Literature.— The earliest productions of Portuguese literature do not go back farther than 1125, from which date the poetical com positions of Egaz Moniz Coelho and of Gon zales Hermiguez. These are written in the Galician dialect. This closely resembled the Provencal and the Provencal bards who were received at the court of the kings of Portugal. just missed assimilating the Portuguese as well as other languages of southern Europe to their own. The Provencal literature for some time absorbed all the efforts directed toward the cultivation of the higher arts of writing, and in Portugal, as else where, it retarded the development of the native literature. During the 12th and 13th centuries the Portuguese native literature could boast of nothing more than a collection of popular songs (chaeras), remarkable for freshness and vigor. The first Portuguese collection of poetry (can cioneiro) was made by King Diniz. It consisted of a selection of the court lays composed about this time by the Portuguese, Provencal and Galician bards. The manuscript of this collec tion, discovered in the Vatican by Ferdinand Wolf, has been published in Paris and Lisbon (1847) under the title of (Cancioneiro del Rey Dom Diniz.' To Dom Pedro, Count of Bar cellos, son of Diniz, is attributed a do Real Collegio dos Nobres.' His half brothers, Alfonso IV and Affonso Sanchez, were likewise poets. Some of the Portuguese poets of this time wrote in Castilian, and are reckoned among Spanish writers. Some poems on the death of his wife, one of which is in Castilian, are attributed to Pedro I, husband of Inez de Castro. There is also a prose chronicle of Pedro's reign by Feral() Lopez, from which are derived the chief particulars of his vengeance on the abettors of the murder. In the 15th century the court was still the cen tre and source of the national literature. The sons and grandsons of John I were poets and patrons of the troubadours. Galician, Castilian and Provencal were still cultivated as well as the native language. Garcia de Resende, a poet of some merit, who lived under Emanuel, has collected in a Cancioneiro (Lisbon 1516) the principal poetical works of this age. Ber nardim Ribeiro wrote pastoral poems and ro mances in imitation of the Italians and Spanish.
da Miranda, who succeeded him in the same line, marks the transition from the 15th to the 16th century and the separation of the Portu guese from the other Spanish dialects and from the language of the troubadours. This progress is also observable in the prose chronicles which record the current history of the day. The reign of King John, the discovery and conquest of Guinea, the career of Prince Henry and the first voyage of Columbus are among the sub jects dealt with by the chroniclers. Literature still continued to be patronized by the royal family. King Edward (Duarte) wrote a book of morals for the use of his sons, and two works, The Art of the Cavalier' and The Loyal Councillor,' which have been republished in France. There is also a treatise on military art by Alfonso V. The 16th century is the classic era of Portuguese literature. Pastoral poetry, the epic and the chivalric romance flourished in an especial manner. The chief
names are SI da Miranda, Antonio Fereira, Camoens, Diego, Bernardes, Andrade, Carninha and Alvares do Oriente. Their compositions are distinguished by elegance and variety, but like other modern pastorals, exhibit rather a tedious affectation of rusticity than a life-like representation of rural life. Si da Miranda has also written epistles, sonnets, hymns and other compositions. In his hymns he has em ployed for the first time the hendecasyllabic verse, which has become the chief instrument of Portuguese poetry. The numerous hymns, odes, elegies and sonnets of Camoens are equally distinguished for elegance, but are marred by numerous conceits according to the taste of the period. The principal epic and the greatest poem in the Portuguese literature, al most the only one which has acquired a Euro pean reputation, is Lusiadas) Portu guese') of Camoens, which has placed its writer in the rank of the few great poets of the high est class whose genius is universally recognized by the whole world. (See CAMOENS). After Camoens as an epic writer comes Cortereal, who has celebrated the siege of DiU and the shipwreck of Sepulveda.
The Portuguese romance writers claim to be the originators of the character of Amadis, but the question remains undecided between them and the Spaniards. Vasco de Lobeiro, Fran cisco Moraes and Bernardim Ribeiro are among the leading romance writers. Lopez de Castan heda has written a Libro de Caballeria. The drama also began to be cultivated in the 16th century. The first autos and rustic dialogues were probably composed for the festivities of Christmas; a few rude comedies also pre ceded the classic period. Sa da Miranda studied and imitated Plautus. Ferreira, who followed his example, composed the first regular tragedy, Ines de Castro, only a few years after So fonisba was produced at Rome by Trissino. Camoens wrote several theatrical pieces, among which are and Autos, farsas and comedies magical were far more numerous than simple dramas.
The chronicles in the same age expanded into history. The events of their own day, in which their country played so large a part, af forded ample matter of inspiration for his torians as well as poets. Barros is esteemed the Livy of Portugal though he is also a writer of fiction. He wrote the of the Con quest of India' in an elegant, pure and energetic style. The (Commentaries of Alphonso d'Al buquerque,) by a nephew of the conqueror; the of King Manual and of Prince John,' by Damian de Goes, a Portuguese am bassador; •the of the Discovery and Conquest of the Indies,' by Lopes de Castan heda; the of King Sebastian,' by Diego Bernardo Cruz, are all works of great merit. Narrations of voyages are fewer than might have been expected, but there are a few of great interest —