FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337  
338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   361   362   >>   >|  
orca, Salazar of Seville were killed, he tells us: And, "Velasques and Sanches, natives of Toledo, Galbes, surnamed the 'Soldier without Fear,' Montanches, Oropesa, and Mondonedo, all six of proved valour, fell by the hand of young Antony, who brought to the fight either more address, or better fortune than these." Not a word of this is in the Portuguese. [300] _Their swords seem dipp'd in fire._--This is as literal as the idiom of the two languages would allow. Dryden has a thought like that of this couplet, but which is not in his original:-- "Their bucklers clash; thick blows descend from high, And flakes of fire from their hard helmets fly." DRYD. Virg. AEn. xii. [301] Grand master of the order of St. James, named Don Pedro Nunio. He was not killed, however, in this battle, which was fought on the plains of Aljubarota, but in that of Valverda, which immediately followed. The reader may, perhaps, be surprised to find that every soldier mentioned in these notes is a Don, a _Lord_. The following piece of history will account for the number of the Portuguese nobles. Don Alonzo Enriquez, Count of Portugal, was saluted king by his army at the battle of Ourique; in return, his majesty dignified every man in his army with the rank of nobility.--Vide the 9th of the Statutes of Lamego. [302] Cerberus. [303] The Spaniards. [304] This tyrant, whose unjust pretensions to the crown of Portugal laid his own, and that, kingdom in blood, was on his final defeat overwhelmed with all the frenzy of grief. In the night after the decisive battle of Aljubarota, he fled upwards of thirty miles upon a mule. Don Laurence, archbishop of Braga, in a letter written in old Portuguese to Don John, abbot of Alcobaza, gives this account of his behaviour: "The constable has informed me that he saw the King of Castile at Santaren, who behaved as a madman, cursing his existence, and tearing the hairs of his beard. And, in good faith, my good friend, it is better that he should do so to himself than to us; the man who thus plucks his own beard, would be much better pleased to do so to others." The writer of this letter, though a prelate, fought at the battle of Aljubarota, where he received on the face a large wound from a sabre. [305] _The festive days by heroes old ordain'd._--As a certain proof of the victory, it was required, by the honour of these ages, that the victor should encamp three days on the field of battle.
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337  
338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   361   362   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

battle

 

Portuguese

 

Aljubarota

 

account

 

Portugal

 

fought

 

letter

 

killed

 

Laurence

 

archbishop


decisive

 

upwards

 

thirty

 

Velasques

 

behaviour

 

constable

 

informed

 

Alcobaza

 

written

 

Sanches


Spaniards

 
tyrant
 

unjust

 

Cerberus

 

Statutes

 

Lamego

 
pretensions
 
overwhelmed
 
frenzy
 
defeat

natives

 

kingdom

 

Castile

 

festive

 

heroes

 
received
 
ordain
 

victor

 

encamp

 

honour


victory

 

required

 

prelate

 

tearing

 
existence
 

cursing

 

Santaren

 
behaved
 

madman

 

friend