Tudor Books, The Receyt of the Ladie Kateryne

How the Princesse departid from her fathre and mothre, beyng in Hispayne, and what wiendes and jeopardies she suffred in her passage.

Whan that after the prefixed promyses bitwene the noble kinges of the roiall realmes of Englond and of Hispayne, the doughter and princesse of the said King of Hispayne, for thentente of matrymonie legallie to be fynesshid and concludid, [went] to her prepaired navye of shippes with the right sufficiaunt gardie and companye of noblis of that contreth to her assistentes lymyted and assigned theymself shold brefly order and condute. Thympacient wiendes of that coostis shold seme to have ben greatly aggreved and not peasably to suffer the bifore-desired passage of the said Princesse to the coostes of Englond, fatally ordynate and predestynate, the gieftes and also the dowrie of soo goodlie a ladie and princesse. Wherupon they cruelly with right great hud genes of storm and tempest oppresed with their oultragious blastes the clothis of the said shippes, enhaunced their mastes owte of their sokettes, distrobled their takling and all their hoole remyge. The perilous seas with waves soo fearfully wrought and arrerid that unto the rulers and craftie maryners was, moost to thenfreight persones to be savegardid, expediently thought to som of their owne lately forsaken havens they shold retourne their course.

Of her arryvinge in Englond and of the meting of the Kinges Grace and dyvers othre estates of the londe.

Than as sone as this glad entres of the ladie was knowen and apperceyved to thestates and gentiles, borderers of the said contreth "off the west", with all goodlie maner and haste [they] sped theymself with right honorable gieftes to repaire to that noble princesse (age 15). And there they goodly with all requyred poyntes and features of curtesie saluted and welcomed her, so escapid graciously her perilous jeopardies, with their pleasures, presentes, and their attendancis, as well in the said furste arryving as in contynuall servyce, waiting, and guyding "to" the "sayd" Princesse into the further entrans of the realme of Englond toward the honorate and aunciant Citie of London, where at that tyme the Kinges Noble Grace was lodged and abiding.

And furste the Lorde Broke (age 49), Stuard of the Kinges Howse, was by thassignement of the Kinges Grace directid and sent to thentent to purvey and provyde for the Princesse (age 15) and her retynue in their journey and passage, as well for their viand, horses, and cariage as every other necessite, and right convenyently "so" he did. "After that, therl off Surrey with divers other lordes temperall off the lond ensuyd unto the metyng and attendaunce off thys whorthy Estate and Princesse."

And after them the Duches of Norffolke (age 24), by a like assent and will of the King, with a goodly companye with her ‘off countess, baroness, and meny other honorable gentylwomen', repaired unto this noble Princesse (age 15), and there ‘at her' suche metyng had, she kept forth on her contynuall company and waiting.

Notwithstanding, His Highnes and Grace was not soo intentifly satisfied with the chere, servyce, and diligente attendans of his said subjectes gentils, but bountuously let hymself with a semely company of his estates—dukes, erlis, and barons with othre dyvers of knyghtes, esquyeris, and gentilmen—to be the iiij day of Novembre removed from his maner of Richemount towardes the meting of this goodly ladie, whois spedefull journey was annoied and suffred impedyment, and of his encrese was sore abreviat by thenchesion that he and his present lege servantes, the day right fer spent, so late were horsid at their said remove, the silens of thevenyng full hastily did theym approche, that they were compellid by convenyens at Chartsey, not veray fer from the said Manour of Richemount, to purvey and harbage for their reposing that nyght.

The third chapiter: of the meting that the Prince gave the King at Esthampsted.

The morow clowdes were usually and after the curse naturall expellid; the clere beamys of the son full ofte tymes the myddell eires with their refleccions had striken. Then the sides of their cursers with their spurres they began to tast and extendid their passage unto the village of Esthampsted. There myght the true and lovyng Englisshe people pleasauntly perceyve the pure and proper Prince Arthure, the heire of their lefull londes and successour by grace grantid of God, full solemply to salute his sage fathre bifore their owne presens, the which was great gladnes to all trusty hertes that of everych realme by wise sawes ar named for the treasure.

[4th November 1501]. Loo thus with his sonne the moost noble Henry of Richemount, of Englond the vijth king of that name, full pleasantly passid over the season of that nyght, and in the next morow to the playnes he departid, where met with hym the Prothonotary of Hispayne, and ensured hym that they had receyved bie streite injunction and commaundement of their Soveraigne Lord of their lond that they shold in noo maner of wise permytt ne suffer their ladie and Princesse (age 15) ‘of Espayne', whom they had to guyde and in gouvernans, to have eny meting, ne use eny maner of communycacion neither company, unto thincepcion of the very daie of the solempnisacion of the mariage. Wherupon after certayn musing of this myend of the Kinge of Hispayne, immediatly there in the feldes ‘the Kynges Grace off owr realme off Englond" let all theym that were of his moost honorable Councell to be in that mattier advertised how they thought moost to reason aggreable, either tenclyne to this declarid purpose, or as he entendid to that lady he shold maynteyn his passage.

And sone after the prudent enserche of every persones both spiritual and temperalles aunswere, it was holy by their sentens concludid that forasmoch as due agrementes in a maner accomplisshed, sithe they were so far entrid into his empire and realme, they shold seme to be in partie dischardgid annempste their Soveraigne, and of all gouvernay of their said Princes avoided and excludid, and the pleasure and commaundment of her to lie in the power in grace and disposicion of oure noble Kyng of Englond.

