[Footnote 146: croune _in Cotton MS. Julius_ B. II.]
The stormy reynes[148] of alle there hevynesse, Were passyd away, and alle there[149] grevaunce, For the sixte Henry, rote of there gladnesse, Ther hertys joye, ther worldis suffissaunce, Be trewe assent[150] crownyd kyng of Fraunce; The even[151] rejoysyng the day of his repaire, Made at his comynge the wedir to be so faire.
A tyme, y trowe of God, for hym provydyd, In alle the hevenes there was no clowde sayne; From other daies that day was so devydyd, And fraunchisyd from mystys and from rayn; The erthe[152] attempred, the wyndes smothe and playne, The Citezeines thorugh out the Citee, Halwyd that day with gret solempnyte.
And lyk for David after his victorie, Rejoysyd was al Jerusalem, So this Cite with laude, pris, and glorie, For joye mustred lik the sonne bem, To geve ensample thorugh out this Reem; Al of assent who so can conceyve, There noble kyng were glad to resceyve.
There clothyng was of colour ful covenable; The noble Mair clad in red velwet, The Shireves, the Aldermen, ful notable, In furryd clokes, the colour of scarlet; In statly wyse whanne they were met, Ich on were wel horsyd, and mad no delay,[153] But with there Maire rood forth in there way.
[Footnote 153: Eche oon well horsed made no delay.]
The Citezeyns ich on of the Citee, In there entent that they were pure and clene; Ches them of whit a ful faire lyvere, In evry craft as it was wel sene; To shewe the trowthe that they dede mene, Toward the kyng hadde mad them feithfully, In sundry devyses embrowdyd richely.
And for to remembre of other alyens, First Geneweys, thorugh thei were strangers, Florantynys, and Venyciens, And Esterlyngs, clad[154] in there manere, Conveyd with seriaunts and othere officers, Statly horsyd, after the Mair ridyng, Passyd the subbarbes to mete with the kyng.
To the Blake heth whanne they dyd atteyne, The Mair of prudence in especialle, Made them hove in renges tweyne, A strete betwen ech party lik a walle, Alle clad in whit, and the most principalle, A fore in red, with the[155] Mair rydyng, Til tyme that he saw the kyng comyng;
Thanne with his sporys, he tok his hors anone, That to beholde it was a noble sight, How lyk a man he to the kyng is gone, Right well cheryd of herte, glad, and light; Obeienge to hym, as hym ought of right: And after that he cunningly abraid, And to the kyng even thus he sayd;