Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 20.djvu/680

Rh 656 ROMANCE sizes. In the 17th century appeared a new work forming, as it were, the preliminary, being the history of the Chevalier du Sokil and his Brother Rosiclair, sons of the emperor Trebatius (Paris, 1620-25, 8 vols. ), not identical with the Spanish Febo. Belianis de Grece (1625) forms one vol., and the Roman des Romans (1626-29) containing the end of the career of the Knight of the Sun, .all the Amadises, Flores, and Belianis forms 8 vols. , and finishes this long series of about 50 vols. The Thresor de tous les Livres d' Amadis (1559-60, frequently reprinted) is a selection of the speeches, letters, cartels, complaints, &c. ; it was translated into English as The Treasury of Amadis of France (H. Bynneman, n.d. ; about 1575). The Italian translation, which is extremely difficult to obtain complete, conforms more closely to the Spanish. The Sferamundi romances were first composed in that language by Mambrino Roseo. A perfect set of the German version is also very rare. Some of these volumes were translated by a Protestant, who made changes to suit his religious views, such as altering "mass" to "sermon." Pedigree of the Amadis Heroes. Perion, king of Gaul, m. Elisena. Melicia, m. Bruneo de Bonamar. Florestan, Amadis of Gaul, m. Sardauiira. m. Oriana. Galaor, m. Briolania. Florisand. Flores of Brisena, Greece or m. enip. Florisand. of Rome. Esplandian, Perion Perion. Talan- Gar- m. Leon- of Gaul, que. inter. orina. m. Gricileria. Lisuarte of Greece, m. Onoloria. Flores of Greece II. Knight of the Swan. Sylvia, m. Anaxartes. Amadis of Greece, m. princess of Niquea. Anaxarts, m. Oriana. Silvio de la Selva, son of Amadis and Finistea. Florisel de Niquea, TO. Helena. Alastraxerea. Apesilao the Second, m. Diana. Amadis of Astre. Lisuarte, TO. Brisena, I Rogel of Greece, w. Archisidea. Spheramond. Felix Marte of Greece. Norandel, Oriana, Leonora. m. Menoressa. m. Amadis. Bibliographical List of first Editions of Amadis Romances. Bk. Spanish. French. Italian. English. 1-4. Amadis (Montalvo, 1508). . (Herberay, 1540) (1546) .... (A. Munday, 1592) 5. Esplandian (Montalvo, 1510) (Do., 1541)... (Mambrino (J. Johnson, Roseo, 1550) 1664) 6. FJorisando (Paez de Ribera, Net translated.. (1550) .... (F. Kirkman, 1510) 1652) 7. Lisuarte de Grecia y Perion (Herberay, 1546) (Do.) (1693) de Gaula. (Feliciano de Silva, 1514) 8. Lisuarte de Grecia y Muerte Not translated. . Not trans. de Amadis (Juan Diaz, 1526) 9. Amadis de Grecia (Feliciano (Herberay, 1546- (1550) de Silva, 1535) 48) 10. Florisel de Nujuea, pts. 1-2 (Fel. de Silva, 1532) (G.Boileau,1552; J. Gohorry, 1555) (1551) 11. Rogel de Grecia, pt. 3 of (J.Gohorry,1554; (1551) Florisel (1536) G. Aubert, 1556) 12. Silvio de la Selva (1546) (Do., 1571; A. (1561) 13. Lepolemo 6 el Caballero de la Tyron, 1576) Meliadus, dit le. . Cav. della Cruz (1521) Chev. de la, Croix Croce (P. (1534) Loro,1580) 14. Leandro el Bel (1563) Not translated. . Not trans. Esferamundi de Grecia .... Sferamondi et Sferamundi Amadis d'Astre pts. 1-6 pt. 1 (A. Tyron, (1558) 1577) Sferamondi, pts. .... 2-6 (G. Chap- puys, 1578-82) Febo y Rosicler 4 pts. (Or- tufiez de Calahorra and Chev. du Soleil (1620) (1557) .... (1585) others, 1562-89) Befianis de Grecia (J. Fer- (1625) H586) (1598) nandez, 1547) y it/wy .... Fulgoran (1615) Flores de Grece (Herberay, 1552) Roman des Ro- Penalva. mans (1626-29) Although the Palmerins have not enjoyed the celebrity Palme of the line of Amadis, they were nevertheless closely allied l ^ Oli in dignity and importance, and their histories are written in evident imitation of their distinguished original. At the head of this second great family of Spanish romances stands El libro del Cauallero Palmerin de Oliva. From some Latin verses at the end it appears to have been written by a woman, said to have been a carpenter's daughter of Burgos, or a lady of Puente del Arzobispo (Augustobriga), at the beginning of the 16th