Thus His Highnes avaunced hymself, levyng the Pryns behynde upon the playne, and in the tyme of ij or iij of the clok at after none, His Grace entred into the towne of Dogmersfeld, where the Pryncesse was ij or iij owres bifore his said comyng right well accompanyed and right richely beseyn, so as hertofore have be seyn none like her, havyng with her an Archbusshop, a Busshop, and an Erl, with meny other noblis of Hispayne, and meny ladies and gentilwomen of the same contreth to the nombre of thre score, and ladies and gentilwomen of this region right nygh as meny.

And as sone as the Princesse servantes were asserteyned of the commyng of the Kyng, as tharchebusshoppe, the Busshoppe, therl, with other off her retynue and councell they shewid hym that the Princesse was in her rest, whom he aunswerd in such fourme, that if she were in her bed, he wold se and commone with her, for that was the myend and thentent of his commyng. And thus convenyent leisure to her respited, she gave hym an honorable metyng in her third chambre, where were perused the mooste goodly wordes and uttred of the langueges of bothe parties to as great joye and gladnes as in eny persones myght ever covenably have ben had.

[6th November 1501]. After the which welcomes and communycacion endid, the Kinges Grace deposid his riding garmentes and chaunged hym, and by half season of oon owre the Prince (age 15) was also knowen to be present, and ensueyng the Kinges Highnes and the Lord Prynce made their second resort toguydre to the chambre of the Pryncesse (age 15), and there thrugh thenterpretacion of busshoppis the spechis of bothe contrethis be the meane of Laten were understonden. And whereas tofore they were by deputies contractid, they here now were in their either othre presens spousally ensured. The which semly ensurans, so as it is promysed, honorably endid, the King sped hym to his souper. And after that he had souped full curteisly, with the Lord Prince visited the Ladie in her owne chambre. And then she and her ladies let call their mynstrelles, and with right goodly behavour and maner they solacid theymself with the disportes of daunsyng, and afterward the Lorde Prince in like demeanure with the Lady Guldford (age 38) daunced right plesant and honorably.

The vth chaptre: howe the Princesse departid from Dogmersfeld to Londonward, and how the King removed another wey to the same cite.

Upon the morow, the vijth day of the rehersid moneth of Novembre, the Princesse (age 15) on her bihalve toke her journey to Chartsey and ther lodged all that nyght, and from thens towardes Lamehith. And or ever she cam fully to the said town, ‘beyond a' village callid Kyngeston upon Thamyse, the Duke of Bokingham on horsbak full richely beseyn, therle of Kent, the Lord Henry the dukes brothre, and thabbot of Burie (the which after the Duc had saluted Her Grace, declared goodly in Laten a certayn proposicion of her welcomyng into the realme), with a great company of the ‘Dukes' gentilmen and yomen in his lyverey of blak and red to the nombre of iij or iiij hundreth persones, met this noble ladie, ‘and at that vyllage they lodgyd all that nyght," and so accompanyed with her as a guyde, "in the morne' right honorably condutid her to her said lodging at Lamehith, where she contynued unto such season as her entring into the Citie of London myght moost convenyently in every maner bihalve be prepared, as well on her partie of the retynue of Hispayn, as in the to her assistentes of the realme of Englond by our Sovereign assigned, partly to thencres and magnyfiyng of her honour and estate, secundly to the mayntenans of olde and famous appetitis that thenglisshe people have ever used in the welcomynge of their acceptable and welbiloved straungers.

The Kinges Highnes also in his partie removed from the said Princes another wey towardes the Cite of London, and the furst nyght he lodgid at Esthamsted, whereas His Grace had ben bifore in his furste commyng to the Lady Princesse. And upon the morowe, the viijth daie of the rehersid moneth of Novembre, he nyghtid at his castell of Wyndsore.

[9th November 1501]. The ixth daie of the same moneth in his maner of Richemount hymself he reposid, where the Quenys Grace met with hym, whom he asserteyned and made prevy of thactes and demeanure bitwene hymself, the Prince, and the Princesse, and how he likyd hir person and behavour.

[10th November 1501]. And the xth day ensueng, he rode till he came to Paris Gardeyn uppon the further side of the ryver from London, and there he toke his barge and was sett upp at his lodgyng callid Baynardes Castell [Map] within the same cytie, set uppon the Tamys side, right pleasauntly sheweng toward the water—withinforth ful weell garnysshid and araide, full strongly with wallys encompased without— where to his noble and prudent audiens al maner of matters hade ther recourse that to his owne person were apperteynyng for his owne honour and right to all his hooll realme for comfort and justice, and also for the goodly endutyng of this noble lady and Princes of Hispayne. And at his there settyng upp and landyng, the Quenes Grace by watir in hir barge with her goodly company of ladyes was there presently landid and entride in.

The vjth chaptre: of thordre of the Citie of London for the receyte of the Princes.

In the meane season, the stedfast, sure, and secret chambre of Englond, the opulent rehersid Cytie of London, was than full excellently accompanyed with the moost great multitude of people—what for the citesens inhabitauntes of the same, what for the estates of every contreth, shire, and party with ther servantes unto them awaytyng, what for other of honest comons of every town, holde, and border of the realme of Englond—that eneth ther might be lodging, ostrie, or roume for the seid great resorte fownde or begotyn within the wallis neithir suberbys of all the seid citie. Every lord both spirituall and temporall was kepyng their opyn housseholdes with right great ryaltie of fare and vitall, ich gentill his lyvereys, bagges, and conysances opynly worne, that every man might apparently perceyve and know every gentilman his servant, the oon of them from the other in that tyme.