we no sooner perceived, than, unbinding the Moors, we put them all on shore, one by one, to their no small astonishment; but when we came to dismiss Zorayda's father, who by this time had recovered the entire use of his senses, 'Christians (said he), do you think that bad woman rejoices at my freedom through filial piety? No, surely, but merely to be rid of the check which she would receive from my presence in seeking to gratify her vicious desires. Do not imagine that she hath been induced to change her religion because she believes that the Christian faith is preferable to ours. No, she hath apostatized, because she understood that, in your country, she might indulge her loose inclinations more freely than in her own.' Then turning to Zorayda, while I and another Christian held him fast, that he might not commit some desperate action, he said,O infamous wretch, and ill-advised maiden! what blindness and distraction hath prompted thee to put thy self in the power of these dogs, who are all our natural foes? Cursed be the hour in which thou wast engendered! and cursed be the gayety and indulgence in which I brought thee up!'

"Perceiving that there was no likelihood of his ending his exclamations for some time, I presently set him on shore, where he proceeded with his reproaches, imprecations, and complaints, imploring the mediation of Mahomet with Alla, to confound, overwhelm, and destroy us; and when we had sailed out of hearing, we could perceive him act his despair, pulling his beard, and rolling himself upon the ground; nay, once he raised his voice in such a manner, that we could distinctly hear him pronounce, Return, my beloved daughter! return to the shore; I forgive all that is past: leave with these men the money which they already have in their possession, and return to comfort thy disconsolate father, who, if thou forsakest him, will lie down and breathe his last upon this barren sand!' This pathetic address was heard by Zorayda, who lamented his affliction with the utmost sensibility, though she could make no other reply than this, Alla grant, my dear father, that Lela Marien, who was the cause of my conversion, may console you in your distress! Alla knows that I could not do otherwise than I have acted, and that these Christians owe nothing to any particular good-will I bore them; for if I had not assisted and accompanied them in their escape, but remained at home with you, it would have been impossible for me, in con sequence of the earnest solicitations of my own soul, to execute that which, in my opinion, is as righteous as it is infamous and wicked in yours.' But these words never reached the ears of her father, whom by this time we could not perceive: I therefore endeavoured to console my amiable mistress, while the rest were intent upon our voyage, which was so much fa

voured by a fair wind, that we laid our accounts with being next day on the coast of Spain.

"But as good fortune seldom comes pure and single, unattended or unpursued by some troublesome and unexpected circumstance, it was ordained by Heaven, perhaps in conse quence of the curses imprecated by the Moor upon his daughter; for such curses are to be dreaded, let the parent be what he will: I say, Heaven ordained, that when we were a good way off at sea, with a flowing sheet, three hours of the night being already spent, the oars lashed up, because the fair wind made it unnecessary to use them, and the moon shining with remarkable brightness, we perceived a large round vessel with all her sails out, steering a little upon the wind, right athwart our hawse, and so near, that we were obliged to shorten sail that she might not run foul of us, while she clapped her helm aweather that we might have time to pass: those upon deck hailed us, asking who we were, whence we came, and whither bound? but as they spoke in French, the renegado said, Let no man answer; these are French privateers, who make prize of every thing that falls in their way.'

"Thus cautioned, we made no reply, but sailed on, leaving the ship a little to windward, when all of a sudden they discharged two pieces of cannon, loaded in all appearance with chainshot; for one of them cut away our mast in the middle, which, with the sail, fell overboard into the sea; and the other, coming a moment after, took us amidships, and laid the side of the bark entirely open, without doing any other mischief. Seeing ourselves going to the bottom, we began to cry aloud for assistance, beseeching the people in the ship to save us from perishing; then they brought to, and hoisting out their boat or pinnace, it was instantly manned by a dozen of Frenchmen, well armed with their muskets and lighted match, who, rowing up to us, and seeing how few we were, as also that our bark was on the point of foundering, took us in, observing that this misfortune had happened because we had been so uncivil as to refuse an answer to their hail; while the renegado, without being perceived, took up the coffer in which Zorayda's treasure was contained, and threw it into the sea. In short, we went on board with the French, who, when they had informed them selves of every thing we could impart for their purpose, as if they had been our enemies, plun dered us of all that we had, taking from Zorayda the very bracelets she wore upon her ancles; but their behaviour to her gave me the more anxiety, as I was afraid that, after having pilfered all her rich and precious jewels, they would proceed to rob her of that which was of greater value, and which she herself esteemed infinitely more than all the rest; but the desires of those people extend no farther than to money, and with that they can never satiate

