Distractions

I came across a modern-english translation of "A London Provisioner's Chronicle". It's a collection of endless daily delineations of the city through the eyes of this ordinary citizen, Henry Machyn. I'm not sure why I found it all that interesting, but it might have to do with recent escapist tendencies.
I thought I'd share the historical happenings of London, 450 years ago this week:

The twenty-first day of October died my lady [Mary Fitzallen], the Countess of Arundel, at Bath Place in St. Clement's parish without Temple Bar.

The twenty-sixth day of October was a goodly hearse set up in St. Clement's parish without Temple Bar of five principals and with eight banderoles and a ten dozen pencels and four great escutcheons of arms at the four corners.

The twenty-seventh day of October my lady was brought to the church with the bishop of London and Paul's choir and the masters, the clerks of London. And then came the corpse with five banners of arms borne. Then came four heralds in their coats of arms and bore four banners of images at the four corners. And then came the chief mourners, my Lady Worcester and my Lady Lumley and my Lord North and Sir Anthony Sellinger.

Then came an hundred mourners of men, and after, as many ladies and gentlewomen, all in black, besides a great many poor women in black and rails and twenty-four poor men in black bearing of torchlights and many of her servants in black coats bearing of torches.

The twenty-eighth day of October was the Mass of Requiem sung and a goodly sermon. And after Mass, Her Grace was buried and all her head officers with white staffs in their hands and all the heralds waiting about her in their coats of arms. And my lord abbot of Westminster preached there a goodly sermon and my Lord of London sang the Mass. The bishop of … sang the Mass of the … and there was a … Mass said. And after, to my lord's place to dinner, for there was a great dinner.