188 LANG 
ftheir minds enflaved by fup'erftition, all the polite arts 
have been negledted ; fo that, while other European na¬ 
tions have been advancing in knowledge, and improving 
their language, they have remained in a [fate of torpid in- 
adTivity ; and their language has not arrived at that per- 
fedlion which its nature would admit, or the acute genius 
of the people might have made us naturally expeff. 
The fixteenth century beheld the Spanifh language in 
all its purity; while the dialects of France and England 
were as yet imperfectly formed. The elegant productions 
of Italy were naturalized in Spain, after the travels of 
Charles V. into Italy; and Bofcan, who accompanied this - 
prince, endeavoured to domelticate in Spain the beauties 
of Italian poetry, and its hendecafyllabic veri'e. His fort- 
nets, citave-rhymes, and epifldes, had eminent iuccefs. 
GarcilafTo de la Vega, afriend of Bofcan, contributed like 
him to give new forms to Sp3nifh literature. Thefe two 
authors carried the language to its higheft polifh. The 
erotic poetns of GarcilafTo have been compared with thofe 
of Tibullus; and many of his eclogues pafs for matter- 
pieces among Spaniards; they poflefs, indeed, amenity 
and grace. The mufe of Fernando de Herrera alfa in- 
fpired elegies and fonnets, which difplay a pure ftyle and 
claflical reading. Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, theauthor 
of a popular novel intitled the Adventures of Lazarillo 
de Tormes, adopted the innovations propofed by Bofcan 
and GarcilafTo ; but his verfes are harfh and devoid of har¬ 
mony ; and he owed the better part of his reputation to 
his hiftory of the Civil Wars of Grenada. At the fame 
period, Luis Ponce de Leon, a monk, carried lyric poetry 
to a height which no fubfequent rival has furpaffed. His 
facred Odes have tranfplanted the beauties of Scripture; 
but his fineft poem is the Ode on the Loves of Rodrigo 
and Caba. This Ponce polfelfed great magnanimity. Hav¬ 
ing been detained long in the prifon of the Inquifition, 
and at length permitted to occupy again the chair of pro- 
fefi'or of theology at Salamanca, he refumed his functions 
with calmnefs, and began his ledhire with the remarkable 
words, “ VVe were oblerving yefterday,” See. 
Manuel Efteban de Villegas, the Anacreon of Spain, 
enriched the art of verfification with various Greek and 
Latin metres, and tranflated Theocritus. Bartholomeo 
and Lupercio Argenfola imitated Horace, and fcattered 
the rules of criticifm in fatiric and didactic produdtions. 
Defcriptive poetry boafts the colorific pencil of Cayrafco 
Figueroa, who fang the gardens of Aranjuez. Vicente Ef- 
pinel, in his Temple of Memory, has endeavoured to 
preferve the names of the eminent poets of Cattile; and 
Alonzo de Ercilla y Zuniga compofed the only epic poem 
which Spain ventures to boatt. It is entitled Araucana, 
from a favage tribe of Chili fo called, againft which he 
i'erved in war; and it is divided into thirty-feven canto's, 
prefenting a few beauties amid numerous faults. It has 
no plan, no unity of purpofe, no art in the tranfitions, 
but abounds with improbable epilodes, fatiguing repeti¬ 
tions, and awkward imitations of Taifo, Ariofto, and Ho¬ 
mer ; relieved, however, by interelting details, energetic 
thoughts, rich defeription, and an elegant and fonorous 
verfification. Patriotic enthufiafin offered to him number- 
lefs tributes of admiration. This age, the moll brilliant 
for the -peninfula, alfo produced Miguel de Cervantes. 
Like Homer, he had no country while he lived, but many 
claimed him after he died. His admirable book, known 
by the whole world, was the firft of good romances, and 
is perhaps Hill the befi. It excites that frank and natural 
laugh, which is called the inexlinguifhable. To narrate 
with more naivete, grace, and genius, is impolfible. The 
morality is pure, the reflections are juft, and always preg¬ 
nant with original pleafantry. It is the matterpiece of 
good fenfe, of the true comic; and one of thofe books 
which all nations will choofe to poflefs in their own tongue, 
and which is ever read again with the delire of once more 
perufing it. Cervantes knew only misfortune. He loft 
one hand in the battle of Lepanto, was a flave among the 
Moors, and was peifecuted at his return by the duke of 
U A G E. 