their avarice, which then engrossed them so much, that they would even have robbed us of the wretched garments we wore in our captivity, if they could have applied them to any sort of use: nay, some among them proposed to wrap us altogether in a sail, and throw us into the sea, because they intended to trade in the ports of Spain, under pretence of being Britons, and if they carried us thither alive, their depredations would be discovered, and themselves chastised accordingly. But the captain, who had with his own hands rified my beloved Zorayda, said, he was satisfied with the prize he had got, and resolved to touch at no port in Spain, but pass the streights of Gibraltar in the night, or take the best opportunity of so doing that should occur, and return to Rochelle, from whence he had sailed on the cruise: they therefore agreed to give us their boat, with what necessaries we should want, to finish the little that remained of our voyage: this promise they actually performed next day, at a small distance from the Spanish coast, at sight of which all our poverty and vexation vanished from our remembrance, as if we had never endured them; such is the transport occasioned by liberty regained! It might be about noon when we were put into the boat, with two casks of water and some biscuit; and the captain, moved to compassion at the distress of the lovely Zorayda, gave her to the amount of forty crowns in gold, and would not suffer his soldiers to strip her of the clothes which she now wears; so that, at parting, instead of complaining of the hard usage we met with, we thanked them kindly for the benefit we had received at their hands. They steered right before the wind for the streights, while we, without minding any other compass than that of the land that appeared a-head, plied our oars so vigorously, that, at sunset, we were near enough to conclude, that we could easily reach the shore before the night should be far advanced; but that night being dark, without any moonshine, and every body on board ignorant of the coast, some of our company judged it unsafe to row ashore, while others insisted upon our running that hazard, even if we should land among rocks, or in some uninhabited part of the country, that we might be secured from the just apprehension of meeting with some rovers from Tetuan, who are frequently in the beginning of the night in Barbary, and in the morning on the Spanish coast, where, having taken a prize, they return on the same day, and sleep at home in their own houses. Of these contrary opinions we chose that of rowing gently towards the shore, with intent, if the smoothness of the sea would permit, to land at the first convenient place; in consequence of this resolution, a little before midnight we arrived at the foot of a huge and lofty mountain, though not so rocky towards the sea but that there was a little space left for commodious landing: the boat being run ashore,

and all of us disembarked, we kissed the ground, and, with tears of unutterable joy, returned sincere thanks to our gracious Lord, for his unparalleled protection_vouchsafed to us in the voyage; then we took out the provision, and dragging her on shore, ascended a vast way up the mountain; not being as yet able to quiet our apprehensions, or persuade ourselves, though it actually was so, that the soil we trod was Christian ground. The day broke much later than we could have wished, and about this time we gained the summit of the mountain, purposing to look from thence for some village or shepherd-huts; but, although we viewed the whole country around, we could neither discern village, house, highway, path, nor the least trace of human footsteps. Nevertheless, we deter mined to penetrate farther into the country, since it could not be long before we should discover some person who would give us information: but what gave me the greatest concern was, to see Zorayda travelling on foot among the flinty rocks; for though I sometimes took her on my shoulders, she was much more fatigued with seeing me weary, than refreshed by finding herself exempted from walking; and therefore would not allow me to take any more trouble of that kind, but proceeded with infinite cheerfulness and patience, while I led her by the hand all the way.

"In this manner we had gone about a quarter of a league, when our ears were saluted by the sound of a small sheep-bell, which was a sure sign of a flock being somewhere not far off; looking therefore attentively to discover it, we perceived a young shepherd sitting with great composure at the root of a cork tree, smoothing a stick with his knife: when we called to him he raised his head, and started nimbly up, and, as we afterwards understood, the renegado and Zorayda, who were in Moorish dress, being the first objects that presented themselves to his eyes, he thought all the corsairs of Barbary were upon him, and, running with incredible swiftness into a wood that grew near the place where he was, he began to cry as loud as he could bawl, The Moors! the Moors are landed! the Moors, the Moors! to arms, to arms!' This exclamation threw us all into perplexity; but, reflecting that his cries would alarm the country, and that the cavalry of the coast would immediately come and see what was the matter, it was agreed, that the renegado should pull off his Turkish robes, and put on a slave's jacket, with which one of our company accommodated him, though he himself remained in his shirt. This being done, we recommended ourselves to God, and followed the same road which we saw the shepherd take, expecting every moment to see ourselves surrounded by the cavalry of the coast. Neither were we deceived in our expec tation; for in less than two hours, having crossed those thickets, and entered a plain on the

