MErcatura, i. Merchandise, the Greekes call Emporia, and Empor [...]s a Mer­chant, the Hebrewes Meker. From hence (it seemes) the Poets call Hermes (the Sonne of Iupiter and Maia) Mercury, making him the God of Merchants and Merchandise. The mistery whereof hath in the an­cient times beene held glorious, and the professors there­of illustrious as those, by whose Aduenture and Industry vnknowne Countries haue beene discouered, Friendship with forreigne Princes contracted, barbarous Nations to humane gentlenesse and courtesie reduced, and all such vsefull commodities in forreigne Climats abounding, and in their owne wanting, made conducible and frequent, nay, many of them haue not beene onely the Erectors of braue and goodly structures, but the Founders of great and fa­mous Cities: (for so sayth Plutarch in Solon) Merchan­dise it selfe,Lib. [...] according to Aristotle, consisteth of three things, Nauigation, Foeneration, and Negotiation, all which are commendably approued, if considerately and conscio­nably vsed.

Eight Offices of Piety are in a Merchant required. 1. Rectitudo conscientiae, Vprightnesse of Conscience, which [Page] is most acceptable to the Creator, (and therefore ought to be more prized by the Creature) then any vaine-glorious Title: as stiled by our best Theologists, the indulgent Mo­ther of all Vertues whatsoever. [...]. Simulationis & dissimu­lationis seclusio, i. A seclusion or separation from all dis­sembling or equivocation. 3. Fra [...]dem deuitare, i. To a­bandon all fraud or deceite in bargaining, but in all Coue­nants and Contracts to obserue truth and irreprooueable fi­delity. 4. Iustitiam exerceri, i. To exercise Iustice: which excludeth the practice of Iuiury, Extortion, and Oppres­sion. 5. Superbiam deponere, To lay by all pride, for (as diuine Plato sayth) Hee who knoweth himselfe best, esteemeth of himselfe the least: Wee reade also in Socrates, that pride is a vice which of young men ought to be carefully auoi­ded, of old men vtterly abiured, of all men suspected and feared. 6. Beneficientia vti, i. Out of his abundance to bee open-handed vnto all, but especially vnto the poore and in­digent. 7. Au [...]ritiam fraenare, i. To bridle the insatiate desire of getting, for the auaritious man wanteth as well what he hath, as what he hath not: who hath great trauaile in gathering Wealth, more danger in keeping it, much Law in defending it, most torment in departing from it. 8. Solli­citudines resecare, i. To renounce all care and trouble of minde, which may hinder Diuine contemplation, but ra­ther to fixe his thoughts vpon that Heauenly treasure which the Moath corrupteth not, the Fire cannot waste, nor the Sea wraeke: All these things desireable being knowne to be eminent in your Lordship, was the maine inducement to intitle this present Show by this apt Denomination, Londi­ni Emporia: [...] lib. 1 [...]. 1. Further of Merchants we reade Horace thus,

[Page]Concerning this Company of the Cloath-workers, none hath beene more ancient, as claiming their place from the first institution, and though in count the last of Twelue, yet eueryway equall with the first or any: the reasons are pregnant, and briefely these: The Nobility of the Land are called Pares, (that is) Peeres. For their parity and equali­ty, as hauing preualent voyces in the high Session, o [...] Court of Parliament. The two famous Vniuersities are equall Sisters: neyther can one claime priority aboue the other, yet because they cannot be named at once, those of Cam­bridge say, Cambridge and Oxford: Those of Oxford say, Oxford and Cambridge, which neither addeth nor de­tracteth from the other: In all numbers there is a compul­siue necessity of order, onely for method sake, not that we can properly say, this Figure in it selfe is better then that, being all of them onely helpers to make vp an Account: since that all the Lord Maiors of this honourable City: (from which of the Twelue Companies soeuer they be E­lected) beare one Sword, receiue one Power, and retaine like Authority: (There being no difference at all in place, office, or in granting Priuiledges or Immunities &c.) I hold them all equall without difference, or if any shall claime priority or precedence aboue the rest, let it bee conferr'd vpon that which breedeth the best Magistrates, and of this Company haue beene these after named, not of the least Eminence, as Sir William Hart, L. Maior Anno 1559. Sir Rowland Hayward An. 1570. who was twice L. Maior at the least. Sir Iames Howell An. 1574. Sir Edward Osborne An. 1583. Thomas Skinner, who dyed before hee was Knighted, 1596. Sir Iohn Spencer An. 1594. Sir Michael Moseley 1599. Sir Iohn Watts 1606. And now this present yeare 1633. the Right Honourable Ralph Freeman: Ney­ther is it the least Honour to this right Worshipfull Frater­nity, that it pleased Royall King Iames, (of sacred memory) [Page] besides diuers others of the Nobility, to enter into the free­dome and brother-hood of this Company.

