From garments ftriped with shining gold he turn'd;
The starry diamond and the filver spurn'd.
Strait at my nod are worthless trinkets brought;
Round beads of crystal as a bracelet wrought,
A cap of red, and dangling on a string
Some little bells of brafs before him ring:
A wide-mouth'd laugh confeft his barbarous joy,
And both his hands he raised to grafp the toy:,
Pleased with these gifts we fet the favage free,
Homeward he fprings away, and bounds with glee.

Soon as the gleamy ftreaks of purple morn
The lofty foreft's topmost boughs adorn,

Down the steep mountain's fide, yet hoar with dew,
A naked crowd, and black as night their hue,
Come tripping to the shore: Their wishful eyes
Declare what tawdry trifles moft they prize :

These to their hopes were given, and, void of fear,
Mild feem'd their manners, and their looks fincere.

A bold rafh youth, ambitious of the fame

Of brave adventurer, Velofe his name,

Through pathless breaks their homeward steps attends,
And on his fingle arm for help depends.

Long was his ftay: my earnest eyes explore,

When rushing down the mountain to the shore

I mark'd him; terror urged his rapid ftrides;

And foon Coëllo's fkiff the wave divides.

Yet ere his friends advanced, the treacherous foe
Trod on his latest steps, and aim'd the blow.

2

57

Moved

Moved by the danger of a youth so brave,

Myfelf now fnatch'd an oar, and sprung to fave:

When fudden, blackening down the mountain's height,
Another crowd pursued his panting flight;

And foon an arrowy and a flinty shower

Thick o'er our heads the fierce barbarians pour,
Nor pour'd in vain; a feather'd arrow ftood
Fix'd in my leg, and drank the gushing blood.

Vengeance

Fix'd in my leg. -Camoëns, in defcribing the adventure of Fernande Velofo, by departing from the truth of history, has fhewn his judgment as a poet. The place where the Portuguese landed they named the Bay of St. Helen. They caught one of two negroes, fays Faria, who were busied in gathering honey on a mountain. Their behaviour to this favage, whom they gratified with a red cap, some glasses and bells, induced him to bring a number of his companions for the like trifles. Though fome who accompanied Gama were skilled in the various Ethiopic languages, not one of the natives could understand them. A commerce however was commenced by figns and gestures. Gama behaved to them with great civility; the fleet was cheerfully fupplied with fresh provifions, for which the natives received cloaths and trinkets. But this friendship was foon interrupted by a young rafh Portuguese. Having contracted an intimacy with fome of the negroes, he obtained leave to penetrate into the country along with them, to obferve their habitations and ftrength. They conducted him to their huts with great good nature, and placed before him, what they esteemed an elegant repast, a fea-calf dreffed in the way of their country. This fo much difguited the delicate Portuguese, that he instantly got up and abruptly left them. Nor did they oppofe his departure, but accompanied him with the greatest innoAs fear, however, is always jealous, he imagined they were leading him as a victim to flaughter. No fooner did he come near the ships, than he called aloud for affiftance. Coello's boat immediately fet off for his refcue. The Ethiopians fied to the woods; and now esteeming the Portugucfe as a band of lawless plunderers, they provided themselves with arms, and lay in ambush. Their weapons were javelins, headed with short pieces of horn, which they threw with great dexterity. Soon after, while Gama and fome of his officers were on the fhore, taking the altitude of the fun by the aftrolabium, they were fuddenly and with great fury attacked by the ambush from the woods. Several were much wounded, multos convulnerant,

cence.

Vengeance as fudden every wound repays,

Full on their fronts our flashing lightnings blaze;
Their fhrieks of horror inftant pierce the sky,
And wing'd with fear at fulleft speed they fly.
Long tracks of
gore their scatter'd flight betray'd,
And now, Velofo to the fleet convey'd,

His fportful mates his brave exploits demand,

And what the curious wonders of the land:
"Hard was the hill to climb, my valiant friend,
"But oh! how smooth and easy to defcend!
"Well haft thou proved thy fwiftnefs for the chafe,
"And fhewn thy matchless merit in the race !"
With look unmoved the gallant youth reply'd,

"For you, my friends, my fleeteft speed was try'd;
" 'Twas the fierce barbarians meant to flay;
you

"For you I fear'd the fortune of the day;

"Your danger great without mine aid I knew, "And fwift as lightning to your rescue flew."

