fc RARY(K ,, if <& irl n-$$ ^5 n f S I A\\E-UNIVER% .^v of i r ^ ^ I I * I i ^ -Ml-UBR %HI|! 3 S jk V v > '">///. Aj.ivjrtmiit.rj.> C? ^ ^*s v ii I 3 1 ^ 1 i slOSANCflfr^ ^OF-CAllFOfe c<5 "-> I ^. S 1 " = %a3AINrt3\\V^ ^ A] IS" s -x A \ *>- V. > V D. ERAXCISCO BE QUEVEDO. LETTER S FROM AN ENGLISH TRAVELLER I N SPAIN, IN 1778, ON THE ORIGIN and PROGRESS O F P O E T R Y IN THAT KINGDOM-, With occafional Reflexions on MANNERS and CUSTOMS; And ILLUSTRATIONS of the Romance of DON QUIXOTE, ADORNED WITH Portraits of the mofl eminent Poets. Sed idem Pads eras, ti.ed.ufque belli, HOR LONDON; Printed for R. BALDWIN, PATER NOSTER ROW; And fold by PEARSON AND ROLLASQN, BIRMINGHAM. M. DCC LXXXI. ERRATA. Page 25, line 3, for Gemblacemfis, read GemUacenfis, 52, line 3, for Don Don, read Don. 57, laft line of note for Ovibue/a, read Oribuela. 87, laft line, for Bracenfes read Bracharenfes. 125, verfes, line 4, for ww read veces. 131, line 4th, of verfes, for ninguno duo, read ningune, 134, line 14, for/atyr, read fa fire. 159, line 1 6, for Cetinia, read Cetina. 166, laft line for twinquefort read Origin of the Caftilian language,'* that it never exifted as a diftincl lan- guage prior to the invafion of the goths, and that it owed its origin to a corruption from the latin, though the exacl; time could not be fixed. Se- veral parchment infcriptions and por ems having been discovered and dug up in Granada in the fixteenth cen- tury, weakly attributed to St. Cecilius. SPANISH POETRY. n a difciple of St. James, aad fuppofed to be coeval with the days of the a- poftles; yet written in the Spanifh language; thefe were alleged with an intemperate zeal againft Aldrete, who, dreading the iron hand of fu- perftition, and not daring to contra- djc"l the blind notions of his country- men, unwilling at the fame time to give up his opinion, he fell upon this fingular device, '* that thefe writings \vere delivered in a prophetic ftrain," and thus avoided the conteft. Thefe monuments of grofs and bigoted cre- dulity were carefully fent to Rome to be examined, where they have fince been finally condemned, and the bu- finefs is now at an end fa). We need (a] Papebrochius, in his Life of Ferdinand the faint, for the 3<_>th of May, has given a full account 9! thefe Granada poems $ even die reading of them not 12 ORIGIN OF ijot then be furprifed at their igno- rance in other matters relating to the antiquities and hiftory of their coun- try. Father Sarmiento, a learned be- nedicline, complains, that there are feveral hebrew and arable books, re- lating to Spain, with which his own countrymen are totally unacquaint- ed ; adding that Albupharage was \ tranflated by an Englishman, Elmacin by a Dutchman, and the Geographia Nubienfis by a Maronite, being all a- rabic compofitions, which, without abfolutely belonging to Spanifli hift- ory, are replete with a variety of mat- ter >that greatly ferves to illuftrate its hiftory and geography. But let was prohibited in 1641, and they were finally con- "82. "Memorias para la hifloria de la :as Efpanoles. For El Rmo. P. M, : o, Madrid, 1775." me SPANISH POETRY. .13 me not involve you in Inch a chaos. I have already exercifed your patience and let me rather entertain you with this agreeable climate, fo particu- larly inviting at this feafon of the year. v I have made an excurfion to the famous mountain of Montferrat, the wonder of naturalifts, which our en- glifh travellers in Spain have fuf- ficiently defcribed. I fpeak of it on- ly in a poetical flyle, as it has been celebrated in heroic verfe by Chrifto- pher de Virues of Valencia, whofe poem of Monfenatc I fend you here- with, which makes it unneceflary for me to add any more on the fubjecl. You may remember this poem was alfo in Don Quixote's library, and preferred -14 ORIGIN OF preferred from the flames. Should this find you reading that incompara- ble romance, obferve that I have juft been on the fpot near the walls of this city, where the Bachelor Sanfon Carrafco, alias the intrepid Caballero de la Blanca Luna, overthrew in (ingle combat the unfortunate hero of La Mancha, and gave the finifhing flroke to his extravagant adventures. Adieu* LETTER SPANISH POETRY. LETTER IL Latin -poets in Spain after the conquefi of tbt Roman s^ and under the Gotbs. BARCELONA, i2th MAY, 1778. AS you propofed to fet out im- mediately for England, and to pafs with the utmoft expedition through France, I hope I mall foon hear of your fafe arrival, as it will be fome time before 1 can join you. Whatever may be the novel" ties and pleafure arifing from travel, the mind naturally preponderates to- wards home, and I feldom pafs a day without cafting a willful eye towards England, and enjoying, in private, the 16 ORIGIN OF the pleafmg expectation of returning to my own country, and once more with rapture, to hail fair Britannia ! I find, fmce I came here, that I had a narrow efcape, and that if I had been longer at fea, and obliged by any accident, to put' into Marfeilles, our fhip would have been feized and ourfelves become the dupes of a per- fidious and inveterate enemy ! but thank God we have had the good fortune to avoid their deceitful wiles. Having mentioned to you the de- feat of the hero of La Mancha^ you will perhaps expecl from this place a fcene on the gallies, fimilar to the one defcribed in fo lively a manner in Don Quixote, but thofe days are SPANISH POETRY. 17 are paft at Barcelona ; the harbour has long fince been choaked up with fand ; the plans offered to reme- dy this defecl have been rejecled, and though the city and port have lately been beautified, this place is only frequented by fmall veflels, and the arfenal which ferved for thofe gallies, formerly the terror of the Moors, is now converted into a foun- dery of cannon, where I have feen them bufy at work. The corfairs are well apprized of this alteration! for the day I entered Barcelona, I faw two of their cruifers (land clofe in to the mouth of the harbour, with an exulting indifference. I have fpent my time very agreea- bly in this place, and have been of fe- G veral i8 ORIGIN OF veral chearful parties in the neighr bourhood. I have laid in a provi^ fion of good Mataro wine, which is a red wine little inferior to Port, and confiderably cheaper, and have had the pleafure to drink your health in a bumper of excellent Sitges, by far the beft of all the Catalonian wines, which in general have a roughnefs, with a certain gout de terroir. Previous to my departure for Va- lencia, I refume my favourite fubjecl;, and entertain you with the poets after the conqueft of the Romans, and under the Goths, as introduc- tory to what I fhall fay of the Caftilian mufe when I come to il- luftrate its different eras, under its monarchs, till the fucceffion of a french SPANISH POETRY. 19 french prince to the throne of Spain. I fhall point out the various Cancio- neros, or collections, that have been made of the Poets, the Spanifli tranflations of the greek and latin claffics, and Italian poets, as well as the Spanifh writers who have pro- feffionally treated of the art. We read that the natives were fond of poetry time immemorial, and cultivated it with fingular delight. Silius Italicus relates, that the peo- ple of Galicia compofed and fung verfes in their original tongue. Stra- bo extols the ingenuity of the Turde- tani, and fays that they had hiflories and poems, as well as laws written in verfe, when it was firft applied, as Horace fays, to foften the manners, C 2 and 20 ORIGIN OF and introduce order and decorum in- to civil fociety. As to the primitive language of Spain we are ftill in the dark concerning it, if we give it a greek orphoenician original, a fimilar genius of poetry will naturally fol- low ; if it fhould be compared to the hebrew, which neither you nor I un- derftand, I muft refer you to a learn- ed britifh prelate, to whofe refined and claffical tafte we are indebted for ajuftidea of the poetry of that people. After Spain had been conquered by the Romans, it infenfibly became the feat of the mufes. Caius Julius Hy- ginus, the freedman of Auguftus, and according to Suetonius, a Spaniard by birth, was the intimate friend of Ovid, and is faid to be the author of the SPANISH POETRY. 