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LETTER IX

King Alfonso the Wise improves the Spanish Language. —Singular poem of the archpriest of Hita.

Toledo, 12th July, 1778.

I am desirous, whilst in this city, of saying something more to you of the royal poet Alfonso, the 10th king of Castile, who held his court here, and was surnamed the Wise, on account of his great learning and knowledge of astronomy. It was here that he caused those famous astronomical tables to be drawn up, called Alfonsine, after his name, which are carefully preserved in the cathedral of Seville. —He perfected the Spanish code, named Las Siete Partidas, from their being divided into seven parts, corresponding with the seven letters of his name. He moreover introduced the national language into all public writings; an example which was soon after followed with us, by our Edward the 3d, who gave orders for the abolishing of the Norman tongue in all public acts and judicial proceedings.

King Alfonso caused a great many books to be translated into the Castilian language, and besides giving the example by several compositions of his own in prose and verse, he spent large sums of money for the advancement of science, and extended his bounty and generosity on all occasions with the utmost magnificence. —Amongst other extraordinary performances of this great king, there is a poem written in 1272, called Thesoro, which is in the royal library of Madrid, being a treatise on the philosopher's stone, written in cyphers, and in magical characters. This book is thought to have belonged to the library of the marquis of Villena, and to have been one of those saved by the bishop of Segovia. Gil Gonzales de Avila, in his history of the church of Seville, has given the introduction to this work in Spanish verse, in which the royal poet says he had invited a famous chemist from Alexandria, in Egypt, to teach him the art of making gold, which they had frequently practised together, and had acquired a perfect knowledge of the philosopher's stone. The verse runs thus.

La piedra que llaman philosophal
Sabia facer, e me la enseno.
Fizimos la juntos; después solo yo;
Conque muchas veres creció mi caudal,
E viendo que puede facerse esta tal, [5]
De muchas maneras, mas siempre una cosa
Yo vos propongo la menos penosa,
Por mas excelente, e mas principal. 1

Amongst other numerous works of this sovereign, there is a folio manuscript, in the library of Toledo, written on paper in Spanish, on miscellaneous subjects. Amongst the rest, a tract relating to St. Patrick’s Purgatory, in Ireland, which perhaps may be theorigin of the famous vision of Odænius, mentioned by some Irish writers. Alfonso is thought to have first introduced paper in Spain, at least amongst the Christians, supposing its use to have been known amongst the Mahometans; for Sarmiento mentions having seen a paper manuscript in 1261. I shall not, however, enter into further details relating to the works of this monarch, he was a competitor for the empire, with Richard Duke of Cornwall, who was chosen emperor, but not having fortune or power sufficient to support its dignity, was obliged to return to England, and they elected another prince. As for king Alfonso, his expences reduced him to great straights; nor could his supposed knowledge of the philosopher’s stone, furnish gold enough without laying heavy taxes on his subjects: while this monarch was bent upon astronomical pursuits, instead of the interest of his people, and in lieu of observing the motions of his subjects, was watching those of the stars in the crown of Ariadne; his second son Sancho rebelled against him, snatched his own crown from his head, and got possession of the kingdom. For this undutiful act, and his successive victories over the Moors, the Spanish, historians have called him Don Sancho El Bravo. 2

A singular poet and satyrist now occurs, who has escaped the researches of Don Nicolas Antonio, and most other biographers, till discovered by Don Lewis Velazquez, knight of the Order of St. James. This is Juan Ruiz, archpriest of Hita, whose works are in manuscript, in the library of Toledo, and who flourished in the year 1330. The manuscript is in a very imperfect condition, with many sheets tore out, and others unintelligible, therefore I shall confine myself to a specimen of a satyrical piece, as given by Velasquez.

This poem describes a contest between the time of Eating Meat and Lent Time, wherein the former is defeated on Ash Wednesday, and remains in a dejected state till Holy-week, when recovering his spirits, he enters the lists and sends a challenge to Lent, by his second Don Breakfast, fixing the time for combat on Easter-Sunday. Lent, not thinking himself obliged to receive a challenge from one whom he has vanquished, finding himself moreover enfeebled, and not being able to procure a fresh supply of sea fish, to recruit his constitution, promises to meet him at Jerusalem, dresses himself like a pilgrim and makes his escape on Holy-Saturday. Two potent emperors arrive in the world; Don Flesh and Don Love. They both make a triumphal entry: the various musical instruments are described, as well as the reception they meet with, from all ranks of people; a contest arises concerning who is to receive Don Love: each party offers his reasons and claim for a preference, but he refuses them, and shews a predilection to the author, as an old servant of the family, and goes to his house; but the apartments being too small for such splendid guests, a tent is fixed, and here a poetical description is given of the four seasons of the year, in the nature of a vision. The author, with theconfidence of an old servant, enquires of Don Love, where he had been during his absence? he answers, in the mild climate of Andalusia during winter, and complains, that coming to Toledo in the beginning of lent, they had shut the gates of the city against him; on which he applied to several convents, but none would receive him, and at last was obliged to pass the lent in the town of Castro, where he was kindly entertained. Finally recovering his strength after lent, he went to the fair of Alcala, and from thence wandering about the country, had left the author in a melancholy mood, who not pleased with a solitary life, consulted an old trot, called Trota Conventos. This sorry old woman advises him to make love to a nun, and paints the delight of such amours. Trota Conventos applies to a nun, to whom she had rendered former services, speaks in savour of the archpriest, and acts as procuress between them. A long dialogue ensues, with the persuasions of the old Jezabel on one side, and the resistance and inconveniences alleged by the nun on the other. Trota Conventos displays the character of the archpriest; —the nun at last consents to receive him on honourable terms, and dies in two months. The archpriest is much grieved, and engages the old hag to procure him a wife, she finds out a moor, who refuses the offer the author relates the songs he had composed for jews and moors, adapted to various instruments, and proper for dances, and to be sung by blind men and strollers. — Trota Conventos dies, the ravages of death are described, as well as the ingratitude of relations and heirs. The epitaph of Trota Conventos is given. Preventatives are offered against the sudden acts of death, which are to be guarded against with the shield of good works.

Such is the main scope of this whimsical poem, many parts of which are unintelligible at present. One of the last verses says expressly that it was finished in the year 1378. —The work is not destitute of poetical invention, and seems to be a violent satyr on the times, abounding with moral reflections, as well as lively descriptions of the vices of some of the principal personages of the court. At the same time the poet seems to laugh in his easy chair, and might have furnished a model for Rabelais, who probably never saw this poem: —from the freedom with which the archpriest has painted the vices of the times, we may call him the Petronius of Spain. Some of his verses have the same metre as the Greek and Latin hexameters, for instance,

Fis vos pequeño libro, de testa mas que de glosa,
Non creo que es pequeño, antes mui gran plosa.

The present archbishop of Toledo, Don Francisco de Laranzana has very generously opened the library of the cathedral for the use of the public, and I might mention other ancient poets, whose works are in the Cancionero of Juan Alfonso de Baena, collected in the reign of king John the 2d, which includes those who preceded, as well as contemporary poets; but it would make no amends for the time lost in looking over such writings, totally divested of genius or taste, hardly one of them able even to make a good rhyme; you will already have perceived that I partake of the gloom that hangs over this city; or, as the French call it, ennui. Its very gates seem to proclaim it, for over the principal one, the gate del Cambron, an inscription is placed under the statue of St. Leocadia, the tutelary patroness of the city, in which she is requested to free them from such a complaint;

Tu nostra civis inclita,
Tu es patrona vernula,
Ab urbis hujus termino
Procul repelle tædium.

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