D. JOSEF DE VARGAS Y PONZE - FERNAM LOPEZ. tu el primero al dudoso desembarco, el primero en la lid del Guadalete, de Merida tenaz al rudo asalto, y de tu alfange belicos despojos cadaveres sin cuento de cristianos. Acaso asiendo la prolixa barba, perjurada jamas, tremula mano, por su vida promete al gran califa que, sus arabes fuertes tu guiando, las puras aguas del sumiso Tiber placidas hinchen musulmanes baños, y de solo su trono abriga Europa del Escita al Frances reyes esclavos. Ya de Pedro el califa ve mezquita el templo; el capitolio su palacio. Por ventura aquel padre, que en su mente vivo esta Abdalaziz qual a su lado, pisa este instante con desnuda planta ¡o Meca! tu tremendo santuario: y ante la tumba que feliz custodia humanos restos del Profeta santo lagrimas vierte, quema suave aroma, y ofrece dones por lograr los años . . . de un prevaricador, de un hijo iluso que marchita sus votos y sus lauros." "ESTA es Lisboa prezada, FERNAM LOPEZ, p. 205. [Unholy Comparison.] 263 "DE que em pouco espaço lançon aquelle fidalgo o esprito, que tão cedo não ouvera de fazer fim. O nobre e valente barão, verdadeiro Portugues, de quantos então foste prazmado, dizendo que por tua sandice et ardideza, que poderas bem escusar a peleja et te ver em salvo com as outras naos, te ofereceste a tão mortal perigo. Porem não foy assi, mas, como falaria o comum povo dizendo, que assi como Jesu Christo morrera por salvar o mundo todo, assi Ruy Pereira por salvaçam dos outros.”—Ibid. p. 239. FAVILA'S fate is related in one of the flattest of the old bald ballads. "Muerto era esse buen Rey, que gano de lo perdido Enterraron lo dentro en Cangas: un gran osso avia hallado : 264 MIGUEL DE BARRIOS-CHRISTOVAL DE MESSA. Luego arremetio a el The Conde de Saldueña prophecies this event to Pelayo in his usual grandiloquous style. "Despues de tus entrañas dulce prenda, Mal divertida en venatorios daños, Quando de un monstruo el fin su error pretenda Marchitara el verdor de tiernos años." Sancho, the son of Fernando II. of Leon, met with a like death, and his fate is told in a viler verse than that of Favila. Ageno ya de la mortal costumbre, No sangriento, o cruel, aspero, o fiero, "Pelayo respondio, que nueva forma Muestras, y en tanta luz tan claro aspecto, Que del antiguo tuyo desconforma, Dime, por que razon, por qual respeto ? Tu me aconseja agora, tu me informa, Pues ya gozas de estado tan perfeto, Y tres vezes huyo, qual sombra o viento, Y tres abraço solo el ayre vano, Quedando defraudado de su intento : "Hic requiescit Sanccius mansuetus et agnus, No es este, como piensas, cuerpo humano, Quem dirus Ursus læsit, et dira Mors op- Replica el Rey, ni humano movimiento, pressit." Mas forma simple espiritu desnudo, Pruetas de la Hist. de la Casa de Libre ya del mortal terreno nudo. Lara, p. 621. Miguel de Barrios. "Salen de aquellos asperos gigantes Metros del Imperio y descripcion de CHRISTOVAL DE MESSA,1 in his poem upon the Restoration of Spain, represents the soul of Rodrigo in bliss as appearing to Pelayo in a dream, and exciting him to undertake the deliverance of his country. "Baxar al punto de la excelsa cumbre Resplandeciente armado vee un guerrero, Todo cercado de celeste lumbre, De mas luzientes armas que de azero: 1 Thus the name is spelt in this volume, though in his former poem of Las Navas de Tolosa, and in his later El Patron de España it is written MESA. "En aqueste immortal sitio en aqueste, En aquesta Ciudad de gloria y canto, Que por divina gracia alcanço tanto : Assiento aqui, como a guerrero santo, Restauracion de Espanha, 1. 2, ff. 19. St. Catharine. "COMO Dios crio de buelo RODRIGO DE PUEBLA, Can. DIEGO DE PADILLE — QUINTANA - SARMIENTO. 265 Joculars, and, in short, all the common people sung at their entertainments. That these, not being written, were subject to frequent alterations as the language of the country altered, and thus when at length they were committed to writing, the language was different but the substance remained the same. In support of this authority which he assigns to them in point of fact, he observes that the Coronica Geral frequently cites the Joglares or popular poets. Their present form he assigns to the end of the fifteenth century.