Meanwhile the way is being prepared from the King's palace to the baptistry; curtains and costly draperies are hung up: the houses on each side of the street are covered with hangings; the church is decorated, and the baptistry is strewn with balsam and all manner of sweet-smelling herbs. Overwhelmed with the Lord's favour the people seem already to taste the delights of Paradise. The procession sets out from the palace; the clergy lead with crosses and banners, singing hymns and sacred canticles; then comes the Bishop leading the King by the hand; and lastly the Queen follows with the people. By the way the King asked the Bishop if yonder was the kingdom of God he had promised him. "No," answered the blessed Remi, "but it is the beginning of the road that leads to it." When they had reached the baptistry, the priest who bore the holy chrism was hindered by the crowd from reaching the sacred font; so that, as God had ordained, there was no holy oil for the benediction at the font. Then the Pontiff raises his eyes to heaven, and prays in silence and in tears. Straightway there descends a dove white as snow, bearing in its beak an ampulla full of chrism sent from heaven. The heavenly oil emits a delicious perfume, which intoxicates the multitude with a delight such as they had never experienced before that hour. The holy Bishop takes the ampulla, sprinkles the baptismal water with chrism, and straightway the dove vanishes. At the sight of so great a miracle of grace, the King, transported with joy, renounces Satan and his pomps and his works. He demands instant baptism, and bends over the fountain of life.[310] [Footnote 310: Gregoire de Tours, _Le livre des miracles_, ed. Bordier, 1864, in 8vo, vol. ii, pp. 27, 31. Hincmar, _Vita sancti Remigii_ in the _Patrologie de Migne_, vol. cxxv, pp. 1130 _et seq._ H. Jadart, _Bibliographie des ouvrages concernant la vie et le culte de saint Remi, eveque de Reims_, 1891, in 8vo.] Ever since then the kings of France have been anointed with the divine oil which the dove brought down from heaven. The holy ampulla containing it is kept in the church of Saint Remi at Reims. And by God's grace on the day of the King's anointing this ampulla is always found full.[311] [Footnote 311: Froissart, Bk. II, ch. lxxiv. Le doyen de Saint-Thibaud, p. 328. Vertot, _Dissertation au sujet de la sainte ampoule conservee a Reims_, in _Memoires de l'Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres_, 1736, vol. ii, pp. 619-633; vol. iv, pp. 1350-1365. Leber, _Des ceremonies du sacre ou recherches historiques et critiques sur les moeurs, les coutumes dans l'ancienne monarchie_, Paris, Reims, 1825, in 8vo, pp. 255 _et seq._]