these epistles, are glosses in the Spanish manner on two of the author's own sonnets. A tender epistle addressed to a lady, is the subject of the next: and the last estancias form an epic legend, which, with some alterations, also appears among the works of Bernardes. It is founded on the history of St. Ursula. Whether this epic legend be really the production of Camoens, or of his admirer Bernardes, it far excels Ferreira's similar tale of St. Colomba, though the materials are less poetic.

Among the miscellaneous poems of Camoens, the eclogues occupy a considerable space, particularly if we include those of which Bernardes claimed to be the author. Much care appears to have been taken to give them an elegant polish. By the Portuguese they are regarded as models; and according to the received idea of the modern eclogue, particularly in Spain and Portugal, they certainly deserve that distinction. But with all their unquestionable merits, they do not reach the pure eclogue style of Saa de Miranda. The rural cha

racter which they ought to possess, is besides much impaired, in consequence of Camoens having, like Ferreira, employed the bucolic form merely to give a poetic interest to events borrowed from real life. This indeed was a custom which had been more or less followed in Portuguese poetry since the time of Ribeyro, and of which even Saa de Miranda did not disdain to avail himself. But those Portuguese poets who endeavoured to form their eclogue style after Saa de Miranda, were in general content with pastoral names and pastoral scenes, when they wished to throw a bucolic disguise

over known characters and events; and thus the spirit of pastoral poetry often entirely vanished in those compositions in which its form was most ostentatiously displayed. The eclogues of Camoens partake of this essential fault. Still, however, they are sufficiently pleasing even without the aid of the historical key, with which the reader would doubtless willingly dispense. The descriptive passages are in general the best. In the expression of sentiment these eclogues perfectly resemble the sonnets, canções, and similar poems with which in reality they constitute one species. Passages in the Spanish language are occasionally interspersed.

In the collected works of Camoens, a separation is made of his poems in the Italian style and the Italian syllabic measure, from those which are composed in redondilhas, and which afford examples of an improved national style. In this style also he has enriched every species of poetic composition practised in Portugal and Spain. Much and justly celebrated are the redondilhas in which he poured forth the inmost feelings of his soul, on his return from Macao to Goa, after he had narrowly escaped death by shipwreck.* The number of his smaller poems, in

*The principal idea of this song of sorrow, the beauties of which are perfectly national, is the comparison of the present and the past in the situation of the poet, with an imaginary Babylon and Sion. Sion represents the past. The first half of the poem affords no anticipation of the nature of the second half:—

Sobre os rios, que vaõ

Por Babylonia me achei,
Onde sentado charei

all the possible forms of the old lyric style, proves how much, as a poet, he was attached to his native country..

As lembranças de Siao,

E quanto nelle passei.
Alli o rio corrente

De meus olhos foi manado,
E todo bem comparado,

Babylonia ao mal presente,
Siao ao tempo passado.

Among the most beautiful stanzas are those in which the poet celebrates the power of song in sorrow, and the limits of that power.

Canta o caminhante lédo,

No caminho trabalhoso,

Por entre o espesso arvoredo,
E de noite o temeroso
Cantando refrê a o medo.
Canta o preso docemente,
Os duros grilhões tocando;
Canta o segador contente;
E o trabalhador cantando,
O trabalho menos sente.

Eu que estas cousas senti
N'alma, de mágoas taõ chêa,
Como dirá, respondi,

Quem alheo está de si,

Doce canto em terra alhêa ?

Como poderá cantar

Quem em choro banha o peito?

Porque, se quem trabalhar,
Canta por menos cansar,
Eu só descansos engeito.

Que nao parece razaõ
Nem seria cousa idonia,
Por abrandar a paixao,
Que cantasse em Babylonia

Romantic, gallant and comic plays of fancy and wit, glossed mottos in the Spanish style, voltas* in the genuine Portuguese manner, and other poetic trifles in the Portuguese and Spanish languages, appear to have been dealt out at every opportunity with a profuse hand by Camoens. In these compositions he paid no rigid attention to the correctness and elegance of the ideas, and indeed no mental sport of this kind seems to have been too homely for him. He even composed in honour of a lady, a romantic mythological a b c in redondillas, in which, in correspondence with the initial letters, the names Artemesia, Cleopatra, Dido, Eurydice, Phædra, (spelt Fedra, according to the Italianized orthography of Camoens) Galatæa, &c. are played on in succession. But in some of these compositions, the simplicity and amenity of the old lyric style are combined with a peculiar grace, which alternately defiest and disarms‡ the severity of criticism.

The same national spirit which prevented the patriotic Camoens from rejecting the old lyric forms

Ovelhas, que nella

Vosso pasto tendes ;

De hervas vos mantendes,
Que traz o Veraõ,

E eu das lembranças
Do meu coraçao,

Gados, que passeis

Com contentamento,

Vosso mantimento

Nao o entendeis.

Isso que comeis,

Nao saõ hervas, naõ ·
Saõ graça dos olhos

Do meu coraçaõ.

For example:

Na fonte está Leonor,
Lavanda a talha, e chorando,
Ás amigas perguntando :

Vistes lá o meu amor?

Posto o pensamento nelle,

Porque a tudo o amor a obriga,

Cantava, mas a cantiga
Eram sospiros por elle.
Nisto estava Leonor
O seu desejo enganando,
Ás amigas perguntando:
Vistes lá o meu amor?

O rosto sobre huma maõ,
Os olhos no chao pregados,
Que do chorar já cansados,

Algum descanso lhe daõ,
Desta sorte Leonor

Suspende de quando em quando