[55] The following for example:—
Nam posso dormir as noites,
amor, nam as posso dormir.
Desque meus olhos olharom
em vos seu mal e seu bem,
se algum tempo repousarem
ja nenhum repouso tem.
Dias vam e noutes vem
sem vos ver nem vos ouvir.
Como as poderei dormir?
Meu pensamento ocupado
na causa de seu pensar
acorda sempre ho cuidado
para nunca descuidar.
As noites do repousar,
dias sam ao meu sentir,
noutes de meu nam dormir.
Todo ho bem he ja passado
e passado em mal presente;
o sentido desvelado,
ho coraçam descontente:
ho juizo que ysto sente
como se deve sentir,
pouco leixara dormir.
Como nam vi ho que vejo
cos olhos do coraçam,
nam me deito sem dessejo
nem me erguo sem paixam;
hos dias sem vos ver vam,
as noites sera vos ouvir,
eu as nam posso dormir.
[56] In illustration of this remark, the words cor, paço, povo, pay, may, por, ter, may be compared with the Spanish words color, palacio, pueblo, padre, madre, poner, tener, and similar comparisons may be made of a multitude of others. Let the reader also take into consideration the clipping pronunciation of o and a when these vowels terminate words in the Portuguese language. The Portuguese articles o and a, abbreviated from lo and la, together with the compounds formed from them, as no and na, instead of en lo and en la, must necessarily be offensive to the Spanish ear. It is singular, however, that the Portuguese language has a tendency to lengthen those particular words in which the Spanish cannot tolerate any further extension; for the Spanish Universidad, Magestad, &c. become in Portuguese Universidade, Magestade, and so forth.
[57] It deserves, however, to be noticed, that of all the sister languages of Roman descent, the Portuguese alone has preserved, in its grammatical structure, a remarkable fragment of the ancient latin conjugation, namely, the pluperfect of the indicative, viz. fora, foras, fora, from fueram, fueras, fuerat. But this pluperfect has also the signification of a preterite of the subjunctive; and through the ambiguity, which thus arises, the value of this grammatical relic in the Portuguese language is in a great measure lost, notwithstanding that the connection may easily mark the proper sense. But how happens it that of all the languages claiming a Roman origin, the Portuguese, though in other respects remarkable for a certain simplicity of character, is, upon the whole, distinguished by the most numerous and subtle tenses in the conjugations of its verbs?
[58] This trait of distinction between the Portuguese and Spanish national character is still noticed by travellers. The Portuguese is a bigot, like the Spaniard, but he is far less fanatical. The intercourse of trade in Lisbon, requires an external appearance of tolerance. If the English sailors refuse to take off their hats during the catholic processions in Portugal, the populace content themselves with exclaiming, “they are English heretics!” or uttering some other words of reproach.