Don Sebastian : $b or, The house of the Braganza: An historical romance. vol. 1Porter, Anna Maria
General
Don Sebastian : $b or, The house of the Braganza: An historical romance. vol. 1
Porter, Anna Maria
Sebastião, King of Portugal, 1554-1578 -- Fiction
The figure of the young King, (clad in a suit of green armour) full
of youth, spirit, and hope, was picturesquely contrasted by the wild
sadness of Stukeley, the light and shade of whose countenance at one
time flashed the fire of a warrior, at others was lost in a gloom of
unavailing regret. Don Antonio of Crato, formed a contrast of another
sort; his gold armour was gayly adorned with bosses and chasings, which
the priest’s vestment did not entirely conceal; his florid aspect
seemed equally free from thought and care: but there was one knight
among the troops whose face expressed many thoughts and many feelings:
It was Don Emanuel de Castro.
Without attempting to see or to address Sebastian, he had signified
to the master of the horse his intention of furnishing five hundred
harquebusiers for the expedition: through that nobleman’s interference
this offer was not only accepted, but he was permitted to head them
himself; and thus allowed an opportunity of retrieving his sovereign’s
lost favour. De Castro now rode among the noble volunteers, with a
serious brow.
His steady judgment, neither hurried away by the romantic sanguineness
of the inexperienced Sebastian, nor actuated by that indifference
to life which left Stukeley without a wish to estimate danger, nor
constitutionally careless of every thing beyond present enjoyment,
like the prior of Crato, foresaw much to apprehend from the inadequacy
of their armament. A thousand gallant vessels, with their bravery
of tackling and of sails, made a noble shew in the bay; and twenty
thousand troops, in all the gloss of unstained arms, and unbroken
spirits, presented an imposing spectacle to the gaze of enthusiasts.
But what were these in reality, when contrasted with perhaps more than
a hundred thousand enemies upon their own ground? De Castro’s prophetic
heart ached in the midst of general exultation.
The various regiments were now embarking: as they marched along the
shore the sun flamed upon their banners and coats of mail; the
inspiring trumpet resounded from all the neighbouring echoes; pealing
bells rung joyously from the city; and at intervals the discharge of
ordnance from adjacent forts, was seen to shake the ships and the hills.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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