D. JORGE MANRRIQUE. de damas lindas, hermosas, en el mundo mas loada; de mas y de mas polidos galanes la mas preciada; enxemplo de polideza, corte contino llamada, piadosa justiciera, bien regida y governada; toda casa de oracion. toda santa y consagrada. rico templo donde amor siempre haze su morada." Villancico suyo en oracion. "PUES que Dios te hizo tal, sobre todas quantas son, "Guardate mas con los dos sant Vicentes tus patrones, y de barbaras naciones, hambres, guerras, pestilencia, librete por su clemencia." Cancionero, ff. 107. Un combite que fizo D. Jorge Manrrique a su madraste. "SEÑORA muy acabada tened vuestra gente presta, "Entrara vuestra merced porques mas honesto entrar, por cima duna pared y dara en un muladar. Entraran vuestras donzellas por baxo dun albollon, hallareys luego un rincon donde os pongays vos y ellas. "Por remedio del cansancio "E luego que ayays entrado bolvereys a manizquierda, hallareys luego un estrado con la escalera de cuerda: Por alcatifa un estera, por almohadas albardas, con hilo blanco bordadas, la paja toda defuera. "La cama estara al sereno hecha a manera de lio, y un colchon de pulgas lleno y de lana muy vazio : Una savana, no mas; dos mantas de lana suzia, una almohada tan suzia que no se lavo jamas. "Assentaros heys en un poyo mucho alto y muy estrecho, la mesa estara en un hoyo porqueste mas aprovecho. Unos manteles destopa, por paños paños menores, serviran los servidores en cueros bivos sin ropa. "Yo entrare con el manjar, vestido daqueste son, sin camisa, en un jubon sin mangas y sin collar: Una ropa corta y parda aforrada con garduñas, 223 224 D. JORGE MANRRIQUE — JUAN ALVAREZ GATO. y por pestañas las uñas, y en el ombro un espingarda. "Y unas calças que de rotas ya no pueden atacarse, y unas viejas medias botas que ravian por abaxarse, tan sin suelas que las guijas me tienen quitado el cuero, y en la cabeça un sombrero que un tiempo fue de vedijas. "Verna luego una ensalada de cebollas albarranas, con mucha estopa picada, y cabeçuelas de ranas; Vinagre buelto con hiel, y su azeyte rosado, en un casquete lançado, cubierto con un broquel. "El gallo de la passion verna luego tras aquesto, metido en un tinajon bien cubierto con un cesto; E una gallina con pollos y dos conejos tondidos, y paxaros con sus nidos cozidos con sus repollos. "Y el arroz fecho con grassa dun collar viejo sudado, puesto por orden y tassa para cada una un bocado. Por açucar y canela alcrevite por ensomo, y delante el mayordomo con un cabo de candela. 66 Acabada ya la cena verna una pasta real, hecha de cal y arena, guisada en un ospital: Hollin y ceniza en somo en lugar de cardenillo, hecho un emplasto todo y puesto en el colodrillo. "La fiesta ya fenecida, entrara luego una dueña, con una hacha encendida daquellas de partir lena: Con dos velas sin pavilos hechas de cera de orejas, las pestañas y las cejas bien cosidas con dos hilos. "Y en el un pie dos chapines, y en el otro una chinela, en las manos escarpines, y tañendo una vihuela. Un tocino por tocado, por sartales un raposo, el un braço descoyuntado y el otro todo velloso. Fin. "E una saya de sayal forrada en peña tajada, y una pescada cecial de la garganta colgada: y un balandran roçagante hecho de nueva manera, las faldas todas delante, las nalgas todas de fuera." Cancionero Gen. ff. 181. Juan Alvarez Gato. Desafio de Amor, que hizo a su amiga. "PORQUE crecen mis tormentos con aquexado gemir, y mis tristes pensamientos doloridos sentimientos me combidan a morir; E jamas, cedo ni tarde, en mi mal poneys desvio, por no ser dicho couarde sin que mas daños aguarde yo Señora os desafio. "E pues en pena tan fuerte os plaze tornar mi gloria, quiero aventurar mi suerte al peligro de la muerte por cobrar nueva victoria. Que vos al trance venida no puedo quedar vencido, porque si pierdo la vida pues ya la tengo perdida, sera perder lo perdido. JUAN ALVAREZ GATO. "E pues me days tal fatiga que me ofende y me debate, vos me soys tan enemiga que justa razon me obliga venir con vos a combate. Porende escoger deveys luego campo despoblado, en el qual me hallareys al tiempo que mandareys, en esta manera armado. "Llevare por condicion un cavallo de firmeza, ensillado con passion, y coraças de aficion guarnecidas en tristeza. Un capacete y bavera de fuerte metal forjados, ques lealtad verdadera, memoria firme y entera, estofada con cuidados. "De