THE F~:TE DE DIEU

Il

Ecclesiastick procession. After them came the tounes men in
armes in a knot of whom went a young fellow who repre-
sented the Maid of Orleans, clad in the same very habit, girt
wt that sam very sword wt which the Maid beat the Englishes.
This went thorow all the toun.

During my abode heir, about the end of May, 1 had
occasion to sie another custome of the city. At that
tyme of the year the tounes men put upon the other syde
of the bridge a pole as hie as the hiest house in Edenborough
on the top of it they fasten a bird made of brasse at which
they, standing at the feet of the pole, shoot in order, begin-
ning at the better, wt gunes, having head peices on their heads,
to sie who can ding it doun. I went and saw them shoot,
but no man chanced to shoot it doun that year I was their.
During the tyme 1 was heir their was so many fests or
holy dayes that 1 werily think the thrid part of their year is
made up of them. The principal was fest de Dieu, on which,
cuch is the fury of the blinded papists, the Hugonots are in
very great hazard if they come out, for if they kneel not at
the coming by of the Hosty or Sacrament they cannot escape
to be torn in peices whence 1 can compare this day to no
other but that wheir the Pagans performed their Baccanalian
feasts wheir the mother used to tear hir childrens. The occa-
sion of the institution of this day they fainge to be this. The
Virgin appeared say they to a certain godly woman (who wt
out doubt hes been phrenetick and brain sick), and made a
griveous complaint that she had 4 dayes in the year for hir,
and God had only the Sabath this being dev ulged it was
taken as a admonition from God, whence they instituted this
day and ordainned it to be the greatest holy day in the year.
The most part of all the city was hung with tapistry, espescialy
the principall street which goes straight from the one end of
the toune to the other, which also was cov ered all above in
some parts with hingings, in other wt sheits according to the
ability of the persones; for every man was obliged to hing over
against his oune house, yet the protestants ware not, tho John
Ogilvy was also called before the Judges for not doing it yet
1)roducing a pladoyes 1 in the Hugonets faveum they had nothing

Plaidoyer, pleading, legal argument