the descendants of Esplandian are usually discovered by some inscription of this nature, or other personal mark, as a cross or flaming sword, an awkward alteration on the Greek romances, where children are identified by certain articles of apparel or décoration, which they had on at the time of their loss or exposure.

Esplandian was brought up at the court of King Lisuarte, and was in due time admitted into the order of knighthood. The romance, which is appropriated to his exploits, commences immediately after this inauguration. During a sleep, into which he fell soon after the ceremony, he was carried, with his squire, by means of Urganda the Unknown, to that incomprehensible machine the Ship of the great serpent, wherein he was conveyed to the foot of a castle, the enchantments of which he was destined to terminate.

Thence, under the name of the Black Knight, (an appellation bestowed from the colour of his arms), he sailed to the Forbidden Mountain, a strong-hold on the confines of Turkey and Greece, and which, in this romance, is the chief theatre of exploits. Esplandian took possession of it in behalf of the Greek emperor, having slain its former gigantic and heathenish proprietors. He did not,

however, long occupy this fortress in quiet, as it was soon besieged by Armato, the soldan of the Turks, with a great army. But Esplandian had now additional motives to exert himself in behalf of the Greek emperor. Leonorina, the emperor's daughter, and our knight, though they had never met, had become mutually enamoured, and maintain, during the romance, an interchange of amatory embassies. Armato, instead of recovering possession of the Forbidden Mountain, was defeated and made prisoner. Encouraged by this success, Esplandian carried the war into the heart of Turkey, and took the principal city. Hearing, however, that his mistress was offended at his neglect in not having come to visit her, he departed for Constantinople; and on the night of his arrival was privately conveyed into her apartment in a cedar coffer, of which he had requested her acceptance.

On his return the war was prosecuted against the Turks with new vigour. The Christians were assisted by Urganda, who, in all his adventures, had highly favoured Amadis, and extends her protection to his latest posterity. The infidels, on the other hand, were supported by the enchantress Melia, the sister of Armato. That soldan having effected his escape from confinement on the back of a dragon, which had been provided by his sis

ter, speedily raised an immense army and besieged Constantinople. He was aided by all the eastern caliphs and soldans, and especially by an Amazonian queen, who brought, as her contingent, a flight of fifty griffins well equipped, which flew over the bulwarks of the city, and committed internal devastations. The Greeks, on the other hand, were assisted by Amadis de Gaul and the western potentates. After a protracted warfare, it was agreed that the contest should be settled by a double combat. Amadis, and his son Esplandian, were selected on the one side; the Amazonian queen and a choice soldan on the other. The latter were worsted, but, notwithstanding the agreement, the Paynim army attacked the Christians, but were totally defeated and expelled the Greek dominions. The emperor then resigned his kingdom in favour of Esplandian, who espoused Leonorina, the daughter of the abdicated monarch.

Now, after a time, Urganda by her great knowledge discovered that Amadis, Galaor, Esplandian, and all her favourite knights, were in a short time to pay the debt of nature. She therefore sent for them to the Firm Island, and informed them that the only way to escape mortality, was to remain in the dormant state into which she could throw them, till disenchanted by Lisuarte, son of Es

plandian, acquiring possession of a certain magic sword, when they would all spring to life with renovated vigour.

Thus, although new heroes are for ever rising on the stage, the reader never gets free of the old ones. They subsist through the whole romance of

LISUARTE OF GREECE,

son of Esplandian and Leonorina, who was destined to recall them to their former inquietude. Perion, who was son of Amadis de Gaul and Oriana, and born after their legal union, is the second character in this romance, which commences with the account of a voyage undertaken by Perion, from England to Ireland, in order to be dubbed a knight by the king of the latter country. On his way he is separated from his followers by a lady cruising in a boat managed by four apes, who insist that he should accompany their mistress, for the fulfilment of a great emprise. His attendants proceed to Constantinople, where they report his

1 Chronica de los famosos esforcados cavalleros Lisuarte de Grecia, hijo d' Esplandian, y de Perion de Gaul.

adventure, and Lisuarte, in consequence, sets out in quest of his kinsman Perion This prince had meanwhile arrived in Trebizond, and fallen in love with one of the emperor's daughters; he had not, however, leisure to prosecute his suit, as She of the Apes hurries him away to accomplish the enterprise he had undertaken.

Soon after his departure, Lisuarte also arrived in Trebizond, and fell in love with Onoloria, the emperor's other daughter: but while enjoying himself in the society of his mistress, a lady of gigantic stature came to court, and asked from Lisuarte a gift. This, as usual, was promised without any enquiries as to its nature, and it proved to be the attendance of Lisuarte for a twelvemonth, whereever she chose to require. Now this lady was in the interest of the pagans, and had fallen on this device to remove Lisuarte, who was the chief support of the Grecian throne. Of this the emperor of Trebizond was informed soon after the departure of Lisuarte, by a letter which was closed with sixty-seven seals, and which also announced that Constantinople was about to be besieged by Armato, the Turkish soldan, who had placed himself at the head of a league of sixty-seven princes,-a coalition ingeniously denoted by the number of seals.