Show water.I come now to the first show by water which is a Sea-chariot, beautified and adorned with shel-fishes of sundry fashion and splendor, the Fabricke it selfe being visible to all, needeth not any expression from me. This Chariot of no usuall forme or figure, is drawne by two Griffons.

The supporters to the Armes of this Worshipfull Compa­ny: Those which ride vpon these commixt Birds and Beasts bearing staues with pendants falling from their tops, in which are portray'd the Armes of the two Sheriffes now in place: The speaker is Thamesis, or the Genius of the Ri­uer Thames, increased to this nauigable depth by the mee­ting of the Tame and Isis, he being seated in the front of the Chariot with his water Nymphes clad in seuerall co­lours about him, seemeth asleepe, but at the approach of the Lord Maiors Barge, he rowzeth himselfe as being new­ly wakend from a Dreame, and speaketh as followeth.

[Page] [...]he first [...]how by [...]and.THe first Show by Land, Presenteth it selfe in Paules Church-yard, which is a Shepheard grazing his flocke vpon an Hill adorned with seuerall Trees, and sundry sorts of Flowers, he fitteth vpon a Dyall to which his sheepe-hooke is the Gnomon, (a Symbole of his care and vigilancy,) vpon the same plat-forme where his Sheepe are resting in seuerall postures, appeareth a Woolfe ready to cease vpon his prey, at whose presence though his Dogge seeme terri­fied and flyes for refuge to his master, yet he stands ready at all houres with a bold spirit and wakefull eye, both for the defence of his charge and offence of the comon aduersary the Woolfe, which reflecteth vpon the office of the Praetor this day Inaugurated wherein is exprest, not onely the care he ought to haue of his flocke, but of the profit also which ariseth from the fleece, from which the mistery of the Cloath-Workers deriueth its Originall. Pastor or Opilio in the Roman tongue, and in ours a Shepheard: the Hebrues call Roheh, from which some are of opinion Rex and Roy are deriued, the Greekes call him Poimin, which properly im­plyes Ouium pastor or a f [...]eder of Sheepe: to which charge none ought to aspire who is not lawfully called, but this Shepheard entereth by the Dore which is the voyce of a free election, and is not that Mercinarius pastor of whom it is thus spoken, Hee seeth the Woolfe comming, and leaueth the Sheepe and flleeth, &c. I shall not neede to swell my pa­ges by reciting the sundry profits and emoluments a­rising from this most necessary Mistery, without which no Common. Weale were able to subsist, nor to reckon vp in­to how many seuerall Prouinces and Countries this cōmo­dity of Cloath is transported and vended, nor what seuerall sorts of wares (by barter, and commerce) are in exchange of that brought ouer into our owne Kingdome, therefore to cut of circumstance, I proceede to the Shepheards Speech as followeth.

THe second Show by Land, presented in the vpper end of Cheape-side, [...]he second [...]how by [...]and. is a Ship most proper to the Trade of Merchant-aduenturers: neither know I whom more aptly to imploy as Pilot therein then Mercury, whom the Poets feigne not onely to be Diactorus, or Internuntius betwixt the gods and men: as also the Leader of the Graces, the Inuenter of Wrestling, the Deuiser of Letters, the Pa­tron of Eloquence, &c. (From whence hee hath sundry at­tributes and denominations conferr'd vpon him) but he is also termed the god of Barter, buying, selling, and com [...]merce in all Merchandise whatsoeuer.

Wee reade of two onely imployd by the gods in Embas­sie vnto men, namely, Iris and Mercury: The difference betwixt their imployments is, that Iris (for the most part commanded by Iun [...], (as being her chiefe Attendant) and neuer by the rest of the gods, vnless [...] to fore-tell Warre, Famine, Pestilence, or some strange Disaster: And Mercury [Page] was negotiated but in sports, pastimes, marriage Feasts, sollemne meetings, Showes, Ouations, Triumphs, spec­tacles of the like nature, and therefore more proper to this Dayes imployment. He is figured like a young man, fresh coloured and beardlesse: In his right hand holding a Gol­den Purse, in his left a Caduzcaem, (a Rod with two Snakes twined and internoded about it,) their Heads meeting at the top, and their Tayles at the bottome, which the Ae­gyptians held to be an Embleame of Peace: and in ancient dayes Great men imployde in the affaires of State, or for­reigne Embassies, boare such Staues, from whence they were called Caducaeatores: Hee weares Wings vpon his Hat and Heeles, intimating his Celerity: and behinde him stands a Cocke, denoting his Vigilancy: so much for the person, I come now to his Speech.

