THE COMPANIOJ^AGE.
235
wood the sponge, by a knife and a piece of bread the pincers, by a
the lantern, by a glass, turned top uppermost the pHlar to whicli our Saviour
was attached, by a salt-cellar full of salt under this cellar they place the value of thirty
at the end of a piece of
folded napkin
;
;
;
;
;
pence in money,
for
which sum our Saviour was sold; the
salt of
the salt-cellar represents
the holy chrism.
They place at the foot of the cross a basin and ewer, together with a
of wine and water, to represent the blood and water which our Lord sweated in the
glass
Garden of Olives. They place on the same table two glasses, one full of vinegar and the
other of gall, a cock, dice in fact, everything that was used at the passion.
If there is in
;
the said chamber a chest,
it represents Noah's ark
the sideboard, Jacob's tabernacle the
the manger; a chair under the mantelshelf, the baptismal font; a fagot, the sacrifice
bed,
of Abraham and the opening in the chimney marks the gulf of hell the provost represents
;
;
;
Pilate,
who
;
seats himself in the
most conspicuous place in the room
;
the lieutenant represents
Annas, and places himself near the provost the secretary, Caiaphas, and is placed lower down.
The provost holds in his hands a cane, which represents Aaron's rod, at the end of which
;
there are three ribbons, one white,
which represents the innocence of our Lord, one
red.
His
blood, one blue, the bruises of His body; the four legs of the table, the four evangelists;
underneath the table, the holy sepulchre ; the napkin, the holy shroud the cross-bars of the
;
windows, the cross the two lower shutters represent the Holy Virgin on one side and Saint
John on the other the two shutters above, if closed, the sun and the moon if open, the
;
;
;
angels' salutation, on account of the light which appeared the joists of the floor signify the
twelve apostles the ceiling of the chamber, our Lord. They cause him whom they are about
"
to receive to make three steps and to say at the same time
Honour to God, honour to the
;
;
—
"
and approaching the latter he kisses him and says, " God forbid
provost
that this kiss should resemble that of Judas."
The provost interrogates him on all the above,
and the other Companions are made to enter the room for his instruction knocking the first
table,
honour to
my
;
;
time they reply, 'be.ncdiciU, the second domimts, and the third consumahmi est ; they are asked,
"
What seek you here ? " They reply, " God and the apostles." At length, in order to
represent our Saviour, who was sent from one judge to another, he who is received appears
with his two feet crossed
{jricds croisez), his
(desjartele), before the provost,
who
asks him,
breast all uncovered (debraille), and ungartered
"Whom
He
do you represent?"
replies,
"God
They then make him take a seat on the hearth, in a
The sponsors {parain et marraine) whom he chose take him each
on one side by a napkin, which they tie round his neck, place in his mouth bread and salt,
and, throwing water over his head, make him give three knocks against the chimney, and
forbid that I should represent our Lord."
chair to represent the f