The Oskaloosa herald., 1893-12-14

Christmas and New Years tides with
these saturnalia and feasts Of Janus, we
shall find such near affinitye between
| them both in regard of time-they being
both in the end of December and on the
1st Of January-and in their manner
solemnizing-both being spent in revel-
ling, epicurism, wantonnesse, idlenesse,
dancing, drinking, stage plates, maSaues
and carnall pomp and jollity-that we
must needs conclude the one to be but
the ape, or issue, of the other"
/ Yet the practices which Stubbes and
Prynne condemned were mild and tame
compared with the excesses practiced at
the French court for centuries. Inebrie-
i ty ran rampant. No wonder that in the
| period of torches and wooden palaces ac-
cidents frequently occurred which more
than once involved provinces in mourn
ing.
| Memorable above all other episodes of
this sort was the catastrophe which oc-
CURED at Paris in 1893. The Christmas
festivities had been partaken of in the
widest spirit of riot and disorder. But
the court was not yet satisfied. Then
Sir Hugonin de Guisay, the most reck-
less among all the reckless spirits of the
| period, suggested that as an excuse for
| prolonging the merriment a marriage
should be arranged between two of the
court attendants. This was eagerly
agreed upon.
The management was intrusted to Sir
Hugonin himself. He was we'll fitted
for anything wild and unusual. He
was loved and admired by the disorderly
as ardently as he was hated and feared
by the orderly, for it was his pleasant
habit to exercise his wit upon trades
men and mechanics, whom he would
accost in the street, prick with his spurs
and compel to creep on all fours and
bark like dogs before he released them.
Such were the traits which endeared him
to the courtiers of his most gracious
majesty and Christian king of France.
The marriage passed off in blaze of
glory with an accompaniment of at
tendant Gargantuan pleasantly. AT the
height of the ceremonies Sir Hugonin
quietly withdrew with the king and four
other wild ones-scions Of the noblest
houses in France. With pot of tar and
a quantity of tow the six conspirators
were speedily changed into very fair
limitations of the dancing bears then
very common in mountebanks' booths.
A mask completed the transformation.
Five were then bound together by means
of silken rope cut from the tapestry.
The sixth, the king himself, led them
into the hall. Their appearance created
a general sensation. Who are theyY
was the cry. No one could answer.
At this moment entered the widest of
all the wild dukes of Orleans. who
are they?" he echoed between hiccoughs.
"Well, We'll soon find out" Seizing a
brand from one of the torchbearers
ranged along the wall, he staggered for
ward. Some gentlemen attem. ted to
stay him. But he was obstinate and
| quarrelsome. Main force could not be
thought of against a prince Of the
blood. He was given his way. He thrust
his torch under the chin of the nearest
of the maskers. The tow caught fire. In
a moment the whole group was envel-
oped in flames. Presence of mind or
common sobriety might have saved
them. But there was none of the latter
| there and but two instances of the for
mer.
The young Duchess of Berry seized
the king and enveloped him in her am
pie robe. Thus he was saved. Another
masker, the lord of Nantouillet-noted
for strength and agility, rent the silken
rope with wrench of his strong teeth,
pitched himself like a flaming comet
through the first window and dived into
| a cistern in the court, whence he emerged
black and smoking, but almost unhurt.
AS for the other four, they whirled
hither and thither through the Mortified
mob, struggling with each other, fight
ing with the flames, cursing, shrieking
| with pain. Women tainted by scores.
Men who had never faltered in hun
bred fights sickened at the hideous spec
| tacle. All Paris was reused by the up
| roar and gathered, an excited mob, about
the palace All sorts of reports were
current, that the princes were engaged
in deadly strife being the one most cred
| tied. At last the flames burned out.
The four maskers lay black and writh-
ing heap on the floor. One was a mere
| Cinder. A second survived till day
| break. A third died at noon the next
| day. The fourth-no other than Sir
Hugonin himself-survived for three
days, while all Paris rejoiced over his
agonies. Bark, dog, barkF was the cry
with which the citizens saluted his
rharred andsinangled corpse when it was
at last borne to the grave.-New York
HpralI