Morgante Maggiore
is the first proper romance; although, perhaps, Pulci had the
Teseide
before him. The story is taken from the fabulous history of Turpin; and if the author had any distinct object, it seems to have been that of making himself merry with the absurdities of the old romancers. The
Morgante
sometimes makes you think of Rabelais.
It contains the most remarkable guess or allusion upon the subject of America that can be found in any book published before the discovery