Elian in his account of the vast transmarine continent, which is taken from the historian Theopompus, and seems to correspond with the Atlantis of Plato, and is evidently meant to represent a place of future happiness and reward, says that the virtue and justice of the inhabitants is such, that the gods themselves did not disdain their intercourse and friendship."

These passages bear a considerable analogy to some in the Old Tes, tament, from which it is possible they may have originated.

L'AMADIGI DI M. BERNARDO TASSO.

Continued from page 158.)

Canto 1. In those good old times when the world was adorned with every virtue, the wise King of Britain died, and his brother Lisuarte was summoned from Denmark, where he had married Brisene the Danish princess, to succeed him. Accordingly he set sail, and with a fair wind reached the court of Languines, in Scotland. Here, while the two kings were discoursing together, they beheld a ship come full sail through the sky, which alighted close to the shore; sweet music was heard, such as might make all cares be forgotten, and a lady came out with an armed youth more beautiful than Adonis. One damsel carried his lance, another his helmet; the lady accosted the two kings, and besought Lisuarte to knight the child, saying that he was not less noble than he was fair, and that she had brought him from his mother's home, which was far distant, to receive knighthood from his hand, he having sworn not to receive it from any other. Lisuarte, craving leave of Languines, performed the ceremony; that done, an ugly dwarf came from the ship, leading a stately steed; a shield was hanging from the saddle-bow, it was set with jewels, and bore the picture of a damsel in a field or; and that no sword or lance might profane the divine beauty of that face, it was covered with adamant; this shield had been made by the Fairy Silvana, who had nursed the child. She now gave him the shield, which he threw round his neck, mounted, and rode away, and she also disappeared. Much did Lisuarte regret that he had not learnt their names,: many knights would have followed the strangers to enquire this, but he forbade them, judging that it was his wish to be concealed. Grimon however, took horse, and rode after him. He found him engaged in battle, and saw him kill his enemy. He asks his name, the young knight replies he must needs conceal it: a threat, and combat follow. Grimon is lying at his mercy, when a damsel comes up full speed, and holds the conqueror's hand, telling him that Grimon is one of her father's knights, whereupon he spares him and departs. She then

Varia. Hist. l. iii. c. 18.

then by magic heals Grimon of his wounds, tells him that the child is son to a queen, who lives in sorrow because she cannot have the father for her husband, and gives him the picture of this queen in a golden casket, to carry to Lisuarte; Alidoro, she tells him, is the name of the youth, Silvana of the fairy, who came with him. The king changes colour when he sees it, for he then knows that the strange knight is his own son. Lisuarte proceeding to Britain, leaves his daughter Oriana with Languines. The Child of the sea is given her to serve her, and they love each other. One day when the queen and court are in the fields, a lion rushes among them. The knights run away. The beast makes at Oriana, and the Child of the sea kills him.

2. Alidoro and his dwarf ride on till it grows dark, and they stop beside a fountain; suddenly a light appears in the wild; it proceeds from a rich pavilion of silk and gold, in which four tapers are burning, a bed ready, and a table spread fit for a prince. A female voice says to him, as he is hesitating what to do, Eat, Alidoro, and go to rest, I am thy friend, and will serve thee while I live in whatever I can. He then goes in, and looking at the picture in his shield, falls in love with it.

While the queen and her ladies are returning home, carrying the dead lion, a giant with four knights surprises them. Five old barons, who attempt to defend them, are presently put to death, but the Child of the Sea, taking the sword of one, kills one of the giant knights, wins his shield, overtakes the giant who has Oriana in his arms, kills him also, and then kills the other three of the party. This is injudiciously conceived, a giant and four knights would have been a reasonable day's work for Amadis in his ripe years; for a first adventure, and he being unarmed also, it is preposterous. Some of the fugitives carry the alarm to court. The giant was known to be the lord of a neighbouring island, which lay between Ireland and Britain, and who had now come on one of his usual expeditions to catch concubines. Agriante, concluding that he has embarked with his captives, puts to sea in pursuit of him. Once more the queen and her company are interrupted on their return home. But it is now by a more agreeable adventure; a hundred dwarfs meet them at night-fall, each carrying a torch, and dressed in garments whose riches might have satiated a thousand misers. A damsel with them exhorts the queen in Urganda's name to be her guest for the night, saying, that a king is at hand to escort them. Perion accordingly comes up, and they all go to a pavilion in a valley between two hills, a place worthy to be the abode of Urganda. The doors were of crystal, the windows transparent as the very air; and in each corner was the semblance of a lion, whose eyes gave more light than the conflagration of Rome when Nero set it on fire. Here the Child of the Sea beseeches Oriana that she would ask Perion to knight him.

