PART II - CHAPTER IV.

by Miguel de Cervantes

　　IN WHICH SANCHO PANZA GIVES A SATISFACTORY REPLY TO THE DOUBTS ANDQUESTIONS OF THE BACHELOR SAMSON CARRASCO, TOGETHER WITH OTHER MATTERSWORTH KNOWING AND TELLINGSancho came back to Don Quixote's house, and returning to the latesubject of conversation, he said, "As to what Senor Samson said, that hewould like to know by whom, or how, or when my ass was stolen, I say inreply that the same night we went into the Sierra Morena, flying from theHoly Brotherhood after that unlucky adventure of the galley slaves, andthe other of the corpse that was going to Segovia, my master and Iensconced ourselves in a thicket, and there, my master leaning on hislance, and I seated on my Dapple, battered and weary with the late frayswe fell asleep as if it had been on four feather mattresses; and I inparticular slept so sound, that, whoever he was, he was able to come andprop me up on four stakes, which he put under the four corners of thepack-saddle in such a way that he left me mounted on it, and took awayDapple from under me without my feeling it.""That is an easy matter," said Don Quixote, "and it is no new occurrence,for the same thing happened to Sacripante at the siege of Albracca; thefamous thief, Brunello, by the same contrivance, took his horse frombetween his legs.""Day came," continued Sancho, "and the moment I stirred the stakes gaveway and I fell to the ground with a mighty come down; I looked about forthe ass, but could not see him; the tears rushed to my eyes and I raisedsuch a lamentation that, if the author of our history has not put it in,he may depend upon it he has left out a good thing. Some days after, Iknow not how many, travelling with her ladyship the Princess Micomicona,I saw my ass, and mounted upon him, in the dress of a gipsy, was thatGines de Pasamonte, the great rogue and rascal that my master and I freedfrom the chain.""That is not where the mistake is," replied Samson; "it is, that beforethe ass has turned up, the author speaks of Sancho as being mounted onit.""I don't know what to say to that," said Sancho, "unless that thehistorian made a mistake, or perhaps it might be a blunder of theprinter's.""No doubt that's it," said Samson; "but what became of the hundredcrowns? Did they vanish?"To which Sancho answered, "I spent them for my own good, and my wife's,and my children's, and it is they that have made my wife bear sopatiently all my wanderings on highways and byways, in the service of mymaster, Don Quixote; for if after all this time I had come back to thehouse without a rap and without the ass, it would have been a poorlook-out for me; and if anyone wants to know anything more about me, hereI am, ready to answer the king himself in person; and it is no affair ofanyone's whether I took or did not take, whether I spent or did notspend; for the whacks that were given me in these journeys were to bepaid for in money, even if they were valued at no more than fourmaravedis apiece, another hundred crowns would not pay me for half ofthem. Let each look to himself and not try to make out white black, andblack white; for each of us is as God made him, aye, and often worse.""I will take care," said Carrasco, "to impress upon the author of thehistory that, if he prints it again, he must not forget what worthySancho has said, for it will raise it a good span higher.""Is there anything else to correct in the history, senor bachelor?" askedDon Quixote."No doubt there is," replied he; "but not anything that will be of thesame importance as those I have mentioned.""Does the author promise a second part at all?" said Don Quixote."He does promise one," replied Samson; "but he says he has not found it,nor does he know who has got it; and we cannot say whether it will appearor not; and so, on that head, as some say that no second part has everbeen good, and others that enough has been already written about DonQuixote, it is thought there will be no second part; though some, who arejovial rather than saturnine, say, 'Let us have more Quixotades, let DonQuixote charge and Sancho chatter, and no matter what it may turn out, weshall be satisfied with that.'""And what does the author mean to do?" said Don Quixote."What?" replied Samson; "why, as soon as he has found the history whichhe is now searching for with extraordinary diligence, he will at oncegive it to the press, moved more by the profit that may accrue to himfrom doing so than by any thought of praise."Whereat Sancho observed, "The author looks for money and profit, does he?It will be a wonder if he succeeds, for it will be only hurry, hurry,with him, like the tailor on Easter Eve; and works done in a hurry arenever finished as perfectly as they ought to be. Let master Moor, orwhatever he is, pay attention to what he is doing, and I and my masterwill give him as much grouting ready to his hand, in the way ofadventures and accidents of all sorts, as would make up not only onesecond part, but a hundred. The good man fancies, no doubt, that we arefast asleep in the straw here, but let him hold up our feet to be shodand he will see which foot it is we go lame on. All I say is, that if mymaster would take my advice, we would be now afield, redressing outragesand righting wrongs, as is the use and custom of good knights-errant."Sancho had hardly uttered these words when the neighing of Rocinante fellupon their ears, which neighing Don Quixote accepted as a happy omen, andhe