"A liberal hand is nobler far than ought in herald's lists enshrin'd, And the mean thirst of wealth too base for any great or generous

mind.

'Midst flowery meads, in lone retreats, be it my privilege to live,

To drink the breezes of the field, nor court the pleasures pride can

give.

What heaven on me bestows, like heaven in bounty too let me bestow, And in my prosperous day around let streams of ceaseless favor flow, Flow ever from the mighty sea of everlasting charity:

And when the tempest rages loud, and horrid war shall frown on me, Then shall my right arm bathe its sword in troublous battle's gory

flood

My pen, my brand, both near at hand to wield for what is just and good:

Careless of thee, astrology! of stars, or suns, or destiny."*.

Hemad de Taharti, who had a petition to present to the king, took the ingenious method of concealing the following verses in a rose, which one of the ladies of the court was to hand over to the monarch.

"Woman, tho' but the dross of man,
Created to obey,

Reverses nature's wisest plan,

And soon

the usurps sway.

When not in summer-hours, the rose

Thro' many a field we seek,
"Tis vain-but no! the sweetest blows,
Fair damsel, on thy cheek.

Grant the petition I present,

Grant this one prayer of mine;

* "Mano franca y liberal es blason de la nobleza
El apañar intereses las grandes almas desdenan
Floridos huertos admiro como soledad amena
El aura del campo anhelo no codicio las aldeas
Todo lo que Dios me da es para que a darlo vuelva :
En los tiempos de bonanza infundo mi mano abierta
En el insondable mar de grata benificencia;

Y en tiempo de tempestad y de detestable guerra
En el turbio mar de sangre baño la robusta diestra :
Tomo la pluma ó la espada como la ocasion requiera
Dejando suertes y lunas y el contemplar las estrellas."

One more example. When Obeidala el Mahedi, after committing many atrocious cruelties, wrote to Wali Saed, of Medina, ordering him instantly to submit to his authority, he concluded with these verses:

"If thou come with peace to me,

I will come in peace to thee;
If thy arms will measure mine,
Mine shall be the victory;

And my conquering swords shall shine,
Proudly lifted over thine." +

To which a Spanish Moor replied, by the order of Wali

Saed:

* "Las hermosas aunque esclavas
Y de los hombres polilla

Como soberanas mandan
Y à sus dueños esclavizan.

Pero si queremos rosas
Cuando il campo no las cria
Placientes nos las ofrecen
En sus mejillas mas lindas.

Esta suplica yo espero
Que será favorecida
Por ser formada de rosas
Imagen de mi mejillas."

+ "Si de paz a mi os venis
iré con paz y clemencia;
si quereis medir las armas
os venceré en la pelea,
mis espadas vencedoras
humillarán à las vuestras."

In Mahommed's holy path

Tread we, wandering ne'er aside :
Alla in his holy wrath,

Will confound thy cruel pride."*

It may well be imagined, that a people, to whom poetry was thus familiar, gave a very decidedly poetical character to the literature which succeeded theirs; and the ROMANCES MoRISCOS, founded on the Arabic models, would next claim our attention. But this is a part of our subject which has often been treated before, and we shall therefore only attempt to present one in the original form, preserving the asonantes throughout. The asonantes are I and E, but it is impossible to give the harmony they possess in Spanish, as our vowels vary so much in their value and sound.

"Por la casa de Dios juro
que tu vanidad ti ciega;
sin justicia en tus razones
ni en tus intentos prudencia;
ni eres tu sino ignorante
á quien la impiedad despeña.
O barbaro que no tienê
de Dios ni su ley idea;
nosotros de Mahomad
seguimos la recta senda,
Y no dudamos que Alá
confundirá tu soberbia."

+ "Aquel rayo dela guerra
Alferez mayor del Reyno
Tan galan como discreto
Y tan noble como fiero

Bearing all their gifts divinest;
He, who garlanded Mezquitas
With the trophies of the vanquished;
He, who peopled our Mazmorras
With such crowds of Christian pris'ners,
Who already twice has arm'd him
Less with steel than courage girded,
And his country from its perils
Has already twice deliver'd;
He, the proud Abenzulema
To his distant exile driven,
There invited by his monarch,
Or perchance by love invited;
For the Moor adored a Mooress,
One for whom the king had sighed,
Far beyond idea lovely,
And discreet beyond idea.

Some few flowers the lady gave him,
Flowers to him the sweetest, brightest,
But for the too-jealous monarch
They were fruits of poisonous virtue,
And that poison work'd within him.

De los mozos envidiado
Y admirado de las viejas
Y de los niños y el vulgo
Señalado con el dedo;
El querido de las damas
Por cortesano y discreto
Llegó hasta alli regalado
De la fortuna y del tiempo:
El que vistió las mezquitas
De victoriosos trofeos
El que poblo las mazmorras
De Christianos caballeros
El que dos veces armado
Mas de valor que de acero
A su patria libertó

De dos peligrosos cercos
El gallardo Abenzulema
Sale à cumplir el destierro
A que le convida el Rey

Mazmorra; the subterranean dungeon of the Moors.

From his court the Moor is driven,
His fidelity is questioned—
But the king's dishonor hidden,
Forth the noble Moor is coming
On a steed the proudest, whitest;
He has drank of Quadalquivir,
And upon its banks has idled,
Covered o'er with splendid trappings,
Moorish work, the fairest, richest,
All adorned with gorgeous labor;
Black and gold the costly bridle,
And the steed stepped forth so proudly,
Pride and grace so well commingled,
That at every trace he measur'd
From the ground up to the girdle.
O'er his raven Moorish garment
His albornoz white is circled,
For they are becoming emblems
Innocence and grief united;

Thousand lance-heads skirt the border,

Round his upper garment, written

O el amor que es lo mas cierto.
Servio à una Mora el Moro
Por quien el Rey anda muerto
En todo extremo hermosa
Y discreta en todo extremo.
Dióles unas flores la Dama
Que para él flores fuéron
Y para el zeloso rey
Yerbas de mortal veneno.
Pues de la yerba tocado
Lo manda desterrar luego
Culpando su lealtad

Para disculpar sus zelos.
Sale pues el fuerte Moro
Sobre un cavallo overo
Que al Quadalquivir el agua
Le bebió y lo pació el heno.
Con un hermoso jaez
Rica labor de Marruecos
Las piezas de filigrana
La mochila de oro y negro.
Tan gallardo iba el caballo