The poetical works of Sir Walter Scott ... Notes & life of the author.

VI SION
DON RODERICK.
THE following poem is founded upon a Spanish tradi.
tion, particularly detailed in the notes; but bearing, in gene.
ral, that Don Roderick, the last Gothic King of Spain when
the invasion of the Moors was impending, had the temerity
to descend into an ancient vault, near Toledo, the opening
of which had been denounced as fatal to the Spanish monarchy. The legend adds, that his rash curiosity was mortified by an emblematical representation of those Saracens
who, in the year 714, defeated him in battle, and reduced
Spain under their dominion. I have presumed to prolong
the vision of the revolutions of Spain down to the present
eventful crisis of the Peninsula; and to divide it, by a sup.
posed change of scene, into threeperiods. The first of these
represents the invasion of the Moors, the defeat and death
of Roderick, and closes with the peaceful occupation of the
country by the victors. The second embraces the state of
the Peninsula, when the conquests of the Spaniards and
Portuguese in the East and West Indies had raised to the
highest pitch the renown of their arms; sullied, however,
by superstition and cruelty. An illusion to the inhumani.
ties of the Inquisition terminates this picture. The lastpart
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