ringing for Mass, and as he expected that he should not reach
the town to which he was going in time to hear Mass, for the hour was
then nearly noon, he thought that he would dismount at this hamlet to
see God in passing.

He left his horse at the door of the church, and took a seat near the
altar, where high Mass was being celebrated, and placed himself so
near the priest, that the latter could see his profile whilst he was
celebrating the Mass.

When he raised the cup, and other things that he should, he thought to
himself that he had noticed the Seneschal behind him, and not knowing
whether he had come early enough to see the elevation, but believing
that he had come too late, the priest called his clerk, and made him
light the candles, and, performing all the ceremonies that he should,
he again raised the Host, saying that that was for Monseigneur le
Seneschal.

And after that he proceeded until he came to the _Agnus Dei_ which,
when he had said three times, and his clerk gave him the Pax to kiss, he
refused, approaching his clerk and saying that he should first present
it to the Seneschal, who refused it two or three times.

When the priest saw that the Seneschal would not take the Pax before
him, he put down the Host which he had in his hands, and took the Pax,
which he carried to my lord the Seneschal, and told him that if my lord
did not take it first, he would not take it himself.

"For it is not right," said the priest, "that I should take the Pax
before you."

Then the Seneschal, seeing that wisdom was not to be found in that
place, gave in to the cure and took the Pax first, and the cure followed
him; and that being done he returned to perform the rest of the Mass.

And this is all that was related to me.

*****

STORY THE SEVENTY-FIFTH -- THE BAGPIPE. [75]

By Monseigneur De Thalemas.

_Of a hare-brained half-mad fellow who ran a great risk of being put
to death by being hanged on a gibbet in order to injure and annoy the
Bailly, justices, and other notables of the city of Troyes in Champagne
by whom he was mortally hated, as will appear more plainly hereafter._

In the time of the war between the Burgundians; and the Armagnacs, (*)
there happened at Troyes in Champagne, a rather curious incident which
is well worth being recorded, and which was as follows. The people of
Troyes, though they had been Burgundians, had joined the Armagnacs, and
amongst them there had formerly lived a f