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le conduyt de lour dit corporacion les notables du mestier foundees en tresgraunde honeur et tue onnt fondez entre eux de solempnisier lour dit corporacion vne foitz cħun an Cestassavoire le lundi pschein ensuiant la feste de lassompcion de pluis benolt vierge Dame mere et emperisse de tout celestiel et terresteer nie tresglorious Dame seint Marie du quel nasquist le celestiel & Imperial soleile le pluis glorious Roy et sire de tout Justice nře benoit s Jħu Crist et en lonneure dicelle pluis benoit vierge et de sa tresglorious feste suisdit lez ditz du mestier rasieses dune cōmune assentment entre eux de chun au dit iour estre ensemble a compaignies de freres & soers du dit fratnitee et en yceluy iour renouelier chaungier eslier et instituer nouelx meistre et gardeins auxi come le cas requerera pour lonneure et valitee du dit mestier lez notables du dit mestier contendans daugmentier tout dys ce que poet estre a lonneure du dit mestier onnt fait faire requeste a moy le suysdit jarretiere Roy Darmes dez Englois de lez vouillier aviser et deuiser enseingne en forme de blason solom le quel Ils pourroient faire prientes en vne seal comōn tant soullement au dit mestier seruier pour soubz ycel seal passer affermer verefier et signefier tout ceo que a lour dit mestier entre eux du mestier pient doit ou pour

The notables of the Mystery founded in very great honour have decided amongst themselves to commemorate their said corporation once a year. That is to say, on the Monday next after the Feast of the Assumption of the most blessed Virgin Lady Mother, and Empress of all things in Heaven and Earth, our very glorious Lady Saint Mary of whom was born the heavenly and Imperial Sun the most glorious King and Lord of all Justice our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ, and in honour of the said most blessed Virgin and of her very glorious festival aforesaid, the said members of the Mystery have, of common agreement, decided to meet every year on the said day, accompanied by the brethren and sisters of the said Fraternity, and on the said day to renew, change, elect, and institute a new Master and new Wardens as the circumstances may demand, for the honour and welfare of the said Mystery. The notables of the said Mystery, striving ever to increase all that may conduce to the honour of the said Mystery, have made request to me, the aforesaid Garter King of Arms of England, that I would suggest and devise a coat of arms of the form of a blazon, in conformity with which they might have the impress made on a common seal, to be used only by the said Mystery for passing, affirming, verifying, and attest, ing all that can, ought, or may appertain to their said Mystery

For the original seal see p. 225 of this volume.

C:

roit appteignier et auxi pour envser
du dit blason en tout autre cas come
honeur le requerra & pient & doit
requerer.

Je le suit dit Jarretier Roy Darmes
veiant le guant honneure que nãe dit
so@ain s'le tresxpien Roy leur a fait
p son noble ottroye et graunt suisdit
et auxi pour complier a honurable
home Johan Gedney le primer
Meistre eslue au commencement
de suisdit corporacion p bon meure
delibacon et consentment entiere
de sa dit compaignie encorporees
au dit mestier des Drapiers et auxi
pour complier tant as quatre Gar-
deins Johan Wotton Johan Derby
Robert Bertyn et Thomas Cook
que as autres notables de la dit
fratnitee et compaignie.

amongst themselves, and also to use the said blazon on all other occasions as their dignity requires and can and may require.

I, the said Garter King of Arms, seeing the great honour that our said Sovereign lord the most Christian King has done them by his aforesaid noble concession and grant, and also to please the honourable man John Gedney the first Master elected after the creation of the said Corporation by the good and ripe deliberation and unanimous consent of the said his Company incorporated in the said Mystery of Drapers, and also to please the four Wardens John Wotton, John Derby, Robert Bertyn, and Thomas Cook, as well as the other notables of the said Fraternity and Company, have devised a coat of arms under the form of a blazon to remain to the said honourable Mystery as a perpetual memorial. That is to say, in honour of the very glorious Virgin and Mother Mary who is in the shadow of the sun and yet shines with all clearness and purity I have devised in their Blazon three sunbeams issuing from three flaming clouds crowned with three Imperial Crowns of gold on a shield of azure and as appears in the demonstrance of the said blazon painted in their proper colours in the margin of the present letter. And for the true blazoning of the said coat of arms it behoves that it should carry on azure three sunbeams issuing from three clouds gules, crowned with three Imperial 1 See note on the next page.

