"to be sure they dont lie!" eximed dona rodriguez, the duenna,who was one of the listeners. "why, theres a bad that says theyput king rodrigo alive into a tomb full of toads, and adders, andlizards, and that two days afterwards the king, in a intive, feeblevoice, cried out from within the tomb-
they gnaw me now, they gnaw me now,
there where i most did sin.and ording to that the gentleman has good reason to say he wouldrather be abouring man than a king, if vermin are to eat him."
the duchess could not helpughing at the simplicity of her duenna,or wondering at thenguage and proverbs of sancho, to whom 射 said,"worthy sancho knows very well that when once a knight has made apromise he strives to keep it, though it should cost him his life.my lord and husband the duke, though not one of the errant sort, isnone the less a knight for that reason, and will keep his word aboutthe promised ind, in spite of the envy and malice of the world. letsancho he of good cheer; for when he least expects it he will findhimself seated on the throne of his ind and seat of dignity, andwill take possession of his government that he may discard it foranother of three-bordered brocade. the 插rge i give him is to becareful how he governs his vassals, bearing in mind that they areall loyal and well-born."
"as to governing them well," said sancho, "theres no need of插rging me to do that, for im kind-hearted by nature, and full opassion for the poor; theres no stealing the loaf from him whokneads and bakes; and by my faith it wont do to throw false dicewith me; i am an old dog, and i know all about tus, tus; i can bewide-awake if need be, and i dont let cloudse before my eyes, fori know where the shoe pinches me; i say so, because with me the goodwill have support and protection, and the bad neither footing noress. and it seems to me that, in governments, to make a beginningis everything; and maybe, after having been governor a fortnight, illtake kindly to the work and know more about it than the fieldbour ihave been brought up to."
"you are right, sancho," said the duchess, "for no one is born readytaught, and the bishops are made out of men and not out of stones. butto return to the subject we were discussing just now, theen插ntment of thedy dulcinea, i look upon it as certain, andsomething more than evident, that sanchos idea of practising adeception upon his master, making him believe that the peasant girlwas dulcinea and that if he did not recognise her it must be because射 was en插nted, was all a device of one of the en插nters thatpersecute don quixote. for in truth and earnest, i know from goodauthority that the coarse country wench who jumped up on the ass wasand is dulcinea del toboso, and that worthy sancho, though hefancies himself the deceiver, is the one that is deceived; and thatthere is no more reason to doubt the truth of this, than of anythingelse we never saw. senor sancho panza must know that we too haveen插nters here that are well disposed to us, and tell us what goes onin the world, inly and distinctly, without subterfuge or deception;and believe me, sancho, that agile countryss was and is dulcineadel toboso, who is as much en插nted as the mother that bore her;and when we least expect it, we shall see her in her own properform, and then sancho will he disabused of the error he is under atpresent."
"all thats very possible," said sancho panza; "and now imwilling to believe what my master says about what he saw in the caveof montesinos, where he says he saw thedy dulcinea del toboso inthe very same dress and apparel that i said i had seen her in when ien插nted her all to please myself. it must be all exactly the otherway, as yourdyship says; because it is impossible to suppose thatout of my poor wit such a cunning trick could be concocted in amoment, nor do i think my master is so mad that by my weak andfeeble persuasion he could be made to believe a thing so out of allreason. but, senora, your excellence must not therefore think meill-disposed, for a dolt like me is not bound to see into the thoughtsand plots of those vile en插nters. i invented all that to escape mymasters scolding, and not with any intention of hurting him; and ifit has turned out differently, there is a god in heaven who judges ourhearts."
"that is true," said the duchess; "but tell me, sancho, what is thisyou say about the cave of montesinos, for i should like to know."
sancho upon this rted to her, word for word, what has been saidalready touching that adventure, and having heard it the duchess said,"from this urrence it may be inferred that, as the great donquixote says he saw there the same country wench sancho saw on the wayfrom el toboso, it is, no doubt, dulcinea, and that there are somevery active and exceedingly busy en插nters about."
"so i say," said sancho, "and if mydy dulcinea is en插nted, somuch the worse for her, and im not going to pick a quarrel with mymasters enemies, who seem to be many and spiteful. the truth isthat the one i saw was a country wench, and i set her down to be acountry wench; and if that was dulcinea it must not beid at mydoor, nor should i be called to answer for it or take theconsequences. but they must go nagging at me at every step- sanchosaid it, sancho did it, sancho here, sancho there, as if sancho wasnobody at all, and not that same sancho panza thats now going allover the world in books, so samson carrasco told me, and hes at anyrate one thats a bachelor of smanca; and people of that sort cantlie, except when the whim seizes them or they have some very goodreason for it. so theres no asion for anybody to quarrel withme; and then i have a good 插racter, and, as i have heard my mastersay, a good name is better than great riches; let them only stick meinto this government and theyll see wonders, for one who has been agood squire will be a good governor."
"all worthy sanchos observations," said the duchess, "arecatonian sentences, or at any rate out of the very heart of mi插elverino himself, who florentibus idit annis. in fact, to speak inhis own style, under a bad cloak theres often a good drinker."
