Show J t tA T An A n E English n g 1 ls b c cI i iT I I F By Richard Ash Aslie J r K King j n g i Copyright cop Y li g b t 1901 1911 hy by A S Richardson RiChard If It ill tIe the t worlds a stage aU all the tM oeal t a 41 m n merely players there 1 Is t vouchsafed to us one scene one one e stag etting wherein stagecraft a 0 sp or reach a pinnacle o 0 of a a And An now te d than of the world is t I on I te f the tp when wh n it shall be toe right and andr I proper proper poper r 1 the stage siege manager to call for to I 4 be e seft and anc an the tb cast to play the I coronation of t Albert lbert Edward as king of England which will wUl be probably the i most macent ceremonial in modern tory Precedents must go back I years yarn to the June day ay when Victoria ascended to the throne of England but I when Edward VII shall be crowned I Ilg lg there will wUl be ie no chance of mishap ot or 01 error or deviation from the proper conduct o pf t the function For all the details of t the e scene are matters of an ancient sleet clent and absolute record Each player pla er has his hi own place each his own part partS some same S me a few fek lines only hu in inai OM ai as the stage knows it It I is a PAY with one actor n who o takes the center of ui the stage tage by right and pride of ot birth and all the others there in support The Tte ceremony ceremony nony to be performed p when w en i ViI is crowned will differ from froID that by which wj ch Victoria was made queen only J Jy Y in ix i the she substitution of the word k ilK ng for fin r r that chat of queen Whether there t tI re is to ito be a coronation banquet is not yet et known There has been no such 1 b i since t the reign of Gorge George IV the tJ e only feature and withal thal an an important imp one in which last coronations lops that Great Britain has witnessed wit witnessed those of William IV and Vic Vio Victoria Victoria toria have haye differed materially from those tho e preceding them So aside from the question of the coronation banquet what follows is an accurate description of at th the ceremony soon to be performed in Westminster We abbey abbe Before the arrival 1 there of t tre te e sovereign JI d eign the peers and nd peeresses aid aad 8 d those thUile tickets of admission have been issued are conducted to the places as assigned signed ned them in the abbey abbe In the th Jeru Jerusalem Jerusalem salem chamber which adjoins the th 3 dean deanery deanery ery the great officers of state tate 8 m e with he the bishops and such peers as are re appointed to be bear bearers bearers ers era of the glittering jeweled regalia of the crown A minor ceremony takes place pl ee here which ia is the delivery of the royal roal ensigns by the lord lovd chamberlain of the royal household to 10 the loVd l high hi h constable When the latter has received them with appropriate ceremonies he places them in the custody of the lord great chamberlain cham of England This does not end the traveling of the royal ensigns for the load lord great chamberlain in turn delivers them to the peers des designated ignat Hl to bear them in the coming function Bt B this time the sovereign has begun L his joyously attended att n ed passage from the theA A palace to the abbey And this is when London sees him in his hii hour hoar of greatest great greatest greatest est glory lorY As the sovereign 1 proceeds thus in state he is accompanied by the princes and princesses of the blood roy royal royal al and attended by the high officers of or state household and military slid and crack cra k military organizations the line being headed by the high constable con table of Westminster and including all the representatives of foreign reign powers b both th resident and extraordinary Among the organization having a place in the theline theline theline line are the Life Guards the Royal aster and his Royal r Watermen clad in their quaint ancient dress embroidered with the Roy Royal al Cipher a detachment from the t Roy Royal al Huntsmen in their leaf green livery Uv the mars men led by the Knight ht Marshal the t Yeomen of the Guard GUId as 88 escorts to the state coach co ch conveying the sovereign and his princess the Cold Coldstream Coldstream Coldstream stream Guards the Kings King Own Rifles RUles the Horse Guards and such uch de detachments of the military as the em empire pire lIre may have at its ita disposal al for the event evert Upon his arrival at Westminster V the sovereign is received at the entrance by the great of state and the noblemen designated as bearers of the royal regalia and conducted c in silence to the tle chamber When the sov BOV sovereign sovereign has been robed in a or crimson velvet with a mantle and hood of the some une s material trimmed with er ernne Lid aid bordered with deep god gold lace and the cap of state has lias been placed upon his head he advances up the nave into the choir choU The choristers Immedi Immediately