1807.] 



Remarks on the Morgayxte Maggiore. 



53J 



diffipation, to his amorous difpofition ; 

 nnd -won I'o entirely on the afl'eCtiuus of 

 the peerlel'3 princefs, that he had not 

 only made her u ChrijUan, but had eveij 

 reafon to fuppofe tliat Ihe would Ihortly 

 become a mother alfo by his means. The 

 parting between thel'e lovers was, there- 

 fore, ftill more dilhcult to accomplilh 

 than that formerly eifeCted at the coart 

 of Corbantes: but the grcatnei's and ur- 

 gency of the occafion was fuperior to 

 the force of rhetoric. His heroic con- 

 vert did not attempt to detain him; but 

 diliuiHed him, with abundance of tears, 

 on his journey, retaining Mors^ante witii 

 ber as her attendant and defender, in 

 cafe It fiiould beconw; necell'iiry for iier 

 to leave her Pagan father's court, and 

 feek the protection of her Chrillian 

 fpoufe. 



Matters thus arranged, they proceeded 

 on the road tov ards France ; and in 

 their pafl'age throuszh Dciunark were in- 

 volved in a difpute with Ferramoiit, who 

 was governor of that province for his 

 brother Erminion, which terminated in 

 a general engagement. The Paladins 

 viere, of courfe, victorious ; but they 

 gained their victory fo dearly, and with 

 fo much difficulty, a-j to make them re- 

 gret the abfence of Moi:gante, and de- 

 termine on fending back to the court of 

 Caradoro to fetch him. Dudon accepts 

 the commilllon ; and fucceeds in bring- 

 ing back not only Morgante, but Meri- 

 diana alfo, whole old difpoluion to deeds 

 of arms has returned upon her, and, 

 joined with her impatience to be re-united 

 with her gentle marquis, makes lier re- 

 folve to leave the palace of her f ither, 

 and follow the paths of love and glurjj in 

 France. Her reception of Dudon 011 

 his arrival, and her fubfequent meeting 

 with Oliver at the camp of the Paladins 

 in Denmark, are dcfcribed in the follow- 

 ing llanzas: 



The lovely princefs, when {he faw the knight, 

 • Ran throuiih the portal to the court v/ith 



fpced : 

 •• What joy, my Dudon ! oh, what vaft de- 

 light !— 

 Far ofi-' I knew thee by Rinaldo'3 fteed. 

 V/here, where's my Oliver? oh tell me right, 

 So Heav n defend thee at thy utmoft need." 

 "Thy Oliver is well," the knight replies, 

 •' And fends a thoufand te<\rs, a thoutand 

 fighs !" 



Now, who had fcen that fair and amorous 

 maid. 



As foon as (he beheld the warrior's face. 

 Clow Ike an opening rofebud fiefh difplay'd. 



And fly, the wcicome ftran^cr to embli'Je) 



K«.Nmj.Y Mac;., N«. Ijl, 



Which all her love for Oliver betray'd, 



Would find it hard his yielding heart t» 

 brace. 

 " How fares Rinaldo, noble knight ?" ihe 



cried, 

 " And hoiv bold Clermont's lord, our joy and 

 pride .•"' 



C. 9. Ji. 48. 



Orlando was the firft of the Paladins 

 who defcried the gigantic form of Mor- 

 gante at a diltance, as well as the gallant 

 army Hdvanciug in his rear : (for Cara- 

 doro, mindful of pall ferviccs, had not 

 fuffered his daughter to go alone, but 

 had lent with her a well-appointed bat- 

 talion to the alfdlance of the French 

 emperor.) 



" Beliold our faithful fquire," Orlando cried, 

 " Behold the Pagan force that comes be- 

 hind, 



Which Carador's great friendfhip has fuppHed, 

 Firm to his word, to our alliance kind." 



" Is that IMorgante .''" Oliver replied, 



" Perhaps my lovely miftrefs I (hall finds 



In thought already my fweet love I fee. 



And almoll think the dream reality." 



As they drew nearer, he beheld, indeed. 



The lovely vifion that his fancy drew— 

 (Whetlier he knew her by the wondrous 

 fteed,* 

 Or Love himfelf had giv'n her to his view,) 

 But Love's own flar, which led t'ne amiirouj 

 maid, 

 Flamed in her forehead when her knight 

 fhe knew ; 

 Swift they dii'mount, and fly acrofs the plain 

 To meet the fweet embrace of love again. 

 Unnumher'd kiffes mark'd the lover's joy, 

 The clofe embrace, and all that love lo- 

 fpires ; 

 But the fair maid diflblvcs In cxtacy 



Beyond exprellion, and almoft expires. 

 While Oliver, by fuch foft luxury 



O'ercome, is parch'd with long negleiSeiJ 

 fires. 

 " Welcome, my love," he would, but could 



not, f\y, 

 " My conilant ftar by night, my fun by. day !" 



C.9. ji.es. 



]\Iean\vliile, the treacherous Count of 

 Poitiers, Gano, had been fent by Charles 

 to relieve Montaubaii ; but, Hill following 

 the bent of his curfed difpofition, he firft 



. * It was indeed a viundeiftil horfe on which 

 Meridiana rode. " Ir had the head of a fer- 

 pent, and was mighty ftrong and fwift in 

 running It had inhabited in a lorefl, and 

 was born of a ferpent and a mare. It bel- 

 lowed like a bull ; never was feen fo ftrange 

 an animaL The man who cauijht it gave it 

 to Caiadoro, from whom Meridiana received 

 it, and afterwards always rode it v<hen Ihe 

 went to battle " 



3Y •£ 



