----, paid for making gere for the king's, [205].
----, paid the expences for food of the king's, [247].
---- the, paid for his lodging and expences at Calais, [271].
----'s expences, paid the, at Canterbury, [274].
The subject of "Fools" has been so ably discussed by Mr. Douce in his Illustrations of Shakespeare, that it is unnecessary to say more on it here than what the entries in these accounts suggest. The only names of Henry's fools which have reached us are, William Somers, Sexton, and Williams. Sexton is however the only one of them who is mentioned in these pages, unless the others were described under the names of "Great and Little Guilliam of the Privy Chamber," of whom there are numerous entries, though the honourable addition of "the King's Fool," never once occurs to their names. Those to whom that appellation is given are "Patch and Sexton," and the manner in which they are spoken of is strongly corroborative of Mr. Douce's opinion, that "Patch" was another designation for "a Fool." In one page (86,) we find "Patch the King's Fool" and Sexton both noticed. But this by no means contradicts the idea that they were names for the same individual. Sexton, Mr. Douce says, was presented to Henry by Cardinal Wolsey, and the anecdote related by Cavendish of his having given another Fool, who, it has been observed, was called Williams, to the king after his disgrace, and the poor wretch's attachment to his master is well known. It is manifest from these accounts that the Fool had a man to wait upon him; for we find John Emyson frequently noticed as "the man that waits or attends upon Sexton," "the keeper of the King's Fool," "Sexton's man," and in others, "Sexton's servant." All payments for the fool's food, travelling expences, &c., for it seems he accompanied Henry wherever he went, were made to his servant or keeper, whose wages were ijd. a day, (p. [45],) or about 3l. per annum (p. [193],) and he was allowed, like the falconers and huntsmen, 22s. 6d. for his livery. Emyson appears however either to have died or to have been dismissed from his occupation before August 1532, for in that month, as well as in the October following, Green is described to have been Sexton's servant, but Skynner evidently attended him on his journey to Calais with Henry, in November in that year, and who is also mentioned as waiting upon him as early as September 1530, though Emyson was his keeper in December, 1529. It is remarkable that every entry relating to the Fool should be for his clothes, food, or other personal expences, and that he should never once have received a gratuity or "reward," of which there are so many examples to others. It has been conjectured that the witty sallies of these degraded creatures were frequently rewarded by handsome presents, but no proof of the fact in relation to Sexton occurs. Besides Emyson we find "Thomas the Jester" sometimes mentioned, who seems to have been more fortunate than "the Fool," for he received 20s. on one occasion, and 22s. 6d. on another, "in reward;" whilst Henry gave the French king's jester at Calais the large sum of 9l. 6s. 8d. on the day the King of Navarre, the Cardinal of Lorrain, &c. dined with him. According to the ordinances of the Royal Household made at Eltham, in the 17th Henry VIII. the king's Fool was allowed one hackney.
Footmen paid to the, [25], [254].
Footman, to one that "sued to be" a, [155].
Ford William, keeper of the king's mastives, [7], [186].
Forfeited horses paid for, [268].