And finally, at end of a banquet when candied spices were served, the First Chamberlain handed the dragée box to the Spicer for an assay, and then passed it to the senior person of the Duke's Houshold present; this person presented the box to the Prince, and then returned it to the First Chamberlain, who in turn replaced it into the hands of the Spicer - always assuming this last person to have survived the earlier assay of his product!
Source: wiktionary