THEIR ROUND OF LIFE AND LABOUR. 67 
common inheritance of the piscatorial sisterhood. The 
potssonieres of Paris have often figured in the history of that 
turbulent city. Certain parts of Lutetia had, in the olden 
time, a most pronounced “ fish-like smell,” and remains have 
at various times been found which indicate the antiquity of 
the fishmongers’ craft in the capital of France. At a very 
early period the fishwives of Paris were divided into two 
classes, the one being called harengeres or sellers of salted 
herrings, the other class, known as pozssonzeres, being dealers 
in various kinds of fresh fish. The two classes, as may 
be readily supposed, were always quarrelling ; and at times, 
their rancour was so fierce that their quarrels often ended in 
bloodshed and murder. Some curious laws were enacted 
by St. Louis for regulating the sales of fish. First of all, 
the right to sell had to be purchased from or be granted by 
the king. Wise men (prudhommes) were appointed by 
his Majesty’s chef de cuisine to look after the fish dealers, 
and to amerce in a fine such as sold without permission of 
the king. The grand cook of his Majesty likewise forced 
all the pradhommes who were chosen, to take an oath that 
they would see to the price of the fish supplied to the royal 
tables, being fixed upon “soul and conscience.’ The 
French fish-dealers of those days were so far happy, inas- 
much as they were officially blessed by the Cardinal of 
Paris, his bishops and clergy, once every year ; the occasion 
of course being chosen for the celebration of a grand féte by 
the fish-sellers, the boatmen of the river, the fisher-folks of 
Havre, and those of other ports near the mouth of the Seine. 
Such ceremonies are still, we believe, observed at Marseilles 
and other portions of the continental seaboard. Similar 
fétes and processions used long ago to be of frequent 
occurrence in various Scottish fishing towns, but although 
the fisher people of some particular fishing ports may 
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