Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

“ Perhaps it will be as good for broken bones as for wounds.'
'If I had it here,' sighed Don Quixote, 'we should lack nothing. But I swear to thee, Sancho Panza, on the faith of a Knight Errant, that before two days pass, unless fortune forbids, I will have it in my possession.'
'I pray you,' asked Sancho, 'in how many days do you think we shall be able to move our feet?'
'I cannot say,' said the battered Knight; 'but I take on myself the blame of all, for I should not have drawn my sword against men that are not Knights. ”

“ Curate, 'is the heiress in direct line of the mighty Kingdom of Micomicon, who has come in search of thy Master, to ask of him a boon, which is to avenge her of a wrong done by a wicked Giant. And, owing to the great fame of thy Master which has spread through all lands, this beautiful Princess has come to find him out.'
'A happy searcher and a happy finding,' cried Sancho; 'my Master shall soon slay the great lubber of a Giant, unless he turn out to be a phantom, for he has no power over those things. ”

“ For, like all the really great stories of the world, this of Don Quixote belongs to no nation or people, but is the property of each and all of us, given us freely to enjoy it how and where we will. And from the humour and wisdom of such books we may become brighter and better ourselves. So that when I wish that you may be able to love and honour all such books, and to read this one as Cervantes wrote it, and with the care it deserves to be read, it is the best wish I can give you. And, indeed, to wish you the gift of understanding it, is the same thing as wishing you a happy life. ”

“ They noted besides how he said in a soft and amorous voice: 'O my Lady Dulcinea of Toboso, the perfection of all beauty, the sum-total of discretion, the treasury of grace, the storehouse of virtue, the ideal of all that is worthy, modest, or delightful in all the world! What might thy Ladyship be doing at this present? Art thou perhaps thinking of thy captive Knight who most readily exposeth himself to so many dangers for thy sake? Give me tidings of her, O thou Moon! ”

“ This was nothing worse than a mill for fulling cloth, whose six great iron maces or pestles, driven by the water-wheels, kept on day and night falling and rising from their troughs with successive hammering blows. And this had caused the terrible noise which had so terrified the adventurers.
When Don Quixote saw what it was, he stood mute and ashamed. Sancho beheld him, and saw that he hung his head on his breast. Don Quixote looked also at his Squire, and saw that his cheeks were swollen with laughter, with evident signs that he was in danger of bursting. ”

“ It is true that he drew his arm cautiously, lest Rozinante should stir, and though he longed to get into the seat of his saddle again, yet he could do no other but stand upright or wrench off his arm. Many times did he wish for the sword of Amadis against which no enchantment had power. Then he fell to cursing his stars, or again called upon the Lady Dulcinea to remember him anew. Now he would call on his good Squire Sancho Panza, who, buried in sleep, stretched out upon his pack-saddle, heard him not, and then he called in vain on the Sage Urganda to release him. ”

“ Of what befell Don Quixote in the Brown Mountains
Don Quixote, finding himself in such a bad plight, said to his Squire: 'I have often heard it said that to do good to ungrateful men, is to cast water into the sea. If I had listened to your advice, I might have avoided this trouble. But, now that it is over, there is nothing for it but to be patient and to be wise another time.'
'If you take warning by this or anything else,' replied Sancho, 'call me a Turk. But, as you say, you might have avoided this trouble by taking my advice. Listen to what I say now, and you will avoid a greater danger. ”

“ DON QUIXOTE DOING PENANCE
[127]
'In faith, Sancho,' replied Don Quixote, 'if thou knewest as well as I do, how honourable a lady was Queen Madasima, thou wouldst rather say I behaved with great patience. Cardenio knew not what he was saying to call her wicked, and must have been out of his senses.'
'So say I,' said Sancho, 'and you ought not to take notice of the words of a madman.'
'Against sane and mad,' replied Don Quixote, 'is every Knight Errant bound to stand up for the honour of women, whoever they may be. Be silent, therefore, and meddle not with what does not concern thee. ”

“ And as he rode towards his village, he recited to himself in a low voice these words: 'Well mayest thou call thyself happy above all other women of the earth, O! above all beauties, beautiful Dulcinea of Toboso; since it has fallen to thy lot to hold submissive to thy will a Knight so renowned and valorous as is and ever shall be, Don Quixote of the Mancha, who, as all the world knows, but yesterday received the order of Knighthood, and to-day hath destroyed the greatest outrage and wrong that injustice and cruelty could commit. ”

