alisbury and the Duke of Devonshire and some of the brilliant
colours of the Court. The King wore a short ermine cape over his Field
Marshal's uniform, and beneath the cape a sweeping cloak and train of
Royal purple. Queen Alexandra, beautiful always, was more than usually
sweet and dignified in her garb of mingled black and purple. In the
House of Lords the evidences of mourning for the late Queen were very
apparent. The ladies were dressed in black though they were permitted to
blaze with jewels. The Peers' robes of red and ermine, gave a little
colour to the scene, helped by those of the judges in black and gold, or
red and white, and the bright uniforms of the Ambassadors in a distant
corner. Hand-in-hand the King and Queen entered the Chamber and took
their places upon the chairs of state. The Commons were called in, and
their the Lord Chancellor presented and the King repeated and signed the
somewhat famous Declaration against the Mass and other Roman doctrines,
or observances, as provided by the Bill of Rights. It was as follows:

"I do solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God, profess,
testify and declare that I do believe that in the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper there is not any transubstantiation of the elements
of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ at or after the
consecration thereof by any person whatsoever; and that the
invocation or adoration of the Virgin Mary or any other saint and
the sacrifice of the mass as they are now used in the Church of
Rome are superstitious and idolatrous, and I do solemnly in the
presence of God, profess, testify and declare that I do make this
Declaration and every part thereof in the plain and ordinary sense
of the words read unto me as they are commonly understood by
English Protestants, without any evasion, equivocation, or mental
reservation whatsoever and without any dispensation already granted
me for this purpose by the Pope or any other authority or person
whatsoever, or without any hope of any such dispensation from any
person or authority whatsoever, or without thinking that I am or
can be acquitted before God or man, or absolved of this Declaration
or any part thereof, although the Pope or any other person or
persons or power whatsoever should dispense with or annull the
same, or declare that it was null and void from the beginning."

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