21 the aftronomical poetry that goes un- der his name. In the fame age flou- riflied Sextilius Hena, of whom Se- neca fpeaks but indifferently, taxing him with being more ingenious than learned, and fo flighty and unequal withal, that he feemed to fall in- to the bombaft and fuftian which Cicero takes notice of in the poets; of Cordova, who perhaps had a pe- culiarity of manner and diclion, fuch as even Livy the hiftorian could not divert himfelf of. The city of Cor- dova produced three good poets un- der that monfler Nero, the two Sene- cas and Lucan. The tragedies of Seneca are the only latin ones extant of the ancients. Martial of Bilbilis, now Bambola in Aragon, lived un- der Domitian. He mentions feverai C 3 other 22 ORIGIN OF other poets that made a figure in his days ; fuch as Unicus, his kinfman, whofe brother was alfo a poet, Cani- us of Cadiz, Decianus of Merida, and Licianus alfo of Bilbilis. From this time down to the emperor Conftan- tine, the poetic vein feems to have greatly declined. Juvencus, a prieft, put the gofpel into hexameter verfe, and was the firfl ecclefiaftical bard. Arator tranflated the ads of the apof- tles into hexameters, and was follow- ed by Sedulius. Latinus Pacatus, in a panegyric on the emperor Theodo- fius, declares, that Spain abounded in valiant foldiers, eloquent orators, and excellent poets. St. Jerome fpeaks of Aquilius Severus, a Spanifh poet, who flourifhed under Valenti- nian. Prudentius, who lived in the fourth SPANISH POETRY: 23 fourth century, is equally read for the harmony of his numbers, as for the information he gives of the church hiflory of his time. We now come to the fifth century, when the favage goth overrun the dominions of Spain ; though we muft not charge thefe invaders with the ignorance and barbarity of the age, or make them the only def- poilers of that tafte which the ro- mans had left with the Spaniards. A more powerful caufe operated on the mind : The gloom of fuperftition univerfally prevailed, the ecclefiaf- tic poet full of holy zeal for religion, was afraid to break in on its myfte- ries, and his genius was cramped; without a fpark of poetic fire he writ C 4 hymns 24 ORIGIN OF hymns for the church, to ftrengthen the devotion of the people, who were cautioned againft the allegory of the gentiles ; fo that by degrees every idea of the fublime and beautiful was loft. Idacius however fpeaks of a Spanifh poet called Marobaudes, who was of illuftrious birth, and an excellent orator, worthy to be clafled with the ancients ; adding that he flourished under Theodofius the 2nd, in whofe days alfo lived Dracontius, who according to Ifidore writ an he- roic poem on the creation of the world. In the fifth century we find the bi- fhop Ciponius, who compofed a po- em in which he compares the ftory of Phaeton to the fallen angels ; a fingu- lar allufion for a chriftian prelate. ID SPANISH POETRY. 25 In the fixth century flourifhed Oren- cius, who is fpoken of by Segebert Gemblacemcis, and writ a poem en- titled Commonitorium, in hexameters and pentameters, publimed with notes by father Martin Antonio del Rio, and more correclly by Don Juan Ta- mayo de Salazar. In the feventh cen- tury we have St. Ildefonfus, archbifhop of Toledo, who compofed epigrams and epitaphs. St. Eugenius, archbi- fhop of the fame church, continued the poem of Dracontius on the crea- tion of the world ; a lofty theme ! feemingly referved for the dignity of our own language, as the experience of many ages has evidently (hewn, that it belonged to the divine Milton a- lone, to treat fo fublime a fubjecl, and fmg 44 Of man's firft difobedience." LETTER 26 ORIGIN OF LETTER III. 'Journey to Valencia. Latin Poetry under tie Saracens. Library of Don Oregon o Mayans. VALENCIA,>22nd MAY, 1778. TH E badnefs of roads, the want of poft-horfes and car- riages with the inconvenience of mi- ferable inns, are common topics for travellers in this country ; but we muft attribute it rather to their gothic laws and bad policy of government, than to the natural difpofition of the peo- ple. 'Till the old tenures are abo- lifhed, as well as the variety of fhack- les with which induftry is fettered, the traveller mufl bear every thing with SPANISH POETRY. 27 with patience ; for otherwife, he on- ly offers an idle and ufelefs com- plaint ! In every town and village the privilege of keeping an inn be- longs to the lord of the manor or the corporation. If a private perfon with- out authority was to make the at- tempt he would incur a fevere penal- ty, and be immediately punifhed. Thus the privileged innholder fleeces the paffenger with impunity, that he may pay an exorbitant rent to the land- lord, befides a confiderable premium at entrance. In many places this, occupation is deemed a public office, which every one in his turn is obliged todifcharge, (ometimes for a term of three years. When the lot happens to fall on an indigent peafant, what comfort can be found under his roof? 2S O R I G I N O F roof? How can fuch an inn be pro- vided with furniture, and what fort of beds are to be expecled from a man, who wrapped up in his cloak has ilept all his life on the ground? But this is not all : provifions are a- nother monopoly. It would be high^ ly criminal for an inn-keeper to have a larder, or even wine in his cellar ; every thing mufl be purchafed at ap* pointed places, where the wearied traveller mud go or fend his fervants, and even then feldom finds what he wants ; at thefe places, difdain and fcorn is the lead he is to expect, added to the reception of an enemy rather than a friend, and he curfes the land-* lord, his houfe, and his country ; for which reafon the natives, who know what they have to expect, feldom fUr from SPANISH POETRY. 29 from home, unlefs urged by the utmoft neceflity; by which means the country is unhofpitable, and the traveller as much at a lofs as in the defarts of Arabia. Under thefe forbidding circum- ftances, animated by that infatiable paflion, curiofity, I hired a carnage at Barcelona, drawn by mules, hav- ing previoufly provided myfelf with a kettle, knife, fork, and fpoon, napkins, and a little flock of coffee, chocolate, tea, fugar, &c. with a camp-bed, and other field equipage ; thus I fallied forth in quefl. of adven- tures, having obtained a permit from the Captain-general of the province to travel with fire-arms, which was inferted in my paflport, and in this manner, 3 o ORIGIN OF manner, travelling at the rate of about twenty miles a day, I arrived happily at this pleafant city, delight- fully fituated near the fea, in a beau- tiful vale, fo highly efteemed by the Moors, that they fondly conceived paradife to be feated in that part of heaven which hangs over it. No wonder then if the poetic vein fhould partake of the happy influence of the climate, and the Valencian mufe be fo remarkably infpired. In my laft letter I am afraid I overpowered you wilh dulnefs, in wandering through the dark ages of gothic barbarity and ignorance ; we now draw near to a more brilliant epocha, the invafion of Spain by the Saracens in the eighth century; which brought SPANISH POETRY. 31 brought about a further revolution in the underftanding of men, as well as in dominion ; fince with the arts and fciences, the Arabs introduced a new flrain of imagery to enliven the fancy of the poet ; the mufe partook of its bold metaphor and lofty flight, robed in the fplendid garb of ficlion, decked with oriental pearl, and heightened with all the powers of imagination ! Without tracing the remote origin of poetry from the fongs of the gothic bards or the iflandic fcalds, the po- etical field becomes animated, and the Rhunic enchantments feeble and dim, when compared with the boundlefs luxuriance of the Eaft : however, we muft not lofe fight of the latin mufe, when in queft of her Caftilian defcendant, but once more behold 32 ORIGIN OF behold her with her diflievelled locks, difguifed under gothic drape- ry. Amongft thefe was Theodolphus, bifhop of Orleans, in the eighth cen- tury, though a native of Spain, whofe poems have been publifhed in France by father Sirmond : thofe of Alvaro of Cordova, in the ninth century, and of Ciprian, arch-prieil of Cor- dova, have been preferved in Spain by the late father Florez, a learned monk and celebrated antiquary Were it neceffary, I could foon fwell the lift, for at that time poetry feem- ed to inflame every bread. Alvaro of Cordova particularly fpeaks of it, as a vain amufement and paftime, in ivhich St. Eulogius and himfelf had wafted much of their youth. It is from thefe writers, and the imperceptible decay SPANISH POETRY. 33 decay of the latin tongue, that we muft trace the firft dawn of the Ca- Jftilian mufe ; concerning which I mean to entertain you, when I have ranged a little further in this delight- ful fpot, and beheld the variety of landscapes, with which the bounteous hand of nature has every where en- riched this charming a.nd beautiful country. In the courfe of my rambles amidft orange groves, immenfe plantations of mulberry trees, and various plea- fant gardens, I have in vain fought for the Olivera de Valencia, mention- ed in Don Quixote. That famous and venerable tree, celebrated by flo- ral games and rural fports, now ex- ills no more, though the olive is cul- D tivated 34 ORIGIN OF tivated with the greateft afliduity and yields excellent oil. Hearing that there was a veflel in the road of Valencia, bound for England, I have fent you ajar of oil ; and fome excel- lent olives, which though perhaps not fo lufcious as thofe from Andalufia, that Cicero was fo fond of; yet I hope may dill find a place at your table. The culture of the olive is general in all this part of the coun- try. The method of propagating it, is ftill the fame as mentioned by Virgil : Cf Quin & caudicibus fe&is mirabile diftu " Truditur e ficco radix oleagina ligno." G E OR G. 2. V. 30. I have had the pleafure to become acquainted with the learned and cour- teous Don Gregorio Mayans, former- SPANISH POETRY. 