The Entire Ceremonies of the Coronations of His Majesty King Charles II
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The entire ceremonies of the coronations of His Majesty King Charles II. and of her Majesty Queen Mary, Consort to James II: As published by those learned heralds Ashmole and Sandford. With the prayers at full length. To which is prefix’d, an introduction historical and critical; likewise an appendix, containing many curious particulars. Ashmole, Elias, 1617-1692. THE ENTIRE CEREMONIES OF THE CORONATIONS OF His Majety King CHARLES II. and of her Majety Queen MARY, Conort to JAMES II. As publihed by thoe Learned Heralds ASHMOLE and SANDFORD. With the PRAYERS full Length. To . , An INTRODUCTION Hitorical and Critical; LIKEWISE An APPENDIX, containing many curious Particulars. LONDON: Printed for W. OWEN, at Temple-Bar; L. DAVIS and C. REYMERS, in Holborn; H. CHAPELLE, in Grovenor-treet; R. DAVIS, in Piccadilly; A. CHAPELLE, in Curzon-treet, May Fair; J. WALTER, at Charing-Cros; and C. HENDERSON, at the Royal Exchange. MDCCLXI. INTRODUCTION. THE Happines of Mankind depends viibly on their living in Society, and of Coure under Subjection to Laws; of which, the hortet and the clearet Proof is this, that Men are alike mierable, under the two extremes of Tyranny and Anarchy; both of which are Privations of Law, and conequently of Government. The Operation of Laws, with repect to the Welfare of Society, depends upon their Execution, and this infers the Neceity of Magitrates, who, in all Monarchies, derive their Authority from the upreme Magitrate; whence the King is, with equal Truth and Propriety, aid to be the Fountain of Jutice as well as of Honour. The Nature of Offices has been always declared to the People by exterior Signs, and hence the Cutom of inveting Superior, and more epecially the Supreme Magitrate, with extraordinary Solemnity, at his Entrance upon Government, which, tho' with very different Forms, has yet, in ome Form or other, been practied in every civilized Nation. There can be no Doubt, that the Ceremony of Anointing was borrowed from the Scriptures; and the Jews tell us, that all their Kings were anointed, from Saul to 1 2 INTRODUCTION. Hircanus. It paed from the Jews to other Nations, and eems to have been practied here oon after the Introduction of Chritianity. The Monks indeed, would willingly peruade us, that Alfred the Great, was the firt anointed King, and that he received his Unction from the Pope at Rome, which may be true, in repect to the Unction; but then, as Alfred was a Child of five Years old, it is much more likely, that it was the Chrim or Unction ued in the Ceremony of Confirmation, than the Regal Unction. It appears from Gildas, the mot ancient Writer of our own Nation, that is yet extant, that the Britih Kings were anointed; and this Practice was o contant, that the common Phrae in the old Chronicles, to expres the Acceion of a Prince to the Government, is this, that at uch a Time, he was anointed King. We have therefore ued this Ceremony as early, if not earlier, than any other Nation in Europe, as, if it was neceary, might be very eaily hewn. The Ue of Crowns alo is very ancient; and, in Proces of Time, grew to be of very different Forms. The Diadem was originally of Cloth, and bound about the Head like a Fillet. Afterwards a Circle of Gold was in Ue, ome times plain, as was the ancient Crown of Scotland, ometimes adorned with Spires or Rays. The Saxon Kings ued both. The former being called King's-Band, and the latter King's-Helm, as being worn upon a Helmet. In latter Times, it was alo worn without the Helm, as well as with it, as appears in the Coins of our Saxon Kings. Other Ornaments were gradually added, uch as the Flower-de-Lis. At length the Emperor wore a Crown with Bars, riing from the Sides, and joining at the Top, thence tiled a Crown Imperial. Authors are not agreed, when this was firt introduced into England, ome ay by Edward III. on his being made Vicar General of the Empire, by Lewis of Bavaria; others by Henry V. Be that as it will, if an Imperial Crown is the Mark of Independent Sovereignty, then, no Doubt, our Kings have a Right to wear it, as well as thoe of France and Spain, and o they have long worn it. There was not any thing, in which our Saxon Ancetors were more curious and exact, than in their Religious Ceremonies; and therefore we may reaonably uppoe, they were particularly o in the Inauguration; or, as their own emphatic Term was, in the hallowing their Kings. This we find frequently mentioned, in that authentic Hitory, tiled the Saxon Chronicle. This Solemnity, however, was not