4 
fe, 
green, red, and yellow ; with two-pointed 
caps of the fame colours, garnifhed with 
‘bells ; and holding baubles, on each of 
which was carved a fool’s head. Mother 
Madcap was the principal perforage ; and 
held her court, and had her guards, horie 
and foot, her dowmeftics, her magiftrates, 
her chancellor, her matter of the horfe, 
and every other mock officer of the king- 
dom. The judgments the pronounced 
were without appeal. On great occaficns, 
the fociety marched in proceflion: the 
. 
foot-guards with colours flying; yellow, 
red, and green; painted with innumer- 
able heads of folly. A woman was feated 
in the centre, clad in the fame colours ; 
with the fame pointed cap, and holding 
the fame bauble; with numerous fool’s 
heads projecting from her petticoat, 
round her waiit. They had large car- 
riages, or waggons; each drawn dy -fix 
horfes, caparifoned with houlings of three 
colours, and conducted by coacimen and 
poftillions clothed in the fame. Thefe 
carriages contained only thofe perfons 
who fung fatirical fongs; dreffing them- 
felves in imitation of the individuals they 
meant to fatirize. At the head of the 
proceffion, four heralds marched, followed 
by the captain of the guards: to which 
fucceeded, the painted carriages, then 
Mother Madcap, preceded’ by two 
heralds, and ‘mounted on a white horfe, 
attended by her waitint ladies, fix pages, 
and twelve footmen.. Then came an en- 
fien, followed by fixty officers, fquires, 
falconers, the mafter of the hunt, and 
others; and afterward the ftandard, ac- 
companied by fifty cavaliers, the Fifca 
officer, and his two counfellors, clothed 
in green ; and finally the Swifs guards. 
Sometimes Mother Madcap was drawn 
in a prodigious carriage, by twelve horfes 
richly caparifoned ; .containing herfelf, 
and actors drefied for the ceremony, who 
-faung and recited their verfes, and were 
accompanied by a\band of mufic. This 
generally happened when fome extraordi- 
nary event had taken place: as robbery, 
murder, feduction, abfurd marriages, &c. 
which incidents were reprefented as they 
had occurred. ‘Zhe candidates, who 
wifhed to be- members of this fociety, ap- 
peared before the Fifcal: Mother Mad- 
cap, and her principal efficers, being pre- 
fent.. The candidate was ftanding ; the 
Fifcal feated. Queftions were put in 
rhyme, which were likewife to be an- 
{wered inrhyme. When admitted of the 
fraternity, they gave him the three co- 
loured cap, and aifigned him eitates in the 
moon, pe Ws 
Feaft of Fools. 
a 
[July 
The following is the account of the re- 
ceptidn of Henri de Bourbon, Prince of 
Condé, firft Prince of the bicod, granted 
by the company of la Mere Folie of 
Dijon 1626. 
‘We the fuperlative, miralific and fci-n- 
tific voters of the Dijon infantry, regents - 
of Apolio, and of the Mufes, legitimate, 
figurative children of tlie venerable Fa- 
ther Time-paft, and of Marotte, or Fool’s 
head, and of their children, grand chil- 
dren, and great, great, great grand chil- 
dren ; red, yellow, and green, covered, un- 
covered, and all in rags, to ali fools, - 
rch-fools, lunatics, heteroclites, mad- 
caps, Capricious-poets, paper-fkulls, and 

—— lc le 
logcer-heads ; almanacs, old and new, — 
pait, prefent, and to come, greeting ; dou-- 
ble piftoles, ducats, and all the bad mo- 
ney of Portugal ; new wine, without the 
gripes, cr infurreétion of the entrails < 
who would believe it, the High and 
Mighty Henri de Bourbon, Prince of 
Condé, firft Prince of the blood royal, 
houfe, and crown of France, knight every 
hair and inch of him, who could have 
thought he would have honoured, by 
his prefence, the greafy bearded, gutling 
blades of Mother Madcap,,and have 
deigned to demand in full affembly, to 
be matriculated and recognizated ashe 
has been, yea. and covered with this none 
pareil Fool’s-cap, laying his hand on the 
cap and bells, and {wearing in the behalf 
‘of Folly to a league offentive, and defen- 
five, thereby inviolably to maintainj 
guard, and fupport Folly in all points, 
and to aid and obey her on all occafions, 
requiring letters patent for this purpofe, 
to which cur redoubtable dame and mo- 
ther being inclined full of our fcience, 
puiflance, and authority, without other - 
preceding information, and in full confi- 
lence of his prin ely mtentions, fhe has 
here with alacrity by thefe prefents, 
hurly burly, with arms open and unco- 
vered, received and impatronized, we him 
receiving and impatronizing in our Dijon 
infantry in fuch fort and manner, that he 
fhall remain incérporated in the inteftine 
cabinet, and generally as long as Folly 
Shall endure, may, by her confent, there 
remain, hold, and exercife at his pleafure 
whatever charge it fhall pleafe him in the 
honors, prerogatives, pre-eminencies, au- 
thority, and potency, which heaven, his 
birth, and his fword, have for him ac- 
quired ; that his highnefs may manfully, ~ 
and by force of arms aid Folly in eter- 
nizing herfelf, and that fhe may not be 
impeded, but with free egrefs and regrefs, 
mey expoie her merchandize, may traffic 
with 
. 

r 
2S 
