THE COMPANIONAGE.
The
accolade or guilhrette consists of the following
ceremony
229
:
—Two canes are placed on the
ground near the grave so as to form a cross. Two Companions take their places, each within
one of the quarters so formed, turn half round on the left foot, carrying the right foot forward
and occupy with their feet all four quarters of the cross, then taking
each other by the right hand, they whisper in one another's ear and embrace.^ All perform the
(/uilhrette in turn, kneel once more on the edge of the grave, offer up a prayer, throw three pellets
so as to face each other,
and retire. In a few crafts the concluding portion
The address to the mourners is diversified by lamentable
of earth on the coffin,
of the ceremony
slightly varied.
cries of
is
which the
"
public can understand nothing. This is evidently a further instance of howling." Perdiguier
does not clearly indicate whether the accolade takes place or not.
When the coffin has been
Companion descends and places himself beside it; a cloth is stretched over the
the grave, and lamentations arise from below, to which the Companions above reply.
lowered, a
mouth
of
"
If this
ceremony takes place for a Companion carpenter of Soubise, something occurs at this
moment, of which I am not permitted to speak." I am inclined to think that Perdiguier
has here forgotten his usual caution and says too much there can be little doubt that the
:
concealed Companion gives the guilhrette, or some modification thereof, to the deceased.
Scarcely anything further relating to their ceremonies remains to be gleaned from Perdiguier,
although one or two very curious customs demand notice. Amongst these nothing
more peculiar and enlightened for their age than the remarkable fact, that in
strikes us as
every town of the Tour de France technical schools were established and maintained by the
The other crafts do not appear to have shared in this
stonemasons, joiners, and locksmiths.
In these schools, which were open in the evening, the v