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The superintendent of provisions, elected every year by the

governor from a list of seven nobles formed from the council of

ten, was the president of the court of provision, which, composed

of twelve nobles, had, with other duties, that of superintending

the corn for the citizens. Persons in such a station would

naturally, in times of starvation and ignorance, be considered as

the authors of all the evil.

"Cheats!" exclaimed another; "can they do worse? They have had

the audacity to say that the high chancellor is a childish old

man, and they wish to take the government into their own hands.

We ought to make a great coop, and put them in, to feed upon dry

peas and cockleweed, as they would fain have us do."