of no importance; nor does it disturb or alter the truth and evidence of the story,"-"No, surely (cried the scholar): pray, good your worship Don Quixote, proceed; for I listen to your narration with infinite pleasure."-" And I feel no less in recounting it," answered the knight.

"Well then, the venerable Montesinos led me into the crystalline palace, where, in a low hall, cool beyond conception, and lined with alabaster, stood a monument of marble of exquisite workmanship, upon which I perceived a knight lying at full length; I do not mean a statue of bronze, marble, or jasper, such as we commonly see on other tombs, but a man of real flesh and bones: he held his right hand, which being muscular and hairy, denoted the great strength of the owner, over the region of the heart, and before I had time to ask any questions, Montesinos seeing me astonished, and gazing attentively at the sepulchre, This is my friend Durandarte (said he), the flower and mirror of all the valiant and enamoured knights of his time: here he is kept enchanted as well as myself, and many others of both sexes, by Merlin, that French enchanter, who is said to have been begotten by the devil; though, for my own part, I believe he is not really the devil's son, but that, according to the proverb, he knows one point more than the devil. How, or for what reason he enchanted us, nobody knows, but time will discover the mystery; and, in my opinion, that time is not far off: what surprises me is, I know as certainly as the sun shines, that Durandarte breathed his last in my arms, and, after he was dead, I, with my own individual hands, took out his heart, which must certainly have weighed a couple of pounds; for, according to the observation of naturalists, the man who has a large heart is endowed with more valour than he whose heart is of smaller dimensions: this being the case, and the knight certainly dead, how comes he, even at this day, to sigh and complain, from time to time, as if he was actually alive?'

"He had no sooner. pronounced these words, than the wretched Durandarte cried, in a loud voice, O cousin Montesinos! the last favour I requested of you was, that when my soul should quit my body, you would extract my heart, either with poniard or dagger, and carry it to Belerma.' The venerable Montesinos, hearing this apostrophe, kneeled before the piteous knight, and with tears in his eyes, replied, "Already, Signor Durandarte, my dearest cousin! already have I executed what you commanded me to perform on that unlucky day of our defeat; I extracted your heart as well as I could, without leaving the smallest particle of it in your breast; I wiped it with a laced handkerchief, and set out with it full gallop for France, after having first committed

you to the bosom of the earth, with such a flood of tears as was sufficient to bathe and wash my hands of the blood they had contracted by raking in your bowels; and as a surer token, dear cousin of my soul! at the first place I reached, in my way from Roncesvalles, I sprin kled your heart with a little salt, that it might not acquire a bad smell, and continue, if not quite fresh, at least tolerably sweet, until it could be presented to the lady Belerma, who, together with you and me, and your 'squire Guadiana, the duenna Ruydera, her seven daughters and two nieces, and many others of your friends and acquaintance, have been long enchanted in this place by the sage Merlin; and although five hundred years are elapsed, not one of us is dead; though we have lost Ruydera, with her daughters and nieces, who, by weeping, are, through the compassion of Merlin, converted into so many lakes, which in the world above, and in the province of La Mancha, are called the lakes of Ruydera; the Seven Sisters belong to the king of Spain, and the Two Nieces to the knights of a very holy order, called St John. Your 'squire Guadiana, bewailing likewise your misfortune, was changed into a river of the same name, which, when it reached the surface of the earth, and saw the sun of the other sky, was so grieved at the thoughts of leaving you, that he sunk down into the bowels of the globe; but, as it was not possible for him to resist his natural current, he from time to time rises up, shewing himself to the sun and to the nations: he receives a reinforcement from the waters of the fore-mention. ed lakes, with which, and many others that join his stream, he enters Portugal in majesty and pomp. Nevertheless, wheresoever he runs, he discovers a sullen melancholy, and does not pique himself upon breeding within his channel fish of dainty relish and esteem; but only such as are coarse and unsavoury, and widely differ ent from those of the golden Tagus. What I now say, my dear cousin, I have often expressed; and as you made no reply, I conclude you either do not hear, or do not give credit to my words,—a circumstance which, as Heaven doth know, overwhelms me with affliction. I will at present make you acquainted with one piece of news, which, if it does not alleviate your sorrow, can surely, in no shape, tend to its augmentation. Know, then, here stands in your presence (open your eyes and behold him) that great knight of whom so many things have been prophesied by the sage Merlin; that Don Quix ote de la Mancha, I say, who has renewed, and, with greater advantages than in times past, raised again from oblivion the long-forgotten chivalry, by the means and favour of whom, perhaps, we ourselves may be disenchanted; for great men such great achievements are re served.". '-" And if that should not be the case (replied the afflicted Durandarte, in a faint and

