PART I - CHAPTER XXVII.

by Miguel de Cervantes

　　OF HOW THE CURATE AND THE BARBER PROCEEDED WITH THEIR SCHEME; TOGETHERWITH OTHER MATTERS WORTHY OF RECORD IN THIS GREAT HISTORYThe curate's plan did not seem a bad one to the barber, but on thecontrary so good that they immediately set about putting it in execution.They begged a petticoat and hood of the landlady, leaving her in pledge anew cassock of the curate's; and the barber made a beard out of agrey-brown or red ox-tail in which the landlord used to stick his comb.The landlady asked them what they wanted these things for, and the curatetold her in a few words about the madness of Don Quixote, and how thisdisguise was intended to get him away from the mountain where he thenwas. The landlord and landlady immediately came to the conclusion thatthe madman was their guest, the balsam man and master of the blanketedsquire, and they told the curate all that had passed between him andthem, not omitting what Sancho had been so silent about. Finally thelandlady dressed up the curate in a style that left nothing to bedesired; she put on him a cloth petticoat with black velvet stripes apalm broad, all slashed, and a bodice of green velvet set off by abinding of white satin, which as well as the petticoat must have beenmade in the time of king Wamba. The curate would not let them hood him,but put on his head a little quilted linen cap which he used for anight-cap, and bound his forehead with a strip of black silk, while withanother he made a mask with which he concealed his beard and face verywell. He then put on his hat, which was broad enough to serve him for anumbrella, and enveloping himself in his cloak seated himselfwoman-fashion on his mule, while the barber mounted his with a beard downto the waist of mingled red and white, for it was, as has been said, thetail of a clay-red ox.They took leave of all, and of the good Maritornes, who, sinner as shewas, promised to pray a rosary of prayers that God might grant themsuccess in such an arduous and Christian undertaking as that they had inhand. But hardly had he sallied forth from the inn when it struck thecurate that he was doing wrong in rigging himself out in that fashion, asit was an indecorous thing for a priest to dress himself that way eventhough much might depend upon it; and saying so to the barber he beggedhim to change dresses, as it was fitter he should be the distresseddamsel, while he himself would play the squire's part, which would beless derogatory to his dignity; otherwise he was resolved to have nothingmore to do with the matter, and let the devil take Don Quixote. Just atthis moment Sancho came up, and on seeing the pair in such a costume hewas unable to restrain his laughter; the barber, however, agreed to do asthe curate wished, and, altering their plan, the curate went on toinstruct him how to play his part and what to say to Don Quixote toinduce and compel him to come with them and give up his fancy for theplace he had chosen for his idle penance. The barber told him he couldmanage it properly without any instruction, and as he did not care todress himself up until they were near where Don Quixote was, he folded upthe garments, and the curate adjusted his beard, and they set out underthe guidance of Sancho Panza, who went along telling them of theencounter with the madman they met in the Sierra, saying nothing,however, about the finding of the valise and its contents; for with allhis simplicity the lad was a trifle covetous.The next day they reached the place where Sancho had laid thebroom-branches as marks to direct him to where he had left his master,and recognising it he told them that here was the entrance, and that theywould do well to dress themselves, if that was required to deliver hismaster; for they had already told him that going in this guise anddressing in this way were of the highest importance in order to rescuehis master from the pernicious life he had adopted; and they charged himstrictly not to tell his master who they were, or that he knew them, andshould he ask, as ask he would, if he had given the letter to Dulcinea,to say that he had, and that, as she did not know how to read, she hadgiven an answer by word of mouth, saying that she commanded him, on painof her displeasure, to come and see her at once; and it was a veryimportant matter for himself, because in this way and with what theymeant to say to him they felt sure of bringing him back to a better modeof life and inducing him to take immediate steps to become an emperor ormonarch, for there was no fear of his becoming an archbishop. All thisSancho listened to and fixed it well in his memory, and thanked themheartily for intending to recommend his master to be an emperor insteadof an archbishop, for he felt sure that in the way of bestowing rewardson their squires emperors could do more than archbishops-errant. He said,too, that it would be as well for him to go on before them to find him,and give him his lady's answer; for that perhaps might be enough to bringhim away from the place