horse of one of the slain knights, and, to calm her fears, makes himself known to her. Clarice was at first alarmed. "Come allor che tra nubi i rai lucenti Si tranquillâr nel tempestoso core." C. IV. st. 50. But Rinaldo's joy was of short duration; for a knight (who, as it in the sequel appears, was the Magician Malagigi, his cousin) deprives him of his Clarice, and carries her off in a wonderful sort of a chariot. The young hero, parting with Isoliero, pursues the chariot in vain, and whilst he is proceeding on, brooding over his loss, he finds a shepherd, fair as Endymion, when Diana became enamoured of him, or "Qual fuor dell' oceàn sovente apparve D'un candido splendor le gote accese La Stella cara all' amorsa diva Che il giorno estinto innanzi tempo avviva," who was weeping bitterly. Florindo, (for that was the shepherd's name,) relates his misfortunes, which, it may be easily imagined, are the fruit of love; they pledge friendship, and set out together to find Charlemagne, from whose hands Florindo wishes to receive the sovereign order of knighthood. Rinaldo, arriving with his companion, "all' almo terreno Ancor di riverenza e d'onor pieno," cannot withold his admiration, and the young Italian poet passes the following eulogy upon his native land :— "Salve d'illustri palme e di trofei Provincia adorna e d'opre alte e leggiadre! D'arme e d'ingegni ancor feconda madre, C. VI. st. 3. Pleased with his address and gallant bearing, Charlemagne somewhat hastily bestows knighthood on Florindo : "Cavalier fèllo, àncor che non sapesse Dirgli appieno ond 'origine ei trasse." Meanwhile, our readers must acknowledge Florindo for a knight; in the sequel they will learn who he is. Rinaldo, desirous of breaking a lance with the doughtiest champions of Charlemagne's host, after having vanquished several, without making known his name, encounters Orlando, who "wearing a charmed life," as every one knows, that has read Boiardo and Ariosto, and they never tell a falsehood-cannot be wounded himself, but yet slightly wounds Rinaldo, who, unfortunately, had a skin like every body else; so, coming to the scratch with equal daring and bottom, Charlemagne, who has conceived a high esteem for the noble stranger, interrupts the set-to. Rinaldo, after exchanging marks of knightly courtesy with Orlando, refuses to reveal his quality, and sets out with Florindo, in quest of new adventures, and their mistresses. They arrive at a wood, as gloomy and drear as Ismeno's enchanted forest, in the Gerusalemme, and there find a transparent tomb, in which lay the corpse of a beautiful female. "Ell' era morta, e così morta ancora C. VII. st. 18. And round it stood some knights, weeping; one of whom, having defied Rinaldo, and being, as might be expected, mortally wounded, states, before breathing his last, that the corpse was that of his wife, whom he had accidentally slain, and that, in expiation of the dreadful deed, he had made a vow, to oblige every knight, that passed that way, to drink of a certain fountain, hard by, which made the unlucky wight, that tasted it, unable to move from the spot, where he was kept continually shedding tears, so potent was the spell that bound him. The spell being thus broken, after the usual compliments, every one left the spot by different roads. Rinaldo and Florindo are, however, left together, and go in quest of adventures until they reach a place where "Videro il mar tirren placido e piano Il bel lito ferir tacitamente,” and where they find a garden, the equal of which was never before seen. Two beautiful creatures step up and invite them to a palace, and the adventurers soon find out that it is Pausilippo; such an invitation, from two such charming beings, could not be refused by any body, much less by knight-errants, who, as all the world know, are the most courteous fellows under the sun; therefore, walking on with the sweet fair ones, they reach the palace, which, they were told, was called the Palace of Courtesy, a place that certainly must be enchanted, where they found all the courteous folks that ever were to be met with upon earth, whom the ramblers did not see forthwith, as it was night. Being fully satisfied, in their own minds, that that was not the time for examining likenesses, they determined, that every one should betake himself to his bed. "Già svegliata l'aurora al dolce canto Dé lascivetti augei vaga sorgea; C. VIII. st. 1. When our heroes proceeded, the following morning, to look at the portraits; among which the hapless Tasso gives a prominent place to that of the execrable tyrant of Ferrara, who, afterwards, pent him up in a prison, or rather a mad-house, for upwards of seven years, and whose name has been "embalmed in hate and canonized in scorn," by Byron and Goethe. After viewing the portraits, the venturous knights embark, loaded with presents, on board an enchanted yacht, furnished by the courteous damsels, and which, without sail, oar, or steam, bears them whithersoever they will, in quest of new pleasures and perils, till they, at length, reach a haunt of ruffianly fellows belonging to the famous Mambrino, who hold, in durance vile, a number of damsels and unfortunate knights: these, Rinaldo and his companion chivalrously liberate, after killing a few dozens of the poor devils who had them in charge, and who had taken up the cudgels in defence of their leader, so unceremoniously sent to the other world by Rinaldo : "Come s'avvêntan susurrando al viso L'irate pecchie insieme unitamente VOL XI. PART. II. U Al villanel ch'abbia il re loro ucciso, C. VIII. st. 30. Returning to their enchanted yacht, it conveys them into Asia, and then returns, empty, of itself, to its fair owners. The knights then met with a statue, and Rinaldo recognizės, "gli occhi, il crine La chiara fronte e l'aria del bel viso, La bocca e 'l dolce lampeggiar del riso." Ibid. 51. He, in short, recognizes Clarice, and the very moment he is earnestly gazing on the beloved object of his every thought, Francardo, who was there worshipping its charms, waiting for the original, as aforesaid, wishes Rinaldo to pay his vows to it, and to confess, that none but Francardo deserves to possess such a lovely mistress. Rinaldo was, in his own mind, disposed even to idolize it, but could not bring himself to confess what the Tartar wished. A challenge was the consequence; Rinaldo, however, generously refuses to fight with Francardo, who was provided with a sword only; but the latter discourteously aims a thrust at him, so that Florindo, who had fewer scruples, reproaches Francardo with taking an unknightly advantage of his antagonist's generosity. "Qual orso che colui che l'ha percosso Ibid. 60. immediately falls upon Florindo, who soon despatches him, whilst Rinaldo is engaged with Chiarallo, and, after, hastens to the assistance of Florindo, who, severely wounded, was defending himself against an unequal number of small fry, that were soon cut up or dispersed; and Rinaldo, taking possession of the statue, covered it with kisses, as was natural enough, and then proceeded to look after Florindo's wounds. On the recovery of the latter, they performed numerous wonderful achievements, to which our poet only makes allusion, without giving us any particulars. At length, on a charming plain, the roving pair fall in with the fair Floriana, who, after the defeat of the knight that had her in charge by Rinaldo, conducts the latter to her palace; and our readers may easily surmise what followed, when we in- "Con la sinistra mano Anselmo stringe C. II. st. 29. in The Maganzesi take the part of their kinsman, and fall on Rinaldo, who is defended by the Chiaramontesi, and slowly retires from the hall where he had drawn blood, wrapping his mantle over his left hand, and grasping his drawn falchion with his right. The Maganzesi want heart to follow him; they merely "Si mostravan da lungi assai feroci. Così di can timido stuol sovente Ch' incontra 'l toro arde di sdegno e d'ira E latrando lo guarda e si ritira, Mentre in feroce aspetto alteramente Quel muove i passi e gli occhi intorno gira, |