tunic and dalmatica of violet satin sown with fleurs-de-lis in
gold, which the Master of Ceremonies and an aide have taken from
the altar. The Grand Chamberlain places over these the royal
mantle of violet velvet sown with golden fleurs-de-lis, lined and
bordered with ermine. Charles X., clad in the royal robes, kneels.
The Archbishop, seated, with the mitre on his head, anoints the
palms of his hands, saying: ungentur manus istae de oleo
sanctificato. The King then receives the gloves sprinkled with
holy water, the ring, the sceptre, the Main de Justice.

The Dauphin, the Duke of Orleans, and the Duke of Bourbon advance.
The Archbishop, mitre on head, takes with both hands from the
altar the crown of Charlemagne and holds it above the King's head
without touching it. Immediately the three princes put out their
hands to support it. The Archbishop, holding it with the left hand
only, with the right makes the sign, of benediction: coronat te
deus corona gloriae atque justitiae. After which he places the
crown on the head of the King, saying: accipe coronam regni in
nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti.

Now that the King is crowned, he ascends the steps of the jube,
and seats himself upon the throne. The religious silence,
maintained to that moment, is broken by cries of "Long live the
King!" which rise from all parts of the Cathedral. The ladies in
the galleries wave their handkerchiefs. The enthusiasm reaches a
paroxysm. Flourishes of trumpets resound. The people enter the
Cathedral amid acclamations. Three salutes are fired by the
infantry of the royal guard. The artillery responds from the city
ramparts. The bells ring. The heralds-at-arms distribute the
medals struck for the coronation. The people rush to get them. The
keepers release the birds, which fly here and there beneath the
vaulted roof, dazzled, terrified by the shining chandeliers. The
Te Deum is sung. High Mass begins. At the offertory the King
leaves the throne to go to the altar with the offerings. Reaching
the front of the altar, he hands his sceptre to Marshal Soult,
Duke of Dalmatia, the Main de Justice to Marshal Mortier, Duke of
Treviso. Then, after having presented in succession the
offerings,--viz. the wine in a vase of gold, the Pain d'Argent,
the Pain d'Or,--he resumes his sceptre and his Main de Justice and
returns to the throne.

After the benediction, the Grand Almoner goes and takes the kiss
of peace from the Archbishop, and then goes and gives it to the
King. The Dauphin, the Duke of Orleans, and the Duke of Bourbon,
laying aside their ducal crowns, come and receive the kiss from
the King.

After the domine salvum fac regem Charles X. again descends from
the throne, and returns to the altar. There he removes his crown
and retires behind the altar to his confessional, where he remains
three minutes. During this time the holy table is prepared. The
cloth is held on one side by the Bishop of Hermopolis, First
Almoner of the King, and on the other by the Grand Almoner.
Charles X. kneels on a cushion before the holy table, which is
supported by the Dauphin and the Duke of Orleans. The King
receives the communion in both kinds. The whole assembly kneels.
The great crown of Charlemagne is handed to Marshal Jourdan, who
bears it in front of the King. The Archbishop then places the
diamond crown on the King's head, who resumes his sceptre and his
Main de Justice, while the choir chants the exaudiat, and returns
with his cortege to the Archbishop's palace, passing through the
church and the covered gallery. It is half-past eleven in the
morning. The ceremony of consecration is finished. It has lasted
four hours.

Reaching his apartments, Charles X. passes the sceptre to Marshal
Soult, the Main de Justice to Marshal Mortier. The shirt and the
gloves touched by the holy unction must be burned. The great
officers of the crown then escort the monarch to the royal banquet
in the great hall. There he eats under a dais with the Dauphin,
the Duke of Orleans, and the Duke of Bourbon, with their ducal
crowns, and he with the diamond crown upon the head.

The royal insignia have been placed upon the table which is served
by the great officers and the officers of the household. The
marshals of France stand before the sovereign ready to resume the
insignia. Around about are five other tables, where are placed the
members of the diplomatic corps, the peers of France, the
deputies, the cardinals, archbishops, and bishops. The royal
banquet lasts half an hour to the sound of military music. In the
evening the city of Rheims is everywhere illuminated.





