ed the infant in his arms, and Madame de
Chemerault bore her train. She was followed by a suite of twelve nobles,
each bearing a flambeau in his hand; and after these came the Due de
Lorraine as godfather, with Don Juan de Medicis, son of the Grand Duke
Ferdinand of Tuscany, as proxy for the Grand Duchess of Florence, the
other sponsor, the ladies who had assisted at the Princess's levee
closing the train.

This party had no sooner taken possession of the place assigned to them
than the second group began to enter the enclosure. First came the
Marechal de Lavardin[347] with the ewer, then the Duc de Sully with the
cushion, next the Duc de Montbazon[348] with the taper, then the Duc
d'Epernon with the christening-cap, and finally, the Duc d'Aiguillon
with the salt-cellar. The Prince de Joinville carried the Princess,
whose ermine train was borne by Mademoiselle de Rohan. There was no
godfather, and the Duchesse d'Angouleme[349] walked alone as the proxy
of the Archduchess Elisabeth of Flanders, immediately behind _Madame_,
followed by Mademoiselle de Montmorency as her train-bearer, and the
ladies who had assisted at the levee.

Finally appeared the third and last division of the procession, headed
by the Prince de Vaudemont,[350] carrying the taper; and then followed
in succession the Chevalier de Vendome with the christening-cap, the Duc
de Vendome with the salt-cellar, the Duc de Montpensier with the ewer,
the Comte de Soissons with the basin, and the Prince de Conti with the
cushion; the Sieur Gilles de Souvry carried the Dauphin, whose right
hand was held by the Prince de Conti, while the train of his velvet
mantle, edged with ermine, was borne by the Duc de Guise, behind whom
followed twenty great nobles holding lighted flambeaux. These were
succeeded by the Cardinal-Legate de Joyeuse, who represented Paul V as
sponsor, and the Duchess of Mantua, the godmother, the Princesses of the
Blood who had assisted at the levee closing the procession.

The Dauphin having been placed upon the table, the Cardinal approached
him and demanded: "Sir, what do you ask?"

"The sacramental ceremonies of baptism," replied the little Prince,
according to the instructions which he had received from the Almoner
of Boulogne.

"Have you already been baptized?" again inquired the prelate.

"Yes, thank God," said the Dauphin firmly. To all the other
interrogations of the Cardinal he simply answered, "_Ab renuncio_"

After the unction