Venetian State Papers and English Civic Pageantry, 1558-1642
ATTEMPTIN G to recover what has been a largely ignored and vastjL ly overlooked subject in theater history, Professor Glynne Wickham has demonstrated the importance of the study of civic pageantry as a natural part of the evolution of English drama.1 Wickham makes a most persuasive case for the significance of these dramatic entertainments as they contribute both technically and thematically to the regular stage of the English Renaissance, and he shows clearly that the whole subject is in need of further exploration in order to counter the neglect it has received at the hands of many scholars. Civic pageantry, as Wickham defines it and as I use the term, refers of course to planned dramatic entertainments, notjust color or spectacle, designed to honor the sovereign or magistrate on special occasions. Generally, there are three kinds of pageants: royal entries of the sovereign, the sovereign's provincial progresses, and the annual Lord Mayor's Show in London. For these events some of the leading dramatists of the time were engaged to prepare entertainment, frequently in the form of allegorical tableaux vivants. Especially in the Stuart era it became the habit of the dramatist to prepare a written account of the entertainment and have it printed. These pamphlets along with a few from the Elizabethan period constitute the major source of information regarding the civic pageants. Supplementing these texts are the records of the livery companies which illustrate how the arrangements were made.2 Other historical sources including diaries offer information and reaction to the pageants. One frequently neglected source is the Calendar of State Papers Venetian which contains the official dispatches from the Venetian Ambassador residing in London. With the records which reflect on the civic entertainments this paper is concerned. Something of the importance of these civic shows is suggested in the mere recording of the events in the official correspondence of the Vene-