other side, we descried about fifty horsemen riding briskly towards us, at a hand-gallop; upon which we halted until they should come up; but when they arrived, and, instead of the Moors they came in quest of, beheld so many poor Christian captives, they were utterly confounded, and one of them asked, if we were the people who had been the occasion of a shepherd's calling to arms? I answered in the affirmative, and being desirous of telling him who we were, whence we came, and what had happened to us, one of our company knew the horseman who accosted us, and without giving me time to speak another word, said, ، Thanks be to God, gentlemen, for having conducted us to such an agreeable part of the country; for, if I am not mistaken, the ground we now tread belongs to Velez Malaga; and, if the years of my captivity have not impaired my remembrance, you, signor, who ask that question, are Pedro Bustamante, my uncle.'

"Scarce had the captive pronounced these words, when the cavalier threw himself from his horse, and ran to embrace the young man, saying, Dear nephew of my life and soul! I now recollect thee; thy supposed death has been mourned by myself, my sister, thy mother, and all thy relations, who are still alive; for Heaven hath been pleased to spare their lives, that they might enjoy the pleasure of seeing thee again: I knew thou wast at Algiers, and from the information of thy habit, and that of all your company, I guess you have made a miraculous escape. Your conjecture is true (replied the young man), and we shall have time to recount the partículars.' As soon as the horsemen understood we were Christian captives, they alighted, and each of them made a tender of his horse to carry us to the city of Velez Malaga, which was about a league and a half from the place where they found us. Some of them went to bring the boat round to the city, after we had told them where she lay; others took us up behind them; and Zorayda rode with the Christian's uncle. All the people came out to receive us, being apprised of our arrival by one of the troopers who had pushed on before; not that they were surprised at the sight of captives freed, or Moors in captivity; for the inhabitants on that coast are accustomed to see great numbers of both; but they were amazed at the beauty of Zorayda, which was at that instant in full perfection; the fatigue of her journey co-operating with the joy she felt in seeing herself in a Christian country, without the fear of being lost, having produced such a bloom upon her countenance, that, unless I was then prejudiced by my affection, I will venture to say the world never produced, at least I had never seen, a more beautiful creature. "We went directly to church to make our

acknowledgments to God for his mercies; and as soon as Zorayda entered, she said she perceived some faces that resembled Lela Marien : we told her those were the images of the Blessed Virgin; and the renegado, as well as he could, informed her of their signification, that she might adore them, as if each was actually the person of Lela Marien, who had spoke to her; so that, having naturally a good understanding, with a docile and discerning disposition, she easily comprehended what he said upon the subject. From thence they conducted us to our lodgings in different families of the town ; the renegado, Zorayda, and I, being invited by the Christian who escaped with us to the house of his father, who was moderately provided with the good things of this life, and treated us with the same affection he expressed for his own son. Six days we tarried at Velez, during which the renegado, having informed himself of what was necessary for him to do, went to the city of Grenada, there, by means of the holy inquisition, to be re-admitted into the bosom of our most sacred church: the rest of our company departed, each for his own home; leaving Zorayda and me by ourselves, destitute of every thing but the few crowns which she received from the courtesy of the French corsair. With part of these I bought the animal on which she arrived at this inn, and hitherto have cherished her with the affection of a parent, and the service of a 'squire, without using the prerogative of a husband: we are now upon the road to the place of my nativity, to see if my father be still alive, and if either of my brothers has been more fortunate than myself; though, as Heaven hath made Zorayda my com panion for life, fortune could not have possibly bestowed upon me any other favour which I should have valued at so high a rate. The patience with which she bears the inconveniences attending poverty, and the zeal she manifests to become a Christian, is so great and extraordi. nary as to raise my admiration, and engage me to serve her all the days of my life; but the pleasure I take in this office, and in the prospect of seeing her mine, is disturbed and perverted, by reflecting that possibly, in my own country, I shall not find a corner in which I can shelter the dear object of my love; and that time or death may have made such alterations in the fortune and lives of my father and his other children, that I shall scarce meet with a soul that knows me.

