Although Orlando and Rinaldo are the heroes, the story of Boiardo’s poem is original. “_Turpino istesso la nascose_,” he says. It is exceedingly graceful and ingenious. Argalia and his sister Angelica, the children of the King of Cathay, present themselves at Charlemagne’s court. The former has an enchanted lance, by the virtue of which he might have overthrown all Charles’s paladins; but the pig-headed Saracen Feraù persists, like Monsieur Jourdain’s servant, in thrusting tierce when he ought to thrust quarte, and Argalia is glad to make his escape, leaving the lance behind him. It falls into the hands of Astolfo, the English knight, not hitherto especially distinguished in battle or tourney, but who at least possesses his countrymen’s characteristic of not knowing when they are beaten. _Solea dir, ch’ egli era per sciagura, E tornava a cader senza paura._ By means of this lance Astolfo performs the most signal exploits, delivering Charles from the invasion of Gradasso, King of Sericana, who makes war upon him to obtain Rinaldo’s steed Bajardo, and Orlando’s sword Durindana. Rinaldo and Orlando themselves are absent in pursuit of Angelica, who has returned to her own country. Angelica and Rinaldo are alternately wrought to fondness and antipathy through the spell of enchanted potions supplied by the poet _ad libitum_. Orlando, without obtaining any share of her affections, remains her humble slave. All are involved in a maze of adventures, most cunningly interwoven, replete with the endless delight of inexhaustible invention and the surprise of perpetual novelty. No motto for the poem could be more appropriate than that with which Panizzi prefaces his edition: _Ille per extentum funem mihi posse videtur Ire poeta, meum qui pectus inaniter angit, Irritat, mulcet, falsis terroribus implet, Ut magus, et modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis._ In spite of the wild and fanciful character of the incidents, a deep interest is excited for the principal personages, who are truly human, except when avowedly of the _fortisque Gyas fortisque Cloanthus_ order, or, as the Italian poet himself has it, _Avino, Avolio, Ottone, e Berlinghiero._