And onward ftill, thy fame, his proud heart's guide,
Haunting him unappeased, the dreary tide
Beneath the southern ftar's cold gleam he braves,
And stems the whirls of land-furrounded waves.
For ever facred to the hero's fame

Thefe foaming straits shall bear his deathlefs name.
Through thefe dread jaws of rock he preffes on;
Another ocean's breast, immense, unknown,
Beneath the south's cold wings, unmeasured, wide,
Receives his veffels; through the dreary tide
In darkling shades, where never man before
Heard the waves howl, he dares the nameless shore.

Thus far, O favoured Lufians, bounteous heaven
Your nation's glories to your view has given.
What enfigns, blazing to the morn, pursue
The path of heroes, open'd firft by you!

Still be it your's the first in fame to shine:
Thus fhall your brides new chaplets ftill entwine,
With laurels ever new your brows enfold,
And braid your wavy locks with radiant gold.

How calm the waves, how mild the balmy gale!
The halcyons call, ye Lufians, fpread the fail!
Old Ocean now appeased shall rage no more,
Hafte, point the bowfprit to your native shore:

Soon fhall the transports of the natal foil

O'erwhelm in bounding joy the thoughts of every toil.

The goddess spake; and VASCO waved his hand, And foon the joyful heroes crowd the strand.

The

• The goddess fpake. We are now come to the conclufion of the fiction of the Island of Venus, a fiction which is divided into three principal parts. In each of these the poetical merit is obvious, nor need we fear to affert that the happiness of our author, in uniting all these parts together in one great episode, would have excited the admiration of Longinus. The heroes of the Lufiad receive their reward in the Island of Love. They are led to the palace of Thetis, where, during a divine feast, they hear the glorious victories and conquefts of the heroes who are to fucceed them in their Indian expedition, fung by a fyren; and the face of the globe itself, described by the goddess, difcovers the universe, and particularly the extent of the Eastern World, now given to Europe by the fuccefs of Gama. Neither in the happiness or grandeur of completion may the Æneid or Odyffey be mentioned in comparifon. The Iliad alone, în epic conduct (as already observed) bears a strong refemblance. But however great in other views of poetical merit, the games at the funeral of Patroclus and the redemption of the body of Hector, confidered as the interefting conclufion of a great whole, can never in propriety and grandeur be brought into competition with the admirable episode which concludes the poem on the Discovery of India.

Soon after the appearance of the Lufiad, the language of Spain was alfo enriched with an heroic poem. The author of this has often imitated the Portuguese poet, particularly in the fiction of the globe of the world, which is fhewed to Gama. In the araucana, a globe, furrounded with a radiant fphere, is alfo miraculously fupported in the air; and on this an enchanter fhews to the Spaniards the extent of their dominions in the New World. But Don Alonzo d'Arcilla is in this, as in every other part of his poem, greatly inferior to the poetical spirit of Camoëns. Milton, whofe poetical conduct in concluding the action of his Paradise Loft, as already pointed out, feems formed upon the Lufiad, appears to have had this passage particularly in his eye. For though the machinery of a vifionary sphere was rather improper for the fituation of his perfonages, he has nevertheless, though at

the

The lofty ships with deepen'd burthens prove

The various bounties of the Ifle of Love.

Nor

the expence of an impoffible fuppofition, given Adam a view of the terreftrial globe. Michael fets the father of mankind on a mountain,

And even the mention of America feems copied by Milton,

in fpirit perhaps he also faw

Rich Mexico, the feat of Montezume,

And Cusco in Peru, the richer feat

Of Atabalipa, and yet unspoiled

Guiana, whofe great city Geryon's fons

Call El Dorado.

It must also be owned by the warmeft admirer of the Paradife Loft, that if the names enumerated by Milton convey grandeur of idea, the description of America in Camoëns,

Vedes a grande terra, que contina
Vai de Califto ao feu contrario polo.

To fartheft north that world enormous bends,
And cold beneath the fouthern pole-star ends-

is certainly more picturesque; and therefore, at least, not less poetical. Some short account of the writers, whofe authorities have been adduced in the course of these notes, may not now be improper. Fernando Lopez de Castagneda went to India on purpose to do honour to his countrymen,

by

Nor leave the youths their lovely brides behind,

In wedded bands, while time glides on, conjoin'd;
Fair as immortal fame in smiles array'd,

In bridal smiles, attends each lovely maid.
O'er India's fea, wing'd on by balmy gales

That whisper'd peace, foft fwell'd the fteady fails :

Smooth

by enabling himself to record their actions and conquests in the East. As he was one of the first writers on that subject, his geography is often imperfect. This defect is remedied in the writings of John de Barros, who was particularly attentive to this head. But the two most eminent, as well as fulleft writers on the tranfactions of the Portuguese in the East, are Manuel de Faria y Soufa, knight of the order of Chrift, and Hieronimus Oforius, bishop of Sylves. Faria, who wrote in Spanish, was a laborious enquirer, and is very full and circumftantial. With honest indignation he reprehends the rapine of commanders, and the errors and unworthy refentments of kings. But he is often fo drily particular, that he may rather be called a journalist than an historian. And by this uninteresting minuteness, his ftyle for the greatest part is rendered inelegant. The bishop of Sylves, however, claims a different character. His Latin is elegant, and his manly and fentimental manner entitles him to the name of hiftorian, even where a Livy, or a Tacitus, are mentioned. But a fentence from himself, unexpected in a father of the communion of Rome, will characterise the liberality of his mind. Talking of the edict of king Emmanuel, which compelled the Jews to embrace Christianity, under severe perfecution; Nec ex lege, nec ex religione fa&tum. tibi affumas, (fays he,) ut libertatem voluntatis impedias, et vincula mentibus effrenatis injicias ? At id neque fieri poteft, neque Chrifti fan&tiffimum numen approbat. Voluntarium enim facrificium non vi mala coactum ab hominibus expetit: neque vim mentibus inferri, fed voluntates ad ftudium veræ religionis allici & invitari jubet.

.......

It is faid, in the Preface to Oforius, that his writings were highly cfteemed by Queen Mary of England, wife of Philip II. What a pity is it, that this manly indignation of the good bishop against the impiety of religious perfecution, made no impreffion on the mind of that bigotted princess!

Smooth as on wing unmoved the eagle flies,
When to his eyrie cliff he fails the skies,
Swift o'er the gentle billows of the tide,
So fmooth, fo foft, the prows of GAMA glide;
And now their native fields, for ever dear,
In all their wild transporting charms appear;
And Tago's bofom, while his banks repeat
The founding peals of joy, receives the fleet.
With orient titles and immortal fame

The hero band adorn their monarch's name ;
Sceptres and crowns beneath his feet they lay,
And the wide Eaft is doom'd to Lusian P sway.

Enough, my mufe, thy wearied wing no more
Muft to the feat of Jove triumphant foar.
Chill'd by my nation's cold neglect, thy fires
Glow bold no more, and all thy rage expires.
Yet thou, Sebastian, thou, my king, attend;
Behold what glories on thy throne defcend!
Shall haughty Gaul or fterner Albion boast
That all the Lufian fame in thee is loft!

Oh,

P And the wide Eaft is doom'd to Lufian fway. Thus in all the force of ancient fimplicity, and the true fublime, ends the poem of Camoëns. What follows, is one of those exuberances we have already endeavoured to defend in our author, nor in the strictest sense is this concluding one without propriety. A part of the propofition of the poem is artfully addressed to king Sebastian, and he is now called upon in an addrefs, which is an artful fecond part to the former, to behold and preserve the glories of his throne.