enchanted people, who are always fasting and watching, it is no great wonder, if you neither eat nor sleep while you are among them: but really, signor, your worship must forgive me, if I say, that of all you have told us, God take me, I was going to say the devil, if I believe one circumstance." How! (cried the scholar), then Signor Don Quixote must have lied; who, even if we could entertain such a supposition, has not had time to compose and contrive such a number of fables."-" I do not believe that my master tells lies," answered Sancho. "What then is thy conception?" said the knight. "I conceive (replied Sancho), that Merlin, or those magicians who have enchanted the whole rabble which your worship hath seen and discoursed with below, have likewise stuffed your noddle or memory with all that nonsense which you have already recounted, as well as what you have left untold."-" That might be the case (said Don Quixote), but I assure you it is not so at present; for what I have recounted I saw with my own eyes, and touched with my own hands. But what wilt thou say when I now tell thee, that among an infinite number of other wonderful things, which I shall relate hereafter in the course of our travels, as they do not all belong to this place, Montesinos shewed me three country wenches, leaping and skipping like so many goats through those delightful plains; and scarce had 1 set eyes on them, when I recognized them to be the peerless Dulcinea, and those two individual young women with whom we spoke in the neighbourhood of Toboso. When I asked Montesinos if he knew them, he answered in the negative, but said he took them to be some enchanted ladies of quality; for they had appeared but a few days in that meadow; nor ought I to wonder at that circumstance, forasmuch as in the same place there were many ladies of the past and present age enchanted in different and strange forms, among whom he recollected Queen Ginebra and her duenna Quintanano, who was skinker to Lancelot, when he came from Britain. Sancho, hearing his master talk in this manner, was ready to run distracted, or burst with laughing; for, knowing the truth of the feigned enchantment of Dulcinea, of which, indeed, he himself had been the author and evidence, he was convinced beyond all doubt, that his master was stark staring mad; and, in that persuasion, exclaimed, "In evil hour, accursed season, and unlucky day, my dear master, did your worship go down to the other world; and in a mischievous moment did you meet with Signor Montesinos, who has sent you back in such a woful condition. Well was your worship here above, in your sound judgment, such as God had bestowed upon you, saying sentences, and giving counsel at every turn, and not, as at present, venting a heap of the greatest nonsense that was ever conceived.”—“ I know thee too

well, Sancho (answered Don Quixote), to mind what thou sayest."-" And I, in like manner (replied the 'squire), know you too well to regard what you say: wound me or confound me, or kill me if you will, for what I have said, and what I mean to say, if your worship does not mend and correct your own speeches; but, now we are at a peace, pray tell me how or by what token you came to know our lady-mistress, and, if you spoke to her, what answer she made?"

"I knew her again (replied the knight), by the same clothes she wore when thou thyself didst shew her to my astonished eyes: I likewise addressed myself to her, but she answered not a syllable; on the contrary, she turned about, and fled so swiftly, that an arrow would not have overtaken her: nevertheless, I wished to follow, and would certainly have pursued her, had not Montesinos advised me not to fatigue myself, for it would be to no purpose; and, besides, it was time for me to return to the light above. He likewise told me that, in process of time, he would give me notice in what manner he, Durandarte, Belerma, and all the rest, in those sequestered shades, were to be disenchanted. But what of all I saw and observed gave me the greatest pain was this: while I was engaged in this conversation with Montesinos, one of the hapless Dulcinea's companions came up to me unperceived, and, with tears in her eyes, thus accosted me, in a low and whimpering voice: My lady Dulcinea del Toboso kisses your worship's hands, and begs your worship will be pleased to let her know how your worship does: moreover, being in great necessity, she supplicates your worship, in the most earnest manner, to be pleased to lend her, upon this her new cotton under-petticoat, half a dozen rials, or any small matter your worship can spare, which, upon her honest word, shall be restored in a very short time.' This message filled me with surprise and concern; and turning to the sage,

