History of Spanish Literature, vol. 1 (of 3)Ticknor, George
History
History of Spanish Literature, vol. 1 (of 3)
Ticknor, George
Spanish literature -- History and criticism
This was between the years 1095 and 1109; and though the establishment
of a Burgundian dynasty on the throne erected there naturally brought
into the dialect of Portugal an infusion of the French, which never
appeared in the dialect of Galicia,[47] still the language spoken in
the two territories under different sovereigns and different influences
continued substantially the same for a long period; perhaps down to
the time of Charles the Fifth.[48] But it was only in Portugal that
there was a court, or that means and motives were found sufficient for
forming and cultivating a regular language. It is therefore only in
Portugal that this common dialect of both the territories appears with
a separate and proper literature;[49] the first intimation of which,
with an exact date, is found as early as 1192. This is a document
in prose.[50] The oldest poetry is to be sought in three curious
fragments, originally published by Faria y Sousa, which can hardly be
placed much later than the year 1200.[51] Both show that the Galician
in Portugal, under less favorable circumstances than those which
accompanied the Castilian in Spain, rose at the same period to be a
written language, and possessed, perhaps, quite as early, the materials
for forming an independent literature.
[47] J. P. Ribeiro, Dissertaçoes, etc., publicadas per órdem da
Academia Real das Sciencias de Lisboa, Lisboa, 1810, 8vo, Tom. I.
p. 180. A glossary of French words occurring in the Portuguese,
by Francisco de San Luiz, is in the Memorias da Academia
Real de Sciencias, Lisboa, 1816, Tom. IV. Parte II. Viterbo
(Elucidario, Lisboa, 1798, fol., Tom. I., Advert. Preliminar.,
pp. viii.-xiii.) also examines this point.
[48] Paleographía Española, p. 10.
[49] A. Ribeiro dos Santos, Orígem, etc., da Poesía Portugueza,
in Memorias da Lett. Portugueza, pela Academia, etc., 1812, Tom.
VIII. pp. 248-250.
[50] J. P. Ribeiro, Diss., Tom. I. p. 176. It is _possible_ the
document in App., pp. 273-275, is older, as it appears to be
from the time of Sancho I., or 1185-1211; but the next document
(p. 275) is _dated_ “Era 1230,” which is A. D. 1192, and is,
therefore, the oldest _with a date_.
[51] Europa Portugueza, Lisboa, 1680, fol., Tom. III. Parte IV.
c. 9; and Diez, Grammatik der Romanischen Sprachen, Bonn, 1836,
8vo, Tom. I. p. 72.
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