PART II - CHAPTER LVIII.

by Miguel de Cervantes

  WHICH TELLS HOW ADVENTURES CAME CROWDING ON DON QUIXOTE IN SUCH NUMBERSTHAT THEY GAVE ONE ANOTHER NO BREATHING-TIMEWhen Don Quixote saw himself in open country, free, and relieved from theattentions of Altisidora, he felt at his ease, and in fresh spirits totake up the pursuit of chivalry once more; and turning to Sancho he said,"Freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that heaven hasbestowed upon men; no treasures that the earth holds buried or the seaconceals can compare with it; for freedom, as for honour, life may andshould be ventured; and on the other hand, captivity is the greatest evilthat can fall to the lot of man. I say this, Sancho, because thou hastseen the good cheer, the abundance we have enjoyed in this castle we areleaving; well then, amid those dainty banquets and snow-cooled beveragesI felt as though I were undergoing the straits of hunger, because I didnot enjoy them with the same freedom as if they had been mine own; forthe sense of being under an obligation to return benefits and favoursreceived is a restraint that checks the independence of the spirit. Happyhe, to whom heaven has given a piece of bread for which he is not boundto give thanks to any but heaven itself!""For all your worship says," said Sancho, "it is not becoming that thereshould be no thanks on our part for two hundred gold crowns that theduke's majordomo has given me in a little purse which I carry next myheart, like a warming plaster or comforter, to meet any chance calls; forwe shan't always find castles where they'll entertain us; now and then wemay light upon roadside inns where they'll cudgel us."In conversation of this sort the knight and squire errant were pursuingtheir journey, when, after they had gone a little more than half aleague, they perceived some dozen men dressed like labourers stretchedupon their cloaks on the grass of a green meadow eating their dinner.They had beside them what seemed to be white sheets concealing someobjects under them, standing upright or lying flat, and arranged atintervals. Don Quixote approached the diners, and, saluting themcourteously first, he asked them what it was those cloths covered."Senor," answered one of the party, "under these cloths are some imagescarved in relief intended for a retablo we are putting up in our village;we carry them covered up that they may not be soiled, and on ourshoulders that they may not be broken.""With your good leave," said Don Quixote, "I should like to see them; forimages that are carried so carefully no doubt must be fine ones.""I should think they were!" said the other; "let the money they costspeak for that; for as a matter of fact there is not one of them thatdoes not stand us in more than fifty ducats; and that your worship mayjudge; wait a moment, and you shall see with your own eyes;" and gettingup from his dinner he went and uncovered the first image, which proved tobe one of Saint George on horseback with a serpent writhing at his feetand the lance thrust down its throat with all that fierceness that isusually depicted. The whole group was one blaze of gold, as the sayingis. On seeing it Don Quixote said, "That knight was one of the bestknights-errant the army of heaven ever owned; he was called Don SaintGeorge, and he was moreover a defender of maidens. Let us see this nextone."The man uncovered it, and it was seen to be that of Saint Martin on hishorse, dividing his cloak with the beggar. The instant Don Quixote saw ithe said, "This knight too was one of the Christian adventurers, but Ibelieve he was generous rather than valiant, as thou mayest perceive,Sancho, by his dividing his cloak with the beggar and giving him half ofit; no doubt it was winter at the time, for otherwise he would have givenhim the whole of it, so charitable was he.""It was not that, most likely," said Sancho, "but that he held with theproverb that says, 'For giving and keeping there's need of brains.'"Don Quixote laughed, and asked them to take off the next cloth,underneath which was seen the image of the patron saint of the Spainsseated on horseback, his sword stained with blood, trampling on Moors andtreading heads underfoot; and on seeing it Don Quixote exclaimed, "Ay,this is a knight, and of the squadrons of Christ! This one is called DonSaint James the Moorslayer, one of the bravest saints and knights theworld ever had or heaven has now."They then raised another cloth which it appeared covered Saint Paulfalling from his horse, with all the details that are usually given inrepresentations of his conversion. When Don Quixote saw it, rendered insuch lifelike style that one would have said Christ was speaking and Paulanswering, "This," he said, "was in his time the greatest enemy that theChurch of God our Lord had, and the greatest champion it will ever