There too the dove-cot stood, with its meek and innocent inmates

Murmuring ever of love; while above in the variant

breezes

Numberless noisy weathercocks rattled and sang of

mutation.

XXIX

DON QUIXOTE AND THE WINDMILLS

MIGUEL DE CERVANTES

"Don Quixote," a satire on the romances of chivalry, has been translated into every language of Europe, including Turkish. Its author, MIGUEL DE CERVANTES, was born in 1547, about twenty miles from Madrid; he died at Madrid in 1616 (the year of Shakespeare's death). His own life reads like a second tale of adventure. When the Pope and the State of Venice organized a crusade against the Turks, Cervantes volunteered as a common soldier. He served in the expedition commanded by Don John of Austria. In the battle of Lepanto he lost the use of his left arm and hand for life. On

his return to Spain he was captured and compelled to pass five years in slavery in Algiers. He was ransomed by his family. Other works of his are "Twelve Instructive or Moral Tales," "Journey to Parnassus," and "Persiles and Sigismunda."

In a certain village in Spain, there lived one of those old-fashioned gentlemen who are never without a lance

upon a rack, an old target, a lean horse, and a greyhound. His diet consisted more of beef than mutton; and, with minced meat on most nights, lentils on Fridays and a pigeon extraordinary on Sundays, he consumed three-quarters of his revenue. The rest was laid out in a plush coat, velvet breeches, with slippers of the same, for holidays; and a suit of the very best homespun cloth, which he bestowed on himself for working-days. He was nigh fifty years of age, of a hale and strong complexion, lean-bodied and thinfaced, an early riser, and fond of hunting.

Be it known, then, that when our gentleman had nothing to do (which was almost all the year round), he passed his time in reading books of knight errantry, which he did with that application and delight that at last he in a manner wholly left off his country sports, and even the care of his estate.

In fine, he gave himself up so wholly to the reading of romances, that at night he would pore on until day, and would read all day until it was night; and thus a world of extraordinary notions was crowded into his head.

Having thus confused his understanding, he unluckily stumbled upon the oddest fancy that ever entered into a madman's brain; for now he thought it convenient and necessary, as well for the increase of his own honor, as for the service of the public, to turn knighterrant, and roam about the whole world, armed capa-pie, and mounted on his steed, in quest of adventures;

lentils: the seed of a plant common in the fields of Europe, used on the Continent as food. cap-a-pie: from head to foot.

that thus imitating those knight-errants of whom he had read, and following their course of life, redressing all manner of grievances, and exposing himself to danger on all occasions, at last, after a happy conclusion of his enterprises, he might purchase everlasting honor and renown.

The first thing he did was to scour a suit of armor that had belonged to his great grandfather, and had lain time out of mind carelessly rusting in a corner; but when he had cleaned and repaired it as well as he could, he perceived there was a material piece wanting: for, instead of a complete helmet, there was only a single headpiece. However, his industry supplied that defect; for with some pasteboard he made a kind of half-beaver, or vizor, which, being fitted to the headpiece, made it look like an entire helmet. Then, to know whether it were cutlass-proof, he drew his sword, and tried its edge upon the pasteboard vizor; but with the very first stroke he unluckily undid in a moment what he had been a whole week in doing. He did not like its being broken with so much ease, and therefore to secure it from the like accident, he made it anew, and fenced it with thin plates of iron, which he fixed on the inside of it so artfully that at last he had reason to be satisfied with the solidity of the work; and so without any further experiment, he resolved it should pass to all intents and purposes for a full and sufficient helmet.

The next morning he went to view his horse, whose bones stuck out all over him. He was four days considering what name to give him; for, as he argued with

himself, there was no reason that a horse bestrid by so famous a knight, and withal so excellent in himself, should not be distinguished by a particular name; so, after many names which he devised, rejected, changed, liked, disliked, and pitched upon again, he concluded to call him Rozinante.

These preparations being made, he found his designs ripe for action, and thought it a crime to deny himself any longer to the injured world that wanted such a deliverer. So one morning before day, in the greatest heat of July, without acquainting any one with his design, with all the secrecy imaginable, he armed himself, laced on his ill-contrived helmet, braced on his target, grasped his lance, mounted Rozinante, and at the private door of his back yard sallied out into the fields, wonderfully pleased to see with how much ease he had succeeded in the beginning of his enterprise.

He persuaded one of his neighbors named Sancho Panza, a country laborer and an honest fellow, though poor in purse as well as in brains, to become his squire. As they were discoursing about Don Quixote's plans they discovered thirty or forty windmills which were in that plain; and as soon as Don Quixote espied them, he said to his squire," Fortune disposes our affairs better than we ourselves could have desired: look yonder, friend Sancho Panza, where thou mayest discover somewhat more than thirty monstrous giants, whom I intend to encounter and slay, and with their spoils we will begin to enrich ourselves; for it is lawful war, and doing good service, to remove so wicked a generation from off the face of the earth.”

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"What giants? " said Sancho Panza.

"Those thou seest yonder, answered his master,

with their long arms; for some are wont to have them almost of the length of two leagues.'

"those which ap

"Look, sir," answered Sancho, pear yonder are not giants, but windmills, and what seem to be arms are the sails, which, whirled about by the wind, make the millstone go."

"It is very evident," answered Don Quixote, "that thou art not versed in the business of adventures. They are giants; and if thou art afraid, get thee aside, whilst I engage with them in fierce and unequal combat."

So saying, he clapped spurs to his steed, notwithstanding the cries his squire sent after him, assuring him that they were certainly windmills, and not giants. But he was so fully possessed that they were giants, that he neither heard the outcries of his squire Sancho, nor yet discerned what they were, though he was very near them, but went on crying out aloud, "Fly not, ye cowards and vile caitiffs, for it is a single knight who assaults you." The wind now rising a little, the great sails began to move; upon which Don Quixote called out, Although ye should have more arms than the giant Briareus, ye shall pay for it."

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Then being well covered with his buckler and setting his lance in rest, he rushed on as fast as Rozinante could gallop, and attacked the first mill before him; when, running his lance into the sail, the wind whirled

Briareus: A hundred-handed giant of Greek mythology.