THe third Show by Land, [...]hird [...] by [...] is a Modell deuised for sport to humour the throng, who come rather to see then to heare: And without some such intrude [...] Anti-maske, many [Page] who carry their eares in their eyes, will not sticke to say [...] I will not giue a pinne for the Show. Since therefore it con­sists onely in motion, agitation and action, and these (ex­pressed to the life) being apparently visible to all, in vaine should I imploy a speaker, where I presuppose all his words would be drown'd in noyse and laughter, I therefore passe to the fourth and last.

Which is a curious and neately framed Architect, beau­tified with many proper and becomming Ornaments:The Show Land. bea­ring th [...] Title of The Bower of Blisse. An Embleame of that future Happinesse, which not onely all iust and vpright Magistrates, but euery good man, of what condition or quality soeuer in the course of his life, especially aimeth at: I dwell not on the description thereof, I will onely illustrate the purpose for the which it was intended: This Pageant is adorned with foure persons, which represent the foure Car­dinall vertues, which are behoouefull vnto all who enter into any eminent place or Office. Prudence, Temperance Iustice, and Fortitude, which are so concatinated amongst themselues that the one cannot subsist without the other.

The first Prudence, Reformeth Abuses past, ordreth af­faires present, and fore-seeth dangers future: Further (as Cicero obserues) Iustice without Prudence is resolu'd into Cruelty, Temperance into Fury, Fortitude into Tyranny.

Next Temperance, which as Hermes sayth, is Rich in losses: Confident in perills, Prudent in assaults, and hap­py in it selfe. As a man cannot be Temporate vnlesse he be Prudent, so none can be truely valiant vnlesse he be Tempe­rate, neyther can Iustice exist without Temperance—since no man can be truely iust, who hath not his brest free from all purturbations.

Then Iustice (which according to Cicero) is the badge of Vertue, the staffe of Peace, the maintenance of Honour. Moreouer, Iustice and Order are the preseruers [Page] of the Worlds peace, the iust Magistrate is in his word Faithfull, in his thought sincere, in his heart Vpright, without [...]eare of any but God and his Prince, without hate of any but the wicked and irregular.

Last Fortitude, which (as Epictetus obserues) is the com­panion of Iustice, and neuer contendeth but in Rrighteous Actions, it contemneth Perill, despiseth Calamities, and conquers Death, briefely Fortitude without Pr [...]dence is but Rashnes, Prudence without Iustice is but Craftines, Iust­stice without Temperanc [...] but Tyrany, Temperance without Fortitude but Folly.

Amongst the rest of the Persons placed in this structure, are the three Theologicall Vertues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, as hand-maides attending to conduct all such pious and religious Magistrates, the way to the caelestiall Bower of Blisse, (of which this is but a meere representation and [...]igne) who ayme at that Glorious Place, leaft they any­way deuiate from the true path that leadeth vnto it. I pro­ceede to the Speech.

I cannot without iust taxation of ingratitude, omit to speake something of this Worshipfull company of the Cloath Workers, at whose sole charge the Tryumphs of this day were celebrated, for the Master the Wardens and the Committi, chosen to see all things accomodated for this busines then in motion, I cannot but much commend both for their affabillity and courtesie, especially vnto my selfe being at that time to them all a meere stranger, who when I read my (then vnperfect) Papers, were as able to iudge of [Page] them, as attentiuely to heare them, and rather iudicially considering all things, then nicely carping at any thing, as willing to haue them furthered for his honour, to whom they are dedicate, as carefull to see them performed to their owne reputation and credit, in both which, there was wanting in them neyther incouragement nor bounty: and as they were vnwilling in any vaine glory to shew new presidents to such that should succeede them, so they were loath out of parsimony to come short of any who went be­fore them, lesse I could not speake in modesty, and more I forbeare to vtter least I might incurre the imputation of flattery, I come now to the twelue celestiall Signes, which may aptly be applied vnto the twelue Moneths during the Lord Mayors gouernment.

I conclude with the excellent Artist M^r. Gerald Chrismas, whose worth being not to be questioned (as a prime Master in his profession,) I am of opinion that there is not any a­bout the towne who can goe beyond him, of whom I may boldly speake, that as Art is an helpe to nature, so his ex­perience [...]s, and hath beene an extention to the tryall and perfection of Art, therefore let euery man in his way striue to be eminent, according to that of Ouid. 2 De pont.