Lerma. So many forrows could not deftroy his natural 
gaiety.; and he wrote Don Quixote to confoie himfelf for 
his misfortunes. He afterwards gave to the public his Per- 
files and Sigifmonda, which includes fome interefting ad¬ 
ventures ; a Trip to Parnaffus, which fatirizes the poets of 
his time ; and fome plays. 
The Spanifh theatre has furnifhed many traits, fituations, 
and charadfers, to the French theatre; and it began, in a 
like manner, by the reprefentation of religious myiteries. 
To the myftery of the Pafiion fucceeded a pajloral, as it 
was called, or an amorous dialogue ; with fcenes in which 
the interlocutors were chofen from the loweft clafs of fo- 
ciety, and in which both good fenfe and decency were la¬ 
mentably outraged. The comedies of the Portuguefe 
Ferreira Vafconcellos, which fucceeded on the Spanifh ltage, 
are remarkable for a cynicifm of expreflion, t:o which the 
theatrical language of other modern nations does not de- 
feend. Lope de Rueda reformed thefe obfeenities, and 
gave fome nature and confiltency to his characters. John 
de la Cueva adopted a higher elevation of language. Cer¬ 
vantes divided the adtion of a play into three days, and 
attempted a defence of the tarte of antiquity ; but Lope 
de Vega Carpio, the mod celebrated of the Spanifh dra- 
matifts, chol'e to be led by the tafte of the vulgar, and 
produced a multiplicity of monftrous pieces; in which, 
amid the Tallies of a dilorderly fancy, may be difeovered 
frequent felicities of incident, a lively portraiture of cha¬ 
racter, a fertile talent, brilliant thoughts, and a fpirited 
and correct didtion. No rule is obferved in his numerous 
works ; the fame piece takes the fpedlatorto Germany, to 
India, and to Italy ; and, as Boileau fays. 
La, Joy vent, le heros d'un fpettacle grojjier, 
Enfant au premier a£te, eft barbon au dernier. 
Vicious plots, odd refources, capricious irregularities, all 
thefe faults were compenfated in the public eltimation by 
a ftyle which is pidturefque, and full of adfion and fliow. 
The firft meritorious Spanifh tragedies appeared in the 
middle of the fixteenth century. They are few in num¬ 
ber, and only prefent beauties of detail; for their arrange¬ 
ment is not lefs defedlive than that of the comedies. 
The Bafque, or Bifcay language, is fpoken in the three 
provinces of Bifcay, in feveral towns of Navarre, and in 
the part of France called Pays de Labour. Being com¬ 
pletely different from the neighbouring tongues, it would 
not be fair to call ita mere dialedl; while it will be found, 
we fufpedt, juft as little entitled to the high encomiums 
beftowed on it by fome enthufiaftic admirers. It has been 
exhibited in print no where but at Bayonne; and there 
the number of works in it fcarcely exceeds half-a-dozen. 
Several difquifitions on it, however, have been publifhed, 
both in French and Spanifn. The prefervation of a fepa- 
rate tongue in fo limited a diftridf has puzzled the literati 
the more, becaufe they are by no means agreed as to any 
connection between it and the original Spanifh. It con- 
fifts in a great meafure of diffyllabic radicals, and its rules 
of grammar are, as may be expedled, few and undefined. 
The pronunciation of the letters is fimilar to the Caftilian. 
Their nouns are infledted by the addition of the article, 
and their tenfesby the addition of auxiliary words. The 
farther conjugation takes place by the employment of aux¬ 
iliary verbs ; and thofe verbs which have no auxiliaries 
conftitute the irregulars. 
The Portuguese language is more remote from that 
of Spain than might be expedted from circumftances. As 
the royal race was of French extradf, it is fuppofed that 
many of the words are derived from the Limoulin and other 
dialedts of the fouth of France. It is a grave and folemn 
fpeech; but would have been little known among fo¬ 
reigners, had it not been diffufed by the fame of the Lufiad. 
This celebrated work is full of elegant and accurate de- 
feriptions, of charming recitals, of graceful imagery, of 
atfedling epifodes, (among which elpeciaily to be admired 
that of Ines de Caftro,) and of new and bold fidtions which 
fometimes apprcach the fublime; but the want of connec¬ 
tion 
