ARGUMENT.
Agramant, king of Africa, assembles his council for advice
respecting an intended invasion of France, and is exhorted to seek
out Rogero, as necessary to the success of his enterprise.
Rinaldo, with Astolpho, Iroldo and Prasildo, leaves the camp
before Albracca, in search of Orlando, with whom he is impatient
to terminate his quarrel. On his way, he falls in with a damsel,
in whose behalf he combats with an enchanted man, who plunges with
him into a lake, in which they both disappear. Agramant, in the
meantime, is unable to find Rogero, and Rodomont of Sarza, one of
his vassal kings, determines to undertake the expedition alone.
Orlando, who had been dispatched by Angelica on a perilous quest,
achieves this and other adventures. She is in the meantime robbed
of her magic ring by Brunello, who steals his horse from
Sacripant, and her sword from Marphisa. Rodomont, who threatened
to invade France alone, embarks for that country in a storm, and
makes good his descent. Orlando now falls in with the enchanted
man, who had regained the shore after leaving Rinaldo below the
waves, and a long combat ensues between them on land and under
water. Orlando at length vanquishes him, and makes the conquest of
Morgana's garden, of which he was the champion. From this Orlando
delivers all her prisoners, except Ziliantes, son of Monodontes,
her minion; and more especially Rinaldo, to whom he is reconciled.
The Christian knights delivered, excepting Orlando, depart to the
succour of Charlemagne; but Rinaldo, with his friends, soon falls
into a new snare. Orlando, accompanied by Brandimart, returns
towards Angelica, in Albracca; but, by the way, encounters
Brunello, pursued by Marphisa, and is himself plundered by the
fugitive of his sabre and his horn. He is afterwards entrapped by
the same spell as the others, and carried prisoner to Damogir, in
the empire of Monodontes. This adventure leads to the discovery,
that Brandimart is the eldest son of Monodontes; for whom his
younger son, Ziliantes, is also recovered by Orlando, who a second
time makes himself master of Morgana. Rinaldo, Astolpho, and the
rest, again delivered from prison by him, pursue their way to
France; but Astolpho is seduced from his companions by the devices
of Alcina. Rinaldo and Rodomont meet in battle in France; but are
separated. The invasion of this country is to be attempted by a
yet more formidable force than that of Rodomont; for Agramant,
having received from Brunello the booty he had made, discovers, by
help of the magic ring, the abode of Rogero, and allures him into
his service. Orlando, with Angelica, whose covert object is the
pursuit of Rinaldo, takes his way to France: she, drinking,
however, of the fountain of Disdain, while Rinaldo now drinks of
the fountain of Love in the forest of Arden, the two exchange
passions; he becomes her lover, and she now mortally detests
_him_, who is involved by his present pursuit of her in a
desperate duel with Orlando. Charlemagne, to end the strife, gives
Angelica in charge to Namus, duke of Bavaria. Agramant having this
while landed in France, pursues the war with various success. The
main actions are, as in the first book, diversified with a great
variety of episodes.