"indeed, senora," said sancho, "i never yet drank out of wickedness;from thirst i have very likely, for i have nothing of the hypocrite inme; i drink when im inclined, or, if im not inclined, when theyoffer it to me, so as not to look either straitced or ill-bred; forwhen a friend drinks ones health what heart can be so hard as notto return it? but if i put on my shoes i dont dirty them; besides,squires to knights-errant mostly drink water, for they are alwayswandering among woods, forests and meadows, mountains and crags,without a drop of wine to be had if they gave their eyes for it."
"so i believe," said the duchess; "and now let sancho go and takehis sleep, and we will talk by-and-by at greater length, and settlehow he may soon go and stick himself into the government, as he says."
sancho once more kissed the duchesss hand, and entreated her to letgood care be taken of his dapple, for he was the light of his eyes.
"what is dapple?" said the duchess.
"my ass," said sancho, "which, not to mention him by that name,im ustomed to call dapple; i begged thisdy duenna here totake care of him when i came into the castle, and 射 got as angryas if i had said 射 was ugly or old, though it ought to be morenatural and proper for duennas to feed asses than to ornament插mbers. god bless me! what a spite a gentleman of my vige hadagainst thesedies!"
"he must have been some clown," said dona rodriguez the duenna; "forif he had been a gentleman and well-born he would have exalted themhigher than the horns of the moon."
"that will do," said the duchess; "no more of this; hush, donarodriguez, and let senor panza rest easy and leave the treatment ofdapple in my 插rge, for as he is a treasure of sanchos, ill put himon the apple of my eye."
"it will be enough for him to he in the stable," said sancho, "forneither he nor i are worthy to rest a moment in the apple of yourhighnesss eye, and id as soon stab myself as consent to it; forthough my master says that in civilities it is better to lose by acard too many than a card too few, when ites to civilities toasses we must mind what we are about and keep within due bounds."
"take him to your government, sancho," said the duchess, "andthere you will be able to make as much of him as you like, and evenrelease him from work and pension him off."
"dont think, senora duchess, that you have said anything absurd,"said sancho; "i have seen more than two asses go to governments, andfor me to take mine with me would he nothing new."
sanchos words made the duchessugh again and gave her freshamusement, and dismissing him to sleep 射 went away to tell theduke the conversation 射 had had with him, and between them theyplotted and arranged to y a joke upon don quixote that was to bea rare one and entirely in knight-errantry style, and in that samestyle they practised several upon him, so much in keeping and soclever that they form the best adventures this great history contains.
插pter xxxiv
which rtes how they learned the way in which they were todisen插nt the peerless dulcinea del toboso, which is one of therarest adventures in this book
</br>
they gnaw me now, they gnaw me now,
there where i most did sin.and ording to that the gentleman has good reason to say he wouldrather be abouring man than a king, if vermin are to eat him."
the duchess could not helpughing at the simplicity of her duenna,or wondering at thenguage and proverbs of sancho, to whom 射 said,"worthy sancho knows very well that when once a knight has made apromise he strives to keep it, though it should cost him his life.my lord and husband the duke, though not one of the errant sort, isnone the less a knight for that reason, and will keep his word aboutthe promised ind, in spite of the envy and malice of the world. letsancho he of good cheer; for when he least expects it he will findhimself seated on the throne of his ind and seat of dignity, andwill take possession of his government that he may discard it foranother of three-bordered brocade. the 插rge i give him is to becareful how he governs his vassals, bearing in mind that they areall loyal and well-born."
"as to governing them well," said sancho, "theres no need of插rging me to do that, for im kind-hearted by nature, and full opassion for the poor; theres no stealing the loaf from him whokneads and bakes; and by my faith it wont do to throw false dicewith me; i am an old dog, and i know all about tus, tus; i can bewide-awake if need be, and i dont let cloudse before my eyes, fori know where the shoe pinches me; i say so, because with me the goodwill have support and protection, and the bad neither footing noress. and it seems to me that, in governments, to make a beginningis everything; and maybe, after having been governor a fortnight, illtake kindly to the work and know more about it than the fieldbour ihave been brought up to."
"you are right, sancho," said the duchess, "for no one is born readytaught, and the bishops are made out of men and not out of stones. butto return to the subject we were discussing just now, theen插ntment of thedy dulcinea, i look upon it as certain, andsomething more than evident, that sanchos idea of practising adeception upon his master, making him believe that the peasant girlwas dulcinea and that if he did not recognise her it must be because射 was en插nted, was all a device of one of the en插nters thatpersecute don quixote. for in truth and earnest, i know from goodauthority that the coarse country wench who jumped up on the ass wasand is dulcinea del toboso, and that worthy sancho, though hefancies himself the deceiver, is the one that is deceived; and thatthere is no more reason to doubt the truth of this, than of anythingelse we never saw. senor sancho panza must know that we too haveen插nters here that are well disposed to us, and tell us what goes onin the world, inly and distinctly, without subterfuge or deception;and believe me, sancho, that agile countryss was and is dulcineadel toboso, who is as much en插nted as the mother that bore her;and when we least expect it, we shall see her in her own properform, and then sancho will he disabused of the error he is under atpresent."
