Festivals and celebrations in the Renaissance ocasionally got out of hand and led to tragedy. The following is the report of events at a 1393 wedding, recorded by the French royal chronicler Jean Froissart.

There was in the king's household a Norman squire who thought of the following piece of pleasantry to amuse the king and the ladies... For the ball that night, he had six cloth coats made and then had them covered with flax that looked like hair in shape and color. He dressed the king in one, [four young nobles in others],. . .and the sixth one he wore himself. When they were all dressed up by having the coats sewed aroung them; they appeared to be wild men (hommes sauvages), for they were covered with fur from head to foot. This masquerade pleased the king greatly, and he expressed...