in
Literature
and Art.
211
Towards the fifteenth century, lay focieties, having apparently no
connection with the clergy or the church, but of juft the fame burlefque
character, arofe in France. One of the earlieft of thefe was formed by
the clerks of the Bazoche, or lawyers' clerks of the Palais de Juilice in
Paris, whufe pretident was a fort of king of mifrule. The other
principal fociety of this kind in Paris took the rather mirthful name of
Erjans fans Souci (Carelelis Boys); it conflited of young men of
education, who gave to their prelident or chieftain the title of Prince
des Sots (the Prince of Fools). Both thefe focieties compofed and
performed farces, and other fmall dramatic pieces. Thefe farces were
fatires on contemporary fociety, and appear to have been often very
perlbnal.
Almoft the only monuments of the older of thefe focieties confiit of
coins, or tokens, [truck in lead, and fometimes commemorating the names
of their mock dignitaries. A confiderable number of thefe have been
found in France, and an account of them, with engravings, was publifhed
by Dr. Rigollot fome years ago." Our cut No. 129 will ferve as an
I0
3 Q H64.
M4 X -1 1: S
Q Vv 1 Q
Q mm A _ IQ
N0. 129' Mane), qf the Arclzbijbop qftlxe Innocents.
example. It reprefents a leaden token of the Archbiihop of the
Innocents of the parifh of St. Firmin, at Amiens, and is curious as bearing
21 date. On one Ede the archbifhop of the Innocents is reprefented in
the aei of giving his blefiing to his flock, furrounded by the infcription,
MONETA'ARCHIEPl ' SCTI ' FIRMINI. On the other fide we have the
IIHIDB
1
1837.
" Monnaies
incormues
des
Ev9ques
Innocens,
des
dc-s
8600
Paris,