without putting them to all this trouble. Theyapproved of what Sancho proposed, and resolved to wait for him until hebrought back word of having found his master.Sancho pushed on into the glens of the Sierra, leaving them in onethrough which there flowed a little gentle rivulet, and where the rocksand trees afforded a cool and grateful shade. It was an August day withall the heat of one, and the heat in those parts is intense, and the hourwas three in the afternoon, all which made the spot the more inviting andtempted them to wait there for Sancho's return, which they did. They werereposing, then, in the shade, when a voice unaccompanied by the notes ofany instrument, but sweet and pleasing in its tone, reached their ears,at which they were not a little astonished, as the place did not seem tothem likely quarters for one who sang so well; for though it is oftensaid that shepherds of rare voice are to be found in the woods andfields, this is rather a flight of the poet's fancy than the truth. Andstill more surprised were they when they perceived that what they heardsung were the verses not of rustic shepherds, but of the polished wits ofthe city; and so it proved, for the verses they heard were these: What makes my quest of happiness seem vain? Disdain. What bids me to abandon hope of ease? Jealousies. What holds my heart in anguish of suspense? Absence. If that be so, then for my grief Where shall I turn to seek relief, When hope on every side lies slain By Absence, Jealousies, Disdain? What the prime cause of all my woe doth prove? Love. What at my glory ever looks askance? Chance. Whence is permission to afflict me given? Heaven. If that be so, I but await The stroke of a resistless fate, Since, working for my woe, these three, Love, Chance and Heaven, in league I see. What must I do to find a remedy? Die. What is the lure for love when coy and strange? Change. What, if all fail, will cure the heart of sadness? Madness. If that be so, it is but folly To seek a cure for melancholy: Ask where it lies; the answer saith In Change, in Madness, or in Death. The hour, the summer season, the solitary place, the voice and skill ofthe singer, all contributed to the wonder and delight of the twolisteners, who remained still waiting to hear something more; finding,however, that the silence continued some little time, they resolved to goin search of the musician who sang with so fine a voice; but just as theywere about to do so they were checked by the same voice, which once morefell upon their ears, singing thisSONNET When heavenward, holy Friendship, thou didst go Soaring to seek thy home beyond the sky, And take thy seat among the saints on high, It was thy will to leave on earth below Thy semblance, and upon it to bestow Thy veil, wherewith at times hypocrisy, Parading in thy shape, deceives the eye, And makes its vileness bright as virtue show. Friendship, return to us, or force the cheat That wears it now, thy livery to restore, By aid whereof sincerity is slain. If thou wilt not unmask thy counterfeit, This earth will be the prey of strife once more, As when primaeval discord held its reign. The song ended with a deep sigh, and again the listeners remained waitingattentively for the singer to resume; but perceiving that the music hadnow turned to sobs and heart-rending moans they determined to find outwho the unhappy being could be whose voice was as rare as his sighs werepiteous, and they had not proceeded far when on turning the corner of arock they discovered a man of the same aspect and appearance as Sanchohad described to them when he told them the story of Cardenio. He,showing no astonishment when he saw them, stood still with his head bentdown upon his breast like one in deep thought, without raising his eyesto look at them after the first glance when they suddenly came upon him.The curate, who was aware of his misfortune and recognised him by thedescription, being a man of good address, approached him and in a fewsensible words entreated and urged him to quit a life of such misery,lest he should end it there, which would be the greatest of allmisfortunes. Cardenio was then in his right mind, free from any attack ofthat madness which so frequently carried him away, and seeing themdressed in a fashion so unusual among the frequenters of those wilds,could not help showing some surprise, especially when he heard them speakof his case as if it were a well-known matter (for the curate's wordsgave him to understand as much) so he replied to them thus:"I see plainly, sirs, whoever you may be, that Heaven, whose care it isto succour the good, and even the wicked very often, here, in this remotespot, cut off from human intercourse, sends me, though I deserve it not,those who seek to draw me away from this to some better retreat, showingme by many and forcible arguments how unreasonably I act in leading thelife I do; but as they know, that if I escape from this evil I shall fallinto another still greater, perhaps they will set me down as aweak-minded man, or, what is worse, one