68 
TRAVELS 
the fame notes. The Laplanders, after exhaufting their breath, 
perfevered in uttering the fame cry in a kind of fainting or fading 
voice, as long as there was a particle of air in their lungs. Their 
mufic, without meaning and without meafure, time or rythmus, 
w T as terminated only by the total wafte of breath ; and the length 
of the fong depended entirely on the largenefs of the ftomach, 
and the ftrength of the lungs. With all my knowledge of the 
mufical art, I was quite reduced to a nonplus amidft thofe mufi- 
cians of Lapland; and I envied more than ever the fkill of the 
Abbe Renauld; an advantage which would have flood me in 
great flead in the circumflances in which I was then placed.* 
While the Laplanders were uttering cries in the manner juft 
defcribed, they articulated certain w r ards, which induced me to 
alk our interpreter their meaning, and whether they were any 
verfes or fragments of poetry. But I foon learnt that their ge¬ 
nius for poetry did not tranfcend their turn for mufic. The 
words they pronounced in their vociferation were only repetitions 
of the fame expreftions over and over again. For example, “ A 
“ good journey, my good gentlemen—gentlemen—gentlemen— 
il gentlemen—a good journey—journey—journey—my good gen- 
“ tlemen—gentlemen—a good journey—journey—journey—jour- 
“ ney,” &c. and fo on as long as they were able to fetch any 
breath : when this was exhaufted, the fong was ended. 
* The Abbe, in a note under the article Swan, in that part of BufFon’s work 
which treats of birds, affiires us very gravely, que les cris des cygnes eft founds d un 
ritkme conjiant et regie a la mefure d deux terns. CEuvres de Buffon, vol. xxiv. 
page 25. Edition de Paris, H83. 
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