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148  ANNUAL REGISTER
        
rickfdagh met, and heard what was said.
      
The Danish ambassador did forebear to come thither (as was supposed) because of Whitelocke being there: the French resident fate by Whitelocke, and conversed with him.
      
The great hall, two stories high, was prepared for the assembly; an outer chamber was hung with cloth of Arras; in the anti-chamber to that were guards of the queen's partizans; in the court was a company of musquetiers.
     
The great hall was hung with those hangings which were before in Whitelocke's lodgings, with some others added, and was very handsome: on each side of the hall, from the walls towards the middle of the rooms form, were placed covered with red cloth, for seats for the members, and were all alike without distinction, and reached upwards: three parts of the length of the hall, in the midst between the seats, was space or lane, broad enough for three to walk abreast together.

At the upper end of the hall, on a foot pace, three steps high, covered with foot carpets, stood the chair of state, all of mass silver; a rich cushion in it; and a canopy of crimson velvet richly embroidered over it.
     
On the left side of the chair of the estate were placed five ordinary chairs of crimson velvet, without arms, for the five ricks officers; and on the same side, from the foot pace down to the floor, in a semicircular form, were stools of crimson velvet, for the ricks senators. 
                          
About nine o'clock, they entered at the lower end of the great hall, a plain lufty man, in his boores habit, with the staff in his hand, followed by about eighty boores, members of this council, who had chosen the first man for their marshall, or speaker; these marched up in the open place between the forms to the midst of the, and then the marshall and his company fate down, on the forms on the right of the state, from the midst downwards to the lower end of the hall, and out on their hats.
A little while after them, entered at the same door, a man in a civil habit of a citizen, with a staff in his hand, followed by about 120 citizens, deputies of the cities and boroughs, who has chosen him to he their marshall: they all took their places upon the form over against the boore, in the lower end of the hall, and were covered. 
Not long after, at the fame door, entered a proper gentleman richly habited, a staffe in his hand, who was marshall of the nobility, followed by near 200 lords and gentleman, member so the rickfdagh, cheif of their respective families; many of them rich in clothes of civil deportment: they took their feats uppermost on the right of the state, and, whilst they walked up to their forums, the citizens and boores stood up uncovered; and when the nobility fate and put on their hats, the citizens and boores did so likewise. 

A little while after, at the fame doore, entered the Archbishop of Ubfale, with a staff in his hand; who by his place is marshall of the clergy: he was followed by five or fix other bishops, and all the superintendents, and about sixty ministers, 5 

             For the YEAR 1772.       149

deputies, or proctors of the clergy. While they walked up to their places, all the rest of the members stood up uncovered; and when they face down on the uppermost formed on the left side of the state, and putt on their hats and capes, the rest of the members did the like: these were grave men, in their long caffocks and cannonical habit, and most long beards. 

All the members being thus fate, about a quarter of an hour after, entered the captain, followed by the divers of the queen's guard, with partizans; after them came many gentlemen of the queen's servants, uncovered, with swords by their sides, and well clad, two and two together; after them came the ricks officers, all bare; after them came the queen, and kept off her hat in the hall; some of the officers of the court and pages after her.             
                
In this order they went up in the open place in the midst of the forums, all the members standing up covered: the queen's company made a lane for her to pass through, and she went up to her chair, and sit down on it; and the company, except the members of the council, went out of the hall, and all the doors were shut; the members fate in their places uncovered."
    
We shall hereby pass over the speech made by the queen, as well as those of the clergy, nobility, and bur-gegges, to come to that which was boors, who spoke fast upon this occasion.

"Then the like was done by the marshall of the burgeffes; and all were to the fame effect.
               
In the last place stepped forth the marshall of the boores, a plain country fellow, in his clouted shoe, and all other habits answerable, as all the rest of his company were accoutered: this boore, without any congress or ceremony at all, spoke to her majesty (and was interpreted to Whitlocke to be)after this phrase. 

' O Lord God, Madame, what 
' do you mean to do ? It troubles 
' us to hear you speak of for taking
' those that love so well as
' we do: can you be better then
' you are? you are queen of all
' these countries, and if you leave
' this large kingdom, where will
' you get such another? If you
' should do it (as I hope you wont
' for all this), both you and we shall
' have cause, when it is too late,
' to be sorry for it. Therefore,
' my fellows and I pray you to 
' think better on't, and to keep
' your crown on your head; then
' you will keep your own honor
' and out peace : butt if you lay it
' down, in my conscience you
' will endanger all.
  ' Continue in your gears, good
' Madame, and be the fore-half
' as long as you live, and we will
' help you the best we can to bear
' your burden.
  ' Your father was an honest gentleman,
' and a good king, and
' very serving in the world; we
' obeyed him and loved him as
' long as he lived, and you are
' his own child, and have governed
' us very well, and we love
' you with all our hearts; and the
' prince is an honest gentleman,
' and, when his time comes, we
' shall be ready to do our deputies
' to him, as we do to you: but,
' as long as you live, we are not
                        ' willing
 
            

                                                                                       

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-05-13 16:52:24