have;a knight-errant in life, a steadfast saint in death, an untiring labourerin the Lord's vineyard, a teacher of the Gentiles, whose school washeaven, and whose instructor and master was Jesus Christ himself."There were no more images, so Don Quixote bade them cover them up again,and said to those who had brought them, "I take it as a happy omen,brothers, to have seen what I have; for these saints and knights were ofthe same profession as myself, which is the calling of arms; only thereis this difference between them and me, that they were saints, and foughtwith divine weapons, and I am a sinner and fight with human ones. Theywon heaven by force of arms, for heaven suffereth violence; and I, sofar, know not what I have won by dint of my sufferings; but if myDulcinea del Toboso were to be released from hers, perhaps with mendedfortunes and a mind restored to itself I might direct my steps in abetter path than I am following at present.""May God hear and sin be deaf," said Sancho to this.The men were filled with wonder, as well at the figure as at the words ofDon Quixote, though they did not understand one half of what he meant bythem. They finished their dinner, took their images on their backs, andbidding farewell to Don Quixote resumed their journey.Sancho was amazed afresh at the extent of his master's knowledge, as muchas if he had never known him, for it seemed to him that there was nostory or event in the world that he had not at his fingers' ends andfixed in his memory, and he said to him, "In truth, master mine, if thisthat has happened to us to-day is to be called an adventure, it has beenone of the sweetest and pleasantest that have befallen us in the wholecourse of our travels; we have come out of it unbelaboured andundismayed, neither have we drawn sword nor have we smitten the earthwith our bodies, nor have we been left famishing; blessed be God that hehas let me see such a thing with my own eyes!""Thou sayest well, Sancho," said Don Quixote, "but remember all times arenot alike nor do they always run the same way; and these things thevulgar commonly call omens, which are not based upon any natural reason,will by him who is wise be esteemed and reckoned happy accidents merely.One of these believers in omens will get up of a morning, leave hishouse, and meet a friar of the order of the blessed Saint Francis, and,as if he had met a griffin, he will turn about and go home. With anotherMendoza the salt is spilt on his table, and gloom is spilt over hisheart, as if nature was obliged to give warning of coming misfortunes bymeans of such trivial things as these. The wise man and the Christianshould not trifle with what it may please heaven to do. Scipio on comingto Africa stumbled as he leaped on shore; his soldiers took it as a badomen; but he, clasping the soil with his arms, exclaimed, 'Thou canst notescape me, Africa, for I hold thee tight between my arms.' Thus, Sancho,meeting those images has been to me a most happy occurrence.""I can well believe it," said Sancho; "but I wish your worship would tellme what is the reason that the Spaniards, when they are about to givebattle, in calling on that Saint James the Moorslayer, say 'Santiago andclose Spain!' Is Spain, then, open, so that it is needful to close it; orwhat is the meaning of this form?""Thou art very simple, Sancho," said Don Quixote; "God, look you, gavethat great knight of the Red Cross to Spain as her patron saint andprotector, especially in those hard struggles the Spaniards had with theMoors; and therefore they invoke and call upon him as their defender inall their battles; and in these he has been many a time seen beatingdown, trampling under foot, destroying and slaughtering the Hagarenesquadrons in the sight of all; of which fact I could give thee manyexamples recorded in truthful Spanish histories."Sancho changed the subject, and said to his master, "I marvel, senor, atthe boldness of Altisidora, the duchess's handmaid; he whom they callLove must have cruelly pierced and wounded her; they say he is a littleblind urchin who, though blear-eyed, or more properly speaking sightless,if he aims at a heart, be it ever so small, hits it and pierces itthrough and through with his arrows. I have heard it said too that thearrows of Love are blunted and robbed of their points by maidenly modestyand reserve; but with this Altisidora it seems they are sharpened ratherthan blunted.""Bear in mind, Sancho," said Don Quixote, "that love is influenced by noconsideration, recognises no restraints of reason, and is of the samenature as death, that assails alike the lofty palaces of kings and thehumble cabins of shepherds; and when it takes entire possession of aheart, the first thing it does is to banish fear and shame from it; andso without shame Altisidora declared her passion, which excited in mymind embarrassment