devoid of reason; nor would it beany wonder, for I myself can perceive that the effect of the recollectionof my misfortunes is so great and works so powerfully to my ruin, that inspite of myself I become at times like a stone, without feeling orconsciousness; and I come to feel the truth of it when they tell me andshow me proofs of the things I have done when the terrible fitovermasters me; and all I can do is bewail my lot in vain, and idly cursemy destiny, and plead for my madness by telling how it was caused, to anythat care to hear it; for no reasonable beings on learning the cause willwonder at the effects; and if they cannot help me at least they will notblame me, and the repugnance they feel at my wild ways will turn intopity for my woes. If it be, sirs, that you are here with the same designas others have come wah, before you proceed with your wise arguments, Ientreat you to hear the story of my countless misfortunes, for perhapswhen you have heard it you will spare yourselves the trouble you wouldtake in offering consolation to grief that is beyond the reach of it."As they, both of them, desired nothing more than to hear from his ownlips the cause of his suffering, they entreated him to tell it, promisingnot to do anything for his relief or comfort that he did not wish; andthereupon the unhappy gentleman began his sad story in nearly the samewords and manner in which he had related it to Don Quixote and thegoatherd a few days before, when, through Master Elisabad, and DonQuixote's scrupulous observance of what was due to chivalry, the tale wasleft unfinished, as this history has already recorded; but nowfortunately the mad fit kept off, allowed him to tell it to the end; andso, coming to the incident of the note which Don Fernando had found inthe volume of "Amadis of Gaul," Cardenio said that he remembered itperfectly and that it was in these words:"Luscinda to Cardenio."Every day I discover merits in you that oblige and compel me to hold youin higher estimation; so if you desire to relieve me of this obligationwithout cost to my honour, you may easily do so. I have a father whoknows you and loves me dearly, who without putting any constraint on myinclination will grant what will be reasonable for you to have, if it bethat you value me as you say and as I believe you do.""By this letter I was induced, as I told you, to demand Luscinda for mywife, and it was through it that Luscinda came to be regarded by DonFernando as one of the most discreet and prudent women of the day, andthis letter it was that suggested his design of ruining me before minecould be carried into effect. I told Don Fernando that all Luscinda'sfather was waiting for was that mine should ask her of him, which I didnot dare to suggest to him, fearing that he would not consent to do so;not because he did not know perfectly well the rank, goodness, virtue,and beauty of Luscinda, and that she had qualities that would do honourto any family in Spain, but because I was aware that he did not wish meto marry so soon, before seeing what the Duke Ricardo would do for me. Inshort, I told him I did not venture to mention it to my father, as wellon account of that difficulty, as of many others that discouraged methough I knew not well what they were, only that it seemed to me thatwhat I desired was never to come to pass. To all this Don Fernandoanswered that he would take it upon himself to speak to my father, andpersuade him to speak to Luscinda's father. O, ambitious Marius! O, cruelCatiline! O, wicked Sylla! O, perfidious Ganelon! O, treacherous Vellido!O, vindictive Julian! O, covetous Judas! Traitor, cruel, vindictive, andperfidious, wherein had this poor wretch failed in his fidelity, who withsuch frankness showed thee the secrets and the joys of his heart? Whatoffence did I commit? What words did I utter, or what counsels did I givethat had not the furtherance of thy honour and welfare for their aim?But, woe is me, wherefore do I complain? for sure it is that whenmisfortunes spring from the stars, descending from on high they fall uponus with such fury and violence that no power on earth can check theircourse nor human device stay their coming. Who could have thought thatDon Fernando, a highborn gentleman, intelligent, bound to me by gratitudefor my services, one that could win the object of his love wherever hemight set his affections, could have become so obdurate, as they say, asto rob me of my one ewe lamb that was not even yet in my possession? Butlaying aside these useless and unavailing reflections, let us take up thebroken thread of my unhappy story."To proceed, then: Don Fernando finding my presence an obstacle to theexecution of his treacherous and wicked design, resolved to send me tohis elder brother under the pretext of asking money from him to pay forsix horses which, purposely, and with the sole object of sending me awaythat he might the better carry out his infernal scheme, he had purchasedthe very day he offered to speak to my father, and the price of which henow desired me to fetch. Could