published 1660. Don Quixote,
when dying, made up his mind, if he recovered, to turn shepherd, in
imitation of some of the romance-heroes, who thus finished their career.
This old "anti-romance" works out this notion by a mad reader of
pastorals, who assumes the shepherd habit and tends a few wretched sheep
at St. Cloud.]

THE ASTREA.

I bring the Astrea forward to point out the ingenious manner by which a
fine imagination can veil the common incidents of life, and turn
whatever it touches into gold.

Honore D'Urfe was the descendant of an illustrious family. His brother
Anne married Diana of Chateaumorand, the wealthy heiress of another
great house. After a marriage of no less duration than twenty-two years,
this union was broken by the desire of Anne himself, for a cause which
the delicacy of Diana had never revealed. Anne then became an
ecclesiastic. Some time afterwards, Honore, desirous of retaining the
great wealth of Diana in the family, addressed this lady, and married
her. This union, however, did not prove fortunate. Diana, like the
goddess of that name, was a huntress, continually surrounded by her
dogs:--they dined with her at table, and slept with her in bed. This
insupportable nuisance could not be patiently endured by the elegant
Honore. He was also disgusted with the barrenness of the huntress Diana,
who was only delivered every year of abortions. He separated from her,
and retired to Piedmont, where he passed his remaining days in peace,
without feeling the thorns of marriage and ambition rankling in his
heart. In this retreat he composed his Astrea; a pastoral romance, which
was the admiration of Europe during half a century. It forms a striking
picture of human life, for the incidents are facts beautifully
concealed. They relate the amours and gallantries of the court of Henry
the Fourth. The personages in the Astrea display a rich invention; and
the work might be still read, were it not for those wire-drawn
conversations, or rather disputations, which were then introduced into
romances. In a modern edition, the Abbe Souchai has _curtailed_ these
tiresome dialogues; the work still consists of ten duodecimos.

In this romance, Celidee, to cure the unfortunate Celadon, and to
deprive Thamire at the same time of every reason for jealousy, tears her
face with a pointed diamond, and disfigures it in so cruel a manner,
that she excites horror in the breast of Thamire; but he so ardently
admires