All those, O Lord!
Blot from remembrance;
To Thy glory, I pray,
Receive me immediately.
King of the Angels,
Prince of the Heaven,
May'st Thou grant me,
I pray Thee, Thy rest.
I ask Thee pardon
From my whole heart;
Succour me, O Lord!
With Thy holy hand.
I have not enough wit
To thank Thee therewith;
But if to Heaven I should go,
There will I praise Thee.
O Lord! I pray Thee, have pity!
Thou shouldest grant it me;
For to leave this world
I am determined.
Angel of the Lord,
Grant me strength,
Since Thou art
My Guide!
Lord, I commend
To Thee my spirit;
It is Thou Who first
Hast created me.
And O! great God! I pray,
If it be Thy will,
In the repose of the blessed
Place my soul.
Father,--whenever You will,--
Sacrifice me now;--
To find my God
I would depart.
Abraham is in the act of sacrificing when the Angel Gabriel seizes
him from behind, and bids him not do it, &c., &c. Any foreigner who,
unless he has a most charming interpreter or interpretress, can sit
out a whole Pastorale would surely deserve the first prize in the
school of patience.
The other kind of dramatic performance is much more irregular, and
may assume various forms according to the circumstances which give
occasion to it. It may be only a wild kind of carnival procession,
the Mascarade, where each gesticulates as the character he represents;
or a charivari in honour (?) of a dotard's marriage, wherein the
advantages of celibacy over married life are sarcastically set forth;
or it may take the form of a really witty impromptu comedy played
on a tiny stage in honour of the marriage or the good fortune of
the most popular persons of the village. One of the first kind is
excellently described in Chaho's "Biarritz, entre les Pyréneés et
l'Océan," vol. ii. pp. 84-121, to which we refer the reader. One
of the last kind was acted at Louhossoa about 1866, on the double
occasion of some marriages, and of the return of some young men from
South America. There were three actors; the piece was witty and well
played, and seemed to give the greatest satisfaction to the audience.