Chap. VI. DRAMATIC REPRESENTATION. 79 
king and a Christian king are neighbours. After continued 
wars they make peace. The Christian had fallen into the 
hands of the Moor, but the latter is a noble, high-minded 
man, who becomes the friend of his captive enemy, and 
under a solemn oath a treaty of friendship and alliance is 
concluded between them* The Christian goes back to his 
kingdom. As soon, however, as he has arrived, he breaks 
his oath, treacherously attacks his neighbour and friend, 
and becomes his prisoner for the second time. Now the 
faithless neighbour it is expected will receive the punish- 
ment of his perjury. But here the moral of the piece 
comes to light. The Christian succeeds in converting the 
heathen by arguing that even virtue without true faith is 
worthless. The Moor is baptized, amidst universal re- 
joicings, and with a solemn chorus, " injinida gloria 
damos" which the old Indians executed in a masterly 
manner, the play ends. With the exception of the intro- 
duced part of a buffoon, the whole passes on and was 
performed in the most serious style. 
I am not well enough acquainted with Spanish literature 
to know whether this piece may not be the production of 
one of the more distinguished Spanish dramatists, changed 
so as to suit the intelligence of the Nicaraguan Indians. 
The metre was trochaical and the language noble and 
high-sounding, which, from the lips of Indian peasants, 
produced rather a comical effect, as in the case of the 
Christian king addressing his knights and lords as 
" Condes, duques y marqueses . 
The play was divided into several acts, marked by the 
performance of dances connected with the progress of the 
action. They were executed in a serious style by a slow 
movement of different figures to the music of a peculiar 
