Historic%20Yorkshire

HENRY THE III.'s CHRISTMAS AT YORK. 65
over the numerous difficulties attending the billeting of
such large numbers of fierce warriors and unbending
squires.
So the day drew near,and the town was full of jollity
and good feeling. Besides the English and Scotchnobles
and their followers, there was also a goodly number of
French knights, for the queenlymother of Alexander had
consented to honour his marriage by her presence; and
in the train which had followed her from France were
many polished courtiers, who would doubtless view with
wonder the vast expense and the rude manners of many
of their insular fellow-guests at York.
The bells rang,and masses were sung, for Christmas
Dayhadarrived. Prodigious must have been theamount
of preparationof the dress of the ladies andknights, the
fitting of hoods, of wimples, and plumes, of chausses and
spencers, and fixing of gypseers (the pouches through
which some carriedtheirdaggers) to containgoldpieces to
throw away for a gibe from the mountebank or a stave
from the "glee-wood" of the harper. Prodigious,too,
must have been the preparations in the butteries, or
kitchens, of thecitizens of York, and of their king. What
fat beeves must have yielded up their lives to furnish
that mountain of beef, credited with being the chief support
of a true Briton; whatpiles of fish from the silver}'
Ouse; what heaps of game — deer,black fowl, etc., etc.;
what boars' heads, garnished with lemons, were on all
sides;andwhatprodigiousanxietymust the various cooks
andkickshaw-makershavedisplayed,as thoughupon their
individual efforts the wholesuccess of the day depended!
But we will leave the steaming butteries, with their
legions of hurriedly-busy cooks and waiting-men, and
step into the street. Here the spectacle is one of great
magnificence,as on every side are all the gay company
we havepreviously seen, andin their best costumes, and
with their most sunny smiles are the knights and citizens
and their ladies. On this day the great event is the
ceremony of making the young Scottish king a "belted
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