Attachment of the Spaniards to the arabic num- 38 Proceedings of the Trobadours in the kingdom of Aragon until its union to the Crown of Caf Origin and progrels of national poetry in Caftile. ୨୫ Second period of Spanish Poetry in the fifteenth century.—Character of King John the Se- City of Burgos.-Tomb of the Cid, and of King LETTER XVIII. Lordship of Bifcay.-Antient poetry in the Vaf cuenfe language. LETTER 296 XIX. Departure from Bilbao for England by fea.-Sen Lence of the inquifition against Don Pablo de Olavide. 304 So many English travellers have of late pub lifhed their remarks in their respective tours through Spain, that it is not without the utmost deference that the present Letters are offered to the public; as not only the most remarkable objects in that kingdom have been fully defcribed, but we have moreover had catalogues of greek and latin books in libraries, lifts of pictures, and circumftantial accounts of buildings, both Roman, Gothic and Saracenic, annexed to the various incidents of travelling.-Another writer has had recourse to the very rocks and mountains, has dug into the bowels of the earth, and visited the mines, defcribing the fubterraneous kingdoms of nature, as well as the various trees, and plants that cover the furface of that extenfive country. What then remains to the prefent writer? or how can he Aatter himself with prefenting any new matter worthy the attention of his readers, that will ftand the teft, before the piercing eye of criticifm? yet methinks whatever may have been the cause, whether from bad roads, wretched inns, or extravagant price of provisions, in the courfe of these different peregrinations; the mountain of Parnaffus has not been visited by the curious traveller, and the fpanifh mufe has tunA 2 ed ed her lyre without being difturbed by the unhallowed step of the rambling stranger.Should this be the cafe, and that the author fhould have preferred the Caftalian fpring to the tempting juice of the La Mancha grape, he ftill claims indulgence for the many imperfections of the following sketch, while he truly dreads the charge of intoxication from these fhallow draughts!* at the fame time he acknowleges to have taken rather a curfory view of Don Quixote's library, and fome poems are not mentioned fuch as the Auftriada of John Rufo, The Tears of Angelica, The Fortune of Love of Antonio Lofrafco of Sardinia, with fome others praised by Cervantes. However tranfient, the merit of these may have been, it is not fo with an ingenious and burlefque poem intitled the Mofchea by Joseph de Villaviciofa, which fhould not be forgotten, though not particularly mentioned in this work: the poet has described with infinite humour and pleasantry the inconveniences arifing from that troublesome infect the moschetto: a new edition of it was lately published at Madrid and dedicated to our ambaffador then at that court, Lord Grantham, evidently *See Pope's Effay on Criticifm. manifefting |