first) holds up a little pellet of linen, as the box passes,
between his finger and his thumb, that men may see he has but
one, and then puts it into the same. The box consisting in the
inner part of two boxes, being painted on the outside white and
green, to distinguish the affirmative from the negative side, is
so made that when your hand is in it, no man can see to which of
the sides you put the suffrage, nor hear to which it falls,
because the pellet being linen, makes no noise. The strategus and
the orator having begun, all the rest do the like.

The ballotins having thus gathered the suffrages, bring them
before the signory, in whose presence the outward boxes being
opened, they take out the inner boxes, whereof the affirmative is
white, and the negative green, and pour the white in the bowl N
on the right hand, which is white also, and the green into the
bowl N on the left, which is also green. These bowls or basins
(better represented at the lower end of the figure by h, i) being
upon this occasion set before the tables of the secretaries at
the upper end N, N, the white on the right hand, and the green on
the left, the secretaries on each side number the balls, by
which, if they find that the affirmatives amount not to above
one-half, they write not the name that was balloted, but if they
amount to above one-half, they write it, adding the number of
above half the suffrages to which it attained. The first name
being written, or laid aside, the next that is put is BB named to
be strategus in the second order; the third CC, named to be
strategus in the third order; the fourth DD, named to be
strategus in the fourth order and he of these four competitors
that has most above half in the affirmative, is the magistrate;
or if none of them attain to above half, the nomination for that