rather than commiseration.""Notable cruelty!" exclaimed Sancho; "unheard-of ingratitude! I can onlysay for myself that the very smallest loving word of hers would havesubdued me and made a slave of me. The devil! What a heart of marble,what bowels of brass, what a soul of mortar! But I can't imagine what itis that this damsel saw in your worship that could have conquered andcaptivated her so. What gallant figure was it, what bold bearing, whatsprightly grace, what comeliness of feature, which of these things byitself, or what all together, could have made her fall in love with you?For indeed and in truth many a time I stop to look at your worship fromthe sole of your foot to the topmost hair of your head, and I see more tofrighten one than to make one fall in love; moreover I have heard saythat beauty is the first and main thing that excites love, and as yourworship has none at all, I don't know what the poor creature fell in lovewith.""Recollect, Sancho," replied Don Quixote, "there are two sorts of beauty,one of the mind, the other of the body; that of the mind displays andexhibits itself in intelligence, in modesty, in honourable conduct, ingenerosity, in good breeding; and all these qualities are possible andmay exist in an ugly man; and when it is this sort of beauty and not thatof the body that is the attraction, love is apt to spring up suddenly andviolently. I, Sancho, perceive clearly enough that I am not beautiful,but at the same time I know I am not hideous; and it is enough for anhonest man not to be a monster to be an object of love, if only hepossesses the endowments of mind I have mentioned."While engaged in this discourse they were making their way through a woodthat lay beyond the road, when suddenly, without expecting anything ofthe kind, Don Quixote found himself caught in some nets of green cordstretched from one tree to another; and unable to conceive what it couldbe, he said to Sancho, "Sancho, it strikes me this affair of these netswill prove one of the strangest adventures imaginable. May I die if theenchanters that persecute me are not trying to entangle me in them anddelay my journey, by way of revenge for my obduracy towards Altisidora.Well then let me tell them that if these nets, instead of being greencord, were made of the hardest diamonds, or stronger than that wherewiththe jealous god of blacksmiths enmeshed Venus and Mars, I would breakthem as easily as if they were made of rushes or cotton threads." Butjust as he was about to press forward and break through all, suddenlyfrom among some trees two shepherdesses of surpassing beauty presentedthemselves to his sight--or at least damsels dressed like shepherdesses,save that their jerkins and sayas were of fine brocade; that is to say,the sayas were rich farthingales of gold embroidered tabby. Their hair,that in its golden brightness vied with the beams of the sun itself, fellloose upon their shoulders and was crowned with garlands twined withgreen laurel and red everlasting; and their years to all appearance werenot under fifteen nor above eighteen.Such was the spectacle that filled Sancho with amazement, fascinated DonQuixote, made the sun halt in his course to behold them, and held allfour in a strange silence. One of the shepherdesses, at length, was thefirst to speak and said to Don Quixote, "Hold, sir knight, and do notbreak these nets; for they are not spread here to do you any harm, butonly for our amusement; and as I know you will ask why they have been putup, and who we are, I will tell you in a few words. In a village some twoleagues from this, where there are many people of quality and richgentlefolk, it was agreed upon by a number of friends and relations tocome with their wives, sons and daughters, neighbours, friends andkinsmen, and make holiday in this spot, which is one of the pleasantestin the whole neighbourhood, setting up a new pastoral Arcadia amongourselves, we maidens dressing ourselves as shepherdesses and the youthsas shepherds. We have prepared two eclogues, one by the famous poetGarcilasso, the other by the most excellent Camoens, in its ownPortuguese tongue, but we have not as yet acted them. Yesterday was thefirst day of our coming here; we have a few of what they say are calledfield-tents pitched among the trees on the bank of an ample brook thatfertilises all these meadows; last night we spread these nets in thetrees here to snare the silly little birds that startled by the noise wemake may fly into them. If you please to be our guest, senor, you will bewelcomed heartily and courteously, for here just now neither care norsorrow shall enter."She held her peace and said no more, and Don Quixote made answer, "Of atruth, fairest lady, Actaeon when he unexpectedly beheld Diana bathing inthe stream could not have been more fascinated and wonderstruck than I atthe sight of your