HENRY VIII. AND SPORT (1539).
Source.—Holinshed, 556, 557; Edward Hall, Henry VIII.
This year the plague was great and reigned in divers parts of this realm. The king kept his Christmas at Richmond. The twelfth of January divers gentlemen prepared to just, and the king and one of his privy chamber called William Compton secretly armed themselves in the little park of Richmond and so came into the justs, unknown to all persons. The king never ran openly before and did exceeding well. Master Compton chanced to be so sore hurt by Edward Nevill Esquire, brother to the Lord of Abergavenny, so that he was like to have died. One person there was that knew the king and cried: "God Save the King" and with that all the people were astonished, and then the king discovered himself to the great comfort of the people. The king soon after came to Westminster and there kept his Shrovetide with great banquetings, dancings and other jolly pastimes.
In this year also came ambassadors, not only from the King of Aragon and Castile, but also from the Kings of France, Denmark, Scotland and other places, which were highly welcomed and nobly entertained. It happened on a day that there were certain noble men made a wager to run at the ring and parties were taken, and which party attained or took away the ring oftenest with certain courses, should win the wager. Whereof the King's Grace hearing, offered to be on the one party with six companions. The ambassadors hearing thereof, were much desirous to see this wager tried, and specially the ambassadors of Spain, who had never seen the king in harness. At the day appointed the king was mounted on a goodly courser, trapped in a purple velvet coat, the inner side thereof was wrought with flat gold of damask in the stool, and the velvet on the other side cut in letters, so that the gold appeared as though it had been embroidered with certain reasons[56] or posies. And on the velvet between the letters were fastened castles and sheafs of arrows of ducat gold with a garment, the sleeves compassed over his harness and his bases of the same work with a great plume of feathers on his head-piece that came down to the arson of his saddle and a great company of fresh gentlemen came in with his grace, richly armed and decked with many other right gorgeously apparelled, the trumpet before them goodly to behold, whereof many strangers (but specially the Spaniards) much rejoiced, for they had never seen the king before that time armed.
Now at his returning, many hearing of his going on Maying were desirous to see him shoot, for at that time his Grace shot as strong and as great a length as any of his guard. There came to his Grace a certain man with bow and arrows, and desired his Grace to take the muster of him and to see him shoot, for at that time his Grace was contented. The man put the one foot in his bosom, and so did shoot and shot a very good shot and well towards his mark, whereof, not only his Grace, but all other greatly marvelled. So the king gave him a reward for his so doing, which person afterwards, of the people and of them in court, was called Foot in Bosom. The same year in the feast of Pentecost, holden at Greenwich, that is to say the Thursday in the same week, his Grace with two other with him, challenged all comers to fight with them at the barriers with target and casting the spear of eight foot long; and that done, his Grace with the two said aids to fight every of them twelve strokes with two handed swords with and against all comers, none excepted being a gentleman; where the K. behaved himself so well and delivered himself so valiantly by his hardy prowess and great strength, that the praise and laud was given to his Grace and his aids, notwithstanding that divers and strong persons had assailed him and his aids.
Now when the said progress was finished, his Grace, and the queen, with all their whole train, in the month of October following, removed to Greenwich. The king not minded to see young gentlemen unexpert in martial feats, caused a place to be prepared within the park of Greenwich, for the queen and the ladies to stand and see the fight with battle axes that should be done there, where the king himself armed, fought one Grot a gentleman of Almaine, a tall man and a good man of arms. And then after they had done, they marched always two and two together, and so did their feats and enterprises every man very well. Albeit, it happened the said Grot to fight with Sir Edward Howard, which Grot was by him stricken to the ground. The morrow after this enterprise done, the king with the queen came to the Tower of London. And to the intent that there should be no displeasure nor malice be born by any of those gentlemen, who fought with the axe against other, the king gave unto them a certain sum of gold valued at two hundred marks, to make a bank[57] among themselves withall. The which bank was made at Fishmongers Hall in Thames Street, where they all met to the number of four and twenty, all apparelled in one suit or livery, after Almaine fashion, that is to say, their outer garments all of yellow satin, yellow hose, yellow shoes, girdles and scabbards, and bonnets with yellow feathers; their garments and hose all cut and lined with white satin and their scabbards wound about with satin. After their bank ended they went by torchlight to the Tower and presented themselves before the king who took pleasure to behold them.
P. 561. The king about this season was much given to play at tennis and at the dice, which appetite certain crafty persons about him perceiving, brought in Frenchmen and Lombards to make wagers with him and so lost much money, but when he perceived their craft, he eschewed their company and let them go.
P. 562. ... Then began the trumpets to sound, and the horses to run, that many a spear was burst, and many a great stripe given, and for a truth the king exceedeth in number of staves all other every day of the three days.
Edward Hall, H. VIII.
The x day of March the king having a new harness made of his own device and fashion, such as no armour before that time had seen, thought to essay the same at the tilt, and appointed a Justes to serve him. On foot were appointed the Lord Marquis Dorset and the Earl of Surrey, the king came to the one end of the tilt, and the Duke of Suffolk to the other: then a gentleman said to the Duke, "Sir, the king is come to the tilt's end." "I see him not," said the Duke, "on my faith, for my head piece taketh away from me my sight": with these words God knoweth by what chance, the king had his spear delivered him by the Lord Marquis, the visor of his head piece being up and not down or fastened, so that his head was clean naked. Then the gentleman said to the duke, "Sir, the king cometh," then the duke set forward and charged his spear, and the king likewise unadvisedly set toward the duke: the people perceiving the king's face bare, cried, "Hold, hold," the duke neither saw nor heard, and whether the king remembered that his visor was up or no, few can tell. Alas what sorrow was it to the people when they saw the splinters of the duke's spear strike on the king's head piece. For of a surety the duke struck the king on the brow right under the defence of the head-piece on the very coif scull or bassenet-piece[58] where unto the barbet[59] for power and defence is charneld, to which coif or bassenet never armourer taketh heed, for it is evermore covered with the visor, barbet and volant piece,[60] and so that piece is so defended that it forceth of no charge: But when the spear on that place lighted, it was great jeopardy of death, insomuch that the face was bare, for the duke's spear broke all to shivers, and bare the king's visor or barbet so far back by the counter buff that all the king's head-piece was full of splinters. The Armourers for this matter were much blamed, and so was the lord Marquis for the delivering of the spear when his face was open, but the king said that none was to blame but himself, for he intended to have saved himself and his sight. The duke incontinently unarmed him, and came to the king, shewing him the closeness of his sight, and swore that he would never run against the king more: But if the king had been a little hurt, the king's servants would have put the Duke in jeopardy. Then the king called his Armourers and put all his pieces together and then took a spear and ran six courses very well, by the which all men might perceive that he had no hurt, which was great joy and comfort to all his subjects there present.
[56] = mottoes.
[57] = banquet.
[58] = a close-fitting helmet.
[59] = the lower part of the visor.
[60] = a removable part of the helmet, which covered the throat.