-Memorias para la Hist. de la Poesia, § 546-8-50. [Gonzalo de Cordova and Martin Affonso.] GONZALO DE CORDOVA passing through Bragarse was entertained at the house of Lopo de Sousa, who sent her son Martin Affonso, then a youth, to accompany him some stages on his journey. When they parted, Gonzalo would have given him a gold chain from his neck-hum rico e fermoso collar de ouro e pedrena-this Martin Affonso would not accept; but he joyfully accepted the sword of the great Captain, and wore it upon festive days when he was Governor of India. Jaboctam Precent. § 45. www [Girolamo Conestaggio and his History.] BECAUSE Girolamo Conestaggio, a gentleman of Genoa, had taken his History of Portugal out of the Delphic Library, which had been there many years before, and had in lieu thereof given in another edition of the same History, which, as he said, was corrected in some places; the overseers of the library, finding that he had rather abused than corrected that edition, which he had not reprinted, as he gave out, for the general good, but to give satisfaction to some whose reputations were deservedly taken by him, he was told, that if he did not bring back the first edition into the library within eight days, the assembly would put some affront upon him. For the 266 GOMEZ EANES DE AZURARA - FRANCISCO DE PISA. ruin of the Portugueses being occasioned by those who had the care of instructing King Sebastian in his youth, it was very necessary that by the unhappy end of so great a king, and by the miserable calamities of the Portugueses, princes should be taught to know, that the learned masters which are to have the care of breeding up their children in their youth, ought to be commanders of tried valour, and senators of known politic prudence.-BOCCALINI, Cen. 1. Adv. 55. [Readiness to depart, and why?] "ALEGRES nos partiremos deste mundo, quando certamente soubermos que as nossas carnes se ham de gastar nos cemiterios de aquellas Igrejas, onde os dizimos dos nossos fruitos et as primicias dos nossos gados demos aos Reitores, padres de nossas almas, et que sera outra cousa a terra que nos gastar, se nam carne de nossos Padres et avos, filhos et parentes? em cuja companhia nos alevantaremos quando derradeiramente formos chamados para irmos juntamente a aquelle juizo, no qual o Filho da Virgem determinava nossas maldades como for sua merce."-GOMEZ EANES DE AZURARA, C. 5. [Cortes' Followers and the Dove.] WHEN Cortes was first on his way to the New World, "their victuall waxed skant and their fresh water wanted, so that they prepared themselves to die. Some cursed theyr fortune, others asked mercie at Gods hands, lookyng for death and to be eaten of the Carives. And in this tyme of tribulation came a dove flying to the shippe, beyng on Good Friday at sunset, and satte him on the shippe toppe: whereat they were all comforted, and tooke it for a miracle and good token, and some wept with joy, some sayd that God had sent the dove to comforte them, others sayde that lande was neare, and all gave hartie thankes to God directing their course that way that the dove flew."-Conquest of the Weast India. [Altars.] ABDALAZIS. " ¿Que falta por cumplir antes que ofrezca sencillo corazon a lazo eterno? ¿Que le falta a mi fe? Egilona. Faltan altares. Abdalaziz. Ala presente, para obrar lo ho nesto su ara es el mundo."-Vargas y Ponze. [The Cross of Oak.] "Tienese por cierto que se le aparecio al Rey D. Pelayo en el cielo una Cruz el dia de aquella insigne victoria, y desde alli tuvo por estandarte una cruz de roble, que despues el Rey D. Alonso 3, llamado el Magno, llevo de la yglesia de Santacruz de Cangas, donde estava, y guarnecida de oro y piedras, la puso en la de Oviedo, donde aora esta."FRANC. DE PISA. Desc. de Toledo, 1. 3, c. 2. [The Cid.] "QUANTOS dizen mal del Cid, ninguno con verdad habla, que el Cid fue buen cavallero de los mejores de España. Gran servidor de sus reyes, gran defensor de su patria, enemigo de traydores, y amigo de gente honrada. El que en la vida, y la muerte, merecio digna alabanza, aunque malvados poetas se atreven, y desacatan. Dize uno que no es verdad los hechos que del se cantan, y que las historias nuestras son consejas y patrañas. Contra el que niega el principio el Filosofo nos manda que no arguyamos, y es justo porque mega de ignorancia. Dezir mal de las historias, como esta fuera de Grecia, no entiende que Dios se acuerda otro con quien te estrellaras, "FABLANDO estava en el claustro de San Pedro de Cardeña, el buen rey Alfonso al Cid, despues de Missa una fiesta. Tratavan de las conquistas de las mal perdidas tierras, por pecados de Rodrigo, que amor disculpa y condena. Propuso el buen Rey al Cid el yr a ganar a Cuenca, y Rodrigo mesurado le dize desta manera. Nuevo soys el rey Alfonso, nuevo rey soys en la tierra, antes que a guerra vayades sossegad las vuessas tierras. Muchos daños an venido por los reyes que se ausentan 267 |