rd now began to be very tired and to wish to go home, but there
was a great deal more yet to come before he could be set at liberty.
There was an anthem to be sung by the choir, and more prayers to be
said, after which there came what was called the offertory. This was a
ceremony in which a person was led to the altar, to lay down upon it
whatever offering he chose to make for the service of the Church. The
king rose from his seat and was led forward to the altar, having, of
course, been previously told what he was to do. He had in his hand a
sum of money which had been provided for the occasion. He laid down
this money first upon the altar, and then his sword. It was the custom
in these coronations for the king thus to offer his sword, in token of
the subordination of his royal power to the law and will of God, and
then the sword was afterward to be redeemed with money by the
sword-bearer, the officer whose duty it was, on leaving the church, to
bear the sword in procession before the king.

Accordingly, after Richard had returned from the altar, the earl whose
office it was to bear the sword went to the altar and redeemed it with
a sum of money, and carried it back to the place where Richard was
sitting.

Then came the service of the mass, which occupied a long time, so that
Richard became very tired indeed before it was ended. After the mass
came the communion, which it was necessary for Richard to partake. The
communion was, of course, accompanied with more prayers and more
chantings, until the poor boy thought that the ceremonies would never
be ended. When at last, however, all was over, and the procession was
ready to form again to leave the church, Richard was so worn out and
exhausted with the fatigue that he had endured that he could not ride
home; so they brought a sort of litter and placed him upon it, and
four of the knights bore him home on their shoulders. His uncle the
Duke of Lancaster and the Earl Percy went before him, and a long train
of bishops, nobles, and grand officers of state followed behind. In
this way he was brought back to the palace. As soon as the party
reached the palace, they carried Richard directly up to a chamber,
took off all his grand paraphernalia, and put him to bed.

He rested a little while, and then they brought him something to eat.
His troubles were, however, not yet over, for there was to be a great
banquet that afternoon and evening in the hall of the palace, and it
was