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The funeral rites and holy vows he paid:
Yet not the while the restless Nunio ftaid;

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O'er Tago's waves his gallant bands he led,
And humbled Spain in every province bled:
Sevilia's standard on his spear he bore,
And Andalufia's enfigns steept in gore.

Low in the duft diftreft Caftilia mourn'd,

And bathed in tears each eye to heaven was turn'd;
The orphan's, widow's, and the hoary fire's;

And heaven relenting quench'd the raging fires

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Of mutual hate: from England's " happy fhore

The peaceful feas two lovely fifters bore.
The rival monarchs to the nuptial bed

In joyful hour the royal virgins led,

And

vantages which ought to have been pursued were frequently loft. Don John, however, though he complied with the reigning ideas of honour, fent Don Nunio, with a proper army, to reap the fruits of his victory.

u -two lovely fifters. Caftera's note on this place is literally thus: "They were the daughters of John duke of Lancaster, son of Edward IV. "of England, both of great beauty: the eldeft, named Catherine, was mar"ried to the king of Caftile, the youngest, Ifabel, to the king of Portugal." This is all a mistake. John of Portugal, about a year after the battle of Aljubarota, married Philippa, eldest daughter of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, fon of Edward III. who affifted the king, his fon-in-law, in an irruption into Caftile, and at the end of the campaign promised to return with more numerous forces for the next. But this was prevented by the marriage of his youngest daughter Catalina with Don Henry, eldest son of the king of Caftile. The king of Portugal on this entered Galicia, and reduced the cities of Tuy and Salvaterra. A truce followed. While the tyrant of Caftile meditated a new war, he was killed by a fall from his horfe, and leaving no iffue by his queen Beatrix, the king of Portugal's daughter, all pretenfions to that crown ceased. The truce was now prolonged for fifteen years, and though not strictly kept, yet at last the influence of the English queen Catalina prevailed, and a long peace, happy for both kingdoms, enfued.

And holy peace affum'd her blissful reign,

Again the peasant joy'd, the landscape smiled again.

But John's brave breast to warlike cares inured,
With confcious fhame the floth of ease endured.
When not a foe awaked his rage in Spain
The valiant hero braved the foamy main ;
The first, nor meaneft, of our kings who bore
The Lufian thunders to the Afric fhore.

O'er the wild waves the victor-banners flow'd,
Their filver wings a thousand eagles fhew'd;
And proudly fwelling to the whistling gales
The feas were whiten'd with a thousand fails.
Beyond the columns by Alcides placed

To bound the world, the zealous warrior past.
The shrines of Hagar's race, the shrines of luft,
And moon-crown'd mofques lay fmoaking in the duft.
O'er Abyla's high steep his lance he raised,
On Ceuta's lofty towers his ftandard blazed:
Ceuta, the refuge of the traitor train,
His vaffal now, enfures the peace of Spain.

But ah, how foon the blaze of glory dies!
Illuftrious John afcends his native skies.

His

* Ceuta, the refuge of the traitor train.-Ceuta is one of the strongest garrifons in Africa; it lies almoft opposite to Gibraltar, and the poffeffion of it was of the greatest importance to the Portuguese, during their frequent wars with the Moors. Before its reduction, it was the asylum of Spanish and Portuguese renegados and traitors.

y Illuftrious John.The character of this great prince claims a place in thefe notes, as it affords a comment on the enthusiasm of Camoëns, who

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His gallant offspring prove their genuine ftrain,
And added lands increase the Lufian reign.

Yet not the firft of heroes Edward fhone;
His happiest days long hours of evil own.
He faw, fecluded from the cheerful day,
His fainted brother pine his years away.

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O glorious youth in captive chains, to thee

What fuiting honours may thy land decree!

Thy

has made him the hero of this epifode. His birth, excellent education, and masterly conduct when regent, have already been mentioned. The fame justice, prudence, and heroifm always accompanied him when king. He had the art to join the moft winning affability with all the manly dignity of the fovereign. To those who were his friends, when a private man, he was particularly attentive. His nobility dined at his table, he frequently made vifits to them, and introduced among them the tafte for, and the love of letters. As he felt the advantages of education, he took the utmost care of that of his children. He had many fons, and he himself often instructed them in folid and useful knowledge, and was amply repaid. He lived to fee them men, men of parts and of action, whofe only emulation was to fhew affection to his perfon, and to fupport his administration by their great abilities. One of his fons, Don Henry, duke of Vifes, was that great prince whose ardent paffion for maritime affairs gave birth to all the modern improvements in navigation. The clergy, who had disturbed almost every other reign, were fo convinced of the wisdom of his, that they confeffed he ought to be supported out of the treasures of the church, and granted him the church. plate to be coined. When the pope ordered a rigorous enquiry to be made into his having brought ecclefiaftics before lay tribunals, the clergy had the singular honesty to desert what was ftiled the church immunities, and to own that justice had been impartially adminiftered. He died in the feventy-fixth year of his age, and in the forty-eighth of his reign. His affection to his queen Philippa made him fond of the English, whofe friendfhip he cultivated, and by whom he was frequently affifted.

