XVI Scarcely had Bradamant above the sill Lifter her foot, and trod the secret cave, When the live spirit, in clear tones that thrill, Addressed the martial virgin from the grave; "May Fortune, chaste and n.o.ble maid, fulfil Thine every wish!" exclaimed the wizard brave.

"Since from thy womb a princely race shall spring, Whose name through Italy and earth shall ring.

XVII "The n.o.ble blood derived from ancient Troy, Mingling in thee its two most glorious streams, Shall be the ornament, and flower, and joy Of every lineage on which Phoebus beams, Where genial stars lend warmth, or cold annoy, Where Indus, Tagus, Nile, or Danube gleams; And in thy progeny and long drawn line Shall marquises, counts, dukes and Caesers shine.

XVIII "Captains and cavaliers shall spring from thee, Who both by knightly lance and prudent lore, Shall once again to widowed Italy Her ancient praise and fame in arms restore; And in her realms just lords shall seated be, (Such Numa and Augustus were of yore), Who with their government, benign and sage, Shall re-create on earth the golden age.

XIX "Then, that the will of Heaven be duly brought To a fair end through thee, in fitting date, Which from the first to bless thy love has wrought, And destined young Rogero for thy mate, Let nothing interpose to break that thought, But boldly tread the path perscribed by fate; Nor let aught stay thee till the thief be thrown By thy good lance, who keeps thee from thine own."

XX Here Merlin ceased, that for the solemn feat Melissa might prepare with fitting spell, To show bold Bradamant, in aspect meet, The heirs who her ill.u.s.trious race should swell.

Hence many sprites she chose; but from what seat Evoked, I know not, or if called from h.e.l.l; And gathered in one place (so bade the dame), In various garb and guise the shadows came.

XXI This done, into the church she called the maid, Where she had drawn a magic ring, as wide As might contain the damsel, prostrate laid; With the full measure of a palm beside.

And on her head, lest spirit should invade, A pentacle for more a.s.surance tied.

So bade her hold her peace, and stand and look, Then read, and schooled the demons from her book.

XXII Lo! forth of that first cave what countless swarm Presses upon the circle's sacred round, But, when they would the magic rampart storm, Finds the way barred as if by fosse or mound; Then back the rabble turns of various form; And when it thrice with bending march has wound About the circle, troops into the cave, Where stands that beauteous urn, the wizard's grave.

XXIII "To tell at large the puissant acts and worth, And name of each who, figured in a sprite, Is present to our eyes before his birth,"

Said sage Melissa to the damsel bright; "To tell the deeds which they shall act on earth, Were labour not to finish with the night.

Hence I shall call few worthies of thy line, As time and fair occasion shall combine.

XXIV "See yonder first-born of thy n.o.ble breed, Who well reflects thy fair and joyous face; He, first of thine and of Rogero's seed, Shall plant in Italy thy generous race.

In him behold who shall distain the mead, And his good sword with blood of Pontier base; The mighty wrong chastised, and traitor's guilt, By whom his princely father's blood was spilt.

XXV "By him King Desiderius shall be pressed, The valiant leader of the Lombard horde: And of the fiefs of Calaon and Este; For this imperial Charles shall make him lord.

Hubert, thy grandson, comes behind; the best Of Italy, with arms and belted sword: Who shall defend the church from barbarous foes, And more than once a.s.sure her safe repose.

XXVI "Alberto next, unconquered captain, see, Whose trophies shall so many fanes array.

Hugh, the bold son, is with the sire, and he Shall conquer Milan, and the snakes display.

Azo, that next approaching form shall be, And, his good brother dead, the Insubri sway.

Lo! Albertazo! by whose rede undone, See Berengarius banished, and his son.

XXVII "With him shall the imperial Otho join In wedlock worthily his daughter fair.

And lo! another Hugh! O n.o.ble line!

O! sire succeeded by an equal heir!

He, thwarting with just cause their ill design, Shall thrash the Romans' pride who overbear; Shall from their hands the sovereign pontiff take, With the third Otho, and their leaguer break.

XXVIII "See Fulke, who to his brother will convey All his Italian birth-right, and command To take a mighty dukedom far away From his fair home, in Almayn's northern land.

There he the house of Saxony shall stay, And prop the ruin with his saving hand; This in his mother's right he shall possess, And with his progeny maintain and bless.

XXIX "More famed for courtesy than warlike deed, Azo the second, he who next repairs!

Bertoldo and Albertazo are his seed: And, lo! the father walkes between his heirs.

By Parma's walls I see the Germans bleed, Their second Henry quelled; such trophy bears The one renowned in story's future page: The next shall wed Matilda, chaste and sage.

x.x.x "His virtues shall deserve so fair a flower, (And in his age, I wot, no common grace) To hold the half of Italy in dower, With that descendent of first Henry's race.

Rinaldo shall succeed him in his power, Pledge of Bertoldo's wedded love, and chase Fierce Frederick Barbarossa's hireling bands, Saving the church from his rapacious hands.

x.x.xI "Another Azo rules Verona's town, With its fair fields; and two great chiefs this while (One wears the papal, one the imperial crown), The baron, Marquis of Ancona style.

