Couto the Classicist – Ancient Literary Sources in O Soldado Prático

Abstract

The second version of Diogo do Couto’s O Soldado Prático is one of the best-known works of Portuguese prose from the late 16th century. Yet one of the most distinctive aspects of the text—its many references to memorable sayings and deeds from Greco-Roman antiquity—has received little detailed scholarly study. Despite considerable interest in the historical sources of Couto’s Décadas da Ásia, no systematic attempt has been made to determine Couto’s classical literary sources for O Soldado Prático. This article examines the most frequently cited texts that Couto used as sources for stories and quotations from classical antiquity. It demonstrates that Couto translated or paraphrased many of these anecdotes from two sets of works: Spanish translations of Plutarch and the moralizing works of the Spanish bishop Antonio de Guevara. This survey of sources concludes by assessing both the breadth and the limits of Couto’s classical knowledge.