poor miserable object of a vanquished knight, find out the person to whom he is sent? Methinks I see them strolling up and down, and gaping about through the streets of Toboso, in quest of my lady Dulcinea; and if they should stumble upon her in their way, they would no more know her than they would know my father."-" Sancho (resumed Don Quixote), perhaps the enchantment will not extend so far as to disguise Dulcinea to the eyes of those van quished giants and knights who shall present themselves before her; and in one or two of the first whom I shall conquer and send thither, we will make the experiment, commanding them to return and give me an account of what shall happen to them with regard to that affair." Truly, signor (said Sancho), I heartily approve of your worship's scheme, because by this artifice we will soon learn what we want to know; and if so be that she is only concealed from your worship, you are the most unfortunate person of the two: for as my lady Dulcinea enjoys good health and satisfaction, we will comfort ourselves, and make the best of a bad bargain, going about in quest of adventures, and leaving the rest to time, who is the best physician for these and other greater calami ties." Don Quixote would have replied, but was prevented by the appearance of a sort of waggon that crossed the road, full of the strangest figures that can be imagined, and conducted by a frightful demon that drove the mules. The cart being altogether open, without tilt or cover, the first figure that struck the eyes of Don Quixote, was death itself in human shape; next to which appeared an angel with broad painted wings: on one side stood an emperor with a crown (seemingly) of gold upon his head; and hard by death was the god Cupid, with his bow, quiver, and arrows, but without the bandage on his eyes: there was likewise a knight armed cap-a-pee, except that he wore neither helmet nor head-piece, but a hat adorned with a plume of variegated feathers. Besides these, there were other personages of different countenance and dress; so that the whole group appearing of a sudden, discomposed our hero a lit tle, and filled the heart of Sancho with fear; but Don Quixote soon recollected himself, and rejoiced, because he looked upon it as some new and perilous adventure. On this supposition, and with an effort of courage capable of encountering the greatest danger, he placed himself before the wain, and with a loud and threatening voice pronounced, " Driver, coachman, devil, or whatsoever thou art, tell me straight whither thou art going, and who those people are whom thou drivest in that carriage, which looks more like Charon's bark than any modern vehicle." The devil, stopping his waggon, very courteously replied," Signor, we are players belonging to the company of Angulo el Malo, and have this morning, which is the octave of Corpus Christi, been representing, in a village on the other side of yon hill, the piece called the Parliament of Death, which we are going to act over again this very evening in that other village now in sight; we therefore travel in our habits, to save ourselves the trouble of undressing and dressing anew: this young man plays the part of death, that other represents an angel; the woman, who is the author's wife, acts the queen; he with the plume of feathers is our hero; the emperor you may distinguish by his gilded crown; and I am the devil, which is one of the best characters in the performance; for I myself am the chief actor of this company. If your worship is desirous of knowing any thing else concerning our affairs, question me freely, and I will answer with the utmost punctuality, for, being a devil, I understand every thing.' "By the faith of a knight-errant! (said Don Quixote), when I first descried the waggon, I thought myself on the eve of some great adventure; and now I affirm, that a man ought to examine things with more senses than one be fore he can be assured of the truth: proceed, my honest friends, a-God's name, in order to exhibit your entertainment, and if I can serve you in any respect, you may command my endeavours, which shall be heartily and freely exerted for your advantage; for from my childhood I have been a great lover of masques and theatrical representations." While this conversation passed between them, they chanced to be overtaken by one of the com pany, dressed in motley, hung round with a number of morrice-bells, with a pole in his hand, to the end of which were tied three blown ox-bladders. This merry-andrew, advancing to Don Quixote, began to fence with his pole, beating the ground with his bladders, and skip ping about, so that his bells rang continually: till at length Rozinante being disturbed at the uncommon apparition, took the bridle between his teeth, and the knight being unable to restrain him, began to gallop across the plain with more nimbleness than could have been expected from the bones of his anatomy. Sancho seeing his master in danger of falling, leaped from Dapple, and ran with all despatch to give him all possible assistance; but before he came up the knight was thrown close by Rozinante, who had come to the ground with his lord; and this was the usual end and consequence of all his frolicsome adventures. Scarce had Sancho quitted his beast, to run to the assistance of his master, when the bladder-shaking devil jumped upon