V.JUNE 16, im] NOTES AND QUERIES.
471
pretended, from the time of Octavius Csesar
Augustus, or any Roman emperor. If I
remember rightly, the piece of prose in which
it is embedded makes no claim of antiquity
for it. Its language resembles that of the
'Biscayan Proverbs' of 1596, reviewed in the
Season at Biarritz, 2 April, 1896. (See p. 801
of ' Bibliographie Basque,' par J. Vinson,
Paris, 1898.) The unique copy of this anony-
mous collection exists in the Grand Ducal
Library at Darmstadt. Dr. G. Nick, the
librarian, supposes that it was brought from
Spain by the Landgraf Ludwig, who visited
King Philip III. in 1618. In these Lelo was
translated cancion. It is probably a schoolboy's
prize poem, perhaps a veiled expression of a
home-rule tendency among the Biskaitarrak
(Biscayans) when the Emperor Charles I. of
Germany, the Holy Roman Emperor, passed
through Durango and Markina. That Senor
de Biscaya left his state bed and travelling
chapel in the mansion of the Arcilla family
in the latter pleasant town, and we went to
see them. On returning to Durango, in the
afternoon of 27 July, I had the words of the
song printed on a sheet of paper at the press
of Senor F. Elosu, and a hundred copies were
distributed to various libraries and amateurs.
I now see that I misread three words. At the
beginning of the following month a clear
photograph, but far too small, was taken of
the Lelo by Senor Felipe Eizagirre, of Mar-
kina, from whom copies may be obtained. An
engraving of it, or a larger one, ought to be
published in some scientific periodical. There
is none in Basqueland. This is what the
crabbed scrawl appears to convey :
1. 1.
Leloyllelo Sing "(he is) dead!"
Sing ! Leloyllelo. Sing "(he is) dead!"
Sing!
Lelo azcarac The vigorous songs ;
dead.
Yl leloa.
Z (= 2). Romaco armac Aleguin eta Vizcayac daroa Qansoa.
3.
Octabiano Munduco jaun Lecobidi Vizcaycoa.
4.
Ychasotati Eta leorres Ymini deusco Molsoa.
5. Leor celayac
Bereac dira
The song of the
2.
The arms of Rome (have) done their all : and Biscaya carries off the war song.
3.
Octavianus (is) Lord of the World : Lecobidi (is) that of Biscay.
4.
By sea
and by dry land he hath put upon us the troop (of warriors).
5. The plains (of the) dry
land are his ;
Mendi tantayac
Leusoac.
6. Lecu Yroniam*
Gagoc.aniam Noc berasen ?
Dau gogoa.
7.
Bildurric guichi Arma bardinas
Eramayasu Guexoa.
8.
Sojac gpgorrac Ba dyrituys Narru biloxa Sur boa.
9.
Bost urteco Egun gabean Gueldi bagaric Pochoa.
X.
Gureco bata Yl ba daguyam Bost amarren Gal doa.
11. Aec anys ta
Guc guychi ta ya Asquyn yn dugu
the tree - tops (on the)
mountains, the (very) mists (are his).
6. In the good town (of the)
fortress (plaza) while we stay ; " Who is to put (it)
down?" he hath (as his) thought.
7.
Little fear with equal (stock of)
arms !
Take it yourself, poor fellow !
8.
The coats of mail hard if they seem to you ; (Try)'the bare skin ! Let the beam (of the catapult) go !
9.
For five year(s), day (and) night, without ceasing the dog (hath been guard).
10.
The one of our (side) if he hath killed, five in ten (having) lost he goes.
11. They (have lost)t many,
and we (have lost) few ; and
now
an end we have made ! Let' him go crest- fallen (?)!i
12.
In our land, and in their country, of so many arrows (behold) the heap !
13. No more can be done.
Gueure lurrean
Ta aen errian
Biroch ayn baten
Scamoa.
13. Esin gueyago
ta
The rest of the thirteenth and all the fifteenth strophe have been torn off the paper.
14. 14.
Tiber lecua The (fortified) place (on
the) Tiber Gueldico scabal will remain (with) open
(gates).
Uchin damayo He puts in empty-aban-
donment (for it) Grandoya. the grain-house.
16. 16.
Andi aristae Let the oaks grow tall !
Gueystosyn doas (Then) they go decaying.
With longing for ever
(A man) goes boorish.
Betico nayas
Narr doa.
- If Biscaya be taken, as it formerly was, for
all Basqueland, this word might mean " at Pam- plona."
f Or "He has."
J A mere guess for lal.