ZO glorious youth.-Camoëns, in this inftance, has raised the character of one brother at the other's expence, to give his poem an air of folemnity. The fiege of Tangier was proposed in council. The king's brothers differed

in

Thy nation proffer'd, and the foe with joy

For Ceuta's towers prepared to yield the boy;
The princely hoftage nobly spurns the thought
Of freedom and of life fo dearly bought,

The

in their opinions that of Don Fernand, though a knight errant adventure, was approved of by the young nobility. The infants Henry and Fernand, at the head of 7000 men, laid fiege to Tangier, and were furrounded by a numerous army of Moors, as fome writers fay of fix hundred thousand. On condition that the Portuguese should be allowed to return home, the infants promised to restore Ceuta. The Moors gladly accepted of the terms, but demanded one of the infants as an hostage. Fernand offered himself, and was left. The king was willing to comply with the terms to relieve his brother, but the court confidered the value of Ceuta, and would not confent. The pope alfo interpofed his authority, that Ceuta should be kept as a check on the infidels, and proposed to raise a crusade for the delivery of Fernand. In the meanwhile large offers were made for his liberty. Thefe were rejected by the Moors, who would accept of nothing but Ceuta, whose vaft importance was fuperior to any ranfom. When negotiation failed, king Edward affembled a large army to effect his brother's release, but just as he was fetting out, he was feized with the plague, and died, leaving orders with his queen to deliver up Ceuta for the release of his brother. This, however, was never performed. Don Fernand remained with the Moors till his death. The magnanimity of his behaviour gained him their efteem and admiration, nor is there good proof that he received any extraordinary rigorous treatment; the contrary is rather to be inferred from the romantic notions of military honour which then prevailed among the Moors. Some, however, whom Castera follows, make his fufferings little inferior to those, without proof likewife, afcribed to Regulus. Don Fernand is to this day efteemed as a faint and martyr in Portugal, and his memory is comme morated on the fifth of June. King Edward reigned only five years and a month. He was the most eloquent man in his dominions, fpoke and wrote Latin elegantly, was author of feveral books, one on horfemanship, in which art he excelled. He was brave in the field, active in business, and rendered his country infinite fervice by reducing the laws to a regular code. He was knight of the order of the garter, which honour was conferred upon him by his coufin Henry V. of England. In one inftance he gave great offence to the fuperftitious populace. He despised the advice of a Jew aftrologer, who entreated him to delay his coronation, because the stars that day were unfavourable. To this the misfortune of the army at Tangier was afcribed, and the people were always on the alarm while he lived, as if fome terrible dif after impended over them.

The raging vengeance of the Moors defies,

Gives to the clanking chains his limbs, and dies
A dreary prifon death. Let noify fame

No more unequall'd hold her Codrus' name ;
Her Regulus, her Curtius boast no more,

Nor those the honour'd Decian name who bore.
The fplendour of a court, to them unknown,
Exchang'd for deathful fate's moft awful frown,
To diftant times through every land shall blaze
The felf-devoted Lufian's nobler praise.

Now to the tomb the hapless king defcends,
His fon Alonzo brighter fate attends.
Alonzo dear to Lufus' race the name;
Nor his the meanest in the rolls of fame.
His might refistless proftrate Afric own'd,
Beneath his yoke the Mauritinians groan'd,
And still they groan beneath the Lufian sway.
"Twas his in victor pomp to bear away
The golden apples from Hefperia's fhore,
Which but the fon of Jove had snatch'd before,
The palm and laurel round his temples bound,
Difplay'd his triumphs on the Moorish ground;
When proud Arzilla's ftrength, Alcazer's towers,
And Tingia, boastful of her numerous powers,
Beheld their adamantine walls o'erturn'd,
Their ramparts levell'd, and their temples burn'd.
Great was the day: the meanest sword that fought
Beneath the Lufian flag such wonders wrought

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