Dapple, and began to belabour him with his rattle; so that, being frightened at the noise rather than with the smart of the application, he took to his heels, and flew towards the village where they intended to perform. Sancho seeing, at the same time, the career of Dapple, and his master's fall, scarce knew which of these misfortunes he ought first to remedy: but at length, as became a loyal servant and trusty 'squire, his love for his master prevailed over his tenderness for the beast; though every time he saw the bladders raised aloft, and 'discharged upon Dapple's buttocks, he felt the pangs and tortures of death, and would rather have received every thwack upon the apple of his own eye, than have seen it fall upon the least hair of his ass's tail. In this state of perplexity and tribulation, he arrived at the place where Don Quixote lay, in a very indifferent plight, and helping him to mount Rozinante, "Signor (said he), the devil has run away with Dapple."- "Which devil?" cried the knight. "He with the bladders," answered the 'squire. I will retrieve him (replied Don Quixote), even if he should conceal him in the darkest and deepest dungeon in hell follow me, Sancho, the waggon moves slowly, and the mules shall atone for the loss of Dapple." "There is no occasion for putting ourselves to that trouble (said the 'squire): good your worship, be pacified! for I see the devil has quitted my ass, and returned to the rest of his crew." This observation was actually true: Dapple and his new rider had come to the ground, in imitation of the knight and Rozinante: upon which the devil trudged on foot to the village, and the ass returned to his right owner. "For all that (said Don Quixote), it will not be amiss to punish the troop for that devil's incivility, though it should be in the person of the emperor himself."-" I hope your worship's imagination will harbour no such thoughts (answered Sancho); take my advice, and never meddle with players, who are a set of people in such high favour with the public, that I have known an actor taken up for two murders, and yet 'scape scot free: your worship must know, that, being the ministers of mirth and pleasure, they are favoured, protected, assisted, and esteemed by every body: especially if they be long to the king's company, or to some grandee; in which case all, or most of them, look like princes in their manners and dress."-"Nevertheless (replied the knight), that farcical devil shall not escape unpunished, or applaud himself for what he has done, though all mankind should appear in his favour." So saying, he rode towards the waggon, which was by this time pretty near the village, and called aloud, "Stay, my merry men; halt a little, and I will teach you how to treat the asses and cattle belonging to the 'squires of knights-errant." Don Quixote hallooed so loud as to be heard and understood by the people in the waggon, who judging by his words the intention of the speaker, death instantly jumped out of the cart, and was followed by the emperor, the devil-driver, and the angel, with the queen and Cupid in their train: in short, the whole company armed themselves with stones, and, drawing up in order of battle, stood without flinching to receive the assailant at point of pebble. The knight perceiving them arranged in such a formidable squadron, their arms lifted up in a posture that threatened a powerful discharge of stones, checked Rozinante, and began to consider in what manner he should attack them with least hazard to his person. During this pause Sancho came up, and seeing him bent upon assaulting such a well-compacted brigade, "It will be the height of madness (said he), to attempt any such adventure: consider, dear sir, that there is no kicking against the pricks; and that there is no armour on earth sufficient to defend your body from such a shower, unless your worship could creep into a bell of brass: you ought also to remember, that it savours more of rashness than of true valour for one man to attack a whole army, in which death and emperors fight in person, being aided and assisted both by good and evil angels; and, if that consideration will not prevail upon you to be quiet, you ought to be diverted from your purpose, by knowing certainly, that among all those enemies, in the appearances of kings, princes, and emperors, there is not so much as one single knight-errant."-"Now, indeed (cried Don Quixote), thou hast hit upon the sole reason that can and ought to dissuade me from my determined design: I neither can nor ought to draw my sword, as I have told thee on many other occasions, against any person who hath not received the honour of knighthood: to thee, Sancho, it belongs, if so thou art inclined, to take vengeance for the injury done to Dapple, while I from hence will assist and encourage thee with salutary advice."