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Remarks on the Morgante Maggiore. 



[Jati.l, 



of all tbrew the Englifli Duke Ailo)])ho 

 into the hands of the adminil ; then con- 

 trived to rc|)iefent him as a .(Jcrertcr to 

 Charles ; and ai laft treated w ith the 

 enemy to deliver up tlic caitle m hich lie 

 vas fent to defend, at the fame time 

 iiififtinir on his former fervices to the 

 caiife of the invaders. 



The honeft Pag,au, detefting his hypo- 

 crify and villainy, refufed the ii»famons 

 offer, and treated him in return witli a 

 fiible; vliich is \rry siood in its kind, 

 and affords a ijood fpecimrn of I'ulci's 

 humoiiron% manner. " A fux being one day 

 rery thirliy, went to drink at a bucket, 

 vhich, finking with liis weight, |ilunij,ed 

 bim into a well, A wolf parted Ijy, and 

 afkcd the poor devil how he got there. 



* Never mind nic,' fays the fox; 'who- 

 ever wilhes to catch any thing, mull filh 

 for it. I am catching mullets of a pound 

 ■weight, friend. You'd be delighted, if 

 you were here, to fee them. Get into 

 that bucket, and look.' The wolf tlicre- 

 ijpon jumped into the other bucket, and, 

 being the heavier of the two, immedi- 

 ately funk, to the bottom, lie, m his 

 ■way down, feeing his boon companion 

 rifmg up with equal rapidity, cried, 



* Halloo, my friend, where are you go- 

 ing ? are we not to filii to;:ether iu this 

 ■well?' ' My friend,' rcj)iied the fox, 

 ' the world is a pair of fcalc^s, and every 

 body in it is fometimcs high and fomc- 

 times low.' So the poor wolf was left 

 behind, and the fox got otV: but foon 

 afterwards he was caught by a farmer, 

 and then made a meiit of tiie exploit, 

 and demanded a reward for iiaving de- 

 ftroyed tiie wolf. ' Not fo, my friend,' faid 

 the farmer, ' though your trealbn has 

 fiicceeded, the traitor is not a bit the 

 more agreeaLle :' and he immediately 

 hung up the cunning raical by the 

 jicck." 



It is much to Lc wiflied that l.ionfante 

 had followed, in all things, the farmer's 

 ex'unple. ilowexer, he contents hini- 

 fclf with confinnig Gano; and after- 

 wards, on confulting his pnfoner Allol- 

 pho w'hat he fhould do with him, (ipauis 

 iiitn off to Ciiaries with a L'uard, and an 

 Kccoiiiit of his treafon. On the roa<l, 

 he unfortunately found leifure to frame 

 imotlier (iory, by which the zrife Em- 

 peror was deceived: Ailolpho's guilt 

 more firndy believed than over; and no 

 credit at iill given to the udmirai's i.o- 

 liciiy. 



Meanwhile, the a^rmy ofMeridiana 

 and the Paladins arrived at Paris, and 

 fcon another face of iiiii)g.s was Iteii, 



How they were received by Charles; 

 how they refcued their brother warrioi-* 

 who liad been led out to execution by 

 the Pagans ; how Morgante niaflkcred 

 the Denmarkers and Syrians with hi» 

 club ; how Salincorn was killed, and 

 Eriuiuion abjured Mahomet, occupies 

 great part of the tenth canto. The re- 

 mainder is taken up with the detail of 

 an abfurd quarrel between Orlando and 

 Itinaldo, iu confequence of a trick play- 

 ed upon them by Malagigi, and which 

 was fomented by Charles, vvhofe fuitc 

 againll the lord of Montauban was aU 

 ways uncontroulable, on account of hk 

 antient indignities. A dreadful duel took 

 place between the coufms, which was 

 terminated by the miraculous interpo- 

 fition of a lion, who brought a letter 

 front Akilagigi, explaining the error un- 

 der which they had aftted. A reconci- 

 liation, of courfc, took place ; and ILr-r 

 minion., affefited by fuch a feries of 

 marvellous incidents, immediately be- 

 came a Chriftian, togetiier v\itii laoii- 

 fante the admiral. 



But peace \%as never of long contimi* 

 ance among fo many turbulent fpiiits. 

 Its next interruption liappened between 

 Rinaldo and Oliver, who fquabbled over 

 a ganie at chefs. Charles, with his old 

 grudge (iill about him, took part witl« 

 the latter, and pi-ovoked the former to 

 give him the lie direct ; and fuch an af^ 

 front could never be expiated but with 

 blood, llinaldo, :i\\are of his danger, 

 retreated to Montaub;m, and there railed 

 a large force of armed banditti to de- 

 fend him ; and was -joined by his bro- 

 thers and by Aflolpho. Meanwhile, a 

 tournament was proclaimed at Paris ; 

 and the news arriving at Montaubsm, the 

 bold outlaws determined not to be ab- 

 fent on the oceafion. Accordingly, Ri- 

 naldo, with Altolpho and Ilichardetto, 

 fet off in dilguife ; arrived at Paris on 

 the morning of the lall day ; and, with- 

 out difco\ering theml'clves, carried off 

 ail the prizes from the Held. But Gano, 

 watching them on tiieir retreat, furprifed 

 them with a large body of his Mugaii- 

 acfes, carried off Aliol|)ho prifoner, and 

 tbrced the others to fly and fave them- 

 fcKes m Montauban. 



The rage of the emperor knew na 

 bounds at tlie difcovcry ; and it was foon 

 determined by him that Affolpho lliould 

 be made a dreadful example. The intt :-r 

 ceffious of the Paladins, the tears of 

 IMcridiana, the mifery of the unfortunate 

 old Otho, Aftolpho's iather, were to no 

 purpofe ; it was to i»o purpofe that A^~ 

 tolpliO 



