t water-fly type, such as Osric.
Misandro was also a prince. He was a swaggerer and behaved as badly as
any paladin, but he was not a buffo. When they do the Nativita at
Christmas a buffo is permitted, he accompanies the Shepherds as their
servant, and I should like to see him. Misandro was all in golden
armour, as fine a figure as one could expect a Prince of Judaea to be.
He had a contrast in Claudio Cornelio the good centurion. Claudio was
left alone with Christ and confessed his faith, while a bright light from
the cinematograph box illuminated the stage as though to signify that if
we believe, all will become clear. The most successful of the figures
was Pilate. He was in black with a red sash and his robes fell in folds
of great dignity.

The words were all declaimed either from memory or extempore, and there
were several speakers. The one who had most to do did it with a great
deal of energy, especially as Judas and Misandro. Gregorio spoke for
Christ and a woman spoke for the women and the angels.

The Christ was of course a failure, in art all Christs are failures, even
the Christ in the chapels at Varallo-Sesia, even the Christ in the
pictures by the masters. The Child Christ may be a success, at least we
can sometimes fancy that that baby might become the Saviour of the World,
he reminds us of those babies we have all seen in real life with a look
in their eyes as though they had solved the riddle of the universe. But
the Man Christ does not convince; we only tolerate him because we have
been brought up to acquiesce in the convention. The Christs of pictures
and statues are not, however, such failures as the Christ at
Ober-Ammergau; by keeping still and not trying to appear so real they
leave more to the imagination. If all these fail how can a marionette be
expected to succeed? Hiding its legs when it moves is not enough.
Gregorio knew he was attempting the impossible and did his best to save
the figure from being worse than it might have been, but the result was
rather as though it were all the time apologising for having undertaken
the part. He made it move very little and very slowly, so slowly that
the action of the drama was interrupted. He allowed it no gestures,
except an occasional raising of the hand. He spoke for it only the few
words given to Christ in the gospels. When it caused a miracle, there
came a great light, as when the good centurion confessed his faith, and
there was mu