1 82 ovalle's historical relation of chile. 



being ready to fhew their acknowledgments to this fovereign queen of heaven, who has 

 favoured more particularly the kingdom of Chile with her protedion from the 

 beginning. 



Let us now fay what the city of St. Jago did upon this occafion, that the afFedion 

 with which the inhabitants correfpond to what they owe to this illuflrious queen of 

 heaven may be manifefted, and fome proof given of what they can do on,, fuch occa- 

 fions : and letting alone what was done by all the convents and monafteries, I come to 

 other particulars, to which three poetical contefts gave rife : thefe were publifhed 

 folemnly on horfeback through the town, with the company of the town magiilrates, 

 and all the gentry, without exception. The firfl of thefe troops were defrayed by the 

 cathedral, the fecond by the celebrated monaftery of the Conception, the third by the 

 congregation of fludents founded in our college ; and in all thefe there were prizes 

 propofed of great value for the poets ; and thofe who obtained them, had them given to 

 them with great folemnity ; and there were feveral reprefentations, with other diverfions, 

 according to the cuftom of that country. 



And, fince we are fpeaking of what happened in thofe holy feafts, let us not forget 

 as remarkable a pafTage as any : the day which it fell to the lot of our college to cele- 

 brate its feaft, the father provincial, who was to preach before mafs, felt himfelf fo 

 moved with love and devotion to the fovereign virgin, that, in a fit of extraordinary 

 zeal, he invited the people to come after dinner to the proceffion of our church, and 

 to fmg before the image of our lady, that ballad which was in thofe days fo famous, 

 and begins — 



All the world in general 

 Says fo, chofen queen of heaven. 

 That you are conceived even 

 Without fin original. 



The auditory was much edified with the piety of the good father, but fmiled at his 

 propofal as impracticable ; yet they all came at the hour, moft out of curiofity to fee 

 the event of this novelty : they all took olive-branches in their hands, and began the 

 proceffion while our fathers fung the ftanzas. It was wonderful, that the fame fpirit 

 which moved the father to fuch an extraordinary invitation, moved alfo all the people 

 to fmg before the image of our lady, which they carried thus to the cathedral ; out of 

 which the clergy coming to meet, and fmging the church-hymns, the noife of the 

 others fmging was fo great, that the canons were forced to give over, and accompany 

 the people in their ftanzas, fmging altogether like fo many children. They looked one 

 another in the face, admiring at what they were doing, being fcarcely able to believe ; 

 and if I myfelf had not feen it, knowing, as I do, the natural gravity of that people, 

 I fliould not have believed it neither ; but the inward force of devotion can do any 

 thing, when the Lord of hearts makes ufe of it to exalt the immaculate purenefs of his 

 mother. 



The rejoicings and entertainments upon this occafion lafted many days ; one of them 

 fell to the lot of the congregation of natural Spaniards founded in our college, who 

 made a very ingenious and coftly mafquerade, reprefenting all the nations of the world, 

 with their kings and princes all clothed after their own fafhion, with their attendants, 

 and laft of all the pope, to whom each nation came with its king, to defire his holinefs 

 to favour this myftery. The liveries were very coftly, and there was a triumphal 

 chariot, a great machine, in which was reprefented the church : but that which was 



moft 



