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THE

POETICAL WORKS

OF

MRS. FELICIA HEMANS.

Fifth American Edition.

TO WHICH IS ADDED

MANY PIECES NOT CONTAINED IN ANY Former
EDITION.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

New-Haven:

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY

NATHAN WHITING.

кс 8597

HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Jul 1942

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE history of Spain records two instances of the severe and self-devoting heroism, which forms the subject of the following dramatic poem. The first of these occurred at the siege of Tarifa, which was defended in 1294, for Sancho, King of Castile, during the rebellion of his brother, Don Juan, by Guzman, surnamed the Good.* The second is related of Alonzo Lopez de Texeda, who, until his garrison had been utterly disabled by pestilence, maintained the city of Zamora for the children of Don Pedro the Cruel, against the forces of Henrique of Trastamara.t

Impressive as were the circumstances which distinguished both these memorable sieges, it appeared to the author of the following pages, that a deeper interest, as well as a stronger color of nationality, might be imparted to the scenes in which she has feebly attempted "to describe high passions and high actions;" by connecting a religious, feeling with the patriotism and high-minded loyalty which had thus been proved "faithful unto death," and by

*See Quintana's' Vidas de Espanoles celebres,' p. 53. See the Preface to Southey's Chronicle of the Cid.'

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