—" Signor (answered the 'squire), there is no occasion to take vengeance of any person whatever; for it is not the part of a good Christian to revenge the wrongs he hath suffered; besides, I will prevail upon my ass to leave the affair to my inclination, which is to live peaceably all the days that Heaven shall grant me in this life.""Since that is thy determination (replied the knight), honest Sancho, discreet Sancho, Christian and sincere Sancho, let us leave these phantoms, and go in quest of adventures more dignified and substantial; for this country seems to promise a great many, and those very extraordinary too. He accordingly turned his horse, Sancho went to catch Dapple, while death, with his whole flying squadron, returned to their waggon, and proceeded on their journey. Thus was the dismal adventure of the waggon of death happily terminated by the wholesome advice which Sancho Panza gave to his master; who next day met with another equally surprising, in the person of an enamoured knight-errant. CHAP. XII. Of the strange adventure that happened to the valiant Don Quixote, in his encounter with the Knight of the Mirrors. THE night that followed the rencounter with death, Don Quixote and his 'squire passed among some tall and shady trees; the knight, by Sancho's persuasion, having eaten of what was found in the store that Dapple carried. During this meal, Sancho said to his master, "What a fool should I have been, signor, if I had chosen, by way of gratification, the spoils of your worship's first adventure, instead of the three foals? Verily, verily, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."- "But, for all that (answered Don Quixote), hadst thou suffered me to attack them, as I intended, thou wouldst have enjoyed among the spoils the emperor's golden crown, with Cupid's painted wings, which I would have stript off against the grain, and put into thy possession."-"The sceptres and crowns of your stage emperors are never made of pure gold, but of tin or tinsel," replied the 'squire, True (said the knight), the ornaments of comedy ought not to be rich and real, but feigned and artificial, like the drama itself, which I would have thee respect, Sancho, and receive into favour, together with those who represent and compose it; for they are all instruments of great benefit to the commonwealth, holding, as it were, a looking-glass always before us, in which we see, naturally delineated, all the actions of life; and no other comparison whatever represents to us more lively what we are, and what we ought to be, than Comedy and her attendants: for example, hast thou never seen a play acted, in which kings, emperors, popes, knights, ladies, and many other characters were introduced? One acts the ruffian, another the sharper, a third the merchant, a fourth the soldier, a fifth the designing fool, and a sixth the simple lover; but the play being ended, and the dresses laid aside, all the actors remain upon an equal footing.""Yes, I have seen all this," answered Sancho. "Then the very same thing (said the knight), happens in the comedy and commerce of this world, where one meets with some people playing the parts of emperors, others in the characters of popes, and, finally, all the different personages that can be introduced in a comedy; but when the play is done, that is, when life is at an end, death strips them of the robes that distinguished their stations, and they become all equal in the grave."" A brave comparison! (cried Sancho), though not so new but I have heard it made on divers and sundry occasions, as well as that of the game of chess, during which every piece maintains a particular station and character; but when the game is over, they are all mixed, jumbled, and shaken together in a bag, like mortals in the grave.”— become less simple and more discreet."—" Yes "Sancho (resumed the knight), every day you (said the 'squire), some small portion of your wor ship's discretion must needs stick to me; as lands which are, in their own nature, sapless and barren, being well dunged and cultivated, come to yield excellent fruit. My meaning is, that your worship's conversation hath fallen like dung upon the barren desert of my understand. ing, which being cultivated by the time of my service and communication, will, I hope, produce blessed fruit, such as shall not disgrace nor stray from the path of that good breeding which your worship hath bestowed on my nar. row capacity." Don Quixote could not help smiling at the affected terms in which Sancho delivered himself, though what he said of his own improvement was actually true; for at certain times he talked to admiration; and yet, when he attempted to argue or speak in a polite style, his efforts always, or for the most part, ended in precipitating himself from the pinnacle of sim plicity to the depth of ignorance; his chief talent lying in his memory, which never failed to furnish him with proverbs that he lugged into his discourse, whether they were pat to the purpose or not, as may be seen and observed through the whole course of this history. In this, and other such conversation, the greatest part of the night elapsed, when Sancho began to be inclined to let fall the portcullices of his eyes, as he termed it, when he wanted to go to sleep: he therefore unpannelled Dapple, to let him graze among the rich pasture with which the place abounded; but Rozinante's saddle he would not remove, in consequence of his master's express order, which was, never to unsaddle his steed while they were in the field, or did not sleep under cover; it being an ancient established custom, observed by all knightserrant in these cases, to take the bridle out of the horse's mouth, and hang it upon the pummel of the saddle, but to leave the saddle itself untouched. This expedient was accordingly practised by Sancho, who turned Rozinante loose with Dapple; and between these two