confined an- ciently to any particular Place; for, amongt other Princes, Alfred, jutly urnamed the Great, was crowned at Wincheter, Etheltan, at Bath, where, as that Hitory tells us, there were mighty Rejoicings, and a great Reort of the Clergy and Nobility upon the Occaion. But both in earlier and later Times than thee, everal of our Kings were crowned at Kington upon Thames, which from thence received its Name, and is therefore tiled in Latin, Regiodunum by Leland, who thinks that at uch Times a Theatre was erected, that the whole Ceremony might be more conpicuous to the People. But Edward the Confeor was crowned at Wincheter; and it is particularly mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle, that he received many grave Exhortations from the Archbihop, in relation to the Duties of his high Office. Harold was crowned at Wetminter, founded and carce finihed by King Edward, and as that Chronicle ays, by the Appointment of his Predeceor, and by the Election of the People. In Repect to the Confeor's Memory, the Abbey of Wetminter became in ucceeding Times, the uual Place of our Monarch's Coronation, more epecially as the Regalia of that King were kept there. In our old Hitorians there are no Traces of the Ceremony, which is not to be INTRODUCTION. 3 wondered at, conidering the Brevity of thoe Annals; but in the Leidger books, and other Abbey Records, many Fragments are to be met with, of mot of the Eccleiatical Ceremonies, and amongt others of the Coronations of ome of thee Kings, from which it plainly appears, that the Forms in ue after the Conquet, and even the modern Forms, were borrowed from thee; and this very probably would be till more evident, if we had any Saxon Ceremonial compleat. As it is, we ee plainly that the different Prayers at the Unction, Crowning, putting the Sword, the Sceptre, and the Ball into the King's Hands, were taken from them; and, if we conider the Reverence ever paid to Antiquity, more epecially in Matters of this Kind, it will not certainly appear trange. After what has been related, it may eem a little urpriing that ome of our ablet Antiquaries have complained, that they could meet with no ettled or authentic Form of the Coronation of our Monarchs. But a little Conideration will hew us, that we may eaily account for this, in a manner very conitent with what has been already aid. While our Ancetors continued Papits the Ceremonial till remained in Latin, tho' it may be not without Additions and Alterations. But after the Reformation farther Changes became neceary, as we find by the very imperfect Accounts yet remaining of the Coronation of Edward VI. in which his Oath, and no doubt, ome other Parts were in Englih, that they might be undertood by the People. In Proces of Time, everal of the Prayers and Collets grew obolete and uncouth in their Language, which therefore rendered it requiite to review and retouch them, in order to accommodate the Service to the Language of the Times in which it was performed. When therefore Archbihop Laud was accued of altering the Coronation Service, at the Inauguration of Charles I. he pleaded the abolute Neceity of this; he aid, that the Mutations and Emendations, which were made in ome Parts of the Service, were partly to render the Sene clear, and partly to make it proper in grammatical Englih, which, he aid, was done by Royal Authority, in a Committee for that Purpoe; but that no material or eential Alterations were made, and that the King's Coronation Oath particularly remained untouched, and was the ame with his Father's, which was ettled by that pious and worthy Prelate, Archbihop Whitgift. Upon the whole, it may be truly affirmed, that the Bulk and Subtance of the Coronation Ceremony is the very ame at this day, as it was above a thouand Years ago; and if any thing has been retrenched, it has been owing to upertitious Cir- cumtances, uperinduced on the ancient and venerable Form, which the Saxons had in ue, and to which, even after the Norman Conquet, the Nation in general were o much attached, that it was thought expedient to preerve it; though afterwards, when the Knowledge of this Form came to be lot with the People, the Clergy might poibly introduce Expreions more favourable to their own Power, and more uitable to thoe Notions they were deirous hould prevail. But thee again, as we have before oberved, were at the Reformation curtailed or taken away. As to the Pieces that are here preented to our Readers View, they are uch as may contribute to give them a tolerable Idea of the Coronation of a King and Queen. It was in this View, that the Order for the Coronation of Charles II.