Orlando Furioso, Ariosto, transl. Barbara Reynolds, Penguin,
Harmonsworth 1981-7 (1975-7)

The first volume has a lengthy introduction, liberally quoting from the
epic itself and informing the reader of significant happenings in the
story. This likely will be more appreciated after reading Ariosto
himself.

The following precis of the epic is to assist my memory (sort of like
having a menu from a wonderful feast) and aid any too busy at present
to enjoy Ariosto's splendid banquet as it really ought to be enjoyed.

I Of war and love I sing. Fair Angelica fled. Two knights cease
clashing to chase her, dividing when forks the road. She escapes,
sleeps in a glade, awakes, sees Sacripante, hears him lamenting his
separation from her, emerges, consoles him when a knight unhorses him,
recognizes the horse Baiardo and wants to flee Rinaldo.

II Rinaldo, after long clashing, stuns Sacripante. Angelica flees. A
hermit summons a spirit who falsely tells the fighters Angelica rides
to Paris with Orlando. Rinaldo speeds where Charlemagne prepares for
siege. The king sends Rinaldo to Britain for troops. As a storm batters
Rinaldo's ship, Bradamante seeking Ruggiero's rescue, is tricked into
falling down a hole.

III Bradamante unharmed explores Merlin's cave, meets a sorceress and
receives the prophecy she is destined to marry Ruggiero bringing to
birth the illustrius Este dynasty. Many descendants are enumerated up
to Alfonso and Ippilito in current time. The sorceress tells her how to
rescue Ruggiero.

IV On winged steed a knight flies by. Bradamante and Brunel set out for
his high castle. With Brunel's invisible ring, she challenges the
sorcerous knight. Feigning the effects of his magic shield, she falls,
then leaps up and overcomes him. She makes him release captives. He
escapes, Rinaldo leaves on the hippogriff, reaches land, learns Ginevra
requires a champion and rides to her aid. On the way he stops two
ruffians from killing a fair maiden.

V She says she is the princess' maid and loved unworthy Albany. He
wanted to woo Ginevra, but she loved Ariodante. Albany had his mistress
don Ginevra's garments and welcome him, deceiving Ariodante who leaped
to his death in despair. Ginevra accused awaits death. Rinaldo halts a
mysterious knight fighting Ariodante's brother, reveals the truth and
bests unworthy Polinesso.

VI Ariodante, surviving his death leap, is the mysterious knight. He
weds Ginevra. Ruggiero lands the hippogriff on an island. A myrtle
tells him it was a knight loving Alcina and was transformed into a tree
when she took another lover. A band of monsters beset Ruggiero. Two
beautiful women on unicorns calm the monsters and guide Ruggiero into a
paradise where lovers sport. He accepts the quest of facing gruesome
Erifilla.

VII He defeats her, meets Alcina, is bewitched by her beauty, revels
with her banqueters, pines in bed for her, rejoices when she joins him.
Forgetting king and beloved Bradamante, Ruggiero dallies with alluring
Alcina. Bradamante failing to find him returns to Merlin's cave.
Melissa with magic ring speeds to rescue him. In Atlante's form, she
chides him and hands him the ring. He sees Alcin's true aged form and
escapes, leaving the hippogriff behind.

VIII Ruggiero uncovers Atlante's shield to quell a hunter's vicious
attack. Melissa changes Alcina's former lovers back to human form and
frees them. Ruggiero enters burning desert. Rinaldo enlists Scot and
English aid for Charlemagne. A conjured demon enters Angelica's horse
and takes her across the sea to a desolate shore. The aged conjuror
renders her unconscious, but is too limp to rape her. Seized by
islanders, she is placed as sacrifice to Proteus and his monsters. A
miraculous rain saves besieged Paris. Orlando dreams Angelica's in
trouble. Nothing distracts him from rushing to her rescue.

IX Orlando seeks her everywhere, agrees to champion island captives, is
storm driven to Antwerp. There he hears Olimpia's woes. She asks him to
ensure Bireno is released when she surrenders herself to treacherous
Cimesco to free her love. Orlando challenges the evil king and scatters
Cimesco and the sixty men that unchivalrous one brings against him. The
dark lord kills Orlando's horse with a cannon ball. The hero leaps up
and slays the foe, frees Bireno to Olimpia's delight and tosses the
infernal cannon into the sea.

X Faithless Bireno strands Olimpia on an island. Ruggiero crosses
desert undeflected by Alcina's beckoning women. A good boatman bears
him towards Logistilla. Alcina leads a fleet after him. His magic
shield and Logistilla's catapults destroy it. Alcina escapes on the
only remaining ship. Logistilla welcomes him and gives him the
hippogriff. He crosses the world from Cathay to London seeking
Bradamante. He sees the hosts assembled to go to Charlemagne. Orlando,
heading for Ireland, sees Angelica chained. He attacks the monster
coming for her. Impervious to his other weapons, it succumbs to his
magic shield. He flies Angelica to Brittany and prepares to enjoy her.

XI Using the magic ring he gave her, she escapes to a cave. His
hippogriff flies away. He sees a giant carrying Bradamante and pursues.
Orlando, seeing a seamonster approach a bound woman, slays it. In vain
islanders attack him. Ireland's king conquers the island. Orlando frees
Olimpia. She recounts Bireno's betrayal. Ireland's king bests Bireno
and weds Olimpia. Orlando returns to France doing great deeds, not
boasting of them.

