Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/237

213 ROMANTIC FICTION AND POETRY. 21; version, probably not far from 1490.^ Its editor, Garci Ordonez de Montalvo, states, in his prologue, that " he corrected it from the ancient originals, pruning it of all superfluous phrases, and sub- stituting others of a more polished and elegant style." ^ How far its character was benefited by this work of purification may be doubted ; although it is probable it did not suffer so much by such a CHAPTER XX. disposed to contest the claims of the Portuguese. Mr. Southey has cited two documents, one historical, the other poetical, which seem to place its composition by Lobeira in the latter part of the fourteenth century beyond any reasonable doubt. (See Amadis of Gaul, pref, — also Sarmiento, Memorias para la Historia de la Poesia y Poetas Espauoles, Obras Posthumas, (Ma- drid, 1775,) tom. i. p. 239.) Bouter- wek, and after him Sismondi, with- out adducing any authority, have fixed the era of Lobeira's death at 1335. Dante, who died but four years previous to that date, fur- nishes a negative argument, at least, against this, since in his no- tice of some doughty names of chivalry then popular, he makes no allusion to Amadis, the best of all. Inferno, cantos v., xxxi. 3 The excellent old romance " Tirante the White," Tirant lo Blanch, was printed at Valencia in 1490. (See Mendez, Typographia Espaiiola, tom. i. pp. 72-75.) If, as Cervantes asserts, the "Ama- dis" was the first book of chivalry printed in Spain, it must have been anterior to this date. This is ren- dered probable by Montalvo's pro- logue to his edition at Saragossa, in 1521, still preserved in the royal library at Madrid, where he alludes to his former publication of it in the time of Ferdinand and Isabella. (Cervantes, Don Quixote, ed. Pel- Ucer, Discurso Prelim.) Mr. Dunlop, who has analyzed these romances with a patience that more will be disposed to com- mend than imitate, has been led into the error of supposing that the first edition of the " Amadis " was printed at Seville, in 1526, from detached fragments appearing in the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, and subsequently by Montalvo, at Salamanca, in 1547. See History of Prose Fiction, vol. ii. chap. 10. "* The following is Montalvo's brief prologue to the introduction of the first book. " Aqvi comienga el primero libro del esforgado et virtuoso cauallero Amadis hijo del rey Perion de Gaula : y dela reyna Elisena : el qual fue coregido y emendado por el honrado y vir- tuoso cauallero Garciordoiies de Montalvo, regidor dela noble uilla de Medina del campo ; et cor- regiole delos antiguos originales que estauan corruptos, et com- puestos en antiguo estilo : por falta delos diferentes escriptores. Qui- tando muchas palabras superfluas : et poniendo otras de mas polido y elegante estilo : tocantes ala ca- ualleria et actos della, animando los coragones gentiles de manzebos belicosos que con grandissimo af- fetto abrazan el arte dela milicia corporal animando la immortal me- moria del arte de caualleria no menos honestissimo que glorioso." Amadis de Gaula, (Venecia, 1533,) fol. 1.