XV

CLOSE OF THE SOJOURN AT RHEIMS


After his coronation Charles X. remained at Rheims during the 30th
and 3lst of May. On the 30th the ceremony of the Order of the Holy
Spirit was celebrated in the Cathedral. The interior presented the
same aspect as the day before. At 1 P.M. the order passed in
procession through the covered gallery as follows: the usher, the
herald, Marquis d'Aguessau, Grand Master of Ceremonies of the
order, having at his right the Count Deseze, Commander Grand
Treasurer, at his left Marquis de Villedeuil, Commander Secretary,
the Chancellor, two columns of Knights of the Holy Spirit. In the
right hand column, the Viscount of Chateaubriand, the Duke of San-
Carlos, the Prince of Castelcicala, the Viscount Laine, the
Marquis of Caraman, the Marquis Dessole, Marshal Marquis of
Viomesnil, the Duke d'Avaray, the Marshal Duke of Ragusa, the
Marshal Duke of Taranto, the Marshal Duke of Conegliano, the Duke
of LEvis, the Duke of Duras, the Duke d'Aumont, the Duke of
Luxembourg, the Prince of Hohenlohe, the Duke de La Vauguyon. In
the left column, the Marquis of Talaru, the Duke of Doudeauville,
the Count of Villele, the Marshal Marquis of Lauriston, the Count
Charles de Damas, the Baron Pasquier, the Duke of Blacas d'Aulps,
the Marquis of Riviere, the Marshal Duke of Reggio, the Duke of
Dalberg, the Prince de Poix, the Duke de Gramont, Prince
Talleyrand, the Duke de La Rochefoucauld. Then came the Dauphin,
the Duke of Orleans, the Duke of Bourbon, the King.

The vestments of the monarch, of a silver stuff, were covered by a
mantle of the order in black velvet, lined with green silk
stitched with gold. His headdress was also in black velvet,
surmounted by an aigrette of heron plumes. The knights of the
order had their mantles with the Holy Spirit in silver spangles on
the shoulder; the grand collar, the facings of their mantles,
caught up in front, were of green velvet sown with gold flames.
They made their entry into the Cathedral in two columns, which
deployed on either side of the altar. The King, who followed them,
seated himself on a throne in the choir and they arranged
themselves in their stalls to the right and left. The princesses
occupied the same gallery as the day before. The clergy chanted
the vespers. Then the two columns formed in a double rank and the
ceremony commenced. There was a long series of obeisances. The
King made twenty himself, eleven before vespers, nine after. The
reception began with the ecclesiastical commanders and the laymen
came afterwards.

The solemnity was less imposing than that of the coronation. Count
d'Haussonville remarked it: "The military array of so many
marshals and generals clad in brilliant uniforms, the pomp of the
ceremonies to the slow and majestic sound of the organ filling the
vast nave of the church, had succeeded, the preceding day, in
redeeming for the spectators, and for me particularly, whatever
was a little superannuated in the minute observance of a ritual
that had come down from the Middle Ages. I felt myself, on the
contrary, rather surprised than edified by the character, partly
religious, partly worldly, but far more worldly than religious,
that I witnessed on the morrow. Most of these gentlemen were known
to me. I had met nearly all of them in my mother's or
grandmother's salon. I had not been insensible to the fine air
given them by the cordon bleu (worn under the frock coat, usually,
or on great occasions over a coat covered with gold lace and
shining decorations), the traditional object of ambition for those
most in favor at court; but they seemed to me to present a
constrained figure, as I saw them soberly ranged in the stalls of
the canons, clad in a costume of no particular epoch, wrapped in
long mantles of motley color, and following, with a distracted
air, the phases of a ceremony to which they were so little
accustomed that they were constantly rising, sitting down, and
kneeling at the wrong time."

The receptions took place as follows: the herald-at-arms of the
order called in groups of four the new members from each column,
and escorted them to the middle of the sanctuary. There the four
knights, abreast, saluted together, first the altar, then the
sovereign. Then they advanced in line toward the throne, and after
a second obeisance, knelt, placed the right hand on the book of
the Gospels spread out on the knees of the monarch, and took the
oath. The King decorated each with his own hand. He passed over
their coats, from right to left, the cordon bleu with the cross of
gold suspended from it, placed the collar on the mantle, gave a
book of hours and a decastich to each one, who kissed his hand,
rose, and returned to his place.

By a curious coincidence, M. de Chateaubriand and M. de Villele,
two inveterate adversaries, were one in the column on the right,
the other in that on the left, and the herald-at-arms of the order
called both at once to the foot of the throne. Listen to the
author of the Memoires d'Outre--Tombe:--

"I found myself kneeling at the feet of the King at the moment
that M. de Villdle was taking the oath. I exchanged a few words of
politeness with my companion in knighthood, apropos of a plume
detached from my hat. We quitted the knees of the King, and all
was finished. The King, having had some trouble in removing his
gloves to take my hands in his, had said to me, laughing, 'A
gloved cat catches no mice.' It was thought that he had spoken to
me for a long time, and the rumor spread of my nascent favor. It

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