[882] Antonio, article “Ludovicus de Góngora,” mentions the inferior commentators. The attack of Cascales, who seems afraid to be thorough with it, is in his “Cartas Philológicas.”
[883] The queen, who was a daughter of Henry IV. of France, was one day passing through a gallery of the palace, when some one came behind her and covered her eyes with his hands. “What is that for, Count?” she exclaimed. But, unhappily for her, it was not the Count;—it was the king. Soon afterwards Villamediana received a hint to be on his guard, as his life was in danger. He neglected the friendly notice, and was assassinated the same evening. He had been very open in his admiration of the queen, having, on occasion of a tournament, covered his person with silver reals and taken the punning motto,—“Mis amores son reales.” (Velazquez, Dieze, Göttingen, 1796, 8vo, p. 255.) An edition of his Works, Madrid, 1634, 4to, is a little more ample than that of Çaragoça, 1629, 4to; but not the better for it. The story of the Count’s unhappy presumption and fate may be found in Mad. d’Aulnoy’s “Voyage d’Espagne,” ed. 1693, Tom. II. pp. 17-21, and in the striking ballads of the Duke of Rivas, Romances Históricos, Paris, 1841, 8vo.
[884] Baena, Hijos de Madrid, Tom. II. p. 389. His entire name was Hortensio Felix Paravicino y Arteaga. Why the whole of it was not given with his poems, which were not printed till after his death, it is not easy to tell. There are editions of them in 1641, 1645, and 1650; the last, Alcalá, 12mo.
[885] Ambrosio de la Roca y Serna was a Valencian, and died in 1649. (Ximeno, Tom. I. p. 359, and Fuster, Tom. I. p. 249.) He seems to have been valued little, except as a religious poet, but he was valued long. I have a copy of his “Luz del Alma,” without year or place, but printed as late as 1725, 12mo.
[886] “El Perfeto Señor, Poesías Varias,” etc., Madrid, 1652, 4to. He wrote silvas darker than Góngora’s “Soledades.” His madrigals and shorter poems are more intelligible, though none are good. He was a Portuguese by birth, but lived in Madrid, where he died after 1656. (Barbosa, Tom. I. p. 310.) There are two editions of his works.
[887] Baena, Tom. I. p. 93. The works of Pantaleon are obvious imitations of Góngora, as may be seen in his “Fábula de Prosérpina,” “Fábula de Alfeo y Aretusa,” etc., though perhaps still more in his sonnets and décimas. They were first printed in 1634, but appeared several times afterwards, with slight additions. My copy is of Madrid, 1648, 18mo.
[888] Violante del Cielo (do Ceo, in Portuguese) died in 1693, ninety-two years old, having written and published many volumes of Portuguese poetry and prose, some of the contents of which are too gallant to be very nun-like. Her “Rimas,” chiefly Spanish, were printed in Ruan, 1646, 12mo. One of the few poems among them that can be read is an ode on the death of Lope de Vega (p. 44); though it should be added, that some of her short religious poems, scattered elsewhere in her works, are better.
[889] Melo, who died in 1666, was one of the most successful Portuguese authors of his time. (Barbosa, Tom. II. p. 182.) His “Tres Musas del Melodino,” a volume containing his Spanish poetry, and consisting, in a great measure, of sonnets, ballads, odes, and other short lyrics, much in the manner of Quevedo, as well as of Góngora, was printed twice, in 1649 and 1665,—the former, Lisboa, 4to.
[890] Moncayo is also known by his title of Marques de San Felices. His poems are entitled “Rimas de Don Juan de Moncayo í Gurrea,” (Çaragoça, 1652, 4to), and consist of sonnets, a “Fábula de Venus í Adonis,” ballads, etc. Latassa, Bib. Nueva, Tom. III. p. 320.
[891] “Entretenimiento de las Musas en esta Baraxa Nueva de Versos, dividida en Quatro Manjares, etc., por Fenix de la Torre,” Çaragoça, 1654, 4to. The title speaks for itself. His proper name was Francisco, and he was a Murcian.