ere near.

Then came a number of maskers, who danced and vaulted before the king,
shewing many strange tumbling tricks, some of these being men and others
women. After all these followed sometimes two hundred or even three
hundred women, all carrying presents of some kind; only that every ten
were headed by an old motherly woman empty handed, to keep them in order
like so many soldiers. These presents were commonly rice and
_cashes_[129] on frames of split canes, curiously laid out for show, and
adorned with gilt paper, but the present itself seldom exceeded the
value of twelve-pence. Then followed the rich presents, being commonly
some rich _tuck_,[130] or some fine cloth of the country fashion,
curiously wrought and gilded, or embroidered with gold, for the king's
own wearing. These were also carried by women, having two pikes borne
upright before them; and every present intended for the king's wearing
had a rich parasol carried over it. Last of all followed the heir to the
person sending the present, being his youngest son, if he had any, very
richly attired after their fashion, with many jewels at gold, diamonds,
rubies, and other precious stones, on their, arms and round their
waists, and attended by a number of men and women. After he has made
his obeisance to the king, he sits down on the ground on a mat, and all
the presents are carried past the king's pageant into the palace, where
certain officers are ready to receive them.

[Footnote 129: A species of coin formerly explained.--E.]

[Footnote 130: Tuck, tuke, or tuque, the old term for a turban, worn by
Mahometans, or for the sash of which it is made.--ASTL. I. 301. c.]

When all these were gone by, a person within the king's pageant spoke
out of the devil's mouth, commanding silence in the king's name. Then
begins the chief revels, accompanied with music, and now and then the
musketeers discharged a volley. The pikemen and targeteers also
exhibited their feats of arms, being very expert, but their shot
exceedingly unskilful. Always when the pikemen and targeteers go up to
charge, they go forwards dancing and skipping about, that their
adversaries may have no steady aim to throw their darts or thrust their
pikes. During the shews, there likewise came certain representations of
junks, as it were under sail, very artificially made, and laden with
rice and _cashes_. There were also representations of former history,
some from the Old Testament, and others from