Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1893-12-21
OLDEN FESTIVITIES.
WILD ReveLs CELEBRATED rue
CHRISTMAS OF LONG AGO.

ESooeo - janus-Ep1ooao e The Rour.
sssssA csat.ry L. Paris. whe. Rsur
Mobiles PsrisAed 1t Court.
In spite Of clerical protests, in spite Of
anathemas. in spite of the condemnation
OF the more thoughtful and the more vir-
tuous, Christmas in the earlier days fire.
quently reproduced all the worst orgies,
the debauchery and indecency of the
bacchanalia and the saturnalia. Even
the clergy were whirled into the vortex.
A special celebration called the feast Of
fools had been instituted in their behalf.
with a view, said the doctors Of the
church, that the folly which is natural
to and born with us might exhale at least
once year."
II even among the clergy heather ira
ditious survived 90 strenuously, what
wonder that they survived among the
laity2 The wild revels indeed of the
Christmas period in olden times almost
stagger belief. License was carried to
the fullest extent of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Even
IN the seventeenth century, when the
festivities had been slightly toned down,
Master William Prynne discovered in
them the vestiges Of paganism which are
apparent enough to the historians OF to-
day;
IF we compare" he says in his
'Histrio- Mastix," 'our bacchanalian
Christmas and New Years tides with
these saturnalia and feasts of Janus, we
shall find such near afiinitye between
them both in regard of time-they being
both in the end of December and on the
LIST OF January-and in their manner
solemnizing-toth being spent in revel-
ling, epicurism, wantonnesse, idlenesse,
dancing. drinking, stage plates, Mosques
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 STUDIES and
Prynne condemned were mild and tame
compared with the excuses practiced at
the French court for centuries. Inebrie-
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 &C.
CURED at Paris in 1893. The Christmas
festivities had been parfaken 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 well 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
aud 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 aud four
other wild ones-scions of the noblest
houses in France. With o pot of tar and
quantity Of tow the six conspirators
We're 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
q general sensation. WHO are they:'
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" Selling Q
brand from one Of the torchbearers
ranged along the wall, he staggered for
ward. Some gentlemen attempted to
stay him. But he was obstinate and
quarrelsome. Main force could not be
thought Of against 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
moment the whole group was envel-
Ored in flames. Presence oe 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 developed him in her am-
pie role. Thus he was saved. Another
mssker, the lord Of Nantouillet-noted
for strength and agility, rent the silken
rope with y wrench Of his strong teeth,
pitched himself like flaming comet
through the first window and Owed into
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 q hun