LUSIAD, the name given to the great epic poem of Portugal, written by Ca moens, and published in 1571. The sub ject of this poem is the establishment of the Portuguese empire in India; but whatever of chivalrous, great, beautiful, or ri We, could be gathered from the tn., ditions of his country, has been inter woven into the story. Among all the heroic poets, either of ancient or modern times, there has never, since flamer, been any one so intensely national, or so loved or honored by his countrymen, as Ca moens. It seems as if the national feel ing.; of the Portuguese Inn] centered ud reposed themsolves in the person of tnis poet, whom they consider as worthy to supply the place of a whole host of poets, and as being in himself a eomplete liter ature to his country. The great defect of t he Lusiad consists in its preposterous mythological machinery, and its clumsy management ; hut in all the qualities of versification and beauty of language it is perfect, and may be regarded as the "well, pure :Ind undefiled," it the Por tuguese language. Few modern poems have been on frequently translated as t he Lusiud. Mr. Adamson, in his Illetnoirs of he Life and 1Frilings (ir Camoens, ct.tiees isle llebrew translation of it, five Atin, six Spanish, four Italian, three French, four German, and two English.
of the two English versions one is that of Sir R. Fansha we, written during Crony well's usurpation, and distinguished for its fidelity to the original ; the other is that of Mickle, who, unlike the former. took great liberties‘vit h the original, but whose additions and alterations have met with great approbation from all critics— except, as indeed was to be expected, from the Portuguese themselves.
M, the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet, is a liquid and labial eonsonant, pronounced by slightly striking the under lip against the upper one. It is times called a semi-vowel, as the lation or compression of the lips is companied with a humming sound through the nose. M. as a numeral stands for thousand ; and with a dash over it, 1,000,000. N. A. matzister artium : M. D. Medic/11,E doctor : MS. manuscript, and MSS. manuscripts. Al. also stands for noun, from the Latin meridies : hence P..M. past meridiem (afternoon ;) and A.M. ante tneridiern (morning.) AI, in French, stands for Alonsieur ; N M. for MA11, in northern mythology, the queen of the itnaginary beings nailed fairies ; so fancifully described by the sportive imagination of Shakspearo, in Romeo and Joliet.