3.5 ly librarian to the king; who now lives here, having a good eftate in this country, and to his politenefs I am much indebted for many civilities, as well as great information. To give you an account of his numerous writ- ings in almofl every branch of litera- ture and jurifprudence, would fill a volume. You have read his life of Cervantes, annexed to the Carteret edition of Don Quixote. He is now writing the life of Virgil, and is poffefTed of a moft curious and valua- ble library, chiefly of the writers of his own country, with many fcarce manufcripts, and a numerous collec- tion of the old Spanifh tranflations of the greek and latin claflics. He is now in a very advanced age ; but flill preferves vivacity and a moft af- D 2 fable 36 ORIGIN OF fable difpofition, added to a furpri- ling application. During the in- trigues of the jefuits, who were afraid of him, his houfe and library were inverted by an armed force ; dragoons broke into his fludy, and took away many of his books by authority !-- ;-~ Oh, happy England! where the pro- perty of individuals is facred, and where the leaft violation of liberty, meets with a fpirited and juft refent- ment from the people ; of which we have lately had fo linking an inftance in a cafe of this nature. Such is the public fpirit of our country, that if the mod flagitious character is attack- ed either in his perfoft or freedom I fay, were even fuch, ever to be opprefTed, the tutelary genius of li- berty guards the injured party with her SPANISH POETRY 37 her fhield, in hopes that a due fenfe of her protection, may corre& the heart and reform paft errors; but Don Gregorio Mayans is juft at my door, and I muft bid you farewell. LETTER 38 ORIGIN OF LETTER IV/ Attachment of the Spaniards to the Arabic num- bers. Literature of the Spani/h Jews. VALENCIA 28th MAY 1778. AS I poftpone making you ac- quainted with the Caftilian mufe till my arrival at Madrid, I can- not refrain from troubling you with fome further reflections on the fara- cens, tending to elucidate the influ- ence which their government had o- ver poetic numbers. The very faces of the prefent inhabitants carry fuch a nriking refemblance of their ancef- tors, and the african caft of feature is fo SPANISH POETRY. 39 fo perceptible, that I am infenfibly led into this fubjecl. It being common for the vanquifli- ed to receive laws from the conque- ror, it was natural that Spain mould (hare the fate of arms, and receive with the faracen yoke their manners and cuftoms. Thefe people having held a long pofleiTion of this country, in- troduced their language, religion, arid literature. The oriental ftyle of poetry pervaded every mind, and the exuberant genius of its compofition not only became univerfal, but in a manner worked the downfal of the roman numbers. Alvaro of Cordo- va, complains that the Spaniards had fo totally forgotten the latin tongue, and given the preference to arabic, D 4 that 40 ORIGIN OF that it was difficult even amongft a; thoufand people, to find one who could write a latin letter. So great was the attachment of the people to the chaklaic books, and the literature of the orientals, that they could write arabic With remarkable purity, and eompofe verfes with as much fluency and elegance as the arabians them- felves. Not only charmed with their poetry, they even embraced their re- ligion ; for Ifen, king of Cordova, wha died in 795, had three thoufand apof- tates from cbriftianitj, in his train. Thus after a long period of near eight hundred years that the domini- on of the arabs continued ; the pro- vinces of Spain fplit into numerous dynafties, Eoitriflied in oriental lite- rature SPANISH POETRY. 41 rature; whilft the Caftilians diflin- guiflied themfelves in feats of arms, and were fpilling their blood in de- fence of their territories ; honour and love were' fang by the bards, and the arabic mufe furniftied a nume- rous lift of poets, whofe names are recorded in the Bibliothcca Hifpana of Don Nicolas Antonio ; the oriental dictionary of Herbelot, and the ara- bic hifpanic colle&ion of manufcript* in the efcurial, lately publi fried at Madrid, by Cafiri, a Maronite, in two volumes in folio, at his catholic majefty's expence ; where a numerous collection of poets may be found, hitherto unnoticed, all which are carefully preferved in the valuable library of the efcurial. In this clafs the province of Andalufia particular- 42 ORIGIN OF ly dfflinguifhed itfelf ; its inhabitants feemed animated with a peculiar brilliancy of compofition. The two academies of Cordova and Seville fiione beyond others. Their writers introduced harmony and numbers into the tnoft ferious fubjecls, leaving nothing either in religion or poli- tics, nor in any branch of polite arts which did not partake of their verfe and poetical enthufiafm. Ebn Tar- hun of Seville who flourifhed in the year 691 of the hegira, raifed his mufe to the mod fublime themes ; he fung of the creation of man ; of the foul ; and defcribed the temple of Mecca. Dhihaldin Alkazary who flourifhed in the fixth age of the hegira, writ a po- em called " the treafure of poets"; while others employed themfelves in comments SPANISH POETRY. 43 comments on their moft claffical wri- ters. Ebn Forgia, who lived in the fifth age of the hegira, writ a commen- tary on the famous poet Almotuabi, and Ebn Macrana commented upon the poem on animals by the perfian, Abiotman. Nor were the powers of verfification confined to the men, but extended equally to the fair fex ; feveral ladies gave proofs of their ta- lents, thofe of Andalufia in 'particu- lar, did honour to the mufes, and their works are preferved in the ef- curial ; but none were more famous than Maria Alphaifuli of Seville, who was the Sappho of her time, Befides thefe celebrated geniufles, the fame of many others has been preferved in the dictionaries of ara- bic 44. ORIGIN OF bic Spaniards, compiled by mahom- etan writers : fuch as the dicliona- ry arabic arid hifpanic, in the efcu^ rial, of all the caliphs, captains, phi- lofophers, poets, and learned ladies of Spain, in four large volumes, by Ebn Alkhali Mahomed Ben Abdalla in the year 710 of the hegira. Like- wife the hi r ftory of all the Spaniards and Africans, famous in arts and fci- ences, particularly in poetry, writ- ten by Ben Mahomed Abu Naffer Alphath of Seville, who lived in the lixth age of the hegira ; which book is in the king of France's library. Thus the arabic mufe flourished while fupported by the cimeter, and totally perifhed with its em- pire, when the victorious arms of Ferdinand and Ifabella drove the moors out of Granada. It SPANISH POETRY. 45 It is to thofe days we mud alfo look up, to form an idea of the lite- rature of the Spanifh Jews, which was cherifhed by Matters from Baby- lon, where they hacj academies fup- ported by themfelves; at a time when books were fo fcarce in Spain a- mongfl chriflians, that in the begin^ ning of the tenth century, one and the fame bible, with St Jerom's epif- tles and other ecclefiaftical works fer- ved different monafteries. In the year 967, Rabbi Mofes and his fon Rabbi Enoch, having been taken by pirates, were fold as flaves at Cordova, and re- deemed by their brethren, who eila- bliftied a fchool at Cordova, of which Rabbi Mofes was appointed the head, who being defirous of returning back to his own country, the 46 ORIGIN OF the moorifh king of Cordova would not give his confent, rejoicing that his hebrew fubje&s had matters of their own religion at home, without the neceflky of receiving them from a foreign univerfity; and every in- dulgence was granted them with ref- pecl: to their worfhip, exhibiting a true fpirit of toleration, worthy to be followed by their chriftian fucceflbrs. In the year 1039, Rabbi Ezechias was put to death at Babylon, who had fucceeded Hai Gazon, whofe fons fled to Spain, by which the el- derfhip of the Gaons became extinct, and their college was transferred to Cordova, from whence a fwarm of he- brew poets iflued lorth, that have been noticed by various learned wri- ters. SPANISH POETRY. 