I have anticipated this treachery? Could Iby any chance have suspected it? Nay; so far from that, I offered withthe greatest pleasure to go at once, in my satisfaction at the goodbargain that had been made. That night I spoke with Luscinda, and toldher what had been agreed upon with Don Fernando, and how I had stronghopes of our fair and reasonable wishes being realised. She, asunsuspicious as I was of the treachery of Don Fernando, bade me try toreturn speedily, as she believed the fulfilment of our desires would bedelayed only so long as my father put off speaking to hers. I know notwhy it was that on saying this to me her eyes filled with tears, andthere came a lump in her throat that prevented her from uttering a wordof many more that it seemed to me she was striving to say to me. I wasastonished at this unusual turn, which I never before observed in her.for we always conversed, whenever good fortune and my ingenuity gave usthe chance, with the greatest gaiety and cheerfulness, mingling tears,sighs, jealousies, doubts, or fears with our words; it was all on my parta eulogy of my good fortune that Heaven should have given her to me formy mistress; I glorified her beauty, I extolled her worth and herunderstanding; and she paid me back by praising in me what in her lovefor me she thought worthy of praise; and besides we had a hundredthousand trifles and doings of our neighbours and acquaintances to talkabout, and the utmost extent of my boldness was to take, almost by force,one of her fair white hands and carry it to my lips, as well as thecloseness of the low grating that separated us allowed me. But the nightbefore the unhappy day of my departure she wept, she moaned, she sighed,and she withdrew leaving me filled with perplexity and amazement,overwhelmed at the sight of such strange and affecting signs of grief andsorrow in Luscinda; but not to dash my hopes I ascribed it all to thedepth of her love for me and the pain that separation gives those wholove tenderly. At last I took my departure, sad and dejected, my heartfilled with fancies and suspicions, but not knowing well what it was Isuspected or fancied; plain omens pointing to the sad event andmisfortune that was awaiting me."I reached the place whither I had been sent, gave the letter to DonFernando's brother, and was kindly received but not promptly dismissed,for he desired me to wait, very much against my will, eight days in someplace where the duke his father was not likely to see me, as his brotherwrote that the money was to be sent without his knowledge; all of whichwas a scheme of the treacherous Don Fernando, for his brother had no wantof money to enable him to despatch me at once."The command was one that exposed me to the temptation of disobeying it,as it seemed to me impossible to endure life for so many days separatedfrom Luscinda, especially after leaving her in the sorrowful mood I havedescribed to you; nevertheless as a dutiful servant I obeyed, though Ifelt it would be at the cost of my well-being. But four days later therecame a man in quest of me with a letter which he gave me, and which bythe address I perceived to be from Luscinda, as the writing was hers. Iopened it with fear and trepidation, persuaded that it must be somethingserious that had impelled her to write to me when at a distance, as sheseldom did so when I was near. Before reading it I asked the man who itwas that had given it to him, and how long he had been upon the road; hetold me that as he happened to be passing through one of the streets ofthe city at the hour of noon, a very beautiful lady called to him from awindow, and with tears in her eyes said to him hurriedly, 'Brother, ifyou are, as you seem to be, a Christian, for the love of God I entreatyou to have this letter despatched without a moment's delay to the placeand person named in the address, all which is well known, and by this youwill render a great service to our Lord; and that you may be at noinconvenience in doing so take what is in this handkerchief;' and saidhe, 'with this she threw me a handkerchief out of the window in whichwere tied up a hundred reals and this gold ring which I bring heretogether with the letter I have given you. And then without waiting forany answer she left the window, though not before she saw me take theletter and the handkerchief, and I had by signs let her know that I woulddo as she bade me; and so, seeing myself so well paid for the trouble Iwould have in bringing it to you, and knowing by the address that it wasto you it was sent (for, senor, I know you very well), and also unable toresist that beautiful lady's tears, I resolved to trust no one else, butto come myself and give it to you, and in sixteen hours from the timewhen it was given me I have made the journey, which, as you know, iseighteen leagues.'"All the while the good-natured improvised courier was telling me this, Ihung upon his words, my legs trembling under me so that I could scarcelystand. However, I opened the letter and read these words:"'The promise Don Fernando gave you