He

inter ques Gama in pede vulnus accepit, and Gama received a wound in the foot, The admiral made a speedy retreat to the fleet, prudently choofing rather to leave the negroes the honour of the victory, than to risk the life of one man in a quarrel fo foreign to the destination of his expedition; and where, to imprefs the terror of his arms could be of no fervice to his interest. When he came nearer to India he acted in a different manner. He then made himself dreaded whenever the treachery of the natives provoked his refentment. Collected from Faria and Oforius.

And fwift as lightning.-The critics, particularly the French, have vehemently declaimed against the least mixture of the comic, with the dignity of the epic poem. It is needless to enter into any defence of this paffage of Camoëns, farther than to obferve, that Homer, Virgil, and Milton have offended

the

He now the treafon of the foe relates,

How foon, as past the mountain's upland ftraits,
They changed the colour of their friendly fhew,
And force forbade his steps to tread below:

How

Patroclus "It is a

the critics in the fame manner; and that this piece of raillery in the Lusiad is by much the politeft, and the leaft reprehenfible of any thing of the kind in the four poets. In Homer are several strokes of low raillery. having killed Hector's charioteer, puns thus on his fudden fall. pity be is not nearer the fea! He would foon catch abundance of oysters, nor would the forms frighten him. See how, he dives from his chariot down to the fand! What excellent divers are the Trojans !" Virgil, the most judicious of all poets, defcends even to the ftyle of Dutch painting, where the commander of a galley tumbles the pilot into the fea, and the failors afterward laugh at him, as he fits on a rock spewing up the falt water:

Segnemque Menceten

In mare præcipitem puppi deturbat ab alta.
At gravis ut fundo vix tandem redditus imo eft
Jam fenior, madidaque fluens in vefte Menotes,
Summa petit fcopuli ficcaque in rupe refedit.
Illum et labentem Teucri, et risere natantem;
Et falfos rident revomentem pectore fluctus.

And though the characters of the speakers, (the ingenious defence which has been offered for Milton) may in fome measure vindicate the raillery which he puts into the mouths of Satan and Belial, the lowness of it, when compared with that of Camoëns, must still be acknowledged. Talking of the execution of the diabolical artillery among the good angels, they, fays Satan,

Flew off, and into strange vagaries fell

As they would dance, yet for a dance they seem'd
Somewhat extravagant and wild, perhaps

For joy of offer'd peace.

To whom thus Belial, in like gamefome mood,
Leader, the terms we fent were terms of weight,
Of hard contents, and full of force urg❜d home,
Such as we might perceive amus'd them all,
And stumbled many-

this gift they have befide,
They fhew us when our foes walk not upright.

How down the coverts of the steepy brake
Their lurking ftand a treacherous ambush take;
On us, when speeding to defend his flight,
To rush, and plunge us in the shades of night:
Nor while in friendship would their lips unfold
Where India's ocean laved the orient fhores of gold.

Now profp'rous gales the bending canvas swell'd;
From these rude fhores our fearless course we held:
Beneath the glistening wave the God of day
Had now five times withdrawn the parting ray,
When o'er the prow a fudden darkness spread,

And flowly floating o'er the maft's tall head
A black cloud hover'd: nor appear'd from far
The moon's pale glimpse, nor faintly twinkling star;
So deep a gloom the louring vapour cast,
Transfixt with awe the bravest stood aghast.
Meanwhile a hollow bursting roar resounds,
As when hoarse surges lash their rocky mounds;
Nor had the blackening wave, nor frowning heaven
The wonted figns of gathering tempest given.
Amazed we stood-O thou, our fortune's guide,
Avert this omen, mighty God,-I cried;
Or through forbidden climes adventurous ftray'd,
Have we the fecrets of the deep furvey'd,

Which these wide folitudes of feas and sky

Were doom'd to hide from man's unhallowed eye?

Whate'er