998 
la feste aur fols et aux mors.” One 
might be supposed at first sight to 
imagine that the Feast of Fools is 
here alluded to as celebrated in this 
month; but as the fabrication of 
this calendar umformly refers to 
feasts and ceremonies in use among 
the ancients, it is evident that in 
this instance he applies the above 
expression to the Quirinalia, which 
were also termed feria stultorum, 
between which and the Feast of 
Fools in question, there is not the 
slightest connection. The illumne-~ 
tion that belongs to this line, repre- 
sents. several men feasting in a 
church-yard, who have been sup- 
posed hy an eminent antiquary, in 
bis account of this invaluable ma- 
Nuscript, to wear fools’ caps; but 
this will be found, on attentive exa- 
mination of the figures, to be a mis- 
take, probably originating from a 
part of the above motto. The sub- 
“ject of it refers to another ancient 
festival, on the 2st of Feb. viz, the 
feraha, or feast of the dead, insti. 
tuted by Numa, in honour of the 
manes, and sometimes ca)led paren- 
édlia. It is to be supposed that si- 
milar variations would arise in the 
manner of celebrating this indeco- 
rous violation of gvery thing that 
was sacred and solemn, yet the prin- 
cipal incidents were at least uniform, 
and these were, a ludicrous para- 
phrase of the service of the mass, 
performed by persons with blackened 
faces, disguised in masquerade ha- 
bits of women, of fools, and of brute 
animals, exhibiting, in this respect, 
evident. traces of the Veluta and 
Cervula, already noticed. The bi- 
shop, or abbot, was arrayed in mock 
pontificals, partly. borrowed from 
the dresses of jesters and buffoons, 
and after his election carried in 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
procession through the streets, ina 
triumphal car, filled with ordurey — 
with which he bespattered the spec- 
tators. His attendants threw them- 
selves into all kinds of indecent 
attitudes, saluting the people in the 
grossest and most lascivic us language, 
Sometimes they danced in the choirg ~ 
In the churches, and chaunted disso~ 
Inte songs. They even profaned the 
altars by converting them into 
tables for their provisions, carousing 
in the most riotous manner, and 
crowning their impious orgies with 
playing at dice and other games, 
Nor should it be omitted to’ state 
that the ceremony: of burning 
incense was likewise ridiculed with 
the smoke of old shoes, which they 
burned for this purpose. In short, 
the excesses of these fools and mad. 
men may very well warrant the 
expression of a writer on the subject, 
who bas emphatically called them 
the abomination of desolation. 
The enormities of this idle cere- 
mony became at length so excessive, 
that it might well be expected some 
effort would be made to curb and 
counteract, if not wholly to abolish 
it. Accordingly, many of the 
councils issued their decrees against 
them, but as it should seem to very 
litte purpose; so deeply rooted 
were they become in the minds of 
the lower orders of the clergy, and 
of the common people every where, 
who always joined in and supported © 
them. Mons. Du Tillot, a writer 
who has given many curious partis 
culars relating to this ceremony, 
but whose treatise is on the whole 
very confused and immethodical, 
from his indiscriminate admission of 
extraneous matter, has cited several - 
ecclesiastical decrees forits abolition. 
Ducange supposes it to have been | 
altogether 