to urge your father to speak to mine,he has fulfilled much more to his own satisfaction than to youradvantage. I have to tell you, senor, that he has demanded me for a wife,and my father, led away by what he considers Don Fernando's superiorityover you, has favoured his suit so cordially, that in two days hence thebetrothal is to take place with such secrecy and so privately that theonly witnesses are to be the Heavens above and a few of the household.Picture to yourself the state I am in; judge if it be urgent for you tocome; the issue of the affair will show you whether I love you or not.God grant this may come to your hand before mine shall be forced to linkitself with his who keeps so ill the faith that he has pledged.'"Such, in brief, were the words of the letter, words that made me set outat once without waiting any longer for reply or money; for I now sawclearly that it was not the purchase of horses but of his own pleasurethat had made Don Fernando send me to his brother. The exasperation Ifelt against Don Fernando, joined with the fear of losing the prize I hadwon by so many years of love and devotion, lent me wings; so that almostflying I reached home the same day, by the hour which served for speakingwith Luscinda. I arrived unobserved, and left the mule on which I hadcome at the house of the worthy man who had brought me the letter, andfortune was pleased to be for once so kind that I found Luscinda at thegrating that was the witness of our loves. She recognised me at once, andI her, but not as she ought to have recognised me, or I her. But who isthere in the world that can boast of having fathomed or understood thewavering mind and unstable nature of a woman? Of a truth no one. Toproceed: as soon as Luscinda saw me she said, 'Cardenio, I am in mybridal dress, and the treacherous Don Fernando and my covetous father arewaiting for me in the hall with the other witnesses, who shall be thewitnesses of my death before they witness my betrothal. Be notdistressed, my friend, but contrive to be present at this sacrifice, andif that cannot be prevented by my words, I have a dagger concealed whichwill prevent more deliberate violence, putting an end to my life andgiving thee a first proof of the love I have borne and bear thee.' Ireplied to her distractedly and hastily, in fear lest I should not havetime to reply, 'May thy words be verified by thy deeds, lady; and if thouhast a dagger to save thy honour, I have a sword to defend thee or killmyself if fortune be against us.'"I think she could not have heard all these words, for I perceived thatthey called her away in haste, as the bridegroom was waiting. Now thenight of my sorrow set in, the sun of my happiness went down, I felt myeyes bereft of sight, my mind of reason. I could not enter the house, norwas I capable of any movement; but reflecting how important it was that Ishould be present at what might take place on the occasion, I nervedmyself as best I could and went in, for I well knew all the entrances andoutlets; and besides, with the confusion that in secret pervaded thehouse no one took notice of me, so, without being seen, I found anopportunity of placing myself in the recess formed by a window of thehall itself, and concealed by the ends and borders of two tapestries,from between which I could, without being seen, see all that took placein the room. Who could describe the agitation of heart I suffered as Istood there--the thoughts that came to me--the reflections that passedthrough my mind? They were such as cannot be, nor were it well theyshould be, told. Suffice it to say that the bridegroom entered the hallin his usual dress, without ornament of any kind; as groomsman he hadwith him a cousin of Luscinda's and except the servants of the housethere was no one else in the chamber. Soon afterwards Luscinda came outfrom an antechamber, attended by her mother and two of her damsels,arrayed and adorned as became her rank and beauty, and in full festivaland ceremonial attire. My anxiety and distraction did not allow me toobserve or notice particularly what she wore; I could only perceive thecolours, which were crimson and white, and the glitter of the gems andjewels on her head dress and apparel, surpassed by the rare beauty of herlovely auburn hair that vying with the precious stones and the light ofthe four torches that stood in the hall shone with a brighter gleam thanall. Oh memory, mortal foe of my peace! why bring before me now theincomparable beauty of that adored enemy of mine? Were it not better,cruel memory, to remind me and recall what she then did, that stirred bya wrong so glaring I may seek, if not vengeance now, at least to ridmyself of life? Be not weary, sirs, of listening to these digressions; mysorrow is not one of those that can or should be told tersely andbriefly, for to me each incident seems to call for many words."To this the curate replied that not only were they not weary of listeningto him, but that the details he mentioned interested them greatly, beingof a kind by no means to be omitted