Para1The pageant writers were responsible for writing not just the speeches that were ostensibly delivered on the day of performance but also a prose account of the show that was included with the speeches in the book of the pageant. The pageant writer arranged with a printer to have the books printed and ultimately delivered the books to the sponsoring company. As David M. Bergeron explains, these books, especially the ones from 1605 to 1639, serve a commemorative purpose and were likely distributed to members of the livery company after the event had concluded (Bergeron). The content of the books corroborates Bergeron’s claim that the books were commemorative; they feature historical overviews, dedicatory epistles to the mayor and the sheriffs, retrospective commentary, prose descriptions of the dramatic events, and references to the non-dramatic events (sermons and feasts) that took place over the course of the day. The speeches normally offer an account of what was intended for performance rather than what actually occurred. As a dramatic text, it provides in some ways a clearer window into a playwright’s motivations and desired outcome. Sometimes the writer included commentary on what actually happened on pageant day, suggesting that he had revised and printed the book after the show. In other cases, the pageant writer prepared the book in advance, leaving no opportunity to comment on the day’s actual events. MoMS treats the pageant book not as the authoritative record of the show but rather as one witness to the show among many.

Para2In the majority of cases, there is just one edition of the pageant book. The two exceptions are Anthony Munday’s Chruso-Thriambos (1611) and Thomas Middleton’s The Triumphs of Truth (1613), both of which appeared in two editions. Otherwise the single edition is the normal practice. While we think that the books were printed in runs of 300 to 500, copies have not survived in great numbers. Of the editions that have survived, some are extant in just a single copy. Tracey Hill has examined nearly all of the surviving 90+ copies of the pageant books; her article in The Library lists the extant copies and comments on their collectors and current institutional custodians (Hill).

Para3What is the genre of the pageant book? It is at once speech, idealized dramatic action, historiography, historical record, letter(s), propaganda, morality, and commemoration. It therefore does not easily fit into any given category while pointing to any number of genres. Even the dramatic action varies between speech, silent spectacle, and dialogue, depending upon the pageant writer for the year. The topics can vary considerably, depending on the theme suggested by the company’s craft, the mayor’s name and business interests, and the writer’s inspiration. As Bergeron has shown in his landmark study of the genre, mayoral shows regularly include morality, history, and mythology, with varying degrees of frequency depending upon the pageant writer in question (Bergeron).