XII Orlando wander searching a castle where he saw Angelica taken. He
finds only her voice. Ruggiero follows a giant and Bradamante to the
same result. Other knights wander there. Angelica breaks the spell and
flees. Ferrau fights for Orlando's helmet. He follows Angelica, gaining
the helmet, not Angelica. Orlando kills African King Alzirdo and routs
his men. Approaching a light he finds a maiden in a cave.

XIII She, a Spannish princess, sailed to wed a Scottish prince.
Shipwrecked she resisted the prince's unworthy man Odorico. Arriving
pirates scare him off. Now away, they are holding her for the Sultan.
They return and fall to Orlando. He accompanies her. Melissa reassures
Bradamante, advises her and prophecies about her female offspring.
Forgetting Melissa's warning, she follows the form of Ruggiero into the
castle of illusion.

XIV Agramante reviews his assembled forces. He hears of Orlando's
havoc. Tartary's King Mandricardo sees Orlando's desolation, slays
Princess Doralice's escort and gains her affection. Agramante presses
the siege of Paris. Archangel Michael seeks Silence in a cloister.
There Discord dwells with her attendant lawyers. Found elsewhere,
Silence speeds to cloak Rinaldo's army's arrival in Paris. The
besieger's first wave is repulsed. Rodomonte furiously leads a
second. The first parapet falls. Christians light the oily trench
beyond.

XV Elsewhere Charlemagne in person meets an African attack. Logistilla
provides Astolfo a ship, advisers, a potent magic book and a great
horn. He sails from her island to the Persian Gulf, hears prophecies of
future global exploration, crosses Arabia, catches a giant, goes to
Cairo, and further sees two brave knights battling a near invincible
brigand. Pausing for the night, they sup and converse with Astolfo.
Next day he cuts the magic hair, thus slaying the fiend. He goes to
Jerusalem and hears Grifone speak of faithless Orrigille.

XVI Grifone sees Orrgille with her new lover. She rushes to Grifone and
berates him for his absence. She falsely calls her lover her brother.
Charlemagne and Agramante clash. Rodomonte ravages inside. Rinaldo's
reinforcements smash into the foe. Ferrau, then Agramante push back. A
messenger warns Charlemagne raging Rodomonte burns the city. The king
turns to face this threat.

XVII Charlemagne and his knights attack the lone Rodomonte. Grifone
hears the reason for Syrian celebrations. Her king, sailing with his
bride from Cyprus, was stormwrecked. He hunted. A monster feasted on
his men. Considering women untasty it kept them captive. The Syrian
king entered its lair. All but fair Lucina escaped. Mandricardo rescued
her. The king now home holds a celebratory tournament. Orrigilla's
lover displays his cowardice. Grifone defeats the best. He rests at an
inn. Orrigille's lover in Grifone's armour claims the prize. Grifone
forced to put on the coward's clothes is scorned.

XVIII Grifone responds. Rodomonte withstands intense attack and hacks
his way out. He hears Mandricardo has Doralice. Franks and foe fight
fiercely. The king apologizes to Grifone. Grifone's brother captures
Orrigille and Martiano wearer of stolen armour. Merifisa claims her old
armour. Astolfo, Marifisa, etc. sailing for France encounter a storm.
Rinaldo scatters foemen. Two warriors avenge Dardinello's death, find
his body and seek to return safely with it.

XIX Loyal Medoro is brutally cut down at his dead king's side. His
comrade is slain. Angelica, skilled in Indian medicine, stops Medoro's
bleeding. His king and friend buried, he accompany's Angelica to a
shepherd's hut. She tends him, falls in love with him and enjoys love
in his arms. They inscribe their intertwined names on tree and stone.
Passing through Spain they encounter a madman. Grifone, Astolfo and all
are shipwrecked near a woman ruled land. Marifisa displays valour. She
meets her match. Long they clash, neither victorious.

XX Marfisa and Guidone exchange names. He tells of Cretan colonists
abandoned by their lovers, their vengeance against men, Elbanio's
arrival and influence and the two thousand year old society chamioned
by Guidone so very much yearning to leave. Next day, Astolfo's horn
enables escape. They reach Marseille. Marfisa riding on unhorses
Pinabello, then Zerbino. Zerbibo hears a hag's lie about Isabella.

XXI Zerbino defeats Ermonide who tells him the hag's tale. She sought
to seduce Ermonide's brother, accused him when he refused, tricked him
into killing her husband, had a doctor poison him and forced the doctor
to take poison.

XXII Astolfo returns to England, learns of the reinforcing of
Charlemagne, goes to France, enters Illusion Castle and breaks the
spell. Ruggiero and Bradamante notice each other, learn of an impending
execution and ride to the rescue. Pinabello has tricked four heroes to
rob for him. Ruggiero bests these. Bradamante slays Pinabello. Ruggiero
drops his magic shield down a well. Bradamante fails to find him.

XXIII Bradamante comes upon Astolfo and the hippogriff. He gives her
his horse and some weapons. Her brother sees her and brings her home.
She sends a messenger to Ruggiero with Ruggiero's horse. Rodomonte
takes it. Zerbino is wrongly seized as Pinabello's murderer. Orlando
rescues him. Isabella embraces Zerbino. Mandricardo fights Orlando.
Mandricardo's horse speeds him away. Orlando, searching for him, sees
the intertwined names Medoro and Angelica. Learning the truth of their
love, Orlando grieves and rages.

A summary of the epic's last half will, touch wood, be up in the not
too distant future.


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