47 ters. Our countryman Thomas Hyde in his treatife De ludis orientalibus* mentions a hebrew poem on the game of chefs by Aben Ezra. In Portugal, Rabbi David Ben Solomon Ben David lachifa of Lifbon who lived in 1440, writ a treatife on hebrew poetry, which was tranf- lated into latin by Genebrard, and printed in 1587, at the end of his Ifagoge, to read hebrew without points; it abounds with quotations of the different metres of the hebrew poetry in Spain. They may be very fublime, but for my part I cannot read the language, either with points or without, and you will pardon this digreflion: however it gives us an idea of the flourifhing ftate of their fchools 4 S ORIGIN OF fchools in Cordova, Seville, Granada, and Toledo, and we need not be furprifed at the numerous hebrew proverbs, and modes of fpeech, that have crept into the caflilian lan- guage, and form a confpicuous part of its phrafeology; for though king John lid banifhed the Jews out of his kingdom, and the rigid and cru- el inquifition was afterwards efta- blifhed to purge the nation of that feel, yet all the horrors of that bloody- tribunal, have not been able com- pleatly to effect this fanguinary purpofe. The Spaniili language owes thefe people a particular obligation, for that curious verfion of the hebrew books of the old teftament, which long SPANISH POETRY. 49 long after their expulfion they firft printed at Ferrara, in 1553, ^ n a ' thic-fpanifh letter. A curious and fcarce book, comprehending many energetic words, and peculiar expref- fions, not to be found in the diction- ary of the Spanifli academy, and which they feem to have cautioufly a- voided. This verfion is thought to have been made by that learned \ grammarian, David Kimchi, in the tenth century. Father Sarmiento has given many critical and judici- ous reafons for attributing this ver- fion to the age of Kimchi, and cen- fures father Simon greatly, for fay- ing it was made at the time it was printed, when fcarcely underflood by the Jews, quam vix Judcei intelligunt. But you will fay I am now going on at an extravagant rate. Should E this 5 o ORIGIN OF this find you fafe returned, as I hope it will, remember me to my reverend friend, your brother; tell him what he lofes in not ftudying Spanifh, and if he fmiles at the conceit, remind him oi Gafpar Lindenberg, who has written de non contemnendis ex lingua kijpanica utilitatibus theologicis (a). Having now furnifhed you fuffici- ently with hebrew, arabic, and go- thic-fpanim information, and poured in upon you a legion of hard words, added to a variety of uncouth and harm-founding names, I mall in my next touch upon the proceedings of the Trobadours, and then fet out for Madrid. Meanwhile I take my laft farewell of jews and mahometans. (a] See Bibliotheca Grsca, of Fabricius. LETTER SPANISH POETRY. LETTER V. Proceedings of the Trobadours in the kingdom of Aragon, until its union to ths crown of Caftile. Character of the Marquis of Villena, an emi- nent poef. VALENCIA, 3 tft MAY, 1778. FROM the miflaken laws and no- tions concerning inns on the road, you will entertain a very indif- ferent idea o the interior police and government in towns in this country. Valencia, however, in this refpecl, deferves fome exceptions, and I was not a little furprized at my return to my inn the fecond night after my arrival, to fee the city guarded by a E 2 patrol, 52 ORIGIN OF patrol, the men carrying lanthorns and poles in their hands like our London watchmen. This 'regulation is owing to the patriotic fpirit of Don Don Joachin Foz, a worthy magif- trate, who propofed it for the relief of a number of poor men, heretofore employed in the making of fire- works, a confiderable branch of in- duflry in this capital, till a late pro- clamation abolifhed them all over the kingdom. To find bread for a num- ber of diftrefled families, he hit up- on this laudable expedient. They walk the feveral ftreets from eleven at night, till five in the morning, cry- ing the hours and the weather, and keeping the peace as with us ; but as this fine climate isfeldom obfcured by dark nights or cloudy mornings, the ferene atmofphere SPANISH POETRY. 53 atmofphere only affords them a mo- notony of expreflion, and the word^- reno, becomes their conftant clamour; from whence they have acquired the name of Serencros, which added to the flillnefs of the town, recalled to my mind the beautiful night of Milton : *> Silence was pleafed : now glow'd the firmament " With living fapphires: Hefperus that led " The ftarry hoft rode brighteft." I have now an opportunity of im- proving myfelf in the poetry of the Trobadours ; for the language of this country is a dialed of the prdvenzal, and introduced itfelf with their verfe in all thofe parts where their num- bers prevailed ; fuch as the coun- - ties of Languedoc, Rouflillon, and Barcelona ; kingdoms of Valencia, Murcia, Majorca, Minorca, and Sar- E 3 dinia ; 5 4 ORIGIN OF dinia ; where it remains to this day. The Spanifh writers boaft of their Trobadours as high as the twelfth or thirteenth centuries. William cle Ber- guedam, a Catalan baron, was a Tro* badour, and his poems are preferved in the Vatican library, (a] as well as thofe of Nun de Mataplan (b) ; they alfo rank Raymond Lulli, of Majorca, in this clafs: but without looking fo far back, I {hall not go higher than the fourteenth century, when John the firft, king of Aragon, who was alfo a poet, invited the Trobadours to fettle in Barcelona, as we learn from Zurita, the learned and claffic hiflorian of that kingdom. The fifteenth century produced the celebrated Aufias March and James Roig, both of Valencia ; the works of the former have been (a) Codex 3204, 3205, and 3207. <) Codex 3204, and 3207. turned SPANISH POETRY. 55 turned into Caftilian verfe; the latter vented his fpleen againft women in a fatyrical piece, called Efpil, or tL the Looking-glafs," which feems to have been imitated by Prior. To court afterwards the favour of the fair fex, Roig fung the immaculate concep- tion of the Virgin. This poet was phyfician to queen Mary of Aragon, wife to Alfonfo the fifth, and lived to be near a hundred years old. Though there are five editions of his works, none are later than 1562. The fol- lowing lines may ferve as a fp^cimen of his ftyle : Noranta cinch O cent anys tinch Dels quals cinquanta O los fexanta Del meus millors Penes dolors Man elpletat. E 4 \In 56 ORIGIN OF In the fixteenth century, Peter Se- raphi diftinguifhed himfelf in the Va- lencian dialed, and his poems are prefixed to an edition of Aufias March, printed at Barcelona, in 1560. Many other bards are fpoken of, though the exacl period when they lived cannot be afcertained. Among the reft, Arnau Catalans (a), and Mo- la (b), whofe works are in the Vatican library, MoIFen Narias Vinyolles(^), Vincent Ferradis, Don Franci de Ca- ftelor % Miguel Perez, Juan de Ver- dancha and Moffen Bernardo Fenol- lar, of all whom, there are proven zal (a) Codex 3205. (b) 3207. (c) The appellation of Morten is peculiar to Va- lencia, in imitation of the French word Monfieur, in the fame manner the Italians ftile a foreigner Monfn, SPANISH POETRY. 57 poems in the Cancionero General printed at Antwerp, in 1573. Fe- nollar was a native of Catalonia, and in that dialed, wrote in couplets, a po- em on the " contemplation of Chrift" printed at Valencia, in 1493. They value themfelves greatly in this city on their early knowledge of the art of printing, when it was not in ufe in any other part of Spain ; and fhew a latin dictionary, entitled, Compre- henforium(a), and a Salluft, printed in 1475: So that they foon followed (a) The Comprehenforium has the following fentence at the end : " Praefens hujus comprehenforii prse- clarum opus Valentin imprefTum, anno. m,cccc,lxxv. Die vero xxiii. menfis februarii finit feliciter." The univerfity in the city of Valencia was founded in i 470, two other were afterwards founded in the fame pro- vince, viz. in the city of Gandia, in 1549, and at Ovibueb, in 1555. the 5 8 ORIGIN OF the example of Oxford, where we find a book printed in 1468 (a), which was feveral years before Caxton praclifed that art in England. The provenzals generally made ufe of the hendecafyllable verfe : their poems confifted chiefly of fonnets, paflprals, and love fongs, which gave rife to a poetical tribunal, termed, the court of love; confiding of a fe- lecl; number of eminent poets, who decided all controverfies amongft themfelves on thefe fubjecls. The Trobadours were chiefly of the prime (rt) This book is in the public library at Cambridge. The title is, Expoficio Sandli Jeronimi in Simbolum Apoitolorum ad Papam Laurentium. At the end, Explicit expoficio, 8cc. ImpreflTa Oxonie 8c finita, an. dom. m,cccc,lxviii See Hiftory and Art of Printing, by P. Luckombe. M. T. A. London, 1771. nobility SPANISH POETRY. 