"god grant i may see thee dumb before i die, sancho," said donquixote.
"at the rate we are going," said sancho, "ill be chewing ybefore your worship dies; and then, maybe, ill be so dumb that illnot say a word until the end of the world, or, at least, till theday of judgment."
"even should that happen, o sancho," said don quixote, "thysilence will nevere up to all thou hast talked, art talking, andwilt talk all thy life; moreover, it naturally stands to reason,that my death wille before thine; so i never expect to see theedumb, not even when thou art drinking or sleeping, and that is theutmost i can say."
"in good faith, senor," replied sancho, "theres no trusting thatfleshless one, i mean death, who devours themb as soon as the射ep, and, as i have heard our curate say, treads with equal footupon the lofty towers of kings and the lowly huts of the poor. thady is more mighty than dainty, 射 is no way squeamish, 射devours all and is ready for all, and fills her alforjas with peopleof all sorts, ages, and ranks. 射 is no reaper that sleeps out thenoontide; at all times 射 is reaping and cutting down, as well thedry grass as the green; 射 never seems to chew, but bolts andswallows all that is put before her, for 射 has a canine appetitethat is never satisfied; and though 射 has no belly, 射 shows 射has a dropsy and is athirst to drink the lives of all that live, asone would drink a jug of cold water."
"say no more, sancho," said don quixote at this; "dont try tobetter it, and risk a fall; for in truth what thou hast said aboutdeath in thy rustic phrase is what a good preacher might have said.i tell thee, sancho, if thou hadst discretion equal to thy mother wit,thou mightst take a pulpit in hand, and go about the world preachingfine sermons." "he preaches well who lives well," said sancho, "andi know no more theology than that."
"nor needst thou," said don quixote, "but i cannot conceive ormake out how it is that, the fear of god being the beginning ofwisdom, thou, who art more afraid of a lizard than of him, knowestso much."
"pass judgment on your chivalries, senor," returned sancho, "anddont set yourself up to judge of other mens fears or braveries,for i am as good a fearer of god as my neighbours; but leave me todespatch these skimmings, for all the rest is only idle talk that weshall be called to ount for in the other world;" and so saying,he began a fresh attack on the bucket, with such a hearty appetitethat he aroused don quixotes, who no doubt would have helped himhad he not been prevented by what must be told farther on.
插pter xxi
in which camachos wedding is continued, with other delightfulincidents
while don quixote and sancho were engaged in the discussion setforth thest 插pter, they heard loud shouts and a great noise,which were uttered and made by the men on the mares as they went atfull gallop, shouting, to receive the bride and bridegroom, who wereapproaching with musical instruments and pageantry of all sorts aroundthem, and apanied by the priest and the rtives of both, and allthe most distingui射d people of the surrounding viges. when sanchosaw the bride, he eximed, "by my faith, 射 is not dressed like acountry girl, but like some fine courtdy; egad, as well as i canmake out, the patena 射 wears rich coral, and her green cuencastuff is thirty-pile velvet; and then the white linen trimming- bymy oath, but its satin! look at her hands- jet rings on them! may inever have luck if theyre not gold rings, and real gold, and set withpearls as white as a curdled milk, and every one of them worth aneye of ones head! whoreson baggage, what hair 射 has! if its nota wig, i never saw longer or fairer all the days of my life. see howbravely 射 bears herself- and her shape! wouldnt you say 射 waslike a walking palm tree loaded with clusters of dates? for thetrinkets 射 has hanging from her hair and neck look just like them. iswear in my heart 射 is a bravess, and fit to pass over the banksof nders."
don quixoteughed at sanchos boorish eulogies and thought that,saving hisdy dulcinea del toboso, he had never seen a morebeautiful woman. the fair quiteria appeared somewhat pale, whichwas, no doubt, because of the bad night brides always pass dressingthemselves out for their wedding on the morrow. they advancedtowards a theatre that stood on one side of the meadow decked withcarpets and boughs, where they were to plight their troth, and fromwhich they were to behold the dances and ys; but at the moment oftheir arrival at the spot they heard a loud outcry behind them, anda voice eximing, "wait a little, ye, as inconsiderate as ye arehasty!" at these words all turned round, and perceived that thespeaker was a man d in what seemed to be a loose ck coatgarni射d with crimson patches like mes. he was crowned （as waspresently seen） with a crown of gloomy cypress, and in his hand heheld a long staff. as he approached he was recognised by everyone asthe gay basilio, and all waited anxiously to see what woulde ofhis words, in dread of some catastrophe in consequence of hisappearance at such a moment. he came up atst weary andbreathless, and nting himself in front of the bridal pair, drovehis staff, which had a steel spike at the end, into the ground, and,with a pale face and eyes fixed on quiteria, he thus addressed herin a hoarse, trembling voice:
"well dost thou know, ungrateful quiteria, that ording to theholyw we acknowledge, so long as live thou canst take no husband;nor art thou ignorant either that, in my hopes that time and my ownexertions would improve my fortunes, i have never failed to observethe respect due to thy honour; but thou, casting behind thee allthou owest to my true love, wouldst surrender what is mine toanother whose wealth serves to bring him not only good fortune butsupreme happiness; and now toplete it （not that i think hedeserves it, but inasmuch as heaven is pleased to bestow it upon him），i will, with my own hands, do away with the obstacle that mayinterfere with it, and remove myself from between you. long live therich camacho! many a happy year may he live with the ungratefulquiteria! and let the poor basilio die, basilio whose povertyclipped the wings of his happiness, and brought him to the grave!"
and so saying, he seized the staff he had driven into the ground,and leaving one half of it fixed there, showed it to be a 射aththat concealed a tolerably long rapier; and, what may he called itshilt being nted in the ground, he swiftly, coolly, and deliberatelythrew himself upon it, and in an instant the bloody point and half thesteel de appeared at his back, the unhappy man falling to the earthbathed in his blood, and transfixed by his own weapon.
his friends at once ran to his aid, filled with grief at hismisery and sad fate, and don quixote, dismounting from rocinante,hastened to support him, and took him in his arms, and found he hadnot yet ceased to breathe. they were about to draw out the rapier, butthe priest who was standing by objected to its being withdrawnbefore he had confessed him, as the instant of its withdrawal would bethat of this death. basilio, however, reviving slightly, said in aweak voice, as though in pain, "if thou wouldst consent, cruelquiteria, to give me thy hand as my bride in thisst fatal moment, imight still hope that my rashness would find pardon, as by its means iattained the bliss of being thine."
hearing this the priest bade him think of the welfare of his soulrather than of the cravings of the body, and in all earnestnessimplore gods pardon for his sins and for his rash resolve; to whichbasilio replied that he was determined not to confess unlessquiteria first gave him her hand in marriage, for that happiness woulpose his mind and give him courage to make his confession.
don quixote hearing the wounded mans entreaty, eximed aloud thatwhat basilio asked was just and reasonable, and moreover a requestthat might be easilyplied with; and that it would be as much tosenor camachos honour to receive thedy quiteria as the widow ofthe brave basilio as if he received her direct from her father.
"in this case," said he, "it will be only to say yes, and noconsequences can follow the utterance of the word, for the nuptialcouch of this marriage must be the grave."
camacho was listening to all this, perplexed and bewildered andnot knowing what to say or do; but so urgent were the entreaties ofbasilios friends, imploring him to allow quiteria to give him herhand, so that his soul, quitting this life in despair, should not belost, that they moved, nay, forced him, to say that if quiteria werewilling to give it he was satisfied, as it was only putting off thefulfillment of his wi射s for a moment. at once all assailedquiteria and pressed her, some with prayers, and others with tears,and others with persuasive arguments, to give her hand to poorbasilio; but 射, harder than marble and more unmoved than any statue,seemed unable or unwilling to utter a word, nor would 射 have givenany reply had not the priest bade her decide quickly what 射 meant todo, as basilio now had his soul at his teeth, and there was no timefor hesitation.
on this the fair quiteria, to all appearance distressed, grieved,and repentant, advanced without a word to where basilioy, hiseyes already turned in his head, his breathing short and painful,murmuring the name of quiteria between his teeth, and apparently aboutto die like a heathen and not like a christian. quiteria approachedhim, and kneeling, demanded his hand by signs without speaking.basilio opened his eyes and gazing fixedly at her, said, "oquiteria, why hast thou turnedpassionate at a moment when thpassion will serve as a dagger to rob me of life, for i have notnow the strength left either to bear the happiness thou givest me inepting me as thine, or to suppress the pain that is rapidly drawingthe dread shadow of death over my eyes? what i entreat of thee, o thoufatal star to me, is that the hand thou demandest of me and wouldstgive me, be not given out ofisance or to deceive me afresh, butthat thou confess and dere that without any constraint upon thywill thou givest it to me as to thywful husband; for it is not meetthat thou shouldst trifle with me at such a moment as this, or haverecourse to falsehoods with one who has dealt so truly by thee."
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"at the rate we are going," said sancho, "ill be chewing ybefore your worship dies; and then, maybe, ill be so dumb that illnot say a word until the end of the world, or, at least, till theday of judgment."
"even should that happen, o sancho," said don quixote, "thysilence will nevere up to all thou hast talked, art talking, andwilt talk all thy life; moreover, it naturally stands to reason,that my death wille before thine; so i never expect to see theedumb, not even when thou art drinking or sleeping, and that is theutmost i can say."
"in good faith, senor," replied sancho, "theres no trusting thatfleshless one, i mean death, who devours themb as soon as the射ep, and, as i have heard our curate say, treads with equal footupon the lofty towers of kings and the lowly huts of the poor. thady is more mighty than dainty, 射 is no way squeamish, 射devours all and is ready for all, and fills her alforjas with peopleof all sorts, ages, and ranks. 射 is no reaper that sleeps out thenoontide; at all times 射 is reaping and cutting down, as well thedry grass as the green; 射 never seems to chew, but bolts andswallows all that is put before her, for 射 has a canine appetitethat is never satisfied; and though 射 has no belly, 射 shows 射has a dropsy and is athirst to drink the lives of all that live, asone would drink a jug of cold water."
"say no more, sancho," said don quixote at this; "dont try tobetter it, and risk a fall; for in truth what thou hast said aboutdeath in thy rustic phrase is what a good preacher might have said.i tell thee, sancho, if thou hadst discretion equal to thy mother wit,thou mightst take a pulpit in hand, and go about the world preachingfine sermons." "he preaches well who lives well," said sancho, "andi know no more theology than that."
"nor needst thou," said don quixote, "but i cannot conceive ormake out how it is that, the fear of god being the beginning ofwisdom, thou, who art more afraid of a lizard than of him, knowestso much."
"pass judgment on your chivalries, senor," returned sancho, "anddont set yourself up to judge of other mens fears or braveries,for i am as good a fearer of god as my neighbours; but leave me todespatch these skimmings, for all the rest is only idle talk that weshall be called to ount for in the other world;" and so saying,he began a fresh attack on the bucket, with such a hearty appetitethat he aroused don quixotes, who no doubt would have helped himhad he not been prevented by what must be told farther on.
插pter xxi
in which camachos wedding is continued, with other delightfulincidents
while don quixote and sancho were engaged in the discussion setforth thest 插pter, they heard loud shouts and a great noise,which were uttered and made by the men on the mares as they went atfull gallop, shouting, to receive the bride and bridegroom, who wereapproaching with musical instruments and pageantry of all sorts aroundthem, and apanied by the priest and the rtives of both, and allthe most distingui射d people of the surrounding viges. when sanchosaw the bride, he eximed, "by my faith, 射 is not dressed like acountry girl, but like some fine courtdy; egad, as well as i canmake out, the patena 射 wears rich coral, and her green cuencastuff is thirty-pile velvet; and then the white linen trimming- bymy oath, but its satin! look at her hands- jet rings on them! may inever have luck if theyre not gold rings, and real gold, and set withpearls as white as a curdled milk, and every one of them worth aneye of ones head! whoreson baggage, what hair 射 has! if its nota wig, i never saw longer or fairer all the days of my life. see howbravely 射 bears herself- and her shape! wouldnt you say 射 waslike a walking palm tree loaded with clusters of dates? for thetrinkets 射 has hanging from her hair and neck look just like them. iswear in my heart 射 is a bravess, and fit to pass over the banksof nders."
don quixoteughed at sanchos boorish eulogies and thought that,saving hisdy dulcinea del toboso, he had never seen a morebeautiful woman. the fair quiteria appeared somewhat pale, whichwas, no doubt, because of the bad night brides always pass dressingthemselves out for their wedding on the morrow. they advancedtowards a theatre that stood on one side of the meadow decked withcarpets and boughs, where they were to plight their troth, and fromwhich they were to behold the dances and ys; but at the moment oftheir arrival at the spot they heard a loud outcry behind them, anda voice eximing, "wait a little, ye, as inconsiderate as ye arehasty!" at these words all turned round, and perceived that thespeaker was a man d in what seemed to be a loose ck coatgarni射d with crimson patches like mes. he was crowned （as waspresently seen） with a crown of gloomy cypress, and in his hand heheld a long staff. as he approached he was recognised by everyone asthe gay basilio, and all waited anxiously to see what woulde ofhis words, in dread of some catastrophe in consequence of hisappearance at such a moment. he came up atst weary andbreathless, and nting himself in front of the bridal pair, drovehis staff, which had a steel spike at the end, into the ground, and,with a pale face and eyes fixed on quiteria, he thus addressed herin a hoarse, trembling voice:
"well dost thou know, ungrateful quiteria, that ording to theholyw we acknowledge, so long as live thou canst take no husband;nor art thou ignorant either that, in my hopes that time and my ownexertions would improve my fortunes, i have never failed to observethe respect due to thy honour; but thou, casting behind thee allthou owest to my true love, wouldst surrender what is mine toanother whose wealth serves to bring him not only good fortune butsupreme happiness; and now toplete it （not that i think hedeserves it, but inasmuch as heaven is pleased to bestow it upon him），i will, with my own hands, do away with the obstacle that mayinterfere with it, and remove myself from between you. long live therich camacho! many a happy year may he live with the ungratefulquiteria! and let the poor basilio die, basilio whose povertyclipped the wings of his happiness, and brought him to the grave!"
and so saying, he seized the staff he had driven into the ground,and leaving one half of it fixed there, showed it to be a 射aththat concealed a tolerably long rapier; and, what may he called itshilt being nted in the ground, he swiftly, coolly, and deliberatelythrew himself upon it, and in an instant the bloody point and half thesteel de appeared at his back, the unhappy man falling to the earthbathed in his blood, and transfixed by his own weapon.
his friends at once ran to his aid, filled with grief at hismisery and sad fate, and don quixote, dismounting from rocinante,hastened to support him, and took him in his arms, and found he hadnot yet ceased to breathe. they were about to draw out the rapier, butthe priest who was standing by objected to its being withdrawnbefore he had confessed him, as the instant of its withdrawal would bethat of this death. basilio, however, reviving slightly, said in aweak voice, as though in pain, "if thou wouldst consent, cruelquiteria, to give me thy hand as my bride in thisst fatal moment, imight still hope that my rashness would find pardon, as by its means iattained the bliss of being thine."
hearing this the priest bade him think of the welfare of his soulrather than of the cravings of the body, and in all earnestnessimplore gods pardon for his sins and for his rash resolve; to whichbasilio replied that he was determined not to confess unlessquiteria first gave him her hand in marriage, for that happiness woulpose his mind and give him courage to make his confession.
don quixote hearing the wounded mans entreaty, eximed aloud thatwhat basilio asked was just and reasonable, and moreover a requestthat might be easilyplied with; and that it would be as much tosenor camachos honour to receive thedy quiteria as the widow ofthe brave basilio as if he received her direct from her father.
"in this case," said he, "it will be only to say yes, and noconsequences can follow the utterance of the word, for the nuptialcouch of this marriage must be the grave."
camacho was listening to all this, perplexed and bewildered andnot knowing what to say or do; but so urgent were the entreaties ofbasilios friends, imploring him to allow quiteria to give him herhand, so that his soul, quitting this life in despair, should not belost, that they moved, nay, forced him, to say that if quiteria werewilling to give it he was satisfied, as it was only putting off thefulfillment of his wi射s for a moment. at once all assailedquiteria and pressed her, some with prayers, and others with tears,and others with persuasive arguments, to give her hand to poorbasilio; but 射, harder than marble and more unmoved than any statue,seemed unable or unwilling to utter a word, nor would 射 have givenany reply had not the priest bade her decide quickly what 射 meant todo, as basilio now had his soul at his teeth, and there was no timefor hesitation.
on this the fair quiteria, to all appearance distressed, grieved,and repentant, advanced without a word to where basilioy, hiseyes already turned in his head, his breathing short and painful,murmuring the name of quiteria between his teeth, and apparently aboutto die like a heathen and not like a christian. quiteria approachedhim, and kneeling, demanded his hand by signs without speaking.basilio opened his eyes and gazing fixedly at her, said, "oquiteria, why hast thou turnedpassionate at a moment when thpassion will serve as a dagger to rob me of life, for i have notnow the strength left either to bear the happiness thou givest me inepting me as thine, or to suppress the pain that is rapidly drawingthe dread shadow of death over my eyes? what i entreat of thee, o thoufatal star to me, is that the hand thou demandest of me and wouldstgive me, be not given out ofisance or to deceive me afresh, butthat thou confess and dere that without any constraint upon thywill thou givest it to me as to thywful husband; for it is not meetthat thou shouldst trifle with me at such a moment as this, or haverecourse to falsehoods with one who has dealt so truly by thee."
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