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woman with a basket of fruit on her head; a sheep bleating, and an ox lowing on the ground; a raven croaking, and a crow cawing on the hay-rack; a cock crowing above them; and angels singing in the sky. The animals and birds have labels, expressing nearly the same words as described in the French representation. Brunet, in his " Manuel du Libraire," names " Traduction des noels bour-guignons de la Monnoye," 1735, and such a translation must have been very useful, for those who wished to read them with ease, though at the risk of losing part of the original humour.
There are several collections in the French language, provincial and otherwise; Hone mentions one in his possession, called " Noels Nouveaux sur les Chants des Noels anciens notez pour en faciliter le chant, par M. l'Abbe Pellegrin," 8vo. Paris, 1785. The tunes of some of the more favourite old Noels may occasionally be found in collections of popular French airs; and among the chap-books of the day small books of Noels will be found at a very cheap rate. Besides those already described, I have the following provincial editions. " Nouveaux Cantiques Spirituels Provenceaux," with the music, Avignon, 1750, 12mo. This is not exactly a collection of Noels, but contains some of that class. " Recueil de Noels Provencaux, composes par le Sieur Peirol, Menuisier oV Avignon. Nouvelle edition," Avignon, 1791, 12mo. This contains forty-one, besides six pieces of a different description. They are principally of a light, joyous nature, and contain many ideas similar to those in the English carols; the dialect in all these collections is troublesome to read without a little practice, just as our own Lancashire or Cornish, or other marked dialects would be. " Recueil de Noels Provencaux composes par le Sieur Nicolas Saboly. Nouvelle Edition, aug- |
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