



Produced by Josep Cols Canals, Lisa Reigel, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)







Transcriber's Notes: Words in italics in the original are surrounded
with _underscores_. Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as
in the original. The Table of Contents is at the end of this volume. A
complete list of corrections as well as other notes follows the text.





                            Amadis of Gaul,

                                  by

                            VASCO LOBEIRA.


                           IN FOUR VOLUMES.

                               VOL. IV.


                                LONDON:
            Printed by N. Biggs, Crane-court, Fleet-street,
              FOR T. N. LONGMAN AND O. REES, PATERNOSTER
                                 ROW.

                                 1803.




_AMADIS of GAUL._




Book the Fourth.




_CHAPTER 1._


You have heard in the third book of this great history how King
Lisuarte against the will of all his subjects great as well as little,
delivered up his daughter Oriana to the Romans, and how by Amadis and
his companions of the Firm Island she was from them rescued; now we
will tell you what ensued. When Amadis had left the vessel where the
Princess was he went through the fleet to give orders concerning the
prisoners and the spoils, coming near the ship where Salustanquidio lay
dead he heard a great lamentation, for the people and the Knights of
that Prince were making moan over him, and relating all his praises and
greatness so that Agrayes and they who had won the ship could neither
quiet them, nor remove them from the body. Amadis therefore ordered
that they should all leave the vessel, and he gave command that the
body should be placed in a coffin, and that such burial should be given
him as befitted such a Lord, for albeit he was his enemy, he had died
like a good man in his master's service.

The noise of this lamentation was so great that it reached the ship
wherein was Oriana; but so soon as Queen Sardamira heard that it was
for Salustanquidio's death, forgetting all her former grief, she wrung
her hands and threw herself upon the ground, and began to exclaim, O
generous prince and of high lineage, the light and the mirror of the
whole Roman Empire, what a grief and a calamity will it be to all
who love thee when they shall hear the tidings of thy unhappy and
disastrous end, and what grief wilt thou feel O Emperor when thou shalt
learn the death of this thy cousin, who was the strong shield of thine
empire, and the destruction of thy fleet, and the disgraceful loss of
thy Knights. Either thou must tamely submit to this loss and remain the
most dishonoured Prince in the world, or else prepare to avenge it,
putting thy state and person to great peril and doubtful issue, for
by all that I have seen since my entering Great Britain in an unhappy
hour, sure am I that there is no Prince or Power however great against
whom these Knights would fear to wage war. Alas, my afflicted heart
grieveth more for the living who will suffer in this quarrel, than for
these dead whose share of the evil is past! But then Oriana and Mabilia
raised her up and comforted her the best they could.




_CHAPTER 2._


Amadis and his Knights now assembled on board Florestan's vessel,
and there resolved that they should forthwith make sail for the Firm
Island, according to their own opinion and the pleasure of Oriana;
they then placed all the prisoners in one ship and appointed Gavarte
of the Perilous Valley, and Landin the Nephew of Don Quadragante with
a body of Knights to guard them: and the spoils they placed in another
ship under the care of Don Gandales the foster-father of Amadis, and
Sadamon, who were two prudent and trusty Knights; their own force they
divided among the other vessels in the manner that they had first
embarked, and then they deputed Don Bruneo of Bonamar and Angriote of
Estravaus to inform Oriana that they were ready to obey her and to
request her commands. These two Knights went on board her ship and
kneeling before her said, good Lady all these Knights who are here
assembled at your rescue, inform you that the fleet is now ready for
your service, and desire to know your will that they may fulfill it. My
true friends, replied Oriana, I should not desire to live if I thought
that it would never be in my power to requite the love ye have all
shown me, but I trust in God that as I have the will, so will he one
day give me the power to show my gratefulness. Say to the Knights that
what has been before determined should now be put in practice, that is,
to go to the Firm Island, there we can take farther counsel, and there
I hope that these difficult and painful beginnings will come to a good
end.

When the two Knights had carried back this answer to their companions
they bade all their trumpets sound, and joyfully and with loud clamours
the fleet began to move on. Joyfully and courageously did these Knights
go their way, being of one accord and resolved not to give over the
enterprize which they had begun, till they should have well and happily
concluded it, for they were all of high lineage and of great prowess,
and the knowledge that their cause was just now greatly heartened
them, and they even rejoiced to see themselves thus engaged against
two such powerful princes, for be the issue what it would, they were
sure by the contest to acquire a fair fame and leave behind them a
remembrance which should endure for ever. Certes whoso had seen them in
that gallant fleet, how proudly they sailed on, so armed and with such
a company, would have weened that they were the train of some great
Emperor, and of a truth scarcely could there be found in the household
of any Prince how great soever, so goodly a company of Knights, high
born, and so approved in arms. Seven days they sailed along, and then
took port in the haven of the Firm Island, and there discharged the
cannon for joy; the Islanders in alarm, seeing so great a fleet, took
arms and ran to the beach, but then they knew the banners and device of
Amadis their Lord. Forthwith the boats were put out, and Don Gandales
landed to prepare the apartments and order that a bridge of boats
should be made from the shore, that Oriana and her Ladies might by that
means land.




_CHAPTER 3._


Now when the fair Grasinda heard of the coming of the fleet and of
all that had befallen, she made ready to receive Oriana, whom of all
persons in the world she most desired to see, because of her great
renown that was every where spread abroad. She therefore wished to
appear before her like a Lady of such rank and such wealth as indeed
she was; the robe which she put on was adorned with roses of gold,
wrought with marvellous skill, and bordered with pearls and precious
stones of exceeding value, this robe till now she had never worn,
having reserved it to wear when she should make trial of the Forbidden
Chamber. On her goodly hair she would wear no other adornment than the
crown which the Greek Knight her champion had challenged for her, and
won for her from all the Damsels in King Lisuarte's court. She rode a
white palfrey, whose trappings were all curiously wrought with gold,
in this guise had she resolved, if her good fortune was such that she
should accomplish the proof of the Forbidden Chamber, to return to King
Lisuarte's court, and there make herself known to Queen Brisena and to
her daughter Oriana, and to the other Princesses and damsels, and from
thence to return with great glory to her own country; but the issue was
far otherwise than she hoped and imagined, for fair as of a truth she
was, yet was not her beauty equal to the beauty of Queen Briolania, who
had attempted that adventure and failed therein. In this rich attire
did that Lady go forth from her apartment, and with her all her dames
and damsels all richly apparelled, ten of her Knights on foot led her
reins, and with this array she proceeded to the shore. The Bridge of