clergy and the ten boys attired as described above, leave the coro or choir, the archbishop places himself on a seat on the right hand side of the choir railing, and facing the high altar, the clergy and the boys all kneel down (the former remain kneeling the whole time of the dancing), and after a short concerted piece has been played and sung by the members of the orchestra and choir the boys rise and sing a solemn hymn bareheaded to the accompaniment of a stringed and wind band. This ended, they put on their plumed hats, and commence dancing by first moving from side to side and then winding in and out to the strains of a very slow measure, singing the while the refrain of a hymn. Presently the music ceases for an instant, a more lively tune is started, eight out of their number make more rapid movements, the two youngest remain in the middle opposite to each other and keep up a slow balancing motion from side to side, all still singing.
In the next figure, the choristers produce their castanets, the dancing is quicker than before. After a brief pause, another verse is sung by them, the figure which preceded the Castanet dance is repeated, and the whole winds up with a repetition of the opening dance and chorus.
CHAPTER VIII.
A Religious Dance performed annually in South Italy.
We propose in this paper to give a brief account of the annual fete in honour of St. Paulinus, which takes place at Nola, a small town formerly in the province of Campania, but now in the district called Terra di Lavoro. Nola is situated about 35 miles from Naples, and is celebrated in history as being the only place which successfully resisted Hannibal after the battle of Cannæ, b.c. 216; the following year its inhabitants under Marcellus repulsed that invader. The Emperor Augustus died there, and it was at Nola that Tiberius entered upon his reign. Some of the most beautiful of the terra cotta vases now in the Museum at Naples were found at or near this place.