Immediately immediately begin beJ n the anthem The procession into the choir te IS formed In this order The and dean of West Westminster We Westminster t minster Officer of arms Controller and treasurer of the house household household hold bold The vice chamberlain and the lord steward st Ward of the household the former fonner attended by an officer who bears the ruby ring and sword for the offering o The lord privy seal eal a ad the lord pres president presIdent presIdent ident The lord chancellor of Ireland The archbishop of Armagh The archbishop of York The lord high chancellor ellor The archbishop of Canterbury The princesses prince of the blood Wood royal Portions of tJ t regalia borne by peers 11 I The Th usher of the t black blaek rod and Bd the V deputy garter The lord great leat chamberlain of Eng Eq England England land The princesses of ot the blood royal The Tte high hi h constables of Ireland and Scotland The sword of state borne by the pre premier premier premier mier between the earl marshal and the lord high constable of England Other portions of the e regalia with wilt the theby i 4 I t r lord 1 l high steward bearing b ring St S1 Edwards ina nos the 1 Bible le and the chalice Hong H b ee bishops Ops yiH Balking between the bishops of Durham Da and Bath and Wells Weila We and ard d having the a on each h side aide f f She Are lord chamberlain ch mA l of the house household household household hold The groom of the robes The Tb master of the horse lone The captain general gen ral of the royal arch archers ers era r the loe captains of the Yeomen of the Guard Gurd and the The keeper of or the privy purse Officers of the Yeomen ot of the Guard Reaching the too end of br the choir the Ute procession disbands as it were those tho forming it passing to the places pl es in the abbey appropriated for tor them according to their official position posit n or lr to then their rank rankin rankin in the peerage The sovereign moves to the south side of the throne and passes to a chair ch ir of state named the Recognition Recognition Recognition tion chair hair where for a few moments he gives gins himself up to private devotion upon u Xi i the footstool The prayer ended th the sovereign takes his ploce in the Recognition chair chai the th bishops stand standing standing standing ing on each side of him the peers bearing the four ceremonial be being being being ing on the right side The peer car carrying carrying carrying the sword of state has hass the position position tion next the royal royl person The lord great chamberlain and lord high constable the other state dignitaries and the regalia bearers stand an eon the t e left band the bearers nearest D st the royal seat S at this same fide ide the three bishops who have the Bible chalice baUce and avid d patina take ke up their places near the pulpit PUI pit and behind the royal person stand the lord chamber chamberlain chamberlain lain of the household house ol and the groom of th the robes Now the actual ceremonies of the coronation are begun the first office being jug the recognition At Att the conclusion of the anthem which is sung during the procession pro on nd the taking of places the tle Arch Archbishop Archbishop Archbishop bishop of ot Canterbury standing cne near r the sovereign says to o the lord chancel chancellor lor Jor the lord great chamberlain cl the Ithe lord Ion high constable and the earl mar marshal marshal marshal standing respectively in the east wes we north and south sides of the abbey Sirs I here present resent unto you King Kid Edward Elward the undoubted undoubted king of this u p tl I II i I t t r i I i I I ll n 1 L S r h 11 I J I J I I J J Jf ij I ii II I if I Iii III i r tl 0 l I 1 Coronation Chair v realm wherefore all you who bo are come this day to do your homage are I you willing to do the same The sovereign stands while west e t north D and an south respond in union This is the th recognition rec The he sovereign then resumes his hiM seat The first offer offering offering ing in the next part of the ceremony the tile king passing pas ing immediately to the altar where he offers offer to the archbishop archbishop op opan an altar cloth of gold which is laid on n the he altar Then the king delivers an ingot of gold sold weighing one pound which the archbishop takes and places i laces In the oblation basin baBin repeating a moment later the prayer rayer beginning O 0 God who in the high and I holy place At Its Ita conclusion the king returns to tp the chair of state and the peers who bora bore the regalia place them th m on em oh the tIle altar Two bishops bishoP then read re the litany and the archbishop assisted by a bishop holds the com communion communion munion service A short sermon sennon by the Archbishop Arch bishop of York or of the Bishop of London is then pread preached preach d Cl and after it an tm oath is ad administered administered administered ministered to the th king