ho stood high with the king, was
not friendly toward me because my father had seen fit to bequeath me
so good a competency in place of giving it all to the first-born and
leaving me dependent upon the tender mercies of an elder brother. So I
had no help from him nor from any one else. I was quite small of
stature and, therefore, unable to compete, with lance and mace, with
bulkier men; but I would bet with any man, of any size, on any game,
at any place and time, in any amount; and, if I do say it, who perhaps
should not, I basked in the light of many a fair smile which larger
men had sighed for in vain.

I did not know when Brandon first came to London. We had all remained
at Greenwich while the king went up to Westminster to waste his time
with matters of state and quarrel with the Parliament, then sitting,
over the amount of certain subsidies.

Mary, the king's sister, then some eighteen or nineteen years of age,
a perfect bud, just blossoming into a perfect flower, had gone over to
Windsor on a visit to her elder sister, Margaret of Scotland, and the
palace was dull enough. Brandon, it seems, had been presented to Henry
during this time, at Westminster, and had, to some extent at least,
become a favorite before I met him. The first time I saw him was at a
joust given by the king at Westminster, in celebration of the fact
that he had coaxed a good round subsidy out of Parliament.

The queen and her ladies had been invited over, and it was known that
Mary would be down from Windsor and come home with the king and the
court to Greenwich when we should return. So we all went over to
Westminster the night before the jousts, and were up bright and early
next morning to see all that was to be seen.

* * * * *

[Here the editor sees fit to substitute a description of this
tournament taken from the quaint old chronicler, Hall.]

The morow beyng after dynner, at tyme conuenenient, the Quene with
her Ladyes repaired to see the Iustes, the trompettes blewe vp,
and in came many a noble man and Gentleman, rychely appeareiled,
takynge vp thir horses, after whome folowed certayne lordes
appareiled, they and thir horses, in cloth of Golde and russet and
tynsell; Knyghtes in cloth of Golde, and russet Veluet. And a
greate nomber of Gentlemen on fote, in russet satyn and yealow,
and yomen in russet Damaske and yealow, all the nether parte of
euery mans hosen Skarlet, and yealow c