The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-04-12
The Popular Drama in France
i'm the Earlier MiddRe.Age.

IN the HTSG OF the MluUIe-
Age the Church was the real domicil of
the people she was like the mother and
the people like the children. A mans
house, the Wretehed hOyel to which he
retired in the evening after the days
toll, was only a temporary shelter. So
cial life altogether sought refuge with
the Church, the place. at the same time,
for the prayers Of thepeople and for the
deliberations of the commune. Trade
was carried on around the churches;
the places of pilgrimage were also fairs.
The articles of merchandise received
the priestly blessing, even cattle were
brought to receive benedictiOn, and af-
ter the bargain was struck, the buyers
aud sellers ate in the church, and after
the feast followed a dance.
The old pagan orgies were initiated
by the people in the churches themselves
with the permission of the clergy who
even participatedin these burlesque rep
reservations. Yes, it must be said, that
the Church, at first, rather encouraged
these infantine joys; she made a child
of herself to prattle with her children.
Is not all permitted to a child? and in
those early days the European nations
were just like children, jolly and bois-
ferrous, living in the moment without
any thought of the future.
Thus crowds entered the church, drag
ngaftert them the hideOus dragon of sin
Called at Tarascon e drac, at Metz lie
graouEi, at Rouen la g~GrgOuite, at Paris
lie m0mstre de Bierre), gorged with Wet
uals, to the SaviOr's feet, to wait for the
stroke of the prayer which was to immO-
late it. All over France were kept the
so-called fetes DIES JoUs, which were re-
peated at the festivals of the Nativity,
the Circumcision, the Epiphany, the
Murder Of the %InnOcents, at Christmas
and Easter. At Paris, the people cele-
brated la fete DIES sous didcreS ii. e. diacres
sous-drunken priests), who elected a
bishop of u%nreason, offered him incense
of burnt leather, sang obscene songs,
and turned the altar into q table. At
Evreux, on the first of May, St. Vitals
day, was la fete DIES CorWardS-cuckolds'
hOliday-when the populace crowned
each other with leaves !; the priests wore
their SUPPLIES the wrong side out, and
threw bran into each others eyes; and
the bell-ringers pelted each other with
hard biscuits-cGsse-mNSedur. At Beau
vais, a girl and child were promenaded
round the town, taken to mass, and the
burden of the psalm on that occasion
was hi-hdR! At Reims, the canons
promenaded in two files, each dragging
a Lent-herring, and trying to step on the
herring dragged by the one before him.
At Harfeur, on ShrOve- Tuesday, took
place la fete de Ia scie-the saw festival.
The magistrates kissed the teeth of a
saw and the uprights of a saw (les batons
fisewr) were carried in procession by
two monks and taken to the house of q
man who used to beat his wife.
Even the humble witness of our Sa-
vior's birth, the faithful animal, which
with its breath warmed his body, as he
lay in the manager, which bore him and
his motherinto Egypt, and which carried
him in triumph into Jerusalem-even
the poor ass had it's share in the general
joy. At Beauyais, Autun, and other
places, they celebrated Ia fete de Zane.
At the end of the mass, the priest turn
ing to the people with the words: lite,
missa est" (you may depart, church is
over), would neigh three times, and then
the people would thrice answer eli
haw, hi-haw, hi-haw.7 Then the follow
ing hymn was sung:
Orientis partibus
AdVentavit asinus
Pulcher ct fOrtisgimus,
Safcinis aptissimus.
Hez, sire asnes, car chantez
Belle D0tChe r~echignez,
Vous aurez du fOin assez
Et de PavOine a planter.
Lentus erat pedibus
Nisi fOret baculus
3 cum in ciTJnibuE
Pungeret aculeus
Hez, sire aSnes etc.
Hie in collibus sichem
Jam n1tritus sub Ruben,
Transit per Jordanem,
SalHt ill Bethlehem.
Hez, sire asnes etc.
Ecce magnis auribus
~SubjugaliS f1liUs,
.Asinus e%gregius, |
ASin0rlIm dOminUs.
Hez, sire asnes etc.
Saltu vincit hinnulOs,
Damas, ct capreOl0s,
Super drOmedariOs
Velox Madianeos.
HeZ, sire asnes etc. 81.
Aurum Gle Arabia,
Thus ct myrrham de Saba,
Tulit in ecclesia ...-.
Virtus asinaria, .
Hez, sire .asnes etc. |
Dunn trahit vehicula
Mutta cum s%areinu1a,
ILLUS mandibula
DuFa terit pabula. |
..,. HeZ, sire asnes etc. "
Cum artists hortleum
COInedft ct carduum;
Triticuln G palea |
Segregat in area,
Hez, sire asnes etc. |
Amen dieas, asine,
Jam satur de gramine:
Amen, Amer itePa,
Aspernare ycfePa |
Hez va! hez va! hez va hez!
Biax sire asnes ear allez,
Belle b0lcfle car Ghantez.
(From the East came the ass, fair and strong, fit
for burdens. Ha, sir ass, open your fine mouth
70 sing, you shall have hay enough and plenty
of oats.
He was slow Of foot, unless the stick was used.
OF the goad pricked him in the buttOcks. Ha,
sir ass, etc. '
by Ruben on the hills of sicbem, he
crossed the Jordan and bounded into RefhIe..
hem. Ha, sir ass, etc.
with his long ears, the son of the woke the