Towards the middle of the month of May, in the year 1660, at
nine o'clock in the morning, when the sun, already high in
the heavens, was fast absorbing the dew from the ramparts of
the castle of Blois a little cavalcade, composed of three
men and two pages, re-entered the city by the bridge,
without producing any other effect upon the passengers of
the quay beyond a first movement of the hand to the head, as
a salute, and a second movement of the tongue to express, in
the purest French then spoken in France: "There is Monsieur
returning from hunting." And that was all.
Whilst, however, the horses were climbing the steep
acclivity which leads from the river to the castle, several
shop-boys approached the last horse, from whose saddle-bow a
number of birds were suspended by the beak.
On seeing this, the inquisitive youths manifested with