PART I - CHAPTER X.

by Miguel de Cervantes

　　OF THE PLEASANT DISCOURSE THAT PASSED BETWEEN DON QUIXOTE AND HIS SQUIRESANCHO PANZANow by this time Sancho had risen, rather the worse for the handling ofthe friars' muleteers, and stood watching the battle of his master, DonQuixote, and praying to God in his heart that it might be his will togrant him the victory, and that he might thereby win some island to makehim governor of, as he had promised. Seeing, therefore, that the strugglewas now over, and that his master was returning to mount Rocinante, heapproached to hold the stirrup for him, and, before he could mount, hewent on his knees before him, and taking his hand, kissed it saying, "Mayit please your worship, Senor Don Quixote, to give me the government ofthat island which has been won in this hard fight, for be it ever so bigI feel myself in sufficient force to be able to govern it as much and aswell as anyone in the world who has ever governed islands."To which Don Quixote replied, "Thou must take notice, brother Sancho,that this adventure and those like it are not adventures of islands, butof cross-roads, in which nothing is got except a broken head or an earthe less: have patience, for adventures will present themselves fromwhich I may make you, not only a governor, but something more."Sancho gave him many thanks, and again kissing his hand and the skirt ofhis hauberk, helped him to mount Rocinante, and mounting his ass himself,proceeded to follow his master, who at a brisk pace, without takingleave, or saying anything further to the ladies belonging to the coach,turned into a wood that was hard by. Sancho followed him at his ass'sbest trot, but Rocinante stepped out so that, seeing himself left behind,he was forced to call to his master to wait for him. Don Quixote did so,reining in Rocinante until his weary squire came up, who on reaching himsaid, "It seems to me, senor, it would be prudent in us to go and takerefuge in some church, for, seeing how mauled he with whom you fought hasbeen left, it will be no wonder if they give information of the affair tothe Holy Brotherhood and arrest us, and, faith, if they do, before wecome out of gaol we shall have to sweat for it.""Peace," said Don Quixote; "where hast thou ever seen or heard that aknight-errant has been arraigned before a court of justice, however manyhomicides he may have committed?""I know nothing about omecils," answered Sancho, "nor in my life have hadanything to do with one; I only know that the Holy Brotherhood looksafter those who fight in the fields, and in that other matter I do notmeddle.""Then thou needst have no uneasiness, my friend," said Don Quixote, "forI will deliver thee out of the hands of the Chaldeans, much more out ofthose of the Brotherhood. But tell me, as thou livest, hast thou seen amore valiant knight than I in all the known world; hast thou read inhistory of any who has or had higher mettle in attack, more spirit inmaintaining it, more dexterity in wounding or skill in overthrowing?""The truth is," answered Sancho, "that I have never read any history, forI can neither read nor write, but what I will venture to bet is that amore daring master than your worship I have never served in all the daysof my life, and God grant that this daring be not paid for where I havesaid; what I beg of your worship is to dress your wound, for a great dealof blood flows from that ear, and I have here some lint and a littlewhite ointment in the alforjas.""All that might be well dispensed with," said Don Quixote, "if I hadremembered to make a vial of the balsam of Fierabras, for time andmedicine are saved by one single drop.""What vial and what balsam is that?" said Sancho Panza."It is a balsam," answered Don Quixote, "the receipt of which I have inmy memory, with which one need have no fear of death, or dread dying ofany wound; and so when I make it and give it to thee thou hast nothing todo when in some battle thou seest they have cut me in half through themiddle of the body--as is wont to happen frequently,--but neatly and withgreat nicety, ere the blood congeal, to place that portion of the bodywhich shall have fallen to the ground upon the other half which remainsin the saddle, taking care to fit it on evenly and exactly. Then thoushalt give me to drink but two drops of the balsam I have mentioned, andthou shalt see me become sounder than an apple.""If that be so," said Panza, "I renounce henceforth the government of thepromised island, and desire nothing more in payment of my many andfaithful services than that your worship give me the receipt of thissupreme liquor, for I am persuaded it will be worth more than two realsan ounce anywhere, and I want no more to pass the rest of my life in easeand honour; but it remains to be told if it costs much to make it.""With less than three reals, six quarts of it may be made," said DonQuixote."Sinner that I am!" said Sancho, "then why does your worship put offmaking it and teaching it to me?""Peace, friend," answered Don Quixote; "greater secrets I mean to teachthee and greater favours to bestow upon thee; and for the present let ussee to the dressing, for my ear pains me more than I could wish."Sancho took out some lint and ointment from the alforjas; but when DonQuixote came to see his helmet shattered, he was like to lose his senses,and clapping his hand upon his sword and raising his eyes to heaven, besaid, "I swear by the Creator of all things and the four Gospels in theirfullest