Abra, his sister, succeeded to the throne of Babylon. This princess, when she accompanied her brother to Trebizond, had become enamoured of Lisuarte: her suit had been rejected, and the pangs of ill-requited affection, added to the desire of avenging the death of her brother, induced her to raise up knights in all parts of the world to attempt the destruction of Lisuarte. One of her damsels, while on this quest, met with Amadis of Greece, and made him promise to grant her mistress the head of Lisuarte as a gift. Hence, on the arrival of Amadis at Trebizond, there was a dreadful combat between the father and son, which must have terminated fatally to one or other, had it not been broken off by the appearance of Urganda, who now revealed that Amadis was the offspring of Lisu

arte.

This, however, was but an incidental exploit on the part of Amadis; his attention ere now had been engrossed by objects different from those by which it had been formerly absorbed. Niquea, the daughter of an eastern soldan, had fallen in love with Amadis by report, and had already despatched conciliatory messages, and sent a gift of her portrait by a favourite dwarf. Like the princess in the Persian tales, Niquea was of such resplendent beauty, that all who beheld her died, or

at least were deprived of their reason. She was in consequence shut up by her father in an almost inaccessible tower, to which her family alone had admittance; and afterwards, to preserve her from the passion of her brother Anastarax, this prince was enclosed by the magician Zirfea in a magic palace, surrounded by impassable flames. The view of the portrait of this beauty overcame the fidelity that Amadis had hitherto preserved to the princess of Sicily. To obtain access to his new mistress, Amadis, soon after the period of his late combat with Lisuarte, so arranged matters that he was sold in the disguise of a female slave, to her father the soldan; he thus obtained admittance to his daughter, and after a promise of marriage, was received by her in the character of a husband.

Meanwhile, Abra being disappointed in the issue of the combat between Amadis and Lisuarte, assembled a great army, and led it against Trebizond. Her forces were totally defeated, but Onoloria dying about this time, Lisuarte, at the persuasion of Gradaffile, finally agreed to espouse the Babylonian queen.

The situation of Niquea now requiring retirement from a father's observation, she eloped with Amadis, and soon after arrived with him at Trebi

zond, where she was solemnly espoused, and gave birth to a son, named Florisel de Niquea.

That part of the family history which relates particularly to the exploits of Amadis of Greece, concludes, like the romance of Esplandian, with the enchantment of all the Greek heroes and princesses by Zirfea, in the Tower of the Universe, in order that they might evade the period appointed for their decease. There every thing that passed in the universe was magically exhibited; a display which this assembly, while seated in easy chairs, was destined to contemplate at leisure for the en. suing century.

The romance of Amadis of Greece, and all its successors, have suffered the severest censure from Cervantes. "The next,” said the barber, “ is Amadis of Greece, yea, and all these on this side are of the lineage of Amadis. Then into the yard with them all, quoth the priest, for rather than not burn the Queen Pintiquinestra, and the shepherd Darinel, with his eclogues and the devilish intricate discourses of its author, I would burn the father who begot me, did I meet him in the garb of a knight errant." It is in the 10th book of Amadis de Gaul, which is feigned to be written by Cirfea, queen of the Argives, and which chiefly contains the adventures of

FLORISEL DE NIQUEA,'

son of Amadis of Greece and Niquea, that the character of Darinel, which seems so strongly to have excited the rage of Cervantes, is exhibited. This shepherd is a new character in romance, being an amorous pastoral buffoon, who is in love with Sylvia, the heroine of the work. This lady was the fruit of one of the stolen interviews of Lisuarte and Onoloria; she of course was removed from her parents in her infancy, and had been educated in the vicinity of Alexandria. As she grew up she was beloved by Darinel, a neighbouring swain; but as the fair one exercised unusual rigour towards her lover, he resolved to expose himself to perish on the top of the highest mountain in the empire of Babylon. In this region he met with Florisel, who was at that time residing at the Babylonish court. To this prince Darinel gave such an animated description of the beauty of Sylvia, that he disguised himself as a shepherd, and persuaded Darinel to conduct him to her

El deceno libro de Amadis, que es el cronica de Don Florisel de Niquea, bijo de Amadis de Grecia.

abode. Sylvia was as unrelenting to the pretended, as she had been to the real shepherd; but, on hearing from Florisel an account of the enchantment of Anastarax, who was still enclosed in his fiery palace, she became enamoured of this prince, and persuaded Florisel, and also Darinel, (who had for a time relinquished his scheme of exposure on the top of the highest mountain of Babylon), to set out with her to attempt his deliverance. They departed together, but having arrived at the spot, they understood that this adventure was reserved for Alastraxare, an Amazon, who was the fruit of an amour between the queen of Caucasus and Amadis of Greece. The atchievements of Alastraxare occupy a considerable part of the romance, and in their search for this heroine, the pastoral party met with many adventures, of which the chief is that of Florisel with Arlanda, princess of Thrace, who had fallen in love with him by report, followed him in his travels, and, finally, contrived to gratify her passion, by coming to him in the dusk, disguised in the clothes of Sylvia.

Sylvia was at length separated from Florisel and Darinel during a tempest, and returned to the flaming prison, or hell, as it is called, of Anastarax. There she met Alastraxare, and their united efforts accomplished the disenchantment. Nearly at