and deserving of the same attentionas the main story."To proceed, then," continued Cardenio: "all being assembled in the hall,the priest of the parish came in and as he took the pair by the hand toperform the requisite ceremony, at the words, 'Will you, Senora Luscinda,take Senor Don Fernando, here present, for your lawful husband, as theholy Mother Church ordains?' I thrust my head and neck out from betweenthe tapestries, and with eager ears and throbbing heart set myself tolisten to Luscinda's answer, awaiting in her reply the sentence of deathor the grant of life. Oh, that I had but dared at that moment to rushforward crying aloud, 'Luscinda, Luscinda! have a care what thou dost;remember what thou owest me; bethink thee thou art mine and canst not beanother's; reflect that thy utterance of "Yes" and the end of my lifewill come at the same instant. O, treacherous Don Fernando! robber of myglory, death of my life! What seekest thou? Remember that thou canst notas a Christian attain the object of thy wishes, for Luscinda is my bride,and I am her husband!' Fool that I am! now that I am far away, and out ofdanger, I say I should have done what I did not do: now that I haveallowed my precious treasure to be robbed from me, I curse the robber, onwhom I might have taken vengeance had I as much heart for it as I havefor bewailing my fate; in short, as I was then a coward and a fool,little wonder is it if I am now dying shame-stricken, remorseful, andmad."The priest stood waiting for the answer of Luscinda, who for a long timewithheld it; and just as I thought she was taking out the dagger to saveher honour, or struggling for words to make some declaration of the truthon my behalf, I heard her say in a faint and feeble voice, 'I will:' DonFernando said the same, and giving her the ring they stood linked by aknot that could never be loosed. The bridegroom then approached toembrace his bride; and she, pressing her hand upon her heart, fellfainting in her mother's arms. It only remains now for me to tell you thestate I was in when in that consent that I heard I saw all my hopesmocked, the words and promises of Luscinda proved falsehoods, and therecovery of the prize I had that instant lost rendered impossible forever. I stood stupefied, wholly abandoned, it seemed, by Heaven, declaredthe enemy of the earth that bore me, the air refusing me breath for mysighs, the water moisture for my tears; it was only the fire thatgathered strength so that my whole frame glowed with rage and jealousy.They were all thrown into confusion by Luscinda's fainting, and as hermother was unlacing her to give her air a sealed paper was discovered inher bosom which Don Fernando seized at once and began to read by thelight of one of the torches. As soon as he had read it he seated himselfin a chair, leaning his cheek on his hand in the attitude of one deep inthought, without taking any part in the efforts that were being made torecover his bride from her fainting fit."Seeing all the household in confusion, I ventured to come out regardlesswhether I were seen or not, and determined, if I were, to do somefrenzied deed that would prove to all the world the righteous indignationof my breast in the punishment of the treacherous Don Fernando, and evenin that of the fickle fainting traitress. But my fate, doubtlessreserving me for greater sorrows, if such there be, so ordered it thatjust then I had enough and to spare of that reason which has since beenwanting to me; and so, without seeking to take vengeance on my greatestenemies (which might have been easily taken, as all thought of me was sofar from their minds), I resolved to take it upon myself, and on myselfto inflict the pain they deserved, perhaps with even greater severitythan I should have dealt out to them had I then slain them; for suddenpain is soon over, but that which is protracted by tortures is everslaying without ending life. In a word, I quitted the house and reachedthat of the man with whom I had left my mule; I made him saddle it forme, mounted without bidding him farewell, and rode out of the city, likeanother Lot, not daring to turn my head to look back upon it; and when Ifound myself alone in the open country, screened by the darkness of thenight, and tempted by the stillness to give vent to my grief withoutapprehension or fear of being heard or seen, then I broke silence andlifted up my voice in maledictions upon Luscinda and Don Fernando, as ifI could thus avenge the wrong they had done me. I called her cruel,ungrateful, false, thankless, but above all covetous, since the wealth ofmy enemy had blinded the eyes of her affection, and turned it from me totransfer it to one to whom fortune had been more generous and liberal.And yet, in the midst of this outburst of execration and upbraiding, Ifound excuses for her, saying it was no wonder that a young girl in theseclusion of her parents' house, trained and schooled to obey themalways, should have been ready to yield to their wishes when they offeredher for a husband a gentleman of such