Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-03-14
CHAPTER II.
HOW

CdAPIEh Il.
 HOW BRANDON CAME TO COURT.
 THEN we learned that Brandon " was coming to court, every Bsys=E.gs one believed he would soon esS&GgI gain the kings favor. How much that would amount to none could tell, as the kings favorites were of many sorts and taken from all condi- tions of men. There was Master Vol sey, butchers son, whom he had first made almoner, then chief counselor and bishop of Lincoln, soon to be bishop of York and cardinal of the holy Roman church.
 From the other extreme of life came young Thomas, Lord Howard, heir to the Earl of Surrey, and my Lord of Buckingham, premier peer of the realm Then sometimes would the king take yeoman of the guard and make him his companion in jousts and tourna- ments solely because of his brawn and bone. There were others whom he kept close by him in the palace be- cause of their wit and the entertain ment they furnished, of which class was I, and, fatter myself, no, mean member.
 To begin with, being in no way de pendent on the king for money, never drew a farthing from the royal treas ury. This, you may be sure, did me no harm, for, although the king sometimes delighted to give, he always hated to pay. There were other good reasons, too, why should be favorite with the king.
 AF~~ sr,4,o AkN,. o& dance, am sure, was owing entirely to my manner My brother, the baron, who stood high with the king, was not friendly toward me because my father had seen fit to bequeath me so good competency in place of giving it all to the f1rstborn and leaving me dependent upon the tender mercies of an elder brother. So I had no help from him nor from any one else. was quite small of stature and therefore unable to compete with lance and mace with buikier men, but would bet with any man, of any size, on any game, at any place and time in any amount, and, if I do say it, who perhaps should not, baslzed in the light of many fair smile which larger men had sighed for in vain.
 did not know when Brandon first came to London. We had all remained at Greenwich while the king went up to Westminster to waste his time with matters of state and quarrel with the parliament, then sitting, over the amount of certain subsidies.
 Mary, the kings sister, then some eighteen or nineteen years of age, a perfect bud; just blossoming into per feet flower, had gone over to Windsor on visit to her elder sister, Margaret of Scotland, and the palace was dull enough. Brandon, it seems, had been presented to Henry during this time at Westminster and had, to some extent at least, become a favorite before I met him. The first time saw him was at a. joust given by the king at West minister in celebration of the fact that he had coaxed a good round subsidy out of parliament.
 The queen and her ladies had been in- vited over, and it was known that Ma ry would be down from Windsor and come home with the king and the court to Greenwich when we should return. So we all went over to Westminster the night before the jousts and were up bright and early next morning to see all that was to be seen.
 [Here the editor sees fit to substitute description of this tournament. taken from the quaint old chronicler Hall.]
 The morrow beyng after dynner, at tyme commencement, the Quene with her Ladyes repaired to see the Iustes, the trompettes brew vp, and in came many floble man and Gentlema, rychely appeareiled, talk ynge vp. thir horses, after whome followed certayne lordes appareiled, they and thir horses, in cloth of Golde and russet and tynsell; Knyghtes in cloth of Golde, and russet Veluet. And 8 greate nomber of Gentlemen on fote in russet satyn and yealow, and yomen in russet Damaske and yealow, all the neither parte of query mans hosen Skarlet, and yealow cappes.
 Then came the kynge vnder a Pauilion of golde, and purpul Veluet embroidered the compass of the Pauilion about, and valenced with flat, gold beaten in wyre, with an Imperia1l croune in the top, of Tyne Golde, his bases and trapper of cloth Of Golde, fretted with DamaSk Golde, the trapper pedant to the tail. A crane and chafron of stele, in the front of the chafro was goodly plume set full of musers or trimbling spang1es of golde. After fol- owed his three aydes, query of them vnder Pauilion of Crynosyn Damaske G pur- pie. The nomber of GentlesfAsn and yomen fote, appareiled in russes and yealow ; was clxviii. Then next these Pauilions