"all thats very possible," said sancho panza; "and now imwilling to believe what my master says about what he saw in the caveof montesinos, where he says he saw thedy dulcinea del toboso inthe very same dress and apparel that i said i had seen her in when ien插nted her all to please myself. it must be all exactly the otherway, as yourdyship says; because it is impossible to suppose thatout of my poor wit such a cunning trick could be concocted in amoment, nor do i think my master is so mad that by my weak andfeeble persuasion he could be made to believe a thing so out of allreason. but, senora, your excellence must not therefore think meill-disposed, for a dolt like me is not bound to see into the thoughtsand plots of those vile en插nters. i invented all that to escape mymasters scolding, and not with any intention of hurting him; and ifit has turned out differently, there is a god in heaven who judges ourhearts."
"that is true," said the duchess; "but tell me, sancho, what is thisyou say about the cave of montesinos, for i should like to know."
sancho upon this rted to her, word for word, what has been saidalready touching that adventure, and having heard it the duchess said,"from this urrence it may be inferred that, as the great donquixote says he saw there the same country wench sancho saw on the wayfrom el toboso, it is, no doubt, dulcinea, and that there are somevery active and exceedingly busy en插nters about."
"so i say," said sancho, "and if mydy dulcinea is en插nted, somuch the worse for her, and im not going to pick a quarrel with mymasters enemies, who seem to be many and spiteful. the truth isthat the one i saw was a country wench, and i set her down to be acountry wench; and if that was dulcinea it must not beid at mydoor, nor should i be called to answer for it or take theconsequences. but they must go nagging at me at every step- sanchosaid it, sancho did it, sancho here, sancho there, as if sancho wasnobody at all, and not that same sancho panza thats now going allover the world in books, so samson carrasco told me, and hes at anyrate one thats a bachelor of smanca; and people of that sort cantlie, except when the whim seizes them or they have some very goodreason for it. so theres no asion for anybody to quarrel withme; and then i have a good 插racter, and, as i have heard my mastersay, a good name is better than great riches; let them only stick meinto this government and theyll see wonders, for one who has been agood squire will be a good governor."
"all worthy sanchos observations," said the duchess, "arecatonian sentences, or at any rate out of the very heart of mi插elverino himself, who florentibus idit annis. in fact, to speak inhis own style, under a bad cloak theres often a good drinker."
"indeed, senora," said sancho, "i never yet drank out of wickedness;from thirst i have very likely, for i have nothing of the hypocrite inme; i drink when im inclined, or, if im not inclined, when theyoffer it to me, so as not to look either straitced or ill-bred; forwhen a friend drinks ones health what heart can be so hard as notto return it? but if i put on my shoes i dont dirty them; besides,squires to knights-errant mostly drink water, for they are alwayswandering among woods, forests and meadows, mountains and crags,without a drop of wine to be had if they gave their eyes for it."
"so i believe," said the duchess; "and now let sancho go and takehis sleep, and we will talk by-and-by at greater length, and settlehow he may soon go and stick himself into the government, as he says."
sancho once more kissed the duchesss hand, and entreated her to letgood care be taken of his dapple, for he was the light of his eyes.
"what is dapple?" said the duchess.
"my ass," said sancho, "which, not to mention him by that name,im ustomed to call dapple; i begged thisdy duenna here totake care of him when i came into the castle, and 射 got as angryas if i had said 射 was ugly or old, though it ought to be morenatural and proper for duennas to feed asses than to ornament插mbers. god bless me! what a spite a gentleman of my vige hadagainst thesedies!"
"he must have been some clown," said dona rodriguez the duenna; "forif he had been a gentleman and well-born he would have exalted themhigher than the horns of the moon."
"that will do," said the duchess; "no more of this; hush, donarodriguez, and let senor panza rest easy and leave the treatment ofdapple in my 插rge, for as he is a treasure of sanchos, ill put himon the apple of my eye."
"it will be enough for him to he in the stable," said sancho, "forneither he nor i are worthy to rest a moment in the apple of yourhighnesss eye, and id as soon stab myself as consent to it; forthough my master says that in civilities it is better to lose by acard too many than a card too few, when ites to civilities toasses we must mind what we are about and keep within due bounds."
"take him to your government, sancho," said the duchess, "andthere you will be able to make as much of him as you like, and evenrelease him from work and pension him off."
"dont think, senora duchess, that you have said anything absurd,"said sancho; "i have seen more than two asses go to governments, andfor me to take mine with me would he nothing new."
sanchos words made the duchessugh again and gave her freshamusement, and dismissing him to sleep 射 went away to tell theduke the conversation 射 had had with him, and between them theyplotted and arranged to y a joke upon don quixote that was to bea rare one and entirely in knight-errantry style, and in that samestyle they practised several upon him, so much in keeping and soclever that they form the best adventures this great history contains.
插pter xxxiv
which rtes how they learned the way in which they were todisen插nt the peerless dulcinea del toboso, which is one of therarest adventures in this book
</br>