beauty. I commend your mode of entertainment, and thankyou for the kindness of your invitation; and if I can serve you, you maycommand me with full confidence of being obeyed, for my profession isnone other than to show myself grateful, and ready to serve persons ofall conditions, but especially persons of quality such as your appearanceindicates; and if, instead of taking up, as they probably do, but a smallspace, these nets took up the whole surface of the globe, I would seekout new worlds through which to pass, so as not to break them; and thatye may give some degree of credence to this exaggerated language of mine,know that it is no less than Don Quixote of La Mancha that makes thisdeclaration to you, if indeed it be that such a name has reached yourears.""Ah! friend of my soul," instantly exclaimed the other shepherdess, "whatgreat good fortune has befallen us! Seest thou this gentleman we havebefore us? Well then let me tell thee he is the most valiant and the mostdevoted and the most courteous gentleman in all the world, unless ahistory of his achievements that has been printed and I have read istelling lies and deceiving us. I will lay a wager that this good fellowwho is with him is one Sancho Panza his squire, whose drolleries none canequal.""That's true," said Sancho; "I am that same droll and squire you speakof, and this gentleman is my master Don Quixote of La Mancha, the samethat's in the history and that they talk about.""Oh, my friend," said the other, "let us entreat him to stay; for it willgive our fathers and brothers infinite pleasure; I too have heard justwhat thou hast told me of the valour of the one and the drolleries of theother; and what is more, of him they say that he is the most constant andloyal lover that was ever heard of, and that his lady is one Dulcinea delToboso, to whom all over Spain the palm of beauty is awarded.""And justly awarded," said Don Quixote, "unless, indeed, your unequalledbeauty makes it a matter of doubt. But spare yourselves the trouble,ladies, of pressing me to stay, for the urgent calls of my profession donot allow me to take rest under any circumstances."At this instant there came up to the spot where the four stood a brotherof one of the two shepherdesses, like them in shepherd costume, and asrichly and gaily dressed as they were. They told him that their companionwas the valiant Don Quixote of La Mancha, and the other Sancho hissquire, of whom he knew already from having read their history. The gayshepherd offered him his services and begged that he would accompany himto their tents, and Don Quixote had to give way and comply. And now thegave was started, and the nets were filled with a variety of birds thatdeceived by the colour fell into the danger they were flying from.Upwards of thirty persons, all gaily attired as shepherds andshepherdesses, assembled on the spot, and were at once informed who DonQuixote and his squire were, whereat they were not a little delighted, asthey knew of him already through his history. They repaired to the tents,where they found tables laid out, and choicely, plentifully, and neatlyfurnished. They treated Don Quixote as a person of distinction, givinghim the place of honour, and all observed him, and were full ofastonishment at the spectacle. At last the cloth being removed, DonQuixote with great composure lifted up his voice and said:"One of the greatest sins that men are guilty of is--some will saypride--but I say ingratitude, going by the common saying that hell isfull of ingrates. This sin, so far as it has lain in my power, I haveendeavoured to avoid ever since I have enjoyed the faculty of reason; andif I am unable to requite good deeds that have been done me by otherdeeds, I substitute the desire to do so; and if that be not enough I makethem known publicly; for he who declares and makes known the good deedsdone to him would repay them by others if it were in his power, and forthe most part those who receive are the inferiors of those who give.Thus, God is superior to all because he is the supreme giver, and theofferings of man fall short by an infinite distance of being a fullreturn for the gifts of God; but gratitude in some degree makes up forthis deficiency and shortcoming. I therefore, grateful for the favourthat has been extended to me here, and unable to make a return in thesame measure, restricted as I am by the narrow limits of my power, offerwhat I can and what I have to offer in my own way; and so I declare thatfor two full days I will maintain in the middle of this highway leadingto Saragossa, that these ladies disguised as shepherdesses, who are herepresent, are the fairest and most courteous maidens in the world,excepting only the peerless Dulcinea del Toboso, sole mistress of mythoughts, be it said without offence to those who hear me, ladies andgentlemen."On hearing