Then

Hill; herring boats from Yarmouth paid him twelve pence. prisoners had to pay heavy fees-a duke paid twenty pounds, an earl twenty marks, a knight a hundred shillings. And there was an annual fee of fifty to a hundred pounds, and allowances of wax, wine, and other necessaries for the use of the household. It is needless to add that though these particular privileges have gone, the Constable of the Tower has always been a very important personage, holding his appointment by Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal. He has the honour of the privilege of audience of, and direct communication with the King. On his installation the keys are delivered to him by the Lord Chamberlain. He, always a man, therefore, of high rank, appointed a Lieutenant, to whom he allowed £20 a year, with such savings as could be made in furniture and food. In the reign of Henry VIII, the Lieutenant, who had now become the actual prison warder, had a new house built for his accommodation, in a courtly quarter, under the Belfry. This is now "the King's House," the residence of the present Major of the Tower, General Milman, who is, ex officio, a Justice of the Peace for the Tower Liberties, and a Deputy Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets. The Tower Commitment Book, containing the date of all prisoners as far back as 1666, is in his custody. By him the Yeoman Warders are sworn in as special constables, their duties being confined to the limits of the Tower. They are described in the official regulations as "Honorary members of the King's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard." They are selected from warrant officers and noncommissioned officers of the army, and are on the same footing as serjeant-majors of the army. The "Yeoman Gaoler" who carries the curious old axe (figured in the Tower trophy of arms) on state occasions is responsible for the general maintenance of order. The "Yeoman Porter" is chief warder; has charge of the gates and drawbridges; also has the care of the Warders' Uniforms. He asserts the right of the Tower authorities over Postern Row and George Street, by closing the iron bars across these thoroughfares on the first working day in August. Every night at 11 o'clock, when the Tower gates are locked, the Yeoman Porter applies five minutes beforehand to the serjeant of the guard at the Main Guard for the escort for the King's keys. The serjeant acquaints the officer that the escort is called for, who furnishes a serjeant

and six men for this duty, at the same time placing his guard under arms. When the keys return, the sentry at the guard-room challenges -"Halt! who comes there?" Yeoman Porter answers "The keys." "Whose keys?" "King Edward's keys." Yeoman Porter places. himself, with the escort, in front of the guard; the officer of the guard gives the word, "Present arms!" The Yeoman Porter then says in an audible voice, "God preserve King Edward!" and the whole guard answer "Amen!" The keys are then carried by the Yeoman Porter to the King's House. A similar escort is called for in the morning at the opening, but no ceremony takes place then.

The Yeomen of the Guard were first appointed by Henry VII, and made their first public appearance at his coronation. Since then there has been no Royal Pageant in which they have not been conspicuous. The word "Yeoman" of itself is a puzzle. It evidently signified an officer of high grade; we have "Yeomen of the Guard," " of the Black Rod," "of the Chamber," " of the Pantry," "of the Robes," " of the Crown," "of the Mouth." But the derivation of the word is quite uncertain. The Gentleman's Magazine says (vol. xxix.) that it is of military origin, like "esquire," and that as these were so called because they carried shields (ecu), so the yeomen were archers, who carried yew. But Johnson and Skeat both prefer ga (A.S. village") man. Another question is, why are they called "Beefeaters"? a question not likely to be ever settled. When I was a child, my old rector, Archdeacon Bayley, told me with much impressment that because one of their duties was to watch the royal beauffet, they were called "beauffetiers," and that it has got thus corrupted. And this is the derivation given to the first query in Notes and Queries (I. iii. 167). Skeat (Notes and Queries, V. vii. 64) treats this with the utmost contempt. He says it was a mere guess of Steevens's, that the yeomen didn't wait at table, and that the word means "an eater of beef," and by consequence jolly yeoman." There are very many discussions running through Notes and Queries, and it seems to me that Skeat holds his ground well. There are 100 yeomen. The costume is said to be that of the private soldier of Henry VII's time. It will be remembered that he may be said to be the first monarch who had a standing army. The Naval and Military Gazette of 1876 has the following

a

"The Yeomanry of the Guard were formed into a corps in 1485 and first made their appearance at the coronation of Henry VII in white gaberdines, ornamented with the royal device, and caps surrounded by the roses of York and Lancaster. The King, who loved a joke, would sometimes dress himself in the habit of his yeomen, and scour the country in search of adventures. On one occasion he paid a visit to the Abbot of Chertsey, who, ignorant of his guest and rank, but nevertheless hospitably inclined, placed him before a round of beef, which disappeared with marvellous rapidity. The worthy dignitary exclaimed that he would give a hundred marks for such an appetite. Shortly afterwards the churchman was arrested on the King's warrant, and imprisoned in Windsor Castle, where he was fed on bread and water. At the end of some days a baron of beef appeared, to which the abbot did justice, and lifting his eyes at the end of his meal, saw the yeoman before him, who claimed the hundred marks. 'Who art thou, Beefeater ?' exclaimed the priest. The King revealed himself, and took the hundred marks. But the Abbot profited by the joke, for he was not long after made Bishop of Bangor."

Fuller tells the same story, but makes the King, with more probability, not Henry VII, but VIII.

CHAPTER III

IN THE DAYS OF THE LATER PLANTAGENETS

Coronation of Richard II-The Wat Tyler Rebellion-Murder of Archbishop Simm of Canterbury-The Rebellion Quelled-Fresh Troubles raised by the Duke of Gloucester and quieted by Archbishop Courtenay-Still Troubles ContinueExecution of some Prominent Members of Parliament, and of Sir Simon Burley, the King's Tutor-First Legal Execution on Tower Hill-Richard's Wilfulness and Treachery-His Dethronement, August 19, 1399-Accession of Henry IV— Death and Burial of Richard II-Conspiracies against Henry IV-Battle of Shrewsbury-Prisoners shut up in the Tower-Among them James of Scotland, "The King's Qubair "-The Great War with France-Charles, Duke of Orlean, a formidable rival; his Imprisonment and Life in the Tower-His Return to France-The Lollards-Sir John Oldcastle-His Plots and Death-Death oj Henry V-Fall of the English Power in France-Rival Nobles in England: Dukes of Bedford and Gloucester, Cardinal Beaufort, Earl of Warwick-Marriage of Henry with Margaret of Anjou-Public Discontent-Cade's Rebellion-Claim of Richard Duke of York-Battle of Wakefield-The Wakefield Tower-Battle of Towton-Accession of Edward IV-Henry VI a Prisoner in the TowerWarwick's Tergiversation-Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury-King Henry slain in the Wakefield Tower-Continued Tragedies, Duke of Clarence's Disaffection and Plottings-His Death in the Bowyer Tower-Death of Edward IV -Edward V and his Brother brought to the Tower by their Uncle Gloucester, who bas Lord Hastings beheaded for loyalty to Edward-Edward deposed—Richard Crowned King Edward and his Brother secretly Murdered-Discovery of their Bones and Burial at Westminster.

THE reign of Richard II began with festivities and pageantries of unprecedented magnificence, and the Tower was the scene of some of the most prominent. On the day of the Coronation, according to Holinshed, the King, clad in white robes, issued from its gate surrounded by a vast assemblage of nobles and knights. The streets were hung with drapery, and the conduits ran wine. In Cheapside was a castle with four towers, from two sides of which "the wine ran forth abundantly, and at the top stood a golden angel, holding a crown, so contrived that when the King came near, he bowed and presented it to him. In each of the towers was a beautiful virgin, of stature and