animals such a strict reciprocal friendship subsisted, that, according to tradition from father to son, the author of this true history wrote particular chapters on this very subject; but, in order to preserve the decency and decorum which belongs to such an heroic composition, omitted them; though sometimes he seems to neglect this precaution, and writes, that these two friends used to approach and scrub each other most lovingly; and after they had rested and refreshed themselves, Rozinante would stretch his head more than half a yard over Dapple's neck, while the two were wont to stand in this posture, with their eyes fixed upon the ground, three whole days together; at least, till they were parted, or compelled by hunger to go in quest of sustenance: nay, it is confidently reported, that the author hath compared their mutual attachment to the friendship of Nisus and Euryalus, or that which subsisted between Pylades and Orestes. If this be the case, we may, with admiration, conceive how firm the fellowship of those two pacific animals must have been; to the utter confusion of mankind, who so little regard the laws of friendship and society, according to the common saying, There is no trust in profession; the staff will turn into a spear, as the song goes,* The modes of the court so common are grown, that a true friend can hardly be met. Let no man imagine the author went out of his road, in comparing the friendship of brutes with that of the human species; for men have received valuable hints, and learned many things of importance from beasts, such as the clyster from storks, gratitude and the use of vomits from dogs, vigilance from the crane, foresight and frugality from the ant, honesty from the elephant, and loyalty from the horse. In fine, Sancho went to sleep at the root of a cork-tree, and Don Quixote began to slumber under an oak; but being in a very little time awaked by a noise behind him, he started up, and employing both eyes and ears to distinguish whence it proceeded, he perceived two men on horseback, one of whom, letting himself drop, as it were, from the saddle, said to the other, "Alight, my friend, and unbit the horses; for this place seems to abound with pasture for them, and with silence and solitude, which are the necessary food of my amorous thoughts." He had no sooner pronounced these words, than he threw himself upon the ground, and his armour rattled as he fell, furnishing Don Quixote with a manifest proof of his being a knight-errant: he therefore approached Sancho, who was asleep, and shaking him by the arm, with no small difficulty brought him to himself; saying, in a low voice, Brother Sancho, here is an adventure."-" God grant it may be a good one (answered the 'squire); and pray, signor, whereabouts may her ladyship be?"-"Where? (said Don Quixote), turn thine eyes this way, and behold lying upon the grass a knight-errant, who, by what I have already observed, cannot be over and above easy in his mind; for I saw him throw himself upon the ground, with evident marks of vexation, and heard his armour clatter in his fall."-" But how has your worship found that this is an adventure?" replied the 'squire." I will not positively say that it is altogether an adventure (answered the knight), but rather the beginning of one; for thus they usually commence: but hark! he seems to tune a lute or rebeck, and by his hawking and hemming, I suppose he is going to sing." -"In good faith, it is even so (said Sancho,) and he must be some knight-errant in love."-"All knights-errant are so (resumed Don Quixote); but let us listen, and by the thread of his song discover the clue of his thoughts; for from the abundance of the heart the tongue speaketh." Sancho would have made some reply, but was prevented by the voice of the knight of the wood, which was neither very sweet nor disa greeable; and, listening with surprise, they heard him sing the following song: Subjected to thy sov'reign will, Ah, cruel maid! my fate decree : Say, that my death thy joy would move, The god himself shall whisper mine. This heart thy vassal whilst I live, And keep th' impression unimpair'd. The knight of the wood finished this complaint with an ah! that seemed to be heaved from the very bottom of his soul, and soon after exclaimed, in a sorrowful tone, "O thou most beautiful and ungrateful woman upon earth! is it possible, that the most serene Casildea de Vandalia has doomed this her captive knight to consume and exhaust himself in continual peregrinations, in harsh and rugged toils? Is it not enough that I have established the fame of thy beauty above all comparison, by the extorted confession of all the knights of Navarre, Leon, Tartesia, Castile, and finally of La Mancha?" "Not so neither (cried Don Quixote, interposing); for I, who am of La Mancha, never made any such acknowledgment; neither could I, nor ought I, to make a confession so prejudi cial to the beauty of my own mistress: therefore, Sancho, this knight must certainly be disordered in his judgment; but let us listen, perhaps he will explain himself."