"This, gentlemen, is the substance of my story: whether or not it be agreeable and uncommon, I leave to the decision of your better judgment, assuring you that I wish I could have related it more succinctly, though the fear of tiring you hath made me suppress a good number of circumstances."

CHAP. XV.

Of what further happened at the inn, with many other particulars worthy to be known.

HERE the captive left off speaking; and Don Fernando said to him, "Really, signor captive, the novelty of your strange adventures is equalled by your agreeable manner of relating them. Your whole story is uncommon, surprising, and full of incidents that keep the hearers in admiration and suspense; and such is the pleasure we have received from it, that though the narration should have continued till to-morrow morning, we should rejoice at your beginning it anew."

When this compliment was passed, Cardenio, and all the rest of the company, offered to serve him to the utmost of their power, with such affectionate and sincere expressions of friendship, that the captain was extremely well satisfied of their good-will. Don Fernando, in particular, promised, that if he would go home with him, his brother the marquis should stand godfather to Zorayda; and that he, for his part, would accommodate him in such a manner, that he should return to the place of his nativity with that authority and ease to which he was entitled by his birth and merit. The captive thanked him in the most courteous manner, but declined accepting any of his generous offers.

It was now night, when a coach arrived at the inn, attended by some men on horseback, who demanded lodging: and the landlady made answer, that there was not in the whole house an handful of room unengaged. "Be that as it will (said one of the horsemen, who had entered the gate), there must be some found for my lord judge." At mention of that name, the hostess was disturbed, saying, "Signor, the greatest difficulty is my want of beds: but if his lordship hath brought one along with him, as I suppose he hath, he is very welcome to come in; I and my husband will quit our own apartment to accommodate his worship."—" Be it so," said the attendant. By this time a person had alighted from the coach, who, by his garb, immediately shewed the nature of his rank and office; for his long robe, with high sleeves tucked up, plainly distinguished him to be a judge, as the servant had affirmed. He led by the hand a young lady, seemingly sixteen years of age, dressed in a riding suit, and so sprightly, beautiful, and genteel, as to raise the admiration of all who beheld her; so that those who had seen Dorothea, Lucinda, and Zorayda, then present, would have thought it a very difficult task to find another woman of equal beauty. Don Quixote seeing the judge and young lady as they entered, pronounced, with great solemnity, "Your worship may se

curely enter and recreate yourself in this castle, which, though narrow and inconvenient, there is no narrowness and inconvenience in this world but what will make room for arms and letters; especially if they have for their guide and conductor such beauty as that which accompanies the letters of your worship, in the person of that amiable young lady, to whom not only castles ought to open and unfold their gates, but also rocks divide and mountains bow their heads at her approach. Enter, I say, this paradise, where you will find stars and suns to accompany that heaven which you have brought hither. Here you will find arms in perfection, and beauty in excess."

The judge marvelled greatly at this address of the knight, whom he earnestly considered, no less surprised at his figure than his words, without knowing what reply to make, so much was he confounded at both; when he was relieved by the appearance of Lucinda, Dorothea, and Zorayda, who, upon hearing the news of their arrival, and the landlady's description of the young beauty, had come out to welcome and receive her the beauteous ladies of the inn welcomed this beauteous damsel; while Don Fernando, Cardenio, and the curate, paid their compliments to the judge in the most civil and polite terms. He was more and more astonished at what he saw and heard, though he could easily perceive that his fellow-lodgers were persons of rank and consequence: but the mien, visage, and figure of Don Quixote, baffled all his conjectures. Compliments having thus passed on all sides, and the conveniences of the inn being duly considered, it was agreed, as before, that all the ladies should sleep together in the fore-mentioned apartment, and the men sit in another room to guard them. The judge was very well satisfied that his daughter (for such the young maiden was) should lodge with the ladies, she herself willingly consenting to the proposal; and what with part of the innkeeper's narrow bed, and the half of that which the judge brought along with him, they made shift to pass the night more agreeably than they expected.