extent, to do as the great Marquis of Mantua did when he swore toavenge the death of his nephew Baldwin (and that was not to eat breadfrom a table-cloth, nor embrace his wife, and other points which, thoughI cannot now call them to mind, I here grant as expressed) until I takecomplete vengeance upon him who has committed such an offence againstme."Hearing this, Sancho said to him, "Your worship should bear in mind,Senor Don Quixote, that if the knight has done what was commanded him ingoing to present himself before my lady Dulcinea del Toboso, he will havedone all that he was bound to do, and does not deserve further punishmentunless he commits some new offence.""Thou hast said well and hit the point," answered Don Quixote; and so Irecall the oath in so far as relates to taking fresh vengeance on him,but I make and confirm it anew to lead the life I have said until suchtime as I take by force from some knight another helmet such as this andas good; and think not, Sancho, that I am raising smoke with straw indoing so, for I have one to imitate in the matter, since the very samething to a hair happened in the case of Mambrino's helmet, which costSacripante so dear.""Senor," replied Sancho, "let your worship send all such oaths to thedevil, for they are very pernicious to salvation and prejudicial to theconscience; just tell me now, if for several days to come we fall in withno man armed with a helmet, what are we to do? Is the oath to be observedin spite of all the inconvenience and discomfort it will be to sleep inyour clothes, and not to sleep in a house, and a thousand othermortifications contained in the oath of that old fool the Marquis ofMantua, which your worship is now wanting to revive? Let your worshipobserve that there are no men in armour travelling on any of these roads,nothing but carriers and carters, who not only do not wear helmets, butperhaps never heard tell of them all their lives.""Thou art wrong there," said Don Quixote, "for we shall not have beenabove two hours among these cross-roads before we see more men in armourthan came to Albraca to win the fair Angelica.""Enough," said Sancho; "so be it then, and God grant us success, and thatthe time for winning that island which is costing me so dear may sooncome, and then let me die.""I have already told thee, Sancho," said Don Quixote, "not to givethyself any uneasiness on that score; for if an island should fail, thereis the kingdom of Denmark, or of Sobradisa, which will fit thee as a ringfits the finger, and all the more that, being on terra firma, thou wiltall the better enjoy thyself. But let us leave that to its own time; seeif thou hast anything for us to eat in those alforjas, because we mustpresently go in quest of some castle where we may lodge to-night and makethe balsam I told thee of, for I swear to thee by God, this ear is givingme great pain.""I have here an onion and a little cheese and a few scraps of bread,"said Sancho, "but they are not victuals fit for a valiant knight likeyour worship.""How little thou knowest about it," answered Don Quixote; "I would havethee to know, Sancho, that it is the glory of knights-errant to gowithout eating for a month, and even when they do eat, that it should beof what comes first to hand; and this would have been clear to thee hadstthou read as many histories as I have, for, though they are very many,among them all I have found no mention made of knights-errant eating,unless by accident or at some sumptuous banquets prepared for them, andthe rest of the time they passed in dalliance. And though it is plainthey could not do without eating and performing all the other naturalfunctions, because, in fact, they were men like ourselves, it is plaintoo that, wandering as they did the most part of their lives throughwoods and wilds and without a cook, their most usual fare would be rusticviands such as those thou now offer me; so that, friend Sancho, let notthat distress thee which pleases me, and do not seek to make a new worldor pervert knight-errantry.""Pardon me, your worship," said Sancho, "for, as I cannot read or write,as I said just now, I neither know nor comprehend the rules of theprofession of chivalry: henceforward I will stock the alforjas with everykind of dry fruit for your worship, as you are a knight; and for myself,as I am not one, I will furnish them with poultry and other things moresubstantial.""I do not say, Sancho," replied Don Quixote, "that it is imperative onknights-errant not to eat anything else but the fruits thou speakest of;only that their more usual diet must be those, and certain herbs theyfound in the fields which they knew and I know too.""A good thing it is," answered Sancho, "to know those herbs, for to mythinking it will be needful some day to put that knowledge intopractice."And here taking out what he said he had brought, the pair made theirrepast peaceably and sociably. But anxious to find quarters for thenight, they with all despatch made an end of their poor dry fare, mountedat once, and made haste to reach some habitation before night set in; butdaylight and the hope of succeeding in their object failed them close bythe huts of some goatherds, so they determined to pass the night there,and it was as much to Sancho's discontent not to have reached a house, asit was to his master's satisfaction to sleep under the open heaven, forhe fancied that each time this happened to him he performed an act ofownership that helped to prove his chivalry.