Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-12-09
THE LORD MAYORS SHOW.
A Mediacval Pageant, Which 10 Ont
OF Place in Modern London.


OF Place in Modern London.
The lord mayors show is the rogue's
harvest-home. The origin Of the pro-
cession is found in the early charters of
the city. The fifth charter of King
John, in 1915, requires that the lord
mayor "shall be presented unto us, or
our justice il we shall not be present,
and he shall swear to be faithful to u.s."
The same words are repeated in the
second charter of Henry ILL.,, in 1917,
aud the sixth charter of the same mon
arch in 1858 provides that "every may
or whom they shall choose in our city
OF London 1--WE being not Mt Westmin-
ster), they may yearly present to the
barons OF our eNchequer that he may
be admitted bv them rs mayor" Tho
queens approval is usually expressed
by the lord chancellor, to whom, the
lord mayor is presented on tho first day
OF Michaelmas term. On tho 9th Of
November the lord mayor goes to the
court of eXchequer To be admitted as
mayor" to swear fealty TO the crown.
and to promise to make due return of
all fines and fees passing through his
Office during the year In pursuance
of medinval custom, the journey to
Westminster was n pageant. These
''ridings," rs they are called, were COM
mon events four and five centuries ago.
A city apprentice in an old play OK
presses the hope to be lord mayor be-
fore he dies, and to "have three page
,n.l hal oh
and unicorn" Aud Chaucer, In The
Coke's rale," says the apprentice Per-
kin Revelour
when Their any riding was IN Chepe
Out OF the shoppe thlder void he lepe,
Aud I'll that he had all the sight ysein.
Aud danced wei, no void not come ageln.
From Crancer's day to this Londoners
have shown the same passion for pa
geantS. One was the procession to
open Bartholomew fair on Sept. 2.
The lord mayors show was therefore
only one pageant OF many. II took
place on Oct 80, but when the style
was changed in 1852 the corporation,
with instructive conservatism, chung to
tho old day. Mr.. Fairholt quotes from
Hall an account of Il lord mayors day
in the sixteenth century, In which II
procession of more than fifty barges
went up the Thames preceded by "a
foyste" or barge OF company In
which twas II great dragon continually
moning and castying wyld-fyer" and
"terrble monsters and wylde men
castying flyer and makyng hidious
no ses". This account may be COM
pared with some modern pagoants. In
ftxtn ,f nd
Magog were taken in tho procession.
In 1871 the chief feature Of the process
sion was u ear bearing n ship full-rig-
ged, and with full compliment OF sail
ors, represented by boys from the naval
school at Greenwich. In 1858 the lord
mayor of the day called to his aid Mr..
| Fenton, of Sadler's Wells theater, and
Mr.. Cooke, Of Astley's, and In con, Juno
ton with MIR. Burning, the city archi-
tect, they produced most effective imi-
tation of the medieval pageants. There
was chariot of justice drawn by six
horses, and followed by mounted men
bearing the standards Of all nations.
That was the period of the Australian
| gold fever, and the procession included
| an Austral an bullock-cart, with dig
ger washing crushed quartz for gold.
A car drawn by nine horses conveyed
vast globe with throne, on which sat
two young ladies from Astley's repre-
senting the universal reign of prosper
ity and peace. This ,pectacle seemed
to be the eliminating point of med reval
revival. A reaction set In. The river
procession was given up and the barges
were sold. For some years the specta.
Gle was shorn of splendors derived
from the circus and the stage, and there
were serious proposals to abolish it al
together. But another revival has taken
place. The properties have reappeared.
1t has again become u mixture of pro-
cess on of state and a travelling circus.
The people flock to see it and Mr.. Gle
NOW says, 'Itisyearly assuming great
er proportions, with a corresponding
interruption to business" The lord
mayors show is, in fact, a medieval
pageant which is out Of place in mod
ern London. London NetOs.