distinction, wealth, and noblebirth, that if she had refused to accept him she would have been thoughtout of her senses, or to have set her affection elsewhere, a suspicioninjurious to her fair name and fame. But then again, I said, had shedeclared I was her husband, they would have seen that in choosing me shehad not chosen so ill but that they might excuse her, for before DonFernando had made his offer, they themselves could not have desired, iftheir desires had been ruled by reason, a more eligible husband for theirdaughter than I was; and she, before taking the last fatal step of givingher hand, might easily have said that I had already given her mine, for Ishould have come forward to support any assertion of hers to that effect.In short, I came to the conclusion that feeble love, little reflection,great ambition, and a craving for rank, had made her forget the wordswith which she had deceived me, encouraged and supported by my firm hopesand honourable passion."Thus soliloquising and agitated, I journeyed onward for the remainder ofthe night, and by daybreak I reached one of the passes of thesemountains, among which I wandered for three days more without taking anypath or road, until I came to some meadows lying on I know not which sideof the mountains, and there I inquired of some herdsmen in what directionthe most rugged part of the range lay. They told me that it was in thisquarter, and I at once directed my course hither, intending to end mylife here; but as I was making my way among these crags, my mule droppeddead through fatigue and hunger, or, as I think more likely, in order tohave done with such a worthless burden as it bore in me. I was left onfoot, worn out, famishing, without anyone to help me or any thought ofseeking help: and so thus I lay stretched on the ground, how long I knownot, after which I rose up free from hunger, and found beside me somegoatherds, who no doubt were the persons who had relieved me in my need,for they told me how they had found me, and how I had been utteringravings that showed plainly I had lost my reason; and since then I amconscious that I am not always in full possession of it, but at times soderanged and crazed that I do a thousand mad things, tearing my clothes,crying aloud in these solitudes, cursing my fate, and idly calling on thedear name of her who is my enemy, and only seeking to end my life inlamentation; and when I recover my senses I find myself so exhausted andweary that I can scarcely move. Most commonly my dwelling is the hollowof a cork tree large enough to shelter this miserable body; the herdsmenand goatherds who frequent these mountains, moved by compassion, furnishme with food, leaving it by the wayside or on the rocks, where they thinkI may perhaps pass and find it; and so, even though I may be then out ofmy senses, the wants of nature teach me what is required to sustain me,and make me crave it and eager to take it. At other times, so they tellme when they find me in a rational mood, I sally out upon the road, andthough they would gladly give it me, I snatch food by force from theshepherds bringing it from the village to their huts. Thus do pass thewretched life that remains to me, until it be Heaven's will to bring itto a close, or so to order my memory that I no longer recollect thebeauty and treachery of Luscinda, or the wrong done me by Don Fernando;for if it will do this without depriving me of life, I will turn mythoughts into some better channel; if not, I can only implore it to havefull mercy on my soul, for in myself I feel no power or strength torelease my body from this strait in which I have of my own accord chosento place it."Such, sirs, is the dismal story of my misfortune: say if it be one thatcan be told with less emotion than you have seen in me; and do nottrouble yourselves with urging or pressing upon me what reason suggestsas likely to serve for my relief, for it will avail me as much as themedicine prescribed by a wise physician avails the sick man who will nottake it. I have no wish for health without Luscinda; and since it is herpleasure to be another's, when she is or should be mine, let it be mineto be a prey to misery when I might have enjoyed happiness. She by herfickleness strove to make my ruin irretrievable; I will strive to gratifyher wishes by seeking destruction; and it will show generations to comethat I alone was deprived of that of which all others in misfortune havea superabundance, for to them the impossibility of being consoled isitself a consolation, while to me it is the cause of greater sorrows andsufferings, for I think that even in death there will not be an end ofthem."Here Cardenio brought to a close his long discourse and story, as full ofmisfortune as it was of love; but just as the curate was going to addresssome words of comfort to him, he was stopped by a voice that reached hisear, saying in melancholy tones what will be told in the Fourth Part ofthis narrative; for at this point the sage and sagacious historian, CideHamete Benengeli, brought the Third to a conclusion.