The captive, who, from the first moment he beheld the judge, felt his heart throb with a sort of intimation that this was his own brother, asked of one of the servants that attended him his master's name, with the place of his nativity. The footman replied, that his name was the licentiate Juan Perez de Viedma; and born, as he had been informed, in the mountains of Leon. This information, together with what he himself had before observed, confirmed him in the opinion that he was his brother, who, by his father's advice, had followed his studies.Transported with this discovery, he called aside Don Fernando, the curate, and Cardenio, to whom he imparted the affair, and assured them that the judge was his own brother by the ser

vant's report, so far on his way to the West Indies in quality of supreme judge of Mexico. He understood also by the same channel, that the young lady was his daughter, whose birth had cost the mother her life; and that he was very much enriched by his wife's fortune, which had been settled on the children of the marriage. The captive, therefore, consulted them about the method he should take to make himself known, or rather to be assured beforehand, whether, upon the discovery, his brother would be ashamed of his poverty, or receive him with the bowels of affection. "Leave that task to my conduct, signor captive (said the curate); though there is all the reason in the world to believe that you will meet with a brotherly reception; for the virtue and prudence that appear in his courteous demeanour give no indications of his being proud and unnatural; but rather declare that he knows how to consider the accidents of fortune in the right point of view."-" Nevertheless (replied the captain), I would not willingly disclose myself of a sud− den, but prepare him by some round-about insinuation."" I have already told you (answered the curate), that I will manage the affair to your mutual satisfaction." By this time, the cloth being laid,* and every body sat down to table, except the captive and the ladies, who supped in their own apartment, the curate addressed himself to the judge, saying, “I had once a comrade of your lordship's name at Constantinople, where I was a slave for many years. He was one of the bravest soldiers and best of ficers in the Spanish infantry; but his misfortunes were equal to his valour and ability.” "Dear sir (cried the judge), what was that officer's name?"-" He was called Ruy Perez de Viedma (replied the priest), and a native of some town in the mountains of Leon. He told me a circumstance that happened between his father, two brothers, and himself, which, had it not been affirmed by a person of his veracity, I should have looked upon as one of those tales which old women tell by the fireside in winter: for he said his father divided his estates equally among his three sons, whom he, at the same time, enriched with advice more salutary than any that ever Cato gave. This I know, the choice he made of going into the army succeeded so well, that in a few years, by his gal lant behaviour, and without any other assistance than that of his extraordinary virtue, he rose to be captain of foot, and saw himself in the straight road of becoming a field officer very soon: but there, where he had reason to expect

the smiles of fortune, she proved most unkind, he having lost her, with his liberty, on that glorious day of the battle at Lepanto, in which it was found by so many Christians. I was taken in the goleta, and, after various vicissitudes, we happened to be fellow-slaves at Constantinople, from whence he was transported to Algiers, where he met with one of the strangest adventures that ever was known."

Then the curate briefly recapitulated the story of Zorayda, to which the judge listened with more attention than ever he had yielded on the bench. But the priest brought it no farther than the period when the French cor◄ sairs plundered the Christians who were in the bark, describing the poverty and distress to which they had reduced his comrade and the beautiful Moor; and observing that he did not know what further befell them, nor whether they had arrived in Spain, or been carried into France.

The captain stood at some distance behind, listening to what the curate said, and, observ ing the emotions of his brother, who, seeing that the curate had made an end of his story, uttered a profound sigh, saying, while the tears gushed from his eyes, "O, signor! if you knew how nearly I am concerned in what you have related, you would not wonder at these tears, which, in spite of all my fortitude and discretion, trickle from mine eyes. That valiant captain whom you have mentioned is my father's eldest son, who, being more brave and nobleminded than my youngest brother and me, chose the honourable exercise of arms, which was one of the three paths proposed by our father in his advice, as you seem to have been informed by your companion in adversity. I followed that of letters, in which God hath been pleased to reward my diligence with that station which you see I now maintain: my youngest brother is at present in Peru, so rich that his remittances to my father and me have made large amends for the small sum he carried with him at first; and even enabled the old gentleman fully to indulge his liberal disposition, empowering me also to prosecute my studies with more honour and decency, until I acquired the post I now enjoy. My father is still alive, though daily pining with the desire of hearing from his eldest son, and putting up petitions to Heaven incessantly, that his own eyes may not be closed for ever until he shall have seen those of his first-born in life. What gives me a great deal of surprise is, that a person of his discretion should, in the midst of such trouble and