3. Urganda bids Oriana make this request, and tells king Perion that in his wars with the king of Ireland this child will be his main support. Four pages come in, bearing a suit of armour, made per

haps

haps under the influence of certain stars. The king knights him, and victory and honour descending from the heavenly quire, hover over him on harmonious wings of purple and gold, and fill the air with flowers. Perion then departs. The queen of Scotland enquires anxiously for her son Agriante, and is told that he will soon return after he has taken the giant's castle and released all his prisoners. A damsel arrives from Gandalin, bringing to the Child of the Sea the sword, the ring, and the cake of wax, which were found with him in his ark. Oriana takes the wax, and the Child departs with Gandalin. Oriana asks of Urganda if she shall see him again after she is sent for by her father; the enchantress assures her that she will, and then she asks what is his country and his parentage.

Alidoro passes the night in talking to the picture, and to himself, upon the folly of talking to it. At length he falls asleep, which he had hardly done before the birds awoke him with their morning song, and he found himself lying in the open country, and his shield hanging upon a bough near him. A man meets him, and directs him to a great adventure which is nigh at hand. A little way off, he says, there are three rivers, each with a stone bridge, and upon each bridge a statue, the two first of marble, the third of gold. As he approaches, the first statue will wind a horn, and a knight come to defend the passage; if he be overthrown, he loses his arms and horse, if he be the conqueror, two damsels will crown him with a garland of gold, and he must advance to the second bridge. There if he be defeated he will lose only his armour, but if he conquers, the statue will give him a mirror of adamant, in which he may, at any time, behold his mistress, in whatever state she may then chance to be. A giant guards the third bridge; here the forfeiture is to be his own shield, and all that he has won at the other two passes; but the reward also is greater, for the golden statue will answer any questions concerning his love, and his future fortunes. Alidoro wins the passage of the first bridge, and proceeds to the second.

The Child of the Sea meets with the woman who is ripping open the wounds of her husband. It will be sufficient thus briefly to mention such parts of the story as closely follow the Romance.

4. The Child meets the damsel of Denmark, here called Lidia, and rescues Perion. Proceeding, he meets a knight in the forest who jousts with him; both keep their seats; but the laces of the stranger's helmet burst, and shew her to be a woman of excellent beauty. The Child draws back, and would have loved her if his heart had been free. She urges him to continue the battle, and says, that if he forbears because she is a damsel, thinking that women are unworthy to bear arms, she will maintain that they are, and do battle with him upon that quarrel; but the Child protests he has no such unjust thoughts of a sex whom he honours; and they become friends through the secret instinct of nature. She tells him her name is Mirinda, and that all she knows of herself is what a female Indian has told her, that she is daughter of a king and queen, and has been instructed to

seek

seek her father in this island, He in return, relates his own equally mysterious history; and they separate.

Alidoro meantime comes to the second bridge, and discomfits the second knight, who, as soon as he is overthrown vanishes, and the statue presents the conqueror with the magic mirror. Immediately he looks for the beauty of his shield, but to his utter astonishment, instead of perceiving a gentle damsel in womanly attire, he sees her armed on horseback, and in company with another knight, himself so beautiful, and in such friendly discourse with her, that the lover instantly becomes jealous.