servicios ha de ser la guarnicion de mis braços, bordada del padecer, que me days sin merecer en penas de mil pedaços. Falda y gocetes seran los desseos de serviros, porque son de jazeran que nunca se mudaran, guarnecidos en sospiros. "Los quixotes seran tales del afan que nunca afloxa, las correas de los quales son dolores desiguales con hevillas de congoxa. Un espada llevare en vayna de pensamiento, de muy limpia y clara fe, que con vos siempre terne no mellada del tormento. "Tengo de llevar por lança que me deys, ni desventura. E por mejor defensar mi fraciencia en este trance, adarga quiero llevar de paciente soportar do vuestros tiros alcance "Con las armas que he contado os espero en el camino, y por ser mejor guardado, al querer desordenado llevare por mi padrino. E con denuedo amoroso, esfuerço porne en mi fuerça dun amor tan poderoso que no vaya temeroso de vuestros golpes ni fuerça. "Pues sabeys quantas y quales son mis armas y denuedo. para que estemos yguales llevareys tantas y tales, porque yo menos no puedo. Mas ay que tengo temor que dexeys la piedad, para me herir mejor con lança de disfavor y espada de crueldad. "Mas pienso triste hallaros a cavallo de bondad, del qual no pueda mudaros, ni venceros ni forçaros a querer mi voluntad. E temo que si comiença este trance peligroso, que nunca passe ni vença las coraças de verguença guarnecidas en reposo. "Otras armas ofensivas gran temor tengo que sean desdenes sañas esquivas, respuestas tristes altivas, virtudes que vos arrean. E acrescientan mi passion ver su fuerça y fortaleza, que tienen por guarnicion con saber y discrecion gracia, beldad, gentileza. ૨ 225 226 "Mas recelo que tomeys JOSEPH DE ANCHIETA. por padrino en esta guerra honestad con que venceys quantos vencidos teneys, para dar comigo en tierra. Aunque si viere poner contra mi las fuerças della, alli terne mi querer con esfuerço y con poder que se combatan con ella. "Pues fuerça damor me aquexa provar quiero sus victorias, por no tener de mi quexa, que el que los peligros dexa nunca goza de las glorias. E pues que jamas olvida el morir a los humanos, a mi que ya me combida mas lo quiero que tal vida si muriere a vuestras manos "Con pura premia del fuego de mis llamas encendidas, este desafio os ruego que se acepte para luego, o dad las armas rendidas. E senalad el lugar do vamos ambos a dos, que si quereys dilatar pensad que os he de buscar para batallar con vos. Fin. "Porende siempre despierta, estareys en lo mas alto. que de mi vos hago cierta si dormis a puerta abierta que verne de sobresalto." Cancionero, &c. Joseph de Anchieta. THE life of a poet is usually uninteresting and uneventful, but Anchieta's was the life of a Jesuit; its events fill a folio volume, and such are their importance, that one of the reverend Licensers in his official permit, declares that the attempt to embellish his action by any beauty of stile, is like giving light to the sun; and another says, while the publication is withheld, so long are the righteous deprived of advantage, and God himself deprived of glory. Joseph was born in the island of Teneriffe, 1533. He was an early poet, and therefore they called him at Coimbra, the Canary Bird. At an early age he made a vow of virginity, and at seventeen professed in the company of Jesus, and commenced hostilities with the devil. The devil attacked his weak part, it was the os sacrum. Anchieta used to attend eight masses every day at least: the fatigue of kneeling was dreadful, and the young devotee argued badly when he imagined that what was so agreeable to his soul could not be injurious to his body, the converse of the proposition might have convinced him of his error. A contraction of the muscles followed which made him awry for life. Other accounts say the fall of a ladder which struck his sides occasioned this leaning; the biographer is not decided as to the occasion, but he is certain the devil was the cause. War being then declared, Anchieta volunteered upon active service, and in 1553 embarked for Brazil. Praise be to the honest intrepidity of fanaticism! Brazil was inhabited by savages, fierce in war, cruel in conquest, the missionary was astonished at his own happiness in being chosen by God to undertake the difficult and dangerous enterprize. At midnight the sailors saw him follow his enthusiasm by gazing on the shore and the ocean, and they heard his