“ Then the phantoms mounted him upon their shoulders, and as he was carried out of his chamber door the Barber called out in as terrible a voice as he could muster: 'O Knight of the Rueful Countenance, be not grieved at thine imprisonment, for so it must be that thine adventures be more speedily ended. And thou, O most noble and obedient Squire that ever had sword at girdle, beard on a face, or dent in a nose, let it not dismay thee to see carried away thus the flower of all Knighthood. ”

“ Whilst they were thus busied, Don Quixote began to cry aloud, saying: 'This way, this way, valorous Knights! Show the force of your valiant arms lest we lose the tournament.'
Called away by this noise and clamour they left the books and ran to Don Quixote, who had risen from his bed and was repeating his outcries and ravings, cutting about with his sword all over the room with slashes and back strokes, as wide awake as if he had never been asleep. Wherefore, taking him up in their arms, they returned him by main force into his bed. ”

“ For all must succeed as the wise Tinacrio, my father, has foretold, and if the Knight of the prophecy, when he has killed the Giant, so desires, then it will be my lot to become his wife, and he will at once possess both me and my Kingdom.'
'What thinkest thou of this, friend Sancho? Did I not tell thee this would come about? Here we have a Kingdom to command and a Queen to marry.'
When Sancho heard all this he jumped for joy, and running to Dorothea stopped her mule, and asking her very humbly to give him her hand to kiss, he kneeled down as a sign that he accepted her as his Queen and Lady. ”

“ Mark well, trusty and loyal Squire, the darkness of this night, the strange stillness, the dull, confused trembling of the leaves, the dreadful noise of the water, which seems as though it were leaping down from the steep mountains of the moon, the constant thumping of the blows which wounds and pains our ears, which all together and each by itself are enough to strike terror, fear, and amazement into the mind of Mars, how much more in his that is not accustomed to such adventures. ”

“ For it is all the world like a barber's basin.'
'Know, Sancho, that I imagine,' replied Don Quixote, 'that this famous piece of the enchanted helmet must by some strange accident have fallen into some one's hands that knew not its great worth, and seeing that it was of pure gold, he hath melted down one half and made of the other half this, which seems, as thou sayest, to be a barber's basin. ”

“ Fortune may bring me a sword like that of Amadis, which did not only cut like a razor, but there was no armour however strong or enchanted which could stand before it.'
'It will be like my luck,' said Sancho, 'that when your Worship finds such a sword it will, like the Balsam, be of use only to those who are Knights, whilst poor Squires will still have to sup sorrow.'
'Fear not that, Sancho,' replied his Master; and he rode ahead, his mind full of adventures, followed at a little distance by his unhappy Squire. ”

“ Don Quixote promised in the name of them all, and the Tattered One commenced his story.
'My name is Cardenio; the place of my birth one of the best cities in Andalusia; my lineage noble, my parents rich, and my misfortunes so great that I think no one was ever to be pitied as I am. There dwelt in the same city wherein I was born a damsel as noble and rich as I was, whose name was Lucinda. I loved, honoured, and adored Lucinda from earliest childhood, and she loved me with all the earnestness of youth. ”

“ For let me tell you that it is no use talking about Knighthood and its customs to the Holy Brotherhood, for it cares not two farthings for all the Knights Errant in the world, and for myself, I seem to hear their arrows buzzing round my ears already.'
'Thou art by nature a coward, Sancho,' replied Don Quixote; 'but that thou mayest not say that I am obstinate, and that I never follow thine advice, I will take thy counsel this time, and hide myself from the attacks thou fearest so greatly. ”

“ As soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his Squire: 'Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we could desire. For behold, friend Sancho, how there appear thirty or forty monstrous Giants with whom I mean to do battle, and take all their lives. With their spoils we will begin to be rich, for this is fair war, and it is doing great service to clear away these evil fellows from off the face of the earth.'
'What Giants?' said Sancho amazed. ”

“ Is my Lady Dulcinea more beautiful? She cannot hold a candle to her. Marry her! Marry at once, and when you are King make me a Governor.'
Don Quixote, who heard such evil things spoken of his Lady Dulcinea, could not bear them any longer, and therefore, lifting up his lance, without speaking a word to Sancho, gave him two blows that brought him to the earth, and if Dorothea had not called to the Knight to spare him, without doubt he would have taken his Squire's life. ”