This is js In the form of a question by the Archbishop of Canterbury and in the course of it the king swears to govern his realm according to the laws Jaws to uphold the Protestant Reformed religion and to preserve the rights possessions and privileges of the clergy A copy of this thle oath engraved on parchment la kj laid before the king and to It he t I the royal sign manual As the parch parchment parchment parchment ment leaves the royal roya 1 hand the choir sings th hymn Come Holy Ghost Our Souls Inspire the archbishop reading the ti t line The hymn ended the archbishop reads the prayer O 0 Lord Holy Father who by anointing with oil etc which is succeeded by the anthem Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet With the commencement ment of the anthem the king proceeds to the altar and there is t s disrobed and seated in St 81 EdwArd Ede and s chair while four Knights of the Garter hold bold above his head a aI richly embroidered canopy I When the king rises the archbishop I anoints the royal head n and an l hands a in inthe tile the form of a cross crose consecrated oil oU The lh e spurs of ot gold old are presented resented to the and the royal sword Word s having ha been bee aid prayerfully upon the sitar anal is isi T i Ja tl In his hs hand band with the words Receive this kingly sword brought now from the altar of God Here a quaint and ancient ceremony Is per par performed performed formed The King otters offers the sword upon t the altar and it is at once redeemed by bythe bythe bythe the prime prim minister for loo shillings I As soon as s he be receives Jt it the prime minister draws the sword from Its jew jewelled jewelled scabbard and bears it naked during Juring the remainder of the corona coronation coronation tion lion ceremonies I The Dean of Westminster and the I lord great chamberlain then place about the king the imperial mantle or orda da robe of cloth of Or gold Then the archbishop delivers the orb Erb the ruby ring is next put on en and another survival of or the past the lord of the manor of ot presents his maj majesty majesty majesty esty with a pair of ot rich gio es Although the sovereign r is already heavily Burdened the two sceptres sceptre the sceptre royal or sceptre with the cross and the virge and the sceptre tre with the dove are successively placed in his hands One represents kingly power and justice the other equity and mercy The actual crowning follows The crown which ie ip usually lly f ac according according according cording to the taste in the matter fp lis consecrated iby by the arch archbishop archbishop archbishop bishop who Q assisted a d by the he t other oilier bish bishops bishops ops ope places pac it on the royal head This t is a signal for tor all ail the peers and peer peeresses peeresses peeresses esses to put on their coronets the bishops hir it ir taps Caps aI and tl the e kings of I arms anns their the crowns crown crowns Simultaneously the royal salte is fired and there is a 3 loud 1 blast of ot trumpets And this is when waiting wai ting London leas learns that the king I is crowned crown Next coves comes the presentation pre e lati n of the Bible the pronouncing of the benedic benediction benediction tion by the archbishop and the singing of or the Te Deum during which the king passes to the Recognition chair By the assistance of the archbishop and his bishops the monarch 1 is placed on the I royal and the exhortation Stand firm fi m and hold fast from hence henceforth henceforth forth the seat and an state of royal dig dignity nUY is pronounced The Th formula pf the homage another relic of the past PaS Is repeated by the then bv by the other lords spiritual the royal r yal dukes d kes and then the t e senior of af each rank in the peerage for UIs is own de degree degree degree gree each elleh peer repeating after his premier and successively the royal crown and kissing the hand The treasurer of the thet household at this juncture ju distributes the medals struck to commemorate te the occasion The administration of the holy sac sacrament sacrament sacrament and the benediction benedi tion conclude the ceremony cere pony which takes falces several hours For Por a Short abort time after this the king passes from view e to King Edwards chapel where he ex exchanges exchanges exchanges changes the t e robe of state for the royal robe of purple velvet which is trimmed with ermine and aud gold lace The orb and sceptre royal are then placed in inthe inthe inthe the kings hands During the the heralds and officers of arms ar have reassembled the great personages bi in profession procession and when wh n the monarch has received his sceptre he is conducted 4 out of the abbey and he returns to the palace in inthe inthe inthe the same great state tate as asin in the triumph triumphal al progress to the al abbey bey RICHARD C aARD ASHE A HE Ip n S SIr Ir i 1 II I I I I K ti j jI I L I 1 yf J 1 I 4 B JERUSALEM C I off |