e order to depart thence.
She controlled all things, and the King her son was but a puppet in her
hands. How did we trapes up and down all the realm!

To Canterbury the first round, a-pilgrimage to Saint Thomas; then right
up as far as York, where we tarried a matter of five weeks. Then to
Durham, which we had scarce reached ere we were aflight again, this time
to Auckland, and a bit into that end of Yorkshire; back again to Durham,
then away to York, and ten days later whisked off to Nottingham; there a
fortnight, off again to Lincoln. I guess well now, what I wist not
then, the meaning of all this. It was to let the young King from taking
thought touching his father, and all that had happed of late. While he
was cheerful and delectable [full of enjoyment], she let him be; but no
sooner saw she his face the least downfell [cast down] than she plucked
him away, and put turn to his thoughts by sending him some other
whither. It paid [Note 3] for a time.

It was while we were at Lincoln, where we tarried from the morrow of
Holy Cross to Michaelmas Eve [September 15th to 28th], that Donald the
Scots messager came from the southern parts with tidings. For some
time--divers weeks, certes--afore that, had the Queen been marvellous
unrestful and hard to serve. That which liked her yesterday was all out
this morrow, and each matter man named for her plesance was worser than
that had gone afore. I was nearhand driven out of senses that very
morrow, so sharp [irritable] was she touching her array. Not a gown in
her wardrobe would serve the turn; and when at last she chose which she
would don, then were her hoods all awry; and then would she have no
hood, but only a wimple of fair cloth of linen. Then, gramercy! such
pains had we to find her a fillet: this was too deep, and that too
narrow, and this set with amethysts should ill fit with her gown of
rose-colour, and that wrought of lily-flowers should catch in her hair.

I wished me at the further end of the realm from Lincoln, ay, a dozen
times twice told.

At long last we gat her filleted; and then came the mantle. First, Dame
Elizabeth brought one of black cloth of Stamford, lined with fox fur:
no, that served not. Then brought Dame Joan de Vaux the fair mantle of
cloth of velvet, grey, that I ever reckoned the fairest in the Queen's
wardrobe, guarded with black budge, and wrought in embroidery of
rose-colour and silver: she waved it away as though the very sigh