Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/458

 424 The Chevauchee de St. Michel.

regularly every three years until 1644, when the Civil War, in which the islands were deeply involved, was in progress, and we find that the Chevauchee was obliged to be post- poned, at the request of the Lieutenant-Governor, owing to the danger incurred in passing along roads exposed to the fire of the enemy ; and this state of things lasted until 1657. Again, after 1676 the Chevauchee was held very irregularly, being continually put off for various reasons, the absence of the Governor, the request of the King's receiver, etc., and now when it did take place we find that it no longer was fixed exclusively on a Monday, but on any convenient day either in the last week in May or the first week in June. In the eighteenth century it was also very often put off on such excuses as war with France, scarcity of grain, the number of alien immigrants in the island, the disinclination of the members, or the expense, which had to be defrayed out of the Crown revenues.

At different times we find that various receiver-generals of His Majesty's rents, as loyal Crown officials, tried to eliminate this drain on their royal master's purse. As early as 1439 John Phylippe, receiver of the King's' rents, was cited to appear before Denis le Marchant, seneschal of the Court of St. Michel, to explain his neglect in providing various dinners which the King, as seigneur of the Royal Court, owed his co-seigneurs and officials, especially those during the course of the Chevauchee. The old deed from which I quote describes them as follows : — When starting from the door of the Vale Priory there should be " du pain et du vin abondament et honnestement servis"; at the door of the Church of St. Peter-Port there should be provided "une table ronde, mise, fournie et garnie bien et honneste- ment de doublier, pain et vin"; also on arrival at "les portes de pleinmont" there should be "du pain et a boire"; and on the return of the Chevauchee to the said Priory they were entitled to have a "disner bien et honnestement tous ensemble es depens et coustages de notre dit Seigneur."