Je lez ay deuisez enseigne en forme de blason pour demourer au dit notable mestier pour memoire ppetuell Cestassauoir en lonneur du tresgloriouse vierge et meer Marie le quel est en ovmbre du soleyll et replendisant en tout claritee et nestete leur ay devisez en lour blason troys Royes de soleille issantz hors de troys nves de flambe coronnez de troys corons imperiale dore assisez sus vne escue dasure et come pient appoire p la demonstraunce du dit blason assise en peinture et en ces drois colores en le merge de ceste sent tre et pour veritablement blasonier le dit armorie Il covient duc 11 porte dasure troys soleilles issantz de troys nves de geullez coronnes de troys Imperiale corons dore le

quelle dit blason je le dit Jarretier Roy Darmes certifie nul auter pson queconque de lisle de la graund Bretaigne le portre ycelle dit blason le dit mestier de le processer pour ppetuell memoire et le mestier dez Drapiers delusier a lonneur du dit mestier en toutz cas licites conveniens & honourables et come de droit le dit mestier le requerrera Et pour apisaunce a toutz nobles que je le suisdit Roy Darmes ay devise le suisdit blason au dit notable mestier des Drapiers en loundres Jay sealle ceste sent tre de mon seal le disme iour de Mars en lan du grace mil quatre centz trent et neof et en lan dyoeptisme du Reigne nře so@ain st le tresxpien Roy suisdit.

golden crowns; the which blazon I, the said Garter King of Arms, certify that no other person whatsoever of the island of Great Britain bears the same blazon, and that the said Mystery shall hold it in perpetual remembrance; and that the said Mystery of Drapers shall use it to the honour of the said Mystery on all lawful, convenient, and honourable occasions, and as the right of the said Mystery shall require. And, as a testimony to all the nobility that I, the aforesaid King of Arms, have devised the above-mentioned blazon for the said honourable Mystery of the Drapers in London, I have sealed this present letter with my seal on the tenth day of March in the year of grace one thousand four hundred and thirty-nine and in the seventeenth year of the reign of our Sovereign the aforesaid most Christian King.

The subscription of a Notary, John Daunt, in the presence of William Brugges, the Garter King of Arms, and of four witnesses, Nicholas Wyfold, Grocer, Matthew Ffoucher, Mercer, William Brampton, Court Secretary, and William Parker, Armurarius, follows in Latin, which is thus dated: In the year anno domini 1439 according to the computation of the Church of England. 'indiccione tercia pontificatus Sassimi' [In the 3rd indictional year of the most Sacred Papacy.] In the tenth year of our father and lord in Christ Eugenius IV by divine grace Pope. On the eleventh day of March.

Unfortunately part of the parchment upon which the Grant is written has been destroyed by fire.

Note. The three Imperial Crowns are no doubt the Triple Crown of the Deity, and probably represent Supreme Dominion in Heaven, on

1 For the Indictional Year cf. Bond's Handy Book for verifying Dates, p. 255; Art de verifier les dates, 1 Ed. 3, vol. i, p. 29.

Earth, and in the Nether World. The initial A of the Letters Patent is formed of a representation of the Virgin standing between the Father and the Son, both of whom are wearing the Triple Crown and are crowning the Virgin herself with another Triple Crown. A number of small figures, probably representing the Drapers, stand under the protection of the Virgin's skirts. Above, the Holy Spirit hovers in the form of a dove, over whom again the Triple Crown is seen.2

With these Arms the following seal of the same date should be compared. The original no longer exists, but there is a cast of it in the British Museum, No. 5112.

[graphic]

Some will have it that the Triple Crown symbolizes the Trinity, but even in the fifteenth century they would scarcely have given this attribute to the Virgin. There are several representations to be found in mediaeval art of the Virgin being crowned with a single crown; cf. Jameson, Legends of the Madonna, PP. 14, 16, 19, 23, 25; but none, so far as I am aware, of her receiving the Triple Crown.

2 For the initial A, see Frontispiece to vol. i of the édition de luxe.

[blocks in formation]

The close similarity between it and the Arms on the grant will be observed. On it is found the Virgin, standing three-quarters length, with the Triple Crown of the Deity on her head. In her right hand a sceptre; in her left a palm-branch. Under her cloak a group of persons, probably representing the Drapers. The Virgin is surrounded by a radiance which is supported by four Angels with wings expanded. Over her head the Almighty, half-length, lifting His right hand in benediction with the left placing the Crown on the Virgin's head. Above, the Holy Spirit represented as a Dove with apparently the Triple Crown, though the impression is not clear. In the base a shield with the Drapers' Arms; three clouds radiated and each surmounted with the Triple Crown. Round the seal runs the inscription Sigillū+ + Comune Fraternitat' Be' Marie Mistere Pannarior' London'.

I add a representation of a Sacramental Pyx surmounted by the Triple Crown and surrounded by veils, which was often hung over the altar in churches, and whence very probably came the suggestion of the Triple Crown.

[graphic]

Then follow the Arms in the Confirmation of the Grant of 1561, with supporters which are new.

Here, the initial letter with the picture of the Virgin is omitted, no doubt because it was held to be superstitious; but the crowns are still those of the Deity.

* British Museum, Harleian MS. 2278, f. 55. I owe information of this to Canon Dalton, a member of the Drapers' Court. See Hope, English Altars, 1899, Pl. X, Fig. i; Roch, Church of our Fathers, ed. 1904, iv. 234-42.

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