to his heels, wt the Jesuits he wears also a hat as they do.  Then came the chanoins of the Church of Sainct Croix in their white surplices above their black gounes and their 4 nooked caps.  Tyme sould feel me ere I could nombair over all orders, but thir ware the most principall, each of which had their oune crosse wt the crucifix carried by one of their order.  This much for the Ecclesiastick procession.  After them came the tounes men in armes; in a knot of whom went a young fellow who represented the Maid of Orleans, clad in the same very habit, girt wt that sam very sword wt which the Maid beat the Englishes.  This went thorow all the toun.

    [62] At line 19 of Buchanan’s Franciscanus is this passage: 

          ’O sanctum festumque diem! cum cannabe cinctus
          Obrasumque caput duro velante cucullo,’ etc.

During my abode heir, about the end of May, I had occasion to sie another custome of the city.  At that tyme of the year the tounes men put upon the other syde of the bridge a pole as hie as the hiest house in Edenborough:  on the top of it they fasten a bird made of brasse at which they, standing at the feet of the pole, shoot in order, beginning at the better, wt gunes, having head peices on their heads, to sie who can ding it doun.  I went and saw them shoot, but no man chanced to shoot it doun that year I was their.

During the tyme I was heir their was so many fests or holy dayes that I werily think the thrid part of their year is made up of them.  The principal was fest de Dieu, on which, such is the fury of the blinded papists, the Hugonots are in very great hazard if they come out, for if they kneel not at the coming by of the Hosty or Sacrament they cannot escape to be torn in peices; whence I can compare this day to no other but that wheir the Pagans performed their Baccanalian feasts wheir the mother used to tear hir childrens.  The occasion of the institution of this day they fainge to be this.  The Virgin appeared say they to a certain godly woman (who wt out doubt hes been phrenetick and brain sick), and made a griveous complaint that she had 4 dayes in the year for hir, and God had only the Sabath:  this being devulged it was taken as a admonition from God, whence they instituted this day and ordainned it to be the greatest holy day in the year.  The most part of all the city was hung with tapistry, espescialy the principall street which goes straight from the one end of the toune to the other, which also was covered all above in some parts with hingings, in other wt sheits according to the ability of the persones; for every man was obliged to hing over against his oune house, yet the protestants ware not, tho John Ogilvy was also called before the Judges for not doing it; yet producing a pladoyes[63] in the Hugonets faveurs they had nothing to say against it; yet they caused the wals of his house to be hung wt publick hingings that belonged to the toune.  For to sy the procession I went