But to show all who rear the gonfalon Of the consistory, amid that file, Were task too long; as long to tell each deed Achieved for Rome by thy devoted seed.

x.x.xII "See Fulke and Obyson, more Azos, Hughs!

Both Henrys! -- mark the father and his boy.

Two Guelphs: the first fair Umbria's land subdues, And shall Spoleto's ducal crown enjoy.

Behold the princely phantom that ensues, Shall turn fair Italy's long grief to joy; I speak of the fifth Azo of thy strain, By whom shall Ezelin be quelled and slain.

x.x.xIII "Fierce Ezelin, that most inhuman lord, Who shall be deemed by men a child of h.e.l.l.

And work such evil, thinning with the sword Who in Ausonia's wasted cities dwell; Rome shall no more her Anthony record, Her Marius, Sylla, Nero, Cajus fell.

And this fifth Azo shall to scathe and shame Put Frederick, second Caeser of the name.

x.x.xIV "He, with his better sceptre well contented, Shall rule the city, seated by the streams, Where Phoebus to his plaintive lyre lamented The son, ill-trusted with the father's beams; Where Cygnus spread his pinions, and the scented Amber was wept, as fabling poet dreams.

To him such honour shall the church decree; Fit guerdon of his works, and valour's fee.

x.x.xV "But does no laurel for his brother twine, Aldobrandino, who will carry cheer To Rome (when Otho, with the Ghibelline, Into the troubled capital strikes fear), And make the Umbri and Piceni sign Their shame, and sack the cities far and near; Then hopeless to relieve the sacred hold, Sue to the neighbouring Florentine for gold:

x.x.xVI "And trust a n.o.ble brother to his hands, Boasting no dearer pledge, the pact to bind: And next, victorious o'er the German bands, Give his triumphant ensigns to the wind: To the afflicted church restore her lands, And take due vengeance of Celano's kind.

Then die, cut off in manhood's early flower, Beneath the banners of the Papal power?

x.x.xVII "He, dying, leaves his brother Azo heir Of Pesaro and fair Ancona's reign, And all the cities which 'twixt Tronto are, And green Isauro's stream, from mount to main; With other heritage, more rich and rare, Greatness of mind, and faith without a strain.

All else is Fortune's in this mortal state; But Virtue soars beyond her love and hate.

x.x.xVIII "In good Rinaldo equal worth shall shine, (Such is the promise of his early fire) If such a hope of thine exalted line.

Dark Fate and Fortune wreck not in their ire.

Alas! from Naples in this distant shrine, Naples, where he is hostage for his sire, His dirge is heard: A stripling of thy race, Young Obyson, shall fill his grandsire's place.

x.x.xIX "This lord to his dominion shall unite Gay Reggio, joined to Modena's bold land.

And his redoubted valour lend such light, The willing people call him to command.

Sixth of the name, his Azo rears upright The church's banner in his n.o.ble hand: Fair Adria's fief to him in dower shall bring The child of second Charles, Sicilia's king.

XL "Behold in yonder friendly group agreed.

Many fair princes of ill.u.s.trious name; Obyson, Albert famed for pious deed, Aldobrandino, Nicholas the lame.

But we may pa.s.s them by, for better speed, Faenza conquered, and their feats and fame; With Adria (better held and surer gain) Which gives her t.i.tle to the neighbouring main:

XLI "And that fair town, whose produce is the rose, The rose which gives it name in Grecian speech: That, too, which fishy marshes round enclose, And Po's two currents threat with double breach; Whose townsmen loath the lazy calm's repose, And pray that stormy waves may lash the beach.

I pa.s.s, mid towns and towers, a countless store, Argenta, Lugo, and a thousand more.

XLII "See Nicholas, whom in his tender age, The willing people shall elect their lord; He who shall laugh to scorn the civil rage Of the rebellious Tideus and his horde; Whose infantine delight shall be to wage The mimic fight, and sweat with spear and sword: And through the discipline such nurture yields, Shall flourish as the flower of martial fields.

XLIII "By him rebellious plans are overthrown, And turned upon the rash contriver's head; And so each stratagem of warfare blown, That vainly shall the cunning toils be spread.

To the third Otho this too late is known, Of Parma and the pleasant Reggio dread; Who shall by him be spoiled in sudden strife, Of his possessions and his wretched life.

XLIV "And still the fair dominion shall increase, And without wrong its spreading bounds augment; Nor its glad subjects violate the peace, Unless provoked some outrage to resent, And hence its wealth and welfare shall not cease; And the Divine Disposer be content To let it flourish (such his heavenly love!) While the celestial spheres revolve above.

XLV "Lo! Lionel! lo! Borse great and kind!

First duke of thy fair race, his realm's delight; Who reigns secure, and shall more triumphs find In peace, than warlike princes win in fight.

Who struggling Fury's hands shall tie behind Her back, and prison Mars, removed from sight.

His fair endeavours bent to bless and stay The people, that his sovereign rule obey.

XLVI "Lo! Hercules, who may reproach his neighbour, With foot half burnt, and halting gait and slow, That at Budrio, with protecting sabre, He saved his troops from fatal overthrow; Not that, for guerdon of his glorious labour, He should distress and vex him as a foe; Chased into Barco. It were hard to say, If most he shine in peace or martial fray.