his arms already bound by fetters, take no shame for
my lack of suspicion. Rather is it for volt., so royally born, to blush at such baseness. You,' and in spite of himself his eyes flamed with rage as he realised that he had again fallen into the power of his re- morseless kinsfolk, you are a disgrace to the royal lineage you represent. See, even the King, your son, casts down his eyes. Don Sancho is ashamed of his mother ! ' " This is by no means an unfavourable specimen of the author's manner of narration, and we would submit that its language does not assist the reader to realise the period of which the author treats. The malignant glitter of Dofia Teresa's eyes and the flame of rage in those of Don Fernando are clearly intended for embellishments of the original story ; unfor- tunately they do not produce that effect. It is not possible to check the general accuracy of the author's rendering, except in one instance. We happen to have at hand an account of the death of Don Alvaro de Luna, taken from the chronicles of Don Juan II., attributed by some to the Court poet of that time, Juan de Mena. Miss Elliot's paraphrase bears sufficient resemblance to this account to show its original source; but it contains a great quantity of descriptive matter which is not to be found in the original, leaves out much which does there exist, and differs in many essential details. To quote one passage only. Miss Elliot writes :— " Raising his plumed hat for a moment from his head, he scanned the multitude come to see him die. In front of the scaffold stood his enemy, Don Enrique, Infante of Aragon, whose efforts to depose Don Juan he had for years successfully combated. Around him gathered a group of nobles of the Queen's party. Tell my master and yours, Don Juan the King,' he said, speaking in a clear voice, addressing himself to the Infante, 'that he may find the crown fit better on his brow now that I am gone, who made it too heavy for him' Then turning to his page, Morales, convulsed with grief, who had followed him to the scaffold, bearing on his arm a scarlet cloak to cover his body after de- capitation, his lofty bearing softened, and his voice trembled as he spoke. Alas ! my poor boy, you, who owe me nothing, weep for me ; and my master the King, who owes me so much gratitude, desires nothing but my death !' He then took off his hat, which he handed to Morales, together with a ring, placing it on his finger." [Herb the author inserts another speech expressing the Count's loyalty and courageous equanimity, which is not to be found in the original, and omits a conversation with the execu- tioner which is there]. I am ready.' he said, begin 1' And with a movement full of grandeur, he knelt, rested his head on the block, and at one stroke it was severed from the body."
Now, why does Miss Elliot prefer this shipshod paraphrase to a translation of a narrative which for simple dignity and force deserves an honourable place in Spanish prose, and why has she altered the factsP From her account it would appear that Don Alvaro was beheaded with an axe, whereas his throat was cut, after the old brutal Spanish fashion, with a knife. There is nothing to show that the Infante of Aragon was present on the occasion. Even had he been so, De Luna would certainly not have spoken to him of Juan II. as their common master. This is how a corresponding passage runs in the original chronicle. A minute description is given of the procession and the scaffold which Miss Elliot omits :— " And there the Master gave to a page of his named Morales, to whom he had already given the mule when he dismounted, a signet-ring which he wore upon his hand, and a hat, and said to him, Take the last gift that from me thou canst receive ; and he received it with very great weeping. And in the public square and at the windows, there were innumerable people who had come together from all parts of that country-side to see that execution (aquel acto) ; and those, when they saw the Master pacing to and fro, broke forth into great lamenting ; and all that time the friars stood at his side bidding him to think no more of his great estate and rank, and to die like a good Christian. And he answered them that thus he was doing, and that they might rest assured that his faith was as that of the Holy Martyrs. And talking of these things, he lifted his eyes and saw Barran, the equerry of the Prince, and he called to him, and said, ' Come hither, Barrasa ; thou art here to look upon the death that they award me; I pray thee, tell my lord the Prince that he give to his servants a better reward than that which my lord the King
bath ordered to be given to me' And when the Master was stretched upon the scaffold, presently there came to him the executioner, and begged his forgiveness of him, and saluted him
didie par), and thrust the dagger through his throat, and cut off the hend. and placed it on the hook."
The difference in the two narratives in these instances may seem unimportant, but they are sufficient to throw a certain amount of suspicion upon the author's loose treatment of her authorities.
As we have said, there are many misspellings of Spanish words which do not always appear to be misprints. Sequidillas for seguldillos might, for instance, well be the result of careless revision. But bailles for belles, nihias for Mims, suggest something more than carelessness ; and what can one make of Capitain-Generale and Capitaino for Capitan- General ? These, however, are but minor faults beside that one great blunder of which the author has been guilty,—the attempt to enhance the romances of chivalry by the use of the melodramatic language of to-day.
Previous page
