pertaining to France.

In the second place, neither dialect is in possession of any peculiar literature capable of repaying the toil of the student.  There are various books extant both in French and Spanish Basque, but these consist entirely of Popish devotion, and are for the most part translations.

It will, perhaps, here be asked whether the Basques do not possess popular poetry, like most other nations, however small and inconsiderable.  They have certainly no lack of songs, ballads, and stanzas, but of a character by no means entitled to the appellation of poetry.  I have noted down from recitation a considerable portion of what they call their poetry, but the only tolerable specimen of verse which I ever discovered amongst them was the following stanza, which, after all, is not entitled to very high praise:—

“Ichasoa urac aundi,
Estu ondoric agueri—
Pasaco ninsaqueni andic
Maitea icustea gatic.”

i.e. “The waters of the sea are vast, and their bottom cannot be seen: but over them I will pass, that I may behold my love.”

The Basques are a singing rather than a poetical people.  Notwithstanding the facility with which their tongue lends itself to the composition of verse, they have never produced among them a poet with the slightest pretensions to reputation; but their voices are singularly sweet, and they are known to excel in musical composition.  It is the opinion of a certain author, the Abbé D’Ilharce, who has written about them, that they derived the name Cantabri, by which they were known to the Romans, from Khantor-ber, signifying sweet singers.  They possess much music of their own, some of which is said to be exceedingly ancient.  Of this music specimens were published at Donostian (San Sebastian) in the year 1826, edited by a certain Juan Ignacio Iztueta.  These consist of wild and thrilling marches, to the sound of which it is believed that the ancient Basques were in the habit of descending from their mountains to combat with the Romans, and subsequently with the Moors.  Whilst listening to them it is easy to suppose oneself in the close vicinity of some desperate encounter.  We seem to hear the charge of cavalry on the sounding plain, the clash of swords, and the rushing of men down the gorges of hills.  This music is accompanied with words, but such words!  Nothing can be imagined more stupid, commonplace, and uninteresting.  So far from being martial, they relate to everyday incidents and appear to have no connexion whatever with the music.  They are evidently of modern date.

In person the Basques are of the middle