t ScheviU — Studies in Cervantes. 505 



palace is consumed by the fire. This episode of the Persiles, how- 

 ever, verges on the ludicrous on account of the absurd duplication 

 of the incident. Policarpo also appears in the tower and beholds 

 his love disappear over the waters, but fortunately there is no lamen- 

 tation.^ 



Further indebtedness to the story of Dido can no doubt be exag- 

 gerated," and while there are in the Persiles certain very insignifi- 

 cant sentiments or situations which may have been slightly affected 

 by the fovirth book of the Aeneid, it is more probable that they are 

 independent similarities. When, for instance, Arnaldo, a prince in 

 love with Auristela, is detained by her charms instead of going home 

 to his kingdom, he is advised by the busybody Clodio to be mindful 

 of his duties and proceed on his journey to his own country. Just 

 so Aeneas had been reminded of his duty in regard to the future 

 of his race in Italy by a messenger from the gods, who urges him to 

 leave Carthage.'^ Clodio is a kind of personified rumor (fama in 

 the Aeneid), who gossips about the possible, secret relations between 

 the hero and heroine and the scandal of Arnaldo's continuous hover- 

 ing about Auristela. Again, the attractions which keep Aeneas at 



t6mplalas algun tanto, para que se dilate el tiempo de que mis ojos vean 



ese navio . . . mira, seuor, que liuyes de quien te sigue . . . : 



hija soy de un rev, y me contento con ser esclava tuya; y si no tengo 



lermosura que pueda satisfacer a tus ojos, tengo deseos que puedan llenar 



OS vacfos de los mejores que el amor tiene . . . viquezas tengo, 



acelerado fugitive mio ... A esta sazon volviu a hablar con su 



lermana, y le dijo: No te parece, hermana mla, que ha amainado algun 



;anto las velas? No te parece que no camina tanto? Ay Dies, si se liabra 



*arrepentido ! . . . Ay hermana, respondiu Policarpa, no te engaiies 



. el navio vuela, etc." Cf. also (p. G02, col. 1) "habiendote criado 



. entre riscos y peiias, de las cuales . . . has sacado tambien la 



(dureza en las entraiias." 



^Persiles, p. 616, col. 2: "Salteolas en esto el Rey su padre, que quiso 

 •ver de la alta torre, tambien como su hija, no la mitad, sino toda su alma, 

 ique se le ausentaba, etc." 



Certain resemblances to features of Theagenes and Chariklea would be 

 4iard to distinguish from a possible indebtedness to the Aeneid, where the 

 nature of the episode or the sentiment is the same. 



'Eneida, Vol. 1, p. 156: "Que estas tti' agora, Eneas, muy marido, etc. | 



iPundas (o gran vergiienza) ageno nido, | Tu Reyno, tu valor, y a ti olvidando? 



etc. I Que haces, di, en la Libia tierra ocioso? etc." Persiles, p. 595, col. 1: 



"quiero que tal vez consideres quien eres, la soledad de tu padre, la falta 



haces a tus vasallos, la contingencia en que te pones de perder tu reino. 