frequent exclamation, Who am I that the Creator of these should have selected me to serve him? Six other Jesuits were with him; on the voyage he was their servant, nor to them alone did he confine his attendance, he behaved to all the crew as if they had been brethren, and his manner and his piety so wrought on them all, that the ship appeared like a College of Penitents. After perils by sea and by land, and a few trifling miracles, he was settled at Piratininga, in what comfort his own letter to the JOSEPH DE ANCHIETA. general of the Order, Ignatius the founder himself, well describes. It was written in August 1554. “A Januario usque ad præsens, nonnunquam plus viginti (simul enim pueri Catechista degebant) in pauperculâ domo, luto et lignis contextâ, paleis coopertâ, quatuordecem passus longâ, decem latâ mansimus. Ibi schola, ibi valetudinarium, ibi dormitorium et cænaculum, item et coquina et penus simul sunt, nec tamen amplarum habitationum quibus aliqui fratres nostri utuntur, nos movet desiderium; siquidem Dominus noster J. C. in arctiore loco positus est, cum in paupere præsepi, inter duo bruta animalia voluit nasci, multo vero arctissimo cum in cruce pro nobis dignatus est mori." Here they learnt the needful trades of barber-surgeon to supply the few neighbours, and taught Latin. Joseph wrote out the necessary books for the pupils, for copies were scarce, and at the same time learnt the language of the savages so well as to make a grammar and vocabulary that has been the foundation of those who came after, and a catechism for the use of the natives. Joseph poetized in four languages, the cousin-dialects, Spanish and Portuguese,his Priest-Latin,—and his missionary Brazil. Of all these languages he travestied into holy hymns the profane songs in use, so successfully, that along the roads the sweet songs of Joseph were sung by the travellers. 227 not a drop fell,—and as soon as the spectators got home, there was the terriblest storm of rain, thunder, lightning and hail, that ever was seen in that country. As a schoolmaster, Anchieta's practice was singular. The children of the natives he taught to read, write, say the catechism, &c., and sing hymns: they were soon enabled to assist him by teaching the younger pupils. Every morning they sung when school was over as Ladainhas dos Santos, every evening the hymn to the Virgin. On Saturdays the boys were always to flog themselves with cords made of the wild thistle! poor boys! In the midst of these prosperous employments, an infectious disease broke out among the natives, the Jesuits say it was owing to the devil, the heathens said it was the Jesuits' fault, a judgment for their apostacy and toleration; the nature of the disease is not mentioned, nor is this of importance, as Joseph's prescription savours more of the monk than the physician, nine processions in honour of the nine orders of angels, in which all the uninfected walked with wax lights in their hands, and all the children bearing a cross upon their sides flogged themselves till they bled beneath the stripes, but it was judged expedient to bleed for the body as well as the soul, and there were no lances; Joseph sharpened his pen knife, his scholar followed his example, they bled the Indians, the disease ceased, and the nation agreed that the devil had given them the infection and the Jesuits cured them. But better anecdotes may be found of Anchieta and his associates. They cried out against their countrymen for enslaving the Indians, and these precious Christians by every endeavour thwarted their attempts to convert the natives. They In Latin his greatest work was the life of Mem. de Sa, third governor of the province, it was in hexameters. At St. Vicenti he wrote comedies to supply the place of less decorous ones that scandalized: one of them was called Pregaçam Universal, because it was in the language of the country, and in Portuguese that all might under-represented the Jesuits to them as men stand it. It was first acted out of doors, sub Dio. A heavy cloud hung over the spectators, a tremendous cloud. Joseph bade them sit still to see the comedy, and behold for three hours that the play endured, who had entered the church because they were cowards and skulked from war;-this was a serious obstacle. It was difficult also to make their converts abstain from wine, women, and human flesh. A tribe whom |