This indifferent romance was superseded, as the legitimate continuation of the family history of the Palmerins, by the superior merit of the romance of

PALMERIN OF ENGLAND,

son to Don Duardos, prince of England, and Flerida, daughter of the Emperor Palmerin d'Oliva.

The most ancient edition of Palmerin of England is in the French language; it was printed at Lyons, 1553, is dedicated to Diana of Poictiers, duchess of Valentinois, and is said in the titlepage to be translated by Jacques Vincent from the Castilian. In 1555, an edition in the Italian language was published at Venice, which also purports to be translated from the Spanish. This romance next appeared in Portugueze in 1567, dedicated to the Infanta Dona Maria, by Francesco de Moraes. Of Moraes little farther is known than that he was born at Bragança; that he was treasurer to King Joam III., and perished by a violent death at Evora in 1572. He informs the reader, in the dedication, that being in France, he had discovered a French chronicle of Palmerin which he had translated into Portugueze.

In spite of this declaration of Moraes, and of the

circumstances that the French and Italian editions appeared twelve or fourteen years previous to the Portugueze, and that both profess to be translated from Spanish, Mr Southey has maintained that Palmerin of England was neither written in Spanish, as alledged in the French and Italian editions, nor translated from ancient chronicles, as pretended by Moraes, but that the Portugueze is the language in which it was originally composed, and that Moraes himself is the author.

With regard to the assertion of Moraes, it is argued justly that original romances were very frequently represented by the authors as translated from old manuscripts-that the account which he gives of discovering the chronicles implies that the story is his own, was meant to be so understood, and was understood so, and that if the work had not been original, the pretence concerning the manuscripts could not have escaped detection, as the French and Italian versions could not have been unknown in Lisbon at the period of his publication.

The difficulty arising from the priority of the French and Italian translations, Mr Southey resolves by adducing similar instances in which translations have been made from written copies, and published before the original, and by conjecturing

that Moraes wrote the book in France, but delayed printing it till his return to Portugal, and that meanwhile it was translated into French and Italian. As to the assertion in the title-pages of the French editions, that it was taken from the Castilian, he believes that term to be used as synonimous with Spanish, which was, at that time, employed to denote generally the language of all the writers of the peninsula. He remarks, besides, that the Spaniards lay no claim to the romance, and that he knows no proof that it exists in their language.

Thus the way is cleared for the evidence of its Portugueze original, which consists in an assertion of Cervantes, that there was a report that it was composed by a wise king of Portugal, which, though a mistake as to the author, evinces the general belief that it was written in Portugueze. There is also, according to Mr Southey, internal evidence that Palmerin of England was the work of an inhabitant of Portugal, since to much of the the author has given not only natural but local truth.

scenery

In Palmerin, as in many other romances of chivalry, the author gives an account not only of the infancy of the hero, but the adventures of his parents. Don Duardos, son of Fadrique king of England, was united, as mentioned in the romance

of Primaleon, to Flerida, daughter of Palmerin d'Oliva. One day, while pursuing a wild boar in one of the forests of England, this prince loses his way and arrives at a castle, into which he is admitted, and is afterwards treacherously detained by a giantess called Eutropa, with the view of revenging the death of her brother, who had been slain by Palmerin d'Oliva. This giantess had a nephew called Dramuziando, who resided in the castle, and was the son of the person who had been killed by Palmerin. Dramuziando presents the character (a very singular one in romance) of an amiable and accomplished giant. He was, we are told, pleasant in discourse, and surpassed all his kindred in courtesy; he conceived a friendship for Duardos, and, contrary to the intentions of the aunt, treated him with much kindness while he was detained a prisoner in the castle.

Flerida having set out in search of her husband Duardos with a large escort, is seized in a forest with the pains of labour, and gives birth to two sons, who are baptized by a chaplain who was in attendance. This ceremony is scarcely concluded when a savage man, who inhabited the forest, approached, leading two lions, and possessed himself of the infants, one of whom had just been named Palmerin, the future hero of the romance, and the

other Florian. Both these unfortunate children he straightway conveys to his den, and destines them as food for his lions.

After this mishap, Flerida returns disconsolate to the palace, and a messenger is dispatched to Constantinople to inform the emperor and his court of the recent loss, and also of the captivity of Duardos. On receiving this intelligence, Primaleon and a number of knights depart for Eng. land. A great proportion of the early part of the romance is occupied with the adventures of those engaged in attempting the deliverance of Duardos. Most of the knights fall under the power of the giant Dramuziando, but the only revenge he takes is employing them, as he of late had employed Duardos, to combat each new enemy that approached.

Meanwhile the wife of the savage man had prevailed on her husband to relinquish his intentions of dismembering Palmerin and Florian for behoof of his lions, and the two young princes are brought up as his own children, along with his son Selvian. One day, when Florian had strayed to a considerable distance in pursuit of a stag, he meets Sir Pridos, son to the Duke of Wales, who takes him to the English court, where he is introduced to the king and Flerida, and trained up by them with much care, under name of the Child of the Desert.