82 Monthly Review of Literature, 
the completion of the match—he was him- 
self fascinated by the lady’s charms, and 
resolved to enjoy them on his own terms. 
The indignation of the Castilian is raised— 
he expostulates—in vain. The insults he 
was receiving were known—he was solicited 
by letter to join the conspiracy—he shrunk 
from contagion, and proceeded to the palace 
to denounce the conspirators ; but his pur- 
pose was defeated by new insults from the 
King, and even a blow—but one which did 
not reach his person—he intercepted it with 
his hat. Pedro was wrought up to fury— 
the lady was gone, no one knew whither— 
he drew his sword, and was rushing on his 
victim, when the Castilian bared his loyal 
bosom for the stroke. The King was shaken 
by his firmness, and the Castilian withdrew, 
with the resolution forthwith to join Tras- 
tamara. But cooling again, his loyalism 
returned in full glow, and Pedro, anticipating 
his too probable purpose, had him instantly 
arrested and plunged into a dungeon, where 
he suffered all sorts of privations and indig- 
nities for a couple of months—when sud- 
denly the tyrant—his foes were hemming 
him round—made a sort of amende honor- 
able—confessed his wrongs—and consented 
to the marriage. This of course was ample 
reparation. 
The enemy approaching, Pedro was driven 
on one occasion, to take refuge with his 
faithful Castilian, in the castle of Costan- 
za’s father. Intelligence of his retreat was 
carried to the adverse party, and Don Lara, 
a relative of Costanza, and one to whom 
she had once been betrothed, and who with- 
out doubt had been indifferently treated by 
all parties—heads a detachment of troops 
to search for the royal fugitive. Luckily he 
escapes, by the self devotion of the Castilian. 
Lara, who though a somewhat generous 
fellow, is as furious as love, jealousy and re- 
venge can make him—seizes the Castilian, 
and destines him for immediate execution. 
Costanza pleads for the life of her lover, 
and a scene of very considerable force fol- 
lows—he is ungenerous enough to offer the 
alternative—her hand, or her lover’s death. 
After a deep struggle, she consents, and the 
Castilian is released, and again joins Pedro 
—though. not without firs upbraiding the 
fond and devoted girl for her cowardly 
yieldings. 
Soon a conflict ensues, in which Lara, 
after performing feats of valour, receives his 
death-stroke from the Castilian. 'They re- 
cognize each other-—coming death softens 
the heart of Lara—he repents—solicits for- 
giveness—sends for his wife—writes to 
Enrique, and dies in peace with every body, 
and forgiven by every body. 
The final scene now approaches. Pedro 
is betrayed into Duguesclin’s tent— Trasta- 
mara appears—a personal struggle follows— 
Pedro’s fury gives him the superiority— but 
by the attendants he is basely wounded, and 
finally despatched. The Castilian is con- 
demned by Trastamara as the sole victim on 
his re-accession—kings must have victims 
on these occasions—when Costanza, the 
young widow, appears, and presents to the 
king the last prayer of his favourite, Lara, 
which proved to be the pardon of the Casti- 
lian. He is accordingly released ; and he 
and the widow, after the due period of 
mourning, marry ; but the feelings of loy- 
alism, which still burn brightly in the Cas- 
tilian’s bosom, refuse to obey an usurper 5 
and he withdraws to England, to his friend 
in arms, Sir John Chandos, where he lives 
—till he dies. 
History of the Commonwealth, by W. 
Godwin, vol. iv; 1828.—This fourth vo- 
lume embraces the Protectorate of Oliver 
Cromwell, and appears to conclude Mr. 
Godwin’s purpose—though he hints at the 
possibility of yet conducting the story to 
the return of Charles, under the title of a 
History of the Restoration. For the most part 
Cromwell has been shewn up by royalists— 
his bitterest enemies—who could no better 
give vent to their rage and malignity, than 
by depreciating the man, who had so long 
kept them down. Whatever was calculated 
to excite contempt, hatred, disgust, and in- 
dignation, has been from those days to these 
zealously hunted out, and where materials 
failed, have been invented to accomplish 
their purpose—or how could we find him, as 
we do, represented in so many incompatible 
disguises—rude and brutal-—illiterate—-fanatic 
—poor—a brewer—a farmer—tyrannical— 
arbitrary—half madman—half hypocrite— 
and yet triumphant? Mr. Godwin has, of 
course, no prejudices against him, but nei- 
ther is he his unqualified admirer; he has 
no sympathies with aristocratic feelings, but 
he can mark and estimate them; he is too 
independent in thought not to judge for 
himself, too active to rest in hereditary 
prepossessions, and too sagacious not to 
question effects, which are ascribed to im- 
probable or incompetent causes. Cromwell 
dissolved abruptly his parliaments of 1654 
and 1656; he dismissed three judges, and 
sent as many eminent counsel to the tower, 
all, apparently, for discharging their duties ; 
he imposed taxes, and made laws by his 
sole authority ; he excluded, arbitrarily, a 
hundred members from parliament, and in- 
stituted a house of lords, it is added, from 
the dregs of the people. These are the acts 
of a madman ; but Cromwell was no mad- 
man; therefore either these facts were not 
true, or they are assigned to wrong causes. 
The facts themselves are mostly true; and 
the object of Mr. Godwin is to give sense 
and consistency to the narrative of Crom- 
well’s Protectorate. 'The course he takes 
is te shew the necessity under which Crom- 
wellacted, and the acts complained of were, 
generally, the best which imperious circum- 
stances admitted. He does not justify 
Cromwell through thick and thin, but sug- 
gests carefully and steadily the extenuations, 
which truth and the evidence of facts, and 
common candour demand, ; 
[ Jan.” 
