No More Learning

[428]

_Yet something more than human warms my breast,
And sudden whispers--_

In the Portuguese--

_Mas, se a verdade o espirito me adevinha. _

Literally, "But, if my spirit truly divine. " Thus rendered by Fanshaw--

_But, in my aug'ring ear a bird doth sing. _


[429] _As Rome's Corvinus. _--Valerius Maximus, a Roman tribune, who
fought and slew a Gaul of enormous stature, in single combat. During the
duel a raven perched on the helmet of his antagonist, sometimes pecked
his face and hand, and sometimes blinded him with the flapping of his
wings. The victor was thence named Corvinus, from Corvus. Vid. Livy, l.
7, c. 26.

[430] _The Flandrian countess on her hero smil'd. _--The princess, for
whom Magricio signalized his valour, was Isabella of Portugal, and
spouse to Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, and earl of Flanders. Some
Spanish chronicles relate that Charles VII. of France, having assembled
the states of his kingdom, cited Philip to appear with his other
vassals.
Isabella, who was present, solemnly protested that the earls of
Flanders were not obliged to do homage. A dispute arose, on which she
offered, according to the custom of that age, to appeal to the fate of
arms. The proposal was accepted, and Magricio the champion of Isabella,
vanquished a French chevalier, appointed by Charles. Though our authors
do not mention this adventure, and though Emmanuel de Faria, and the
best Portuguese writers treat it with doubt, nothing to the disadvantage
of Camoens is thence to be inferred. A poet is not obliged always to
follow the truth of history.

[431] _The Rhine another pass'd, and prov'd his might. _--This was Alvaro
Vaz d'Almada. The chronicle of Garibay relates, that at Basle he
received from a German a challenge to measure swords, on condition that
each should fight with the right side unarmed; the German by this hoping
to be victorious, for he was left-handed. The Portuguese, suspecting no
fraud, accepted. When the combat began he perceived the inequality. His
right side unarmed was exposed to the enemy, whose left side, which was
nearest to him was defended with half a cuirass. Notwithstanding all
this, the brave Alvaro obtained the victory. He sprang upon the German,
seized him, and, grasping him forcibly in his arms, stifled and crushed
him to death; imitating the conduct of Hercules, who in the same manner
slew the cruel Anteus. Here we ought to remark the address of our
author; he describes at length the injury and grief of the English
ladies, the voyage of the twelve champions to England, and the prowess
they there displayed. When Veloso relates these, the sea is calm; but no
sooner does it begin to be troubled, than the soldier abridges his
recital: we see him follow by degrees the preludes of the storm, we
perceive the anxiety of his mind on the view of the approaching danger,
hastening his narration to an end. Behold the strokes of a
master!