59 nobility of the kingdom ; at length they carried the poetic licence fo far, as to give much fcandal to the pub- lic, and even to tainc the reputation of the palace, as well as of the ladies of the court; for to make thefe enter- tainments more Jprightly, they invi- ted minftrels, ft rollers, and buffoons, which in fome meafure juftified the precautions taken afterwards againft them. However the kings of Ara- gon, Don John the ift, Don Martin, a.nd Don Ferdinand, reformed thefe poetical confiftories, and brought them into high reputation, in which the laft mentioned fovereign was greatly aflifted by his kinfman, Don Henry of Aragon, Marquis of Ville- na. Thefe monarchs ailifted in per- fbn at their alfemblies, where the verfes 60 ORIGIN OF verfes of the candidates were recited, and the premiums diflributed with all the magnificence and fplendor of roy- alty. The poets who had gained the prizes were crowned with laurel, a- midft the acclamations of the fpecla- tors, added to the joyful found of mu- fical inftruments, fucceeded by an ele- gant repaft : they were then conveyed home with a courtly attendance, and prefented with an exclufive privilege to fing, and read their verfes in pub- lic at pleafure: a noble^ inftitution! the continuance of which was fo ar- dently wifhed for, by that immortal genius, Michael de Cervantes, the contemporary of Shakefpear, and I will almoft venture to add, in every refpecl his equal. The SPANISH POETRY. 61 The mufes feetn to have taken great delight in the kingdom of Aragon. At the coronation of king Alfonfo the fourth, in 1328, the Infant Don Pe- dro, earl of Ribagorza, and brother to the king, attended by the principal nobility, exhibited dances and a va- riety of paftorals, and fongs, com- pofed for that pleafing event. The Joglar, or poet Ramufet, fung a paflo- ral fong compofed by the earl ; and Novelet, another Joglar, recited a poem of fix hundred verfes by the fame royal hand. The attachment to poetry feemed hereditary in the royal line of thefe princes, and continued in the Marquifs of Villena, who com- pofed the Arte de la Gaya Sciencia, for the ufe of the college of Trobadours, befides many other poems, which were greatly 62 ORIGIN OF greatly admired, and frequently re- cited in public. An hiflorical poem of all the poets of Aragon, has been fince compofed by Don John Francis Andres de Uftar- roz, hiftoriographer of Aragon, in imitation of that of the great Lope de Vega, of the poets of Caftile. Uftarroz compleated his in 1652, and thought firfl to entitle it Parnaflb Aragones; but he altered his mind, and called it Aganipe de Los Cifnes Aragonefes, celebrados in el darin de la fama: but it never was printed, and ftili remains in manufcript in the king's library at Madrid. The union of the crown of Aragon with that of Caflile, in the perfon of king SPANISH POETRY. 63 king Ferdinand the fifth, who married Ifabella, heirefs of Caflile, feems to have eclipfed the fabling of the Tro- badours. The Aragonians and Catalo- nians adopted the Caftilian dialect, when the influence of that kingdom prevailed, and the cultivation of its language and manners paved the way to honour and preferment. The poet Bofcan, of Barcelona, tuned his lyre to the genius of Caftile, and though a few bards attempted to fup- porta languishing mufe, Miguel Perez and juan de Verdancha, of Catalonia, introduced the Caflilian metre and ihyme into their verfe. About this time Columbus difcovered a new world for the arms of Caftile, which gave fuch a fplendour to its court, and dig- nity to its language, that the Caflili- an mufe (hone like a newconftellation in 64 ORIGIN OF in the firmament ! the wonderful ex- ploits of intrepid heroes engrofied univerfal attention ; the boundlefs love of fame immortalized the gallant foldier, while the fordid view of lucre difhonoured the adventurer, though it replenifhed the kingdom with gold. This unexpected event gave rife to a variety of paflions. The nation was roufed; the great empire of Monte- zuma ceafed in America ; the Spanifh ftandard was difplayed in the new world; and the effeminate Trobadours, and their fongs, were entirely for- gotten. It remains for me, however, to fay fomething of the Marquis of Villena, whofe great character appears confpi- cuous in the poetical annals of his country ; SPANISH POETRY. 65 "country ; being in a manner the father of poetry in Spain, as well as the brighteft ornament of his age. This illuftrious nobleman of the royal houfe of Aragon diflinguifhed him- felf early in poetry, philofophy, and aflrology, and with fuch attachment to this laft fcience, that amongft his ignorant countrymen he generally pafled for a necromancer. As his fa- mily had been difpofTeflcd of the marquifate of Villena, Henry III. had given him the earldom of Can- gas, and afterwards procured him to be elected grand matter of the mili- tary and religious order of Calatrava. For this purpofe the marquis obtain- ed a divorce from his wife under pre- tence of a natural impediment ; then ceded the earldom of Cangas to the F crown, 66 ORIGIN OF crown that it might not fall into his order at his death, and was elected grand mailer : fome of the knights however protefted, and elecled Don Luis de Gufman, a caftilian noble- man; but the king went in perfon to Calatrava, put the marquis in pofTef- fion, and every thing was quiet till the death of the king, when Guzman who had fled to Rome renewed his claim before the pope, and the knights reiufed further obedience. A long fuit was commenced, which laf- ted fix years, and was referred to a general chapter of the order of Cifter held in Burgundy. Whilft, this was depending, the marquis attended on his uncle Don Ferdinand of Aragon when he fucceeded to that crown, and came with him to Barcelona, where SPANISH POETRY. 67 Where he prefided at the confiflory of Trobadours, and writ a theatrical piece, in which, juftice, truth, mercy, and peace, were the principal cha- racters. In the rnidft of thefe rejoic- ings news came in 1414 that he had loft his eleclioh, and was deprived of his grandmafterfhip; with art injunc- tion to cohabit again with his lawful wife, which he complied with, and became a fuitor at the court of king John II. then an infant, for an in- demnification for his earldom of Cangas. After much folicitation he obtained the lordfhip of Iniefta, where he retired with his wife, and gave himfelf up to philofophy and the mufes. Befides a tranflation of Dan- te into profe, he tranflated the ^Eneis of Virgil in fpanifh verfe, at the F 3 requeft 68 ORIGIN OF requeR of his kinfman John king of Navarre, and intended to dedicate it to that monarch, for which purpofe he had affixed a painting, in which the king of Navarre is reprefented fitting on his throne, and the mar- quis presenting him his book ; but when all this was compleated, he dropped his defign, as that monarch went to war with the king of Caftile, on which account he avoided all fur- ther communication with him. His mod famous piece was his book on the Gay a Sciencia^ which is a com- plete fyflem of poetry, rhetoric and oratory, befides defcribing all the ceremonies of the Trobadours at their public exhibitions. This work he dedicated to his illuftrious and learn- ed friend the marquis of Santillana. After SPANISH POETRY. 69 After fuffering much from the gout, he died in retirement in 1434; his fine library was burned under the notion of his knowledge of magic, and the bifhop of Segovia, confeflbr to the king who was charged with this commiflion, is faid to have re- ferved moft of the books for himfelf. Thus ended this great philofopher and friend of the mufes, who was contemporary with our poet Lyd- gate, and had jufl reached the days of the renowned Chaucer, the father of englifli poetry, whom he greatly refembled. With him he ran the career of courts, and experienced the ficklenefs of royal favour, equally preferring retirement and fludy, and like him, had the merit of refining F 3 the 7 o ORIGIN OF the language and poetry of his try. Thus the names of both bards have been jointly handed down with veneration, by a grateful pofterity! If their verfe wanted melody, it was owing, to the inaccuracy of meafure, and imperfection of language at that time, when both the Englifh and CaPiilians feem more to have courted the god Mars, than Apollo ; for while the Caftilians were daily encroaching on the Moors, the viclo- rious banners of England were tri- umphant in Paris, where our Henry VI. was crowned king of France. Alas, poor Macias ! t nifty efquire of the grand mafterVtHena, haplefsbard, mould I forget thee ! who didft fing of love, and feel the fmart of its em- bittered arrow: imprifoned for excefs of SPANISH POETRY. 71 of paffion, after the fair objecl of thy love had been difpofed of; and had given away her hand in thy abfence : loaded with chains by Villena for the follies of youth thou felleft fudden, when bewailing thy fate; the Gali- cian raufe ftrewed flowers over thy tomb, thy verfe is trea lured up in the efcurial, and the portuguefe bard claims thee as a parent, for this was thy fong : Cativo de Mina triftura Ja todos prenden efpanto, E preguntan, que ventura Foy, que me atormenta tanto. Mas non fe no mundo amigo, Que mais de meu quebranto Diga, defto que vos digo Que ben fee nunca devia, Al penfar que faz folia. F 4 Cuyde ORIGIN OF Cuyde fubir en alteza For cobrar mayor eftado, E cay in tal pobreza, Que moyro defemparado Con pefar e con defefo Que vos diray malfadado, Loque yo he ben ovejo Quando o loco cay mays alto Sobir prende mayor falto. LETTER SPANISH POETRY. 