resolved to make another sally in three or four days from that time.Announcing his intention to the bachelor, he asked his advice as to thequarter in which he ought to commence his expedition, and the bachelorreplied that in his opinion he ought to go to the kingdom of Aragon, andthe city of Saragossa, where there were to be certain solemn joustings atthe festival of St. George, at which he might win renown above all theknights of Aragon, which would be winning it above all the knights of theworld. He commended his very praiseworthy and gallant resolution, butadmonished him to proceed with greater caution in encountering dangers,because his life did not belong to him, but to all those who had need ofhim to protect and aid them in their misfortunes."There's where it is, what I abominate, Senor Samson," said Sancho here;"my master will attack a hundred armed men as a greedy boy would half adozen melons. Body of the world, senor bachelor! there is a time toattack and a time to retreat, and it is not to be always 'Santiago, andclose Spain!' Moreover, I have heard it said (and I think by my masterhimself, if I remember rightly) that the mean of valour lies between theextremes of cowardice and rashness; and if that be so, I don't want himto fly without having good reason, or to attack when the odds make itbetter not. But, above all things, I warn my master that if he is to takeme with him it must be on the condition that he is to do all thefighting, and that I am not to be called upon to do anything except whatconcerns keeping him clean and comfortable; in this I will danceattendance on him readily; but to expect me to draw sword, even againstrascally churls of the hatchet and hood, is idle. I don't set up to be afighting man, Senor Samson, but only the best and most loyal squire thatever served knight-errant; and if my master Don Quixote, in considerationof my many faithful services, is pleased to give me some island of themany his worship says one may stumble on in these parts, I will take itas a great favour; and if he does not give it to me, I was born likeeveryone else, and a man must not live in dependence on anyone exceptGod; and what is more, my bread will taste as well, and perhaps evenbetter, without a government than if I were a governor; and how do I knowbut that in these governments the devil may have prepared some trip forme, to make me lose my footing and fall and knock my grinders out? SanchoI was born and Sancho I mean to die. But for all that, if heaven were tomake me a fair offer of an island or something else of the kind, withoutmuch trouble and without much risk, I am not such a fool as to refuse it;for they say, too, 'when they offer thee a heifer, run with a halter; and'when good luck comes to thee, take it in.'""Brother Sancho," said Carrasco, "you have spoken like a professor; but,for all that, put your trust in God and in Senor Don Quixote, for he willgive you a kingdom, not to say an island.""It is all the same, be it more or be it less," replied Sancho; "though Ican tell Senor Carrasco that my master would not throw the kingdom hemight give me into a sack all in holes; for I have felt my own pulse andI find myself sound enough to rule kingdoms and govern islands; and Ihave before now told my master as much.""Take care, Sancho," said Samson; "honours change manners, and perhapswhen you find yourself a governor you won't know the mother that boreyou.""That may hold good of those that are born in the ditches," said Sancho,"not of those who have the fat of an old Christian four fingers deep ontheir souls, as I have. Nay, only look at my disposition, is that likelyto show ingratitude to anyone?""God grant it," said Don Quixote; "we shall see when the governmentcomes; and I seem to see it already."He then begged the bachelor, if he were a poet, to do him the favour ofcomposing some verses for him conveying the farewell he meant to take ofhis lady Dulcinea del Toboso, and to see that a letter of her name wasplaced at the beginning of each line, so that, at the end of the verses,"Dulcinea del Toboso" might be read by putting together the firstletters. The bachelor replied that although he was not one of the famouspoets of Spain, who were, they said, only three and a half, he would notfail to compose the required verses; though he saw a great difficulty inthe task, as the letters which made up the name were seventeen; so, if hemade four ballad stanzas of four lines each, there would be a letterover, and if he made them of five, what they called decimas orredondillas, there were three letters short; nevertheless he would try todrop a letter as well as he could, so that the name "Dulcinea del Toboso"might be got into four ballad stanzas."It must be, by some means or other," said Don Quixote, "for unless thename stands there plain and manifest, no woman would believe the verseswere made for her."They agreed upon this, and that the departure should take place in threedays from that time. Don Quixote charged the bachelor to keep it asecret, especially from the curate and Master Nicholas, and from hisniece and the housekeeper, lest they should prevent the execution of hispraiseworthy and valiant purpose. Carrasco promised all, and then tookhis leave, charging Don Quixote to inform him of his good or evilfortunes whenever he had an opportunity; and thus they bade each otherfarewell, and Sancho went away to make the necessary preparations fortheir expedition.