452 
and Ovid, Horace, and Virgil wrote at 
the time when Auguftus fent forth his 
decree, that all the world fhould be 
taxed. Uniform experience wiil attett 
the truth of the obfervation; why this 
fympathy fhould exit, I know not; but 
poetical genius is certainly a barometer 
that rifes or falls according to the ftare of 
the political atmo’phere. Bofcan, and 
Garcilaffo | de la Vega, and Diego de 
Mendoza fought and congucred for their 
country, under Charles the Fifth; and 
their fpirits partook of the elevation they 
had affifted her to obtain; and they-were 
followed in Portugal by Francifco de Sa 
de Miranda, Antonio Ferrcira, and Pe- 
dro-de Andrade Caminha. 4 
It may, perhaps, raife a fmile to affert 
that the poetry of Spain was purified 
and corrected, by introdu:ing an Italian 
tafte into the country. At this period, | 
however, fuch a revelution in literature 
was effected by fuch means. Marino 
foon corrupted the tafte of Italy. and 
Spain foon followed the fafcinating faults. 
Always fond of the extravagant, and mif- 
taking hyperbolifm for grandeur, qnaint- 
nefs for wit, and the ob{cure for the fub- 
lime, the Spaniards readily fell in with 
the fathion of the day; andthe fatire of 
Cervantes proved powerlefs here. The 
decline of the empire quickly fuceceded, 
and Lope de Vega lived to witnefs the 
defeat of that Armada, which, with 
more extravagance and le{s genius than 
he ufually difplayed, he had commanded 
* to go. forth and burn the world.” 
Spaim has never recovered herfelf fince 
the ruinous reign of Philip the Second. 
} 
Not content with oppfetling the Spa- 
niards by the inquifition, he made them 
the infiroment of opprefficn abroad; 
“ @ 1 - 1 1 1 
there indeed he failedg but though the 
liberty of Heiland was eftablified, the 
glory of Spain was deftroyed. We may 
be allowed to regret, that liberty and 
avery fhould be fo ill difpefed, that a 
people, the moft deferving of freedom, 
fhould be degraded under. the vile de- 
fpotifm, while the moft worthlefs race 
im Europe are free ; the. Spanith charac- 
ter is.capable of all improvement; but 
to degrade the Dutch, would be im- 
poiib:e. “he : 
Affiliated with Spain, by the gentle 
ties of a Ruilian-like adoption, Portugal 
partook of its dechie. She fhock off her 
chains indeed, but ‘‘ the iron had en- 
tered her foul’? and that nation which 
sonce excited the wonder, and deferved 
the admiration of the world, became con- . 
teinptible to the reft of Europe, and ter- 
Ox the Poctry of Spain and Portugal. 
\ 
[July 
rible only to its fubjeéts. He, who ca-- 
tertains liberal fentiments, if he be 
obliged to fubmit his produétions to the 
{crutiny of the inquifition, will write with 
timidity ; and it may fately be alferted, 
that he wlfo writes timidly, cannot write 
well.’ To look for the bald fubiimity of 
genius where men are thus depreffed, 
were as rational as to chain a race horfe, 
and expeét him to win the race. 
Thus has the tyranny of fuperftition. 
co-operated with the decline ef the 
country, to check the progrefs ef litera- 
ture in Spain and Portugal. Yet, dur- 
ing what may be called their Auguftan 
age, fuch was accomplitned. “The ap- 
plaufe of Cervantes ihould excite “fome 
attention to the productions of the two 
Leonardos ; he who admires the Lufiad of 
Camoens, may -wifh to form fome ac- 
Guaintance with his epifiles and fonnets ; 
and he who,has read the Vifions of Qie- 
vedo, will readily believe, that much ge- 
nius mutt exift in the fix quarto volumes 
ef the works of this excelient author. 
_ Spain has been wonderfully. proliie m, 
pocts. In the Parnato Efpanol, ts given 
a lift of fuch only as are mentioned by 
their more celebrated authors ; and this 
aMounts to the aftonifhiag number of 
571, which ghe Editor fays, is mot a 
third part ef the poets with: whem the 
public dre acquainted. The nambers in 
Portugal are ftrangely difproportionate ; 
for father Joaon Baurifta de Cairo, in 
his Mappe de Portugal, enumerates only 
62 epic and lyric writers, amd 15 Comic 
Q But “it provable, that the 
greater part ‘of the ba-ds, svhofe names 
fwell the Spanith lift, are remembered 
is 
no where eife, when in the Portusuete 
account, common fenfe may for ence 
Hecked the yanity fo chapatterifiic 
pati 
s ers on the Origin 
and Progreis of try in Spam, ‘wll 
give the reader a good general view of 
the fubject. It did not enter into this 
gentléman’s plan to enlarge on the works 
of any-parcticular author, or give fpeci- 
mens to the Englifh readers: the few 
fpecimens that ke has printed, are un= 
tranflited,’ and felected chiefly to thow 
their different metres. His work has 
been the companion of my Spanith ftu- 
dies: I have derived pleafve and in- 
ftruéWion from it, and- have oly to re- 
gret, that-by not extending his work, he 
has left a lefs able pen to attempt the 
fupplement. 
The fubject of Portuguefe poetry has 
barely been touched upon by Mr. Dil- 
j lon 5 