Mirinda however has left the Child of the Sea; she lies down beside a brook to sleep during the heat of the day, and sees in a dream a knight kneeling at her feet, who makes a long declaration of love to her; she falls equally in love with him, wakes, and finds though the knight was an ideal form, the love remains. She looks for him in every place, and upbraids him for ungratefully forsaking her; innot ferring, without reason, that if it had been only a dream, she would not have been so truly in love.

5. The Child of the Sea kills Galparo, who was more cruel than Nero or Ezzelino. The damsel, whom he has avenged upon him, goes to the court of Scotland to Agriante, who is now returned, and tidings come in from all parts of the Child's exploits. Oriana, who is about to go to England, sends the Damsel of Denmark to meet him in France, and gives her the wax which contains his name.

Alidoro, having been entertained by the two damsels of the first bridge, proceeds to the third, the golden statue winds the horn, and the giant advances to attack him. This monster was twenty ells high, if he who measured him is not a lyar; his arms seemed likeftwo ship's yards, his legs and thighs like the trunks of two trees, and his armour was made of some marvellous thing, whether of the bones of a serpent, or of those monstrous birds which fly over Scythia, or of the tooth of orc or whale, the poet is uncertain. A terrible battle ensues. Alidoro's sword breaks, he throws the hilt at the giant's head, it makes him tremble and the bridge too. What can Alidoro do, without arms, and faint with loss of blood! must he perforce lose the mirror, the golden crown, and his darling shield, and be sent back with shame?

Mirinda meantime travels on, still complaining of love, till in a lonely valley she hears a knight complaining also of the same sorrow, he is lying along upon the grass, groaning and weeping, she. accosts him, and persuades him to acquaint her with the cause of his grief,

6. He proves to be the king of Valencia; he and the duke of Medina had wooed the king of Seville's daughter, but while they stood at a distance, adoring the flowers of the tree, another rival had plucked the fruit. The duke, discovering this, had accused the princess to her father; by the laws of Seville incontinence was to be punished with death, the party tempting being to be burnt; but each VOL. I. 2 N

of

of the lovers claimed the punishment as guilty, to save the other, and the judges would not decide to sentence either. The king of Valencia says, that unable to bear this he forsook his country, but that the danger in which she is, grieves him even more than the total loss of his own hopes.

Urganda comes in a fairy ship, more beautiful than Cleopatra's, and carries Oriana and Mabilia to Windsor. On this day she tells her the history of the birth of the Child of the Sea..

(To be continued.)

MEMOIRS OF DISTINGUISHED PERSONS.

THE LIFE OF DONA LUISA DE CARVAJAL Y MENDOZA.

THE following narratiye is collected from a volume, entitled Vida y Virtudes de la Venerable Virgen Dona Luisa de Carvajal y Mendoza, su Jornada a Inglaterra y Sucessos en aquel Reyno, Por el Licenciado Luis Munoz, Madrid, 1632. The book is dedicated to Philip IV. In this dedication the author asserts that the late king had made peace with England for the sake, among other motives, of rendering the name of Catholic less odious in that island by the support of his greatness and the communication of his piety; and that when D. Luisa was moved at the same time by Divine Providence to go to England, he favoured her purpose, asssisted her with his liberality, and recommended her to his embassador.

There is a second dedication, A la Madre Mariana de San Joseph, Priora del Convento Real de la Encarnacion de la Recoleccion de San Agustin. Here the author says that, thirty years ago, when he was very young, he had the good fortune to see the face of D. Luisa, which still remained impressed in his memory; his father had introduced him to her, that he might see and speak with her; and his mother who visited her at Valladolid, and for many years frequented the same church of the Jesuits, often talked of her virtues, and of her journey to England. These recollections induced him, when he had seen the Librico de sus honras, which was printed at Seville, to write an Eulogy on her death. There was also an account of her death current at Seville, and he wrote to a devotee of D. Luisa's to procure it for him: this person did not succeed, but informed him that there existed somewhere her life written by her confessor, which, upon farther enquiry was found to be in the Convento Real de lo Eucarnacion. The prioress readily consigned it into his hands, together with seven and thirty depositions, which had been collected by command of the king, in order to procure her canonization. This con

fessor