75 L E.T T E R VI. Journey from Valencia to Madrid- Battle of Almanza.La Mancha. MADRID, izth JUNE, 1778, I NOW date this from Madrid* where I arrived after a journey of nine days from Valencia, by the new road lately made from that city to this town, which is every -vhere mark- ed out and rendered paffable, though not compleated farther from Madrid than the town of Ocana, nine leagues from hence ; fo far the road is excel- lent, and has mile ftones ; but when the remainder will be finifhed, or the intended canal of Caftile, for inland 74 ORIGIN OF inland navigation be compleated, no one can tell ; for while the family corn- pad has its fway, and they wafte their treafures in fchemes of bound- lefs ambition ; they are only grafping at a fhadow and impoverifhing their people. It is true, they have not as yet taken off the mafk, and keep ftill an ambaflador at our court - r but for my part, I have no doubt of finifter defigns which will foon appear evident ; and that the ideas of Cafti- Jian honour re phantoms, by which we muft'not fuffer ourfelves to be de- ceived in a political light, whatever notions we may have been induced .to form of individuals.. In the courfe of my journey to this place, I patted over the plains of Almanza SPANISH POETRY. 75 Almanza where a pillar proclaims the victory of the French and Spaniards over the allied army in 1707, when mofl of the Englifti were killed of taken prifoners, having been fhame- fuily abandoned by the Portugueze horfe at the firil charge, and the fuc- pefs of that day fixed the crown of Spain on Philip Duke of Anjou, fa- ther to the prefent king, adding new dominions to the refllefs an4 ambitious houfe of Bourbon. Our foldiers fpilled their blood in (hat war, as they had done before in that caufe. In the reign of Charles the II. the Englifh troops obtained a compleat viclory at the battle of Evora, and took the rich tent and all the bnggage of Don John of Auftria, the 76 ORIGIN OF the Spanim general ; for which our Charles generoufly ordered the fum of forty thoufand crowns to be diftri- buted among the foldiery. What do you think was the largefs of our magnanimous ally ? Three pounds of fnuff'to each company! which when given to the Englifh foldiers, they toiled up in the air out of contempt and difdain (a). [a] The following puffage from a judicious writer, fhews the obligation of the Portugueze nation to England fo fully, and carries fuch convi&ion with it, that I am induced to make the quotation.' 4k I have fcen, he fays, a large collection of privileges granted by feveral kings of Portugal to the Englifli beyond thofe enjoyed by the Poitugucze fubjeds, I know not whether I may call them charters. Thefe were copied from the archives of the kingdom in the Torre del Tumbo, but themoftantientwasof king Fer- dinand whofe reign began not till 1367. There are Several of Jolin the Firft, his fucceffor, fome of which I was SPANISH POETRY. 77 I was mufing on this fubje$, and had bewildered myfelf in political reflec- refer to others granted by bis predecefTors. By this it appears that the Englifh had a great hand in fetting up the kingdom of Portugal, and if the hiftorians of this country deceive us not, they had as great a {hare in protecting and fecuring it, as often as it hath been brought into danger by a foreign enemy. Twice it was like to be wholly over-run by the Caftilians, who had poflefled themfelves of the greateft part of the kingdom, and gained a nume- rous party ot the nobility over to their fide, and hud been very near .taking Lifbon itfelf ; the firft time in the reign of Ferdinand, the laft of the law- ful defcendants from Alfonfo Henriquez, the other time while John the Firft, from whom all that had iucceeded him derived their titles, was firuggling for the crown, and they have been as often relieved by the Englilh and enabled to carry the war into the enemy's country, our princes of the blood conde- fccnding to go in perfon to their afliltance, firft Ed- mund Langlcy Earl of Cambridge, and afterwards John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaftcr ; and if after the feveral flourifhing reigns that (uccecded, they were at iaft reduced under the ,5j jnl.iL yoke, it was becaufe tions ^ ORIGIN OF tions till I entered the plains of Ld Mancha. There I recovered my good humour ; faw many a fat laughing Sancho, drank good wine at Cuidad Real, fpent a night at the village del Tobofo, the refidence of the peeflefs Dulcinea ; faw the windmills which the diftracled Quixote miftook for they were wanting to themfelves, the Englifh having Cent out a gallant fleet and army to their refcue, under Don Antonio, whom they had made their king, but they would not accept deliverance, and fo they remained under the power of their enemies, Thofe fmall forces fent by king Charles, after his reftoration, by their unparalleled valour, foon put an end to the quarrel, and the victories obtained by their means being feconded, as they were, by the vi- gilance, dexterity and conduct of the fame king's ml- nifters, recovered Portugal and reftored it to the condition in which it now remains-" See " An ac- count of the court of Portugal under the reign of the prefent king Don Pedro lid." London, 1700- giants, SPANISH POETRY. 79 giants, and at a Venta, or inn in La Mancha, was pleafed with the fimpli- city of a Manchega girl, who waited upon me at fupper, and afking her if fhe had ever heard of fuch a perfon as Don Quixote, anfwered, " O yes Sir, often ; they fay he is lately dead." But this will not feem extraordinary when I was told of a field Officer, a perfon of merit, that after long fervice had rifen from a private fol- dier, who, when in company, and the difcourfe fell on Don Quixote, faid, he had often heard of him, and afked ct whether he had not been Co- lonel of the Regiment of Flanders." Having been in this capital before, I fpeak with more boldnefs of their manners and cuftoms. You mud not however 8o ORIGIN OF however expect from me details of this fort ; or imagine a variety of en- tertainments, as in London or Paris; or fuch open fcenes of diflipation and luxury as are daily exhibited in thofe brilliant capitals ; but though the walk is more private, I believe" the inhabitants, whatever they may be in fcience or refinement, are not behind hand with them in vice or debauchery, as they are daily lavifh- ing the treafures of Mexico and Peru in private amours, and expence, di- verted of magnificence or fplendour. A fet of gay fparkshad lately intro- duced an affembly for dancing, where the manners of the Adamites were followed, and blind fidlers were em- ployed for greater precaution. --Thefe depraved SPANISH POETRY. -81 depraved knights were decorated at thefe revels with a ribband and badge, but they were foon difcover- ed, and rigoroufly puniflied. If fuch is the depravity of youth, you will naturally fuppofe a liberal and good education is wanting, as well as a- greeable and pleating fociety, added to thofe convivial hours, where the wifefl man need not be afhamed to be feen ; but thefe are unknown, and though the Spaniards enjoy fucli a variety of choice, and delicious wines, they feem ignorant of the good qualities of the grape, and if they are feldom taxed with the irregularities of inebriation, they are equally ftran- gers to its generous effufions. Their own countryman Roderic Sanchez, bifliop of Palencia, who dedicated his G hiftory 82 ORIGIN OF hiftory to Henry the 4th, king of Ca- flile, fays, " that the Spaniards are more inclined to keep their wine in the cellar than to drink it, and chufe rather to fell than partake of it, and that the fair fex and youth dread it like poifon(fl) ;" infomuch that if you except the open hearted Bif- cayners, and a few boon companions of honed Sancho Panza, the circling glafs is unknown, and the chearful moment of the poet never thought of, who faid 41 Nunc eft bibendum."--^- (a) Vinum quoque maliint in cellario quam in ven- tre, quippe qui venfiere potius quam guftare prasoli- gunt: fceminz, vero, 8c pueri ba.cchum ut venenum fugiunt. Roderici Santii Epifcopi Palentini Hiftoria, Hifpanica, pars prima, caput iv. LETTER SPANISH POETRY. 