“ Say, scoffer with the viper's tongue, who dost thou think hath gained this Kingdom and cut off the head of this Giant and made thee Marquis—for all this I take to be a thing as good as completed—unless it be the worth and valour of Dulcinea using my arm as her instrument? She fights in my person, and I live and breathe in her. From her I hold my life and being. O villain, how ungrateful art thou that seest thyself raised from the dust of the earth to be a nobleman, and speakest evil of her who gives thee such honours!'
Sancho was not too much hurt to hear what his Master said. ”

“ Therefore, dear Lady, let us by our diligence hinder his plans, and let us depart to the place where fortune calls us.'
Don Quixote said no more but awaited the answer of the beautiful Princess, who, with a lordly air and in a style not unworthy of Don Quixote himself, replied as follows: 'I thank you, Sir Knight, for the desire you show to assist me in this my great need, and I trust your desires and mine may succeed, that I may show you that there are some thankful women on earth. ”

“ Fortune favoured Don Quixote in his search for the strange owner of the portmanteau, for, even as he was speaking to the Goatherd, he appeared at that very instant through a gorge of the mountain, murmuring to himself words which one could not have understood near at hand, much less afar off. His clothes were such as have been described, only differing in this, that when he drew near, Don Quixote noticed that he wore a leather jerkin, which, though tattered and torn, was perfumed with amber. From this he guessed that the man who wore such garments was a person of quality. ”

“ Then would he, entering my sweet lady's presence, say unto her with a humble and submissive voice: "Madam, I am the Giant Caraculiambro, Lord of the Island called Malindrania, whom the never-too-much-praised Knight Don Quixote of the Mancha hath overcome in single combat. He hath commanded me to present myself to your greatness, that it may please your Highness to dispose of me according to your liking."'
You may believe that the heart of the Knight danced for joy when he made that grand speech, and he was even more pleased when he had found out one whom he might call his lady. ”

“ But Don Quixote made no account of their stones, and galloping to and fro everywhere cried out: 'Where art thou, proud Alifamfaron? Where art thou? Come to me, for I am but one Knight alone, who desires to prove my strength with thee, man to man, and make thee yield thy life for the wrong thou hast done to the valorous Pentapolin.'
At that instant a stone gave him such a blow that it buried two of his ribs in his body. ”

“ Do not busy thyself, Joan, to know all things in a sudden. It is enough that I will tell thee all the truth, and therefore close thy mouth. I will only say this much unto thee as yet, that there is nothing in the world so pleasant as for an honest man to be the Squire of a Knight that seeks adventures.'
Now, if I were to tell you that Don Quixote got quite [245] well and lived quietly at home after all these adventures, and never went abroad again, I should tell you what is not true. ”

“ After Don Quixote had satisfied his appetite, he took up a fistful of acorns, and beholding them earnestly, began in this manner: 'Happy time and fortunate ages were those which our ancestors called Golden, not because Gold—so much prized in this our Iron Age—was gotten in that happy time without any labours, but because those who lived in that time knew not these two words, Thine and Mine. In that holy age all things were in common. No man needed to do aught but lift up his hand and take his food from the strong oak, which did liberally invite them to gather his sweet and savoury fruit. ”

“ For if he had read them with the attention that I have, he would have found how many Knights of less fame [209] than myself have ended far more desperate adventures than this, for it is no great matter to kill a Giant, be he ever so proud. For in truth it is not so many hours since I myself fought with one; but I will be silent, lest they tell me I lie. Time, the detecter of all things, will disclose it when we least expect.'
'Thou foughtest with two wine-bags, not with a Giant,' cried the Innkeeper. ”

“ But being afraid of the owner of such a lance and target, he resolved to behave civilly for fear of what might happen, and thus addressed him: 'Sir Knight! if your Worship do seek for lodging, we have no bed at liberty, but you shall find all other things in abundance.'
To which Don Quixote, noting the humility of the Constable of the Castle—for such he took him to be—replied: 'Anything, Sir Constable, may serve me, for my arms are my dress, and the battlefield is my bed.'
While he was speaking, the Innkeeper laid hand on Don Quixote's stirrup and helped him to alight. ”