, she sent certaine as also at all the other pageants to require the people to be silent for her maiestie was disposed to heare all that shold be said unto her.
-- Transcribed by Jennie Butler, 2000