Is it possible, Signor Montesinos (said I), that people of condition are exposed to neces sity in a state of enchantment? To this question he replied, Take my word for it, Signor Don Quixote de la Mancha, that which we call necessity is known in all states, extending to all conditions, prevailing among every class of people, and not even sparing those who are enchanted: and since Signora Dulcinea del Toboso sends to beg these six rials, and the pledge seems to be well worth the money, you had better let her have them; for she must certainly be in great trouble.'- The pledge I will not touch (said I), nor indeed can I comply with her request, for I have not above four rials! which I gave her, and these were the very individual pieces which I received from thee, Sancho, t'other day, in order to give away in charity to the poor I might meet with on the

road. "Sweetheart (said I), tell your lady that her distress affects me to the very soul, and I wish I were as rich as Fouckar* to remove it; let her know, that I neither can nor will enjoy good health, while deprived of her agreeable presence and improving conversation; and that I fervently and earnestly beg her good ness will be pleased to indulge with her com pany this her captive servant and afflicted knight. Tell her also, that, when least she dreams of any such matter, she shall hear that I have made a vow, like that which was sworn by the Marquis of Mantua to revenge his cou sin Valdovinus, when he found him at the last gasp in the middle of the mountain; namely, that he would not eat from off a tablecloth, together with some whimsical additions, until he should have revenged his death; and, in like manner, I will swear never to be quiet, but traverse the seven divisions of the globe more punctually than did the infant Don Pedro of Portugal, until she be restored to the upper world. All that and much more you owe to my lady,' said the damsel, who, taking the rials, instead of curtsying, cut a caper in the air two yards high.

"O holy God! (cried Sancho, with a loud voice), is it possible that those enchanters and enchantments should have such power to change the good sense of my master into such nonsensical madness? O Signor! Signor! for the love of God, look to yourself, and have some respect for your own honour, and give no credit to those vanities, which have diminished and disturbed your senses."-" Thy regard for me, Sancho, makes thee talk in that manner (answered the knight): and as thou art not experienced in the events of this world, every thing that is uncommon, to thee seems impossible; but the time will come, as I have already observed, when I shall recount some circumstances which I saw below, that will compel thee to believe what I have now related, the truth of which neither admits of dispute nor reply."

CHAP. VII.

In which are recounted a thousand fooleries, equally impertinent and necessary to the true understanding of this sublime history.

He who translated this sublime history from the original, composed by its first author Cid

Hamet Benengeli, says, that coming to the chapter which treats of the adventure of the cave, he found this observation written on the margin in the hand-writing of the said Hamet:

"I cannot conceive or persuade myself that the valiant Don Quixote literally saw and heard all that is recounted in the foregoing chapter, for this reason: all the adventures in which he has hitherto been engaged are feasible and likely to have happened; but this of the cave I can by no means believe true in any circumstance, because it is so wide of all reason and probability: then, to suppose that Don Quixote would tell lies, he who was the truest gentle man and most noble knight of his time, it is not possible! He certainly would have suffered himself to be shot to death rather than deviate one tittle from the truth: besides, I consider that he explained and recounted the adventure so circumstantially, that he could not be supposed to have contrived extempore such a large concatenation of extravagancies; but after all, should the adventure seem apocryphal, the blame cannot be laid to my door, and therefore I give it to the public, without affirming it either to be true or false. Reader, if thou hast discernment, thou mayest judge for thyself; for it is neither my duty, nor is it in my power, to do more: though it is held for certain, that the knight, on his death-bed, retracted the whole, saying he had invented the story, because it seemed to agree and quadrate with those adventures we had read in his books.

Then the Arabian proceeds in his history to this effect:

-The scholar was equally astonished at the presumption of Sancho Panza and the forbearance of his master, and concluded that the satisfaction he derived from having seen his mistress Dulcinea del Toboso, even though enchanted, had produced that milkiness of temper, which was now so remarkable: had not this been the case, Sancho's freedom and remarks were such as would have brought a wooden shower upon his shoulders; for he was downright impertinent to his master, to whom the student thus addressed himself: "For my own part, Signor Don Quixote de la Mancha, Í look upon this as the happiest journey I ever performed; for in the course of it I have made four valuable acquisitions: in the first place, I have gained the acquaintance of your worship, which I deem a piece of singular felicity. Se condly, I have been made acquainted with what

