d in cloth of silver, each attended by two
torch-bearers; these were followed by twelve Syrens playing on hautboys,
who were in their turn succeeded by a pyramid whose summit was crowned
by a gigantic figure of Neptune, surrounded by water-gods and marine
divinities and insignia of every description. This stupendous machine
paused for a moment beneath the window of their Majesties, and the
aquatic deities having made their obeisance, it passed on, and gave
place to twenty-four other pages, habited and attended like the former
ones. These preceded the Duke himself at the head of twelve young and
brilliant nobles, all clad in cloth of silver, with plumes of white
feathers in their jewelled caps, and their horses richly caparisoned in
white and silver. Having made the tour of the court, the whole party
drew closely together in one angle of the enclosure, in order to make
way for the second troop, but not before they had exhibited their
equestrian skill, and elicited not only the approving comments of the
courtly groups who contemplated them from above, but also the vociferous
acclamations of the admiring thousands by whom they were hemmed in. The
Due de Bellegarde and his train had no sooner taken up their station
than a second _fanfare_ greeted the approach of the powers of Fire, who
were ushered in by twenty-four pages dressed in scarlet, closely
followed by four blacksmiths dragging an anvil, upon which, when they
reached the centre of the court, they began to strike with great
violence, and at every blow discharged such a shower of rockets into the
air that many a fair dame crouched behind her neighbour for protection
from the falling sparks; while the lamps and torches which lit up the
palace walls were momentarily eclipsed. As the last rush of rockets
burst, and fell back in a Danaean shower, a train of salamanders,
phoenix, and other anti-inflammable creatures appeared in their turn,
and were followed by the Duc de Rohan, attired as Vulcan, with his
twelve companions in the garb of Parthians, all similarly dressed, and
armed with lances, swords, and shields, on which their arms were
splendidly emblazoned. Renewed feats of dexterous horsemanship were
exhibited by this brilliant band, after which, as their predecessors
had previously done, they established themselves in an angle of the
lists, and made way for the representatives of Air. First came the
pages, forming an escort to the goddess Juno, with her attendant eagl