48 AVOYAGETO BoorVIL 



afternoon the viee-roy goes privately to the church 

 belonging to the monaftery of Monferrat, which is 

 feparated by an arch and a gate from the ftreet, where 

 the cavalcade is to begin. As foon as all who are 

 to afiifl in the proceffion are aflembled, the vice-roy 

 and his retinue mount on horfes, provided by the city 

 £ov this ceremony, and the gates being thrown open, 

 the proceffion begins in the following order. 



The militia j the colleges ; the univerfity with the 

 profefibrs in their proper habits ; the chamber of ac- 

 compts ; the audience on horfes with trappings ; the 

 magiftracy, in crimfon velvet robes, lined with bro- 

 cade of the fame colour, and a particular kind of 

 caps on their heads, a drefs only ufed on this occa- 

 fion. Some members of the corporation who walk 

 on foot, fupport the canopy over the vice-roy, and 

 the two ordinary alcaldes, which are in the fame 

 drefs, and walk in the proceffion, a6t as equerries^ 

 holding the bridle of his horfe. This part of the 

 ceremony, tho' prohibited by the laws of the Indians, 

 is flill performed in the manner I have defcribed ; for 

 the cuitom being of great antiquity, the magiftrates 

 have not thought proper to alter it, that the refped 

 to the vice-roy might not fuffer any diminution, and 

 no perfon has yet ventured to be the firft in refufing 

 to comply with it. 



This proceffion is of confiderable lengthy the vice* 

 roy'paffing through feveral ftreets till he comes to the 

 great fquare, in which the whole company draw up 

 facing the cathedral, where he alights, and is re-^ 

 ceived by the archbifliop and chapter. Te Deum. is 

 then fung before the vice-roy, and the officers placed 

 in their refpedive feats ^ after which he again mounts 

 his horfe and proceeds to the palace-gate, where he is 

 received by the Audiencia, and conduced to an apart-^ 

 ment in which a fplendid collation is provided, as 

 are alfo others for the nobility in the anti-chambers. 



On the morning of the following day^ he returns 



to 



