"The Senate being assembled, the opinions (for example, if
they be four) shall be read in their order, that is, according to
the order or dignity of the magistrates or councillors by which
they were signed. And being read, if any of the council
introducing them will speak, they, as best acquainted with the
business, shall have precedence; and after them the senators
shall speak according to their regions, beginning by the third
first, and so continuing till every man that will has spoken; and
when the opinions have been sufficiently debated, they shall be
put all together to the ballot after this manner:

"Four secretaries, carrying each of them one of the opinions
in one hand, with a white box in the other, and each following
the other, according to the order of the opinions, shall present
his box, naming the author of his opinion to every senator; and
one secretary or ballotin with a green box shall follow the four
white ones; and one secretary or ballotin with a red box shall
follow the green one; and every senator shall put one ball into
some one of these six boxes. The suffrage being gathered and
opened before the signory, if the red box or non-sincere had
above half the suffrages, the opinions shall be all cast out, for
the major part of the house is not clear in the business. If no
one of the four opinions had above half the suffrages in the
affirmative, that which had fewest shall be cast out, and the
other three shall be balloted again. If no one of the three had
above half, that which had fewest shall be cast out, and the
other two shall ballot again. If neither of the two had above
half, that which had fewest shall be cast out, and the remaining
opinion shall be balloted again. And if the remaining opinion has