The history of the valorous and vvitty-knight-errant, Don-Quixote, of the Mancha tr. out of the Spanish.

CHAP. XIII.

Wherein is prosecuted the History of the Captive.

A SONNET.

O Happy Soules, which from this mortall Vaile Freed and exempted, through the good you wrought, Safe from the harmes, that here did you assaile; By your deserts, to highest Heaven were brought, Which here inflam'd by Wrath, and noble Thought, Shewed how much your forces did availe: When both your owne and forraign Bloods you taught, From sandie Shores, into the Deepes to traile. Your lives before your valours end deceased, In your tyr'd armes; which though they were a dying And vanquisht; yet on Victory have seiz'd. And this your life from servile thraldome flying, Ending, acquires, betweene the Sword and Wall, Heavens glory there, Fame here on Earth, for all.

I have it even in the very same manner, quoth the Captive. Well then, said the Gentleman that of the Fort is thus, if I doe not forget it:

A SONNET.

FRom midst the barron Earth, here overthrowne, In these sad Clods, which on the ground doe lie, Three thousand Souldiers holy Souls are flowne, And to a happier Mansion gone on hie: Here, when they did in vaine the vigour trie Of their strong Armes, to cost of many a one, After the most, through extreame t••ile did die: The cruell Sword a few did light upon: And this same plot eternally hath beene, With thousand dolefull memories repleate, As well this age, as in foregoing time. But from his cruell bosome Heav'n ne're yes Reciv'd sincerer soules, then were the last, Nor earth so valiant bodies, aye possest.

The Sonnets were not misliked: and the Captive was greatly recreated with the newes which he received of his companion, and prosecuting his Historie, he said. The Goleta, and the Fort being rendred, the Turkes gave order to dismantell Goleta: for the Fort was left in such sort, as there remained nothing up that might be overthrowne: and to doe it with more brevity and lesse labour, they undermined it in three places, but that which seemed least strong, could not be blowne up by any of them, which was the old walls; but all that which had remained a-foot of the new fortifications and workes of Fratin, fell downe to the ground with great facility: and this being ended, the Navy returned triumphant and victorious to Constantinople: where within a few moneths afterward my Lord Vchali died whom they called Vchali Fertax, which signifies in

the Turkish language, the scald or scurvie runagate, for hee was such: and it is a cu∣stