On one side of the saint's sepulchre were placed five 
men dressed only in shirts and drawers, with their 
sleeves turned up to their shoulders. Four of these men 
were sitting in front of the door of the chapel, and the 
fifth was standing at the side of the door, in order to re- 
ceive the little victims. Two of those, who were sitting, 
held the instruments of the sacrifice, the other two had 
each a purse or little bag, filled with an astringent pow- 
der. 
Behind these four ministers was a group of about 
twenty children of all ages and colours, who had also 
their part to play, as we shall see presently; and at the 
distance of some yards an orchestra of the same kind as 
1 have described before, was executing its discordant 
tunes. 
Every time that a Neophyte arrived, his father, or the 
person who was there to represent him, walked before 
him, and, entering the chapel, kissed the head of the 
operating minister, and made him some compliments. 
The child was then brought forward, and immediately 
seized by the strong-armed man who was appointed to 
receive the victims; and he having lifted up the gown of 
the child, presented him to the operator. At this mo- 
ment- the music began to sound with its loudest noise; 
and the children, who were seated behind the ministers, 
started suddenly up, and shouted with great vocifera- 
tion, to attract the attention of the victim, and, by the 
motions of their fingers, directed his eyes to the roof of 
the chapel. Stunned with all this noise, the child lifted ' 
up his head; and that very moment the officiating priest 
laid hold of the prepuce, and pulling it with force, clip- 
ped it off with one motion of his scissars. Another im- 
mediately threw a little astringent powder on the woundj 
and a third covered it with lint, which he tied on by a 
bandage; and the child was carried away. 