is locked up and contained in the cave of Montesinos, together with the metamorphoses of Guadiana, and the lakes of Ruydera,-transmutations that will aptly fill a place in the Spanish Ovid which I have in hand. Thirdly, I have discovered the antiquity of card-playing, which, at least, must be as old as the time of Charlemagne, as may be gathered from the words which your worship heard Durandarte pronounce, when, at the end of that long harangue of Montesinos, he awoke and said, Patience, and shuffle the cards. For that phrase and manner of speaking he could not have learned during his enchantment, but certainly, when he was alive and well in France, during the reign of the said Charlemagne; and this investigation comes pat to the purpose, for the other book which I am composing, I mean the Supplement to Polydore Virgil, on the invention of antiquities; for I take it for granted, he has forgot to insert in his book the discovery of card-playing, which I will now explain, and, doubtless, it will be a very material circumstance, especially when confirmed by such a grave and authentic evidence as Signor Durandarte. Fourthly and lastly, I have now ascer tained the source of the Guadiana, hitherto unknown among the nations."

"You have indeed good reason to be satisfied (replied the knight); but I should be glad to know, if, by God's assistance, you should obtain a license for printing those books (which is a matter of doubt with me), to what patron you intend they should be dedicated?""There are plenty of lords and grandees in Spain (answered the scholar), to whom they may be dedicated."-" But a very few (said Don Quixote); not but that a great many deserve dedications, but because few will receive them, that they may not lay themselves under the obligation of making such a recompense as may seem due to the labour and courtesy of authors: one prince, indeed, I know, who supplies the defects of the rest with such advantages, that, if I durst presume to describe them, I might perhaps excite envy in many noble hearts: but let that circumstance rest till a more convenient season, and in the meantime let us endeavour to find some place where we may procure a night's lodging." -"Not far from hence (replied the student) is an hermitage, where lives an anchorite, who is said to have been a soldier, and bears the character of being a good Christian, and, moreover, a discreet and charitable man: adjoining to the hermitage is a little house, built by the labour of his own hands, which, though narrow, is large enough to receive travellers."-" Can that same hermitage produce any poultry?" said Sancho. "There are few hermitages destitute of that provision (answered the knight); for the anchorites of these days are not like those who dwelt in the deserts of Egypt, clothing themselves with palm

leaves, and subsisting on the roots of the earth. And here I would not be understood to extol one sort, in order to depreciate another; for the penance now in use does not come up to the rigour and austerity of those times: nevertheless, they are all good; at least so I suppose them to be; and even should the stream run foul, the hypocrite who cloaks his knavery is less dangerous to the commonwealth than he who transgresses in the face of day."

This conversation was interrupted by the ap pearance of a man coming towards them on foot, walking fast, and switching a mule loaded with lances and halberts: when he came up he saluted them, and passed on at a good pace, and Don Quixote perceiving his hurry," Honest friend (said he), pray stop a little, for you seem to go faster than your mule could wish."— "Signor (answered the man), I cannot tarry at present, because these arms, of which I have the charge, are to be used to-morrow morning, so that I cannot possibly stay; therefore adieu: but if you desire to know for what purpose they were procured, at the inn which is beyond the hermitage I have some thoughts of taking my night's lodging, and if you are travelling the same road, there you will find me, and there you shall hear strange tidings; so once more I bid you farewell." So saying, he whipped up the mule in such a manner, that Don Quixote had not time to ask another question concerning those strange tidings, which he promised to relate; but, being extremely curious, and continually fatigued with the desire of learning novelties, he ordered his company to set off that instant, and proceed to the inn, without touching at the hermitage, where the scholar wished to pass the evening. In compliance with the knight's desire, all three mounted their beasts, and followed the direct road to the inn, which they reached a little before the twilight. The student, however, proposed that they should call and take a draught at the hermitage: Sancho Panza hearing this proposal, immediately turned Dapple's head towards it, being followed by Don Quixote and the scholar: but his ill luck seemed to have ordained that the hermit should not be at home, as they were told by an under-hermit whom they found in the place. When the 'squire demanded a flask of his best and dearest, he answered, that his master had no wine, but if he chose a pitcher of his cheapest water, he should have it with all his heart. "If I had chosen water (said Sancho), there is plenty of wells upon the road, from which I might have quenched my thirst. O the wedding of Camacho! and the abundance of Don Diego's house! how often shall I lament the loss of you!"

When he had uttered this ejaculation, they quitted the hermitage, and pushed on towards the inn; and having rode forwards a little way, they overtook a lad, who travelled the same