century. Only one copy is known of the editio princeps of Salamanca (1511). The love-scenes are described with more volup- tuous detail than is usually to be expected in a female author. But this warmth of colouring may have been one of the causes of the success of the romance. There are many Spanish and Portuguese editions, and it was first translated into French by Jean de Voyer, vicomte de Paulmy, in 1546, into Italian by Mambrino Roseo in 1544, into English by Anthony Munday in 1588, and into Flemish in 1602. Like most of his compeers, Palmerin was not born in wedlock. He was the son of Griana, daughter of Reymicio, emperor of Byzantium, and of Florendos of Macedon. The infant was exposed on a hill covered with palm trees and olives (whence the name) and was discovered by a peasant, who reared him as his own son. Palmerin's earliest exploit is to save a travelling merchant from a lioness. The grate- ful traveller furnishes him with arms and a horse, and Palmerin sets forth in quest of adventures, the first of which is to kill a serpent that guards a fountain whose waters are necessary to Primaleon, king of Macedon. He then succours the emperor of Germany, with whose daughter, Polinarda, he falls in love. Like the lady in Arthus de Bretaigne, she had previously appeared to him in a dream. Norway, England, and Greece are success- ively the scene of his daring. He delivers from the power of the Grand Turk the princess Agriola, who ulti- mately marries Trineus, the companion of Palmerin. After many combats, enchantments, and love escapades, the hero at length marries Polinarda and becomes emperor of By- zantium upon the death of Reymicio. The same fair unknown also produced Libro Scgundo que trata Cont de los Hechos en Armas de Primaleon y Polendos, both of them atioi sons of Palmerin by different mothers, the first by Polinarda and the second by the queen of Tharsus. While with his mother Polendos one day ill treats an old woman, who mutters that it was not thus that his father treated the helpless. This sets him to look for his sire. He meets with Primaleon and goes to the court of Duardos (Edward) of England. The beautiful Gridonia, daughter of Duke Hormedes, bears two sons to Primaleon, the second of whom is made the hero of the next romance, or third book, Historia del Cav. Don Polindo (Polendo is the fourth part of the Italian series). The fourth book is La Cronica del Cav. Platir, the son of Primaleon and Gridonia, and very properly condemned by the barber. The fifth book consists of Historia del Cavallier Flortir, which is only to be found in Italian. The sixth book, Libro del Cav. Palmerin de Inglaterra, was the most serious rival to the popularity of Amadis. Formerly this work was considered to have been first written in Portuguese and was attributed to Francisco Moraes, from the first edition then known in that language, printed at Evora in 1567. The state- ment of Moraes, now proved to be true, that it was translated from the French (1552), was looked upon merely as a literary device. On the discovery of the original edition in Spanish (Toledo, 1547- 48) it was seen that the real author was Luis Hurtado, a Toledo poet. It was translated into French by Jacques Vincent in 1552, and into Italian by Mambrino Roseo in 1554-55. The first Portu- guese version was republished at Lisbon in 1786 (3 vols. 4to) under the name of Moraes, and from this Southey edited his revision of Munday's translation (London, 1807, 4 vols. sm. 8vo). Palmeriu and Florian are the twin children of Florida (daughter of Palmerin de Oliva) and Duardos, king of England. The mother gives birth to them in a forest and they are taken away by a savage as food for his two lions. Duardos is in the power of an amiable giant, Dramuziando, and Primaleon with a company of knights starts from Constantinople to England in order to relieve him. In the meantime the children are being tended by the wife of the savage and reared with her son Selvian. Florian falls into the hands of