-" Very like (answered the 'squire), he seems to be in the humour of complaining for a whole month." As the original quotation is a fragment that will not complete the sense, I have taken the liberty to make the allusion altogether English. But this was not the case; for the knight of the wood, hearing people talk so near him, proceeded no farther in his lamentation, but starting up, called, with a courteous and sonorous voice, "Who is there? are you of the number of the happy or afflicted?" "Of the afflicted," replied Don Quixote. "Come hither, then (resumed the stranger), and depend upon it you will find the very essence of sorrow and affliction." Don Quixote, hearing him speak in such civil and pathetic terms, went towards him, with Sancho at his back, when the complaining knight took him by the hand, saying, "Sit down, sir knight, for that you are one of those who profess knight-errantry I am convinced, by finding you in this place, accompanied by solitude and the dews of night, which are the peculiar companions of those who belong to our order." To this address Don Quixote replied, "I am a knight of that order you mention; and though melancholy, mischance, and misfortune, have taken up their habitation in my soul, they have not been able to banish from it that compassion which I feel for the unhappy. From the soliloquy you just now uttered, I gather that your misfortunes are of the amorous kind; I mean, that they proceed from the passion you entertain for that beautiful ingrate whom you named in your complaint." While this conversation passed, they sat down together upon the grass, with all the marks of amity and goodfellowship, as if at break of day they had not been doomed to break each other's head."Perchance, sir knight (said the stranger), you are in love?"-" By mischance I am so (answered Don Quixote), though the vexation that proceeds from well-placed affection ought rather to be deemed a benefit than misfortune.""True (said the knight of the wood), if your judgment and reason are not disturbed by disdain, which, if exerted severely, seems akin to revenge." -"I never was disdained by my mistress," replied Don Quixote. "No, indeed (cried Sancho, who stood hard by), my lady is as meek as a lamb, and as soft as butter." The stranger knight asked if that was his 'squire, and the other answering in the affirmative, "I never saw a 'squire (said he), that, like him, durst intrude upon his master's conversation; at least, I can say so much for mine, who, though as tall as his father, was never known to open his lips when I was engaged in discourse."-" In good faith! (cried Sancho), I have spoke, and will speak again, before as good a man as- -but let that rest-the more you stir it the more it will Here the other 'squire took hold on Sancho by the arm, saying, "Let you and I go somewhere and talk our bellies full in our own way, and leave our masters at liberty to recount their amours; for sure I am, the night will be spent before they are done."-" With all my heart (replied Sancho), and I will tell your worship who I am, that you may see whether or not I am qualified to be ranked among your talking 'squires." They accordingly retired together, and between them passed a conversation every bit as merry as that of their masters was grave. CHAP XIII. In which is continued the adventure of the Knight of the Wood; with a sage, uncommon, and agreeable dialogue that passed between the two 'Squires. THE knights and their 'squires being thus parted, the first entertained each other with the story of their loves, while the last indulged themselves with a reciprocal account of their own lives; but the history first of all records the conversation of the domestics, and then proceeds to relate what passed between the masters. The 'squires, therefore, having chosen a situation, at a convenient distance from the knights, he of the wood accosted Sancho in these words: Signor, this is a troublesome life that we 'squires to knights-errant lead; in good sooth, we earn our bread with the sweat of our brows, which is one of the curses that God denounced against our first parents."-" It may also be said, replied (Sancho,) that we earn it with the frost of our bodies; for no creatures on earth suffer more heat and cold than the miserable 'squires of knight-errantry; and even that would be more tolerable, if we had any thing good to eat; for hearty fare lightens care, as the saying is; but we often pass a whole day, nay sometimes two, without ever breaking our fast, except upon the winds of heaven."-" All this (said the other), may be endured, with the hope of reward: for if the knight-errant is not extremely unfortunate, his 'squire must in a very little time see himself recompensed with the handsome government of some island, or with the possession of a profitable earldom."-" For my own part (answered Sancho), I have already told my master, that I shall be satisfied with the government of an island, which he has been so noble and generous as to promise me divers and sundry times."—"And I (said the stranger), am contented with a canonship, which my master has already bespoke for me, on account of my faithful services."-"It seems, then, your master must be an ecclesiastical knight (replied Sancho), seeing he can provide for his 'squire in the church: but as for mine, he is a mere layman; though I remember, that certain very wise persons (and yet, I believe, not very honest at bottom) advised him to procure for himself an archbishopric; but he would be nothing but an emperor; and I was then in a grievous quandary, for fear he should take it in his head to be of the church; in which case, I should not |