this Sancho, who had been listening with great attention,cried out in a loud voice, "Is it possible there is anyone in the worldwho will dare to say and swear that this master of mine is a madman? Say,gentlemen shepherds, is there a village priest, be he ever so wise orlearned, who could say what my master has said; or is thereknight-errant, whatever renown he may have as a man of valour, that couldoffer what my master has offered now?"Don Quixote turned upon Sancho, and with a countenance glowing with angersaid to him, "Is it possible, Sancho, there is anyone in the whole worldwho will say thou art not a fool, with a lining to match, and I know notwhat trimmings of impertinence and roguery? Who asked thee to meddle inmy affairs, or to inquire whether I am a wise man or a blockhead? Holdthy peace; answer me not a word; saddle Rocinante if he be unsaddled; andlet us go to put my offer into execution; for with the right that I haveon my side thou mayest reckon as vanquished all who shall venture toquestion it;" and in a great rage, and showing his anger plainly, he rosefrom his seat, leaving the company lost in wonder, and making them feeldoubtful whether they ought to regard him as a madman or a rationalbeing. In the end, though they sought to dissuade him from involvinghimself in such a challenge, assuring him they admitted his gratitude asfully established, and needed no fresh proofs to be convinced of hisvaliant spirit, as those related in the history of his exploits weresufficient, still Don Quixote persisted in his resolve; and mounted onRocinante, bracing his buckler on his arm and grasping his lance, heposted himself in the middle of a high road that was not far from thegreen meadow. Sancho followed on Dapple, together with all the members ofthe pastoral gathering, eager to see what would be the upshot of hisvainglorious and extraordinary proposal.Don Quixote, then, having, as has been said, planted himself in themiddle of the road, made the welkin ring with words to this effect: "Hoye travellers and wayfarers, knights, squires, folk on foot or onhorseback, who pass this way or shall pass in the course of the next twodays! Know that Don Quixote of La Mancha, knight-errant, is posted hereto maintain by arms that the beauty and courtesy enshrined in the nymphsthat dwell in these meadows and groves surpass all upon earth, puttingaside the lady of my heart, Dulcinea del Toboso. Wherefore, let him whois of the opposite opinion come on, for here I await him."Twice he repeated the same words, and twice they fell unheard by anyadventurer; but fate, that was guiding affairs for him from better tobetter, so ordered it that shortly afterwards there appeared on the roada crowd of men on horseback, many of them with lances in their hands, allriding in a compact body and in great haste. No sooner had those who werewith Don Quixote seen them than they turned about and withdrew to somedistance from the road, for they knew that if they stayed some harm mightcome to them; but Don Quixote with intrepid heart stood his ground, andSancho Panza shielded himself with Rocinante's hind-quarters. The troopof lancers came up, and one of them who was in advance began shouting toDon Quixote, "Get out of the way, you son of the devil, or these bullswill knock you to pieces!""Rabble!" returned Don Quixote, "I care nothing for bulls, be they thefiercest Jarama breeds on its banks. Confess at once, scoundrels, thatwhat I have declared is true; else ye have to deal with me in combat."The herdsman had no time to reply, nor Don Quixote to get out of the wayeven if he wished; and so the drove of fierce bulls and tame bullocks,together with the crowd of herdsmen and others who were taking them to bepenned up in a village where they were to be run the next day, passedover Don Quixote and over Sancho, Rocinante and Dapple, hurling them allto the earth and rolling them over on the ground. Sancho was leftcrushed, Don Quixote scared, Dapple belaboured and Rocinante in no verysound condition.They all got up, however, at length, and Don Quixote in great haste,stumbling here and falling there, started off running after the drove,shouting out, "Hold! stay! ye rascally rabble, a single knight awaitsyou, and he is not of the temper or opinion of those who say, 'For aflying enemy make a bridge of silver.'" The retreating party in theirhaste, however, did not stop for that, or heed his menaces any more thanlast year's clouds. Weariness brought Don Quixote to a halt, and moreenraged than avenged he sat down on the road to wait until Sancho,Rocinante and Dapple came up. When they reached him master and manmounted once more, and without going back to bid farewell to the mock orimitation Arcadia, and more in humiliation than contentment, theycontinued their journey.


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