83 LETTER VII. Poetry of Galicia and Portugal. MADRID, zoth JUNE, 1778. TH E plains of Alraanza had led me in my laft letter, into a drain of hiftorical and military re- flections, which imperceptibly drew on a political rant, when I intended to fpeak to you of the galician and portugueze mufe, previous to my ac- count of the Poets of Caftile, which you will now expecl: from me, being at prefent on that claflic fpot where the mighty emperor Charles held his court; where many of their beft poets G 2 fung, 84 ORIGIN OF fung; where Quevedo befides his dif-- tinguifhecl talents as a poet, gave fiich (hining proofs of refined wit and profound erudition ; arid finally, where the ever admired Cervantes firft exhibited his unparalleled hero. The galician mufe was diilinguiflied at an early period, though her flights were not lofty, and chiefly fupported in the caufe of religion, by the nu- merous votaries who reforted to the fhrine of St. James, at Compoftella. The paetical turn prevailed fo far, as to be the chief employment of both fexes. King Alfonfo, the wife, re- ceived his education in Galicia, and in that dialect compofed canticles for the church; which, with other pieces of SPANISH POETRY. 85 of the times are prefcrved in the ca- thedral of Toledo; Some : of .them were publifhed by Zuniga:the hifto- rian, in his annals of Seville, as far as they related to Alfonfo's father, Ferdinand the third, who conquered Seville from the Moors. The poems 1 of Macias, a native of Padron in Galicia, were in that dialecl, though taken for Portugueze by Argote de Molina. The poet Juan de Mena laments the tragical end of Macias, as does Juan Rodrignez del Padron in his poem of gozos de Amo7\ " En- joyments of Love," who was fo af- fected at ihe news of his death that he re'tired into a convent, where he .ended his days. Garci Sanchez de Badojoz, an elegant poet, fpeaks feel- ingly of Macias in his,poeru Inferno G 3 dc 86 ORIGIN OF de Amor, " Hell of Love," and utters a defponding wifli to be interred along with him, and (hare his repu- tation, which he expreffes in the fol- lowing pathetic ftanza, Si te plaze, que mis dias Yo fenefca mal logrado Tan en breve. Plegate qui con Macias Ser merefco fepultado, Y decir deve. Do la fepultara fea, Una tierra los crio, Una muerte los llevo, Una gloria los poffea. The cataftrophe of this unhappy poet, and the imprudence of his paf- fion, has afforded a moral tale to all fucceffive bards ; many of his poems are SPANISH POETRY. 87 are in the Cancionero de Poetas And- guos of Juan Alfonfo de Baena, in the Efcurial, and give a true idea of the galician flyle of poetry, from whence we may fairly trace the Por- tugueze idiom, as the conquefl and peopling of Portugal under Henry of Burgundy, was effected by people from the north of Galicia, in con- junction with foreigners. Many places in the north of Portugal ac- quired the fame names with thofe in Galicia, as it happened in England after the coming in, of the Saxons ; Galicia then extended further to the fouth, including all thofe diftricls between the rivers Duero, and Min- ho, which did not appertain to Lu- fitania. Ptolemy diftinguifhes two clafles of people in Galicia, the Bra- G 4 cenfes, 88 ORIGIN OF cenfes, whofe capital was at Braga, and the Lucenfes at Lugo. When Portugal was creeled into a feparate kingdom, they- encroached on the borders, fo that what had belonged to Galicia, now became Portugal, and under their monarchs a new court fupported a variation, and gave a i national character to their language, -oLwhich Bluteau, an Eng- lifhman, and chaplain to Queen Ca- therine, confort of our Charles the sd, has giveh a mod ample and learned vocabulary. The portuguefe mufe made a figure ianthe 12th century, under Alfonfo, the ift king of Portugal, in whofe reign Gonzalo Henriquez, and Egas Mcrniz, are the firft poets in the re- cords SPANISH' POETRY. 89 cords of that kingdom. In : the next century, king Dennis was a poer, as was alfo his natural fon Alfohfo San- chez. The 14 th' century furrfifhed king Alfonfo the 4th, a favourite of the mufes, whole poems ' have-been collected by father Bernardo B-rito. His fon king Peter was likewife a po- et. In the rei'gn 'of king Johii ift,- the Infant Don Pedro compofed va- rious -fonnees, in'praife of Vafco Lo- beira, the fuppofed author of the celebrated romance has the following lines. Mitibus hie mitis, tamen hoftibus efle ftudebat Hoftis, fulgebat propter certamina litis. Which divided by the Cefura of rhyme, would run thus. Mitibus hie mitis, Tamen hoftibus effe ftudebat Hoftis, fulgebat Propter certamina litis. Another epitaph in the fame church : Toleti natus, cujus generofa propago Moribus ornatus fuit hie probitatis imago: Largus, magnificus, eleftus mendonienfis, Donis inmenfis, cun&orum verus amicus. Which divided in the fame manner, will be, Toleti ii2 ORIGIN OF Toleti natus, Cujus generofa propago M^ribus ornatus Fuit hie probitatis imago Largus, magnificus * Eleftus Mendionenfis, Donis inmenfis Cunctorum verus amicus. In the early days of their poetry, we often find verfe of four, five, fix and eight fyllables, in the works of the infant Don Manuel, who died in 1362, and alfo made ufe of the Hen- decafyllable verfe, as did the mar- quis of Santillana. The verfes of twelve fyllables were flyled De arte mayor, and were ufed by king Alfonfo the Wife, in his po*- em of Las querelas, or " Complaints" againft the rebellion of his undutiful fon Sancho *, but the verfe of thir- teen SPANISH POETRY. 113 teen and fourteen feet are the moft ancient metre, being ufed by Bexceo the monk, and king Alfonfo abo^> mentioned. As to rhyme, we know it exifled before the Goths extended them- felves to the fouth, or the Saracens penetrated into the weft : it has been thought by fome writers, that even in the Auguftan age the poets had a partiality for rhyme at the end, like the Leonine verfe, inftances of which are feen in Horace (a), O- vid (), Propertius (c), and Marti- ( ORIGIN O difeafes with ^acute^pain of tao'dy and Mid; his patrimony feizeci, and himfelf fupported by charity ! under this tlifthiTs he wrote that elegant and pathetic leiter to the prime rniniikr 'OlivartfLi which procured him his en- largement : the cafe was enquired into, and the calumny, as well as its author, difcovered; He once more returned to court to retoverhis eftate, \vhidh h.;d fiiflered various depreda- tions, bat this ungrateful theatre he Toon abandoned, and retired to r his country -feat, overwhelmed wi>h ill- nefs, tfhe "eonfe-quence'of his crliel im- prifbhmcnt, all which -he bore with "rnanlV fortitude, and finifhed his'dayk with exemplary a*rd dlrillian refigna- ; tlon in the C5th year of 'his a^e 1 ; in '1645. His pei fon was : engaging, Ivrs complexion SPANISH POETRY; 181 complexion fair, and great expreflioa > in his countenance ; but from conti- nual Rudy, his eyes were fo weakened, that he conftantly wore fpeclacles. Such was Quevedo, one of the great- efl fcholars and eminent poets of his time, whofe youth was fpent in the fcrvice of his country in Italy, where he diflingiiifhed himfelf with the ut- moft fagacity and prudence. To give you an idea of his extenfive know- ledge and profound erudition, J -own. myfelf at a lofs, much lefs to fpeak of his numerous though excellent writ- ings.- His moral difcourfes prove his found doclrine and religious fen- timents, while his literary pieces dif- play his infinite judgment and re- fined tafle.---His greac knowledge of Hebrew is apparent from the report N of i8z ORIGIN OF of the hiftorian Mariana to the king, requcfting that Quevcdo might revife the new edition of the bible of Arias Montanus. His tranflations of Epic- tetus and Phocylides, with his imita- tions of Anacreon and other Greek authors, fbew how well he was verfed in that language : That he was a Latin fcholar, his conflant correfpondence, from the age of twenty, with Lipfms, Chifflet, and Scioppius, will fuffici- ently illuftrate. As a poet he excel- led both in the ferious and burlcfque flyle, and was fingularly happy in that particular turn we havefmce ad- mired in Butler and Swift. His li- brary, which confifted of about five thoufand volumes, 'was reduced, at his death, to about two thoufand, and is prefervecj in the convent of St. Martin, SPANISH POETRY. 183 Martin, at Madrid. Were I to en- large further, refpe&ing this great man, I (hould eafily fill a moderate volume. But it is time to proceed, before we behold the fetting fun, and a mid arife over the poetical horizon, which various incidents have obfcu- red and greatly deprived of its ori- ginal luftre. The Diana Enamorada of Gil Polo, an elegant poet in the fixteenth cen- tury, was reprinted in London, in 1739, under the infpection of Pedro de Pineda. Jauregui tranflated Lu- can, but not with that fuccefs as he did the Aminta of Taflb. I clofe the golden age with the immortal Miguel de Cervantes ; like another Homer, many cities contended for his birth, N 4 and 1 84 ORIGIN OF and his tranfcendant merit you are well acquainted with. In his poem in titled A Voyage to Parnajfus, he has delineated the characters of the po- ets of his time. he equally (runes as a dramatic writer, but every thing of his is totally eclipfed by his incom- parable romance of Don Quixote^ which, aione crowns his temples with never fading laurels. Thus ended the golden age of the Spanifh mufe, whofe period of glo- ry was fhort, though the attempt to fecure its duration feemed to promife a more lading reign, if a clofe imi- tation of (he antierits, and the pre- cepts of thofe great in afters, Aridotle. and Horace, could have fecured to them the prize ; or fome invifible caufe SPANISH POETRY. 185 caufe had not with hafty- ftrides brought on its decline : but before I fpeak of this laft period, I tranf- mit you an ode of Horace in Spa- nifh, Italian, and Englifh, from whence you may form a comparative judgment of the energy and powers of each language. I have fubjoined a few fpecimens of hexameters, fapphics, adonics, and epigrams, which will give you fome idea of the harmony of Spanifh numbers in its moft im- proved .Mate, Adieu ! ODE i86 ORIGIN OF ODE XXIII. Ad Fujcum Ariftium. TNTEGER vitae fcelerifque purus Non eget mauri Jaculis, neque arcu Nee venenatis gravida fagittis, Fufce pharetra. Sive per fyrtes iter aeftuofas, Sivc Fa he gave up his whole thoughts to the fettling new colonies SPANISH POETRY. 313 polonies in th.e Sierra Morena ; and taken up with his own ideas, he fpoke without refie.clion, with temerity, with imprudence, urged on by his op- ponents, concerning the fallibility of the pop.e, the tribunal of the inqui- fition, and of all thofe things which in his opinion might retard or im- pede his projects : protefting that all, that had been faid and re- ported, had been {trained into a difr ferent fenfeby his hearers, and others, who might have been fcandalizec} thereat. " Thefe declarations were followed by the depofitions of feventy-eight witnefles, who certify feparately and jointly all the novelties, we find dif- ieminated amongft the free-thinkers of 314 ORIGIN OF of the times ; diftinguifhing particular cafes and facls, blafphemies no^ minalim maintained, and praclical cafes on all thefe points. Many are confefled, and others he denies, fay- ing he does not remember them, o- thers that they were merely deliver- ed in the names of their authors, in- fifting that he never believed them in his heart. That many were faid in a jocofe manner, to try the temper of his hearers, and that he fuffered him- felf to be carried away with the vain- glory of mining in converfation. To the objections of having faid that St. Auftin was a poor fimple man, and that Peter Lombard, St. Thomas, and St. Bonaventure had retarded the progrefs of fcience by their fcho- laftic forms and abftrufe manner, he palliated SPANISH POETRY. 315 palliated, by faying, that in his opi- nion, if they had lived in thefe times, in which the mind has been fo much improved by philofophy, they would have reaped greater profit, and when charged with his contempt of the moft facred myfteries, he retorts it up- on the abufes of the clergy and hy- pocrites, on which head he fpoke ir- reverently of confeifion and pafchal communion. In this manner he ex- culpates hirnfelf from a number of accufations, brought againft him in the Plenarium, wherein go witneffes fpeak more fully and openly. 4t He is moreover convicted by pa- pers of his hand writing, as well as his own letters, which he has folemn- Jy avowed; the fpies and ftratagems have ORIGIN O F have been difcovered by which, he endeavoured to perfuade the witnef- fes, to recede from their firft depofl- tions; alfo his intercepting and open- ing the letters of the inquifition and ialfe anfwers given to hide his fecrets and intentions ; the confidents em- ployed in thefe acls, and the inftruc- tions given by means of theie thefts, and other arts, by which he difcover- ed all the proceedings of the inqui- fition, and their defigns; in a word, every method which human inven- tion could icjevife to overfet the pro- ceedings f *'* That the Roman Emperors were better than many holy kings ^ he explains merely with rcfpccl to natural vir- tues. That he ridiculed the religi- ous SPANISH POETRY. 3 t? o~us men of the order of St. Peter of Alcantara when in Rome, who presenting themfelves to him on viewing the Capitol, he confefTcs, ac- knowledging that their poverty and fiakednefs cooled his emhufiafm in their favour. Of this kind there are an infinity of inftances throwing a ridicule on the moft facred fubje&s. He calls the inftitution of the Car- thufians barbarous, and if he preferred the (late of matrimony to celibacy and fpoke xvith contempt of the reli- gious vows of 'an afcetic life, and of continency, it was only to enconrage propagation in a holy manner, bein-g fo much wanted in Spain: that all he had faid, and done, in the new fettlements, was to correcl the abu-fe of alms, to encourage labour, and to banifh ORIGIN OF banifli idlenefs, to which the fettlerd tvere prone, under pretence of going to mafs, and other devotions in the churches. For his indecent piclures, and his portrait, holding a piciure" of Venus and Cupid, .he lays the bjame on the painters of Geneva, who did them without any orders from him. The emhufiafm of Cm- fades arid the increpations of St. Ber- nard, who encouraged them fo ftrongly; attributing, .the fales made by the faithful of their eftates, with hopes of acquiring better in the holy land, to the intrigues of the clergy, to get poffeffion of them, he repre- fents, as merely di.fcourfe held in the name of thofe, who aflerted fuch blaf-- phemies in their writings: and the fame excufe is given by him 7 when he is SPANISH POETRY. 319 is convicled of having' charaderifed the order of St. Francis- with igno- rance, for fecuring a livelihood at the expence of the .public by repre- fenting poverty as honourable. In a word, all that St. Evremont de- claimed againft the inftitutes of Regulars ; xvith what was publifhed before the councils of Conftance and of Trent, and the fubtilities of the prefent times^ under a pretext of the , public good, and the -advantage of the fubjecl;- all this, is comprifed under different heads in this fuit. All that we hear from the literati of the prefent age, the writings of free thinkers, and what thefe oracles an- nounce, as proceeding from prepof- feffions, touching the jurifdi&ion in no wife coercive of the church ; all 320 ORIGIN OF all thefe are proved in the procefs \ many are confefFed and many ill ex^ cufed, which are infinite in number ; and time would be wanting, were I to name many other circumftances of this kind. They are more than fufRcient to pronounce him a Jormal < ^ heretic^ to confifcate all his eftates, declare him incapable of all honours and dignities; to be banifhed from the court, royal feats, new colonies, Lima, and Seville 20 leagues round. To be fhut up eight years in a con- vent, where he is to read Thejymbol of faith of Father Luis de Granada, and The incredulous without excufe, of Father Seneri, with other lefs penalties, and to confefs his fins once a month* The inquifitor general pardons him from SPANISH POETRY. 321 from the fambenito (a], and he appeared in public without his crofs of knight- hood of the order of St. James. (a] The fambenito, fays a Spanifh writer, is a gar- ment covering the breaft and fhoulders and wore by a reconciled penitent at his trial before the inqui- fitors. The name is an abbreviation of the words Jaco benedifto "blefled garment." In the primitive church penitents were clothed in robes blefled by the bifhop or prieft, and they ftood with them at the door of the church till they had performed their penances, were abfolved from their fins and admitted again into the bofom of the church ; which cuftom has been imitated by the inquifition, info- much that, though in the eyes of the world it is ig- nominious and affronting ; if thofe that wear it, continues the fame profound writer ! accept with pa- tience, what may be faid of them by the vulgar, it may be of great merit in the fight of God. Tefero de la Lehgua Caftellana, por lt Don Sabaftian de Cobarruvias Orozco capdlan de Su Mageflad confultor del Santo Oficio de la inquificion. Madrid, 1611 Y On O R I G I N OF, See. 4 ' On hearing the fentence and find- ing himfelf declared a jormal heretic^ he faid, not fo, and fell from the bench like one in a fit : he made a folemn abjuration, after a protefla- tion of faith, was abfolved from cenfures, with all the formalities of the facred canons, and became the greatefl objecl of compaffion. He de- clared in writing, that the utmofl ri- gour was nothing when compared to his wickednefs, and all appearances feem to befpeak repentance, but de occultis nonjudicat ecclefia!" THE END. University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. 19)4 APR 2 7 1934' n' VB%- x>\ i*)i g **/J _ , /SQV^ ^3AINn-3UV VEBSfe 1 jpU&JNCBfe. ^ r>w?l %- ^3AINn-3\\V ^ A 000 000 884 7 IJQ^ ^F-CALTO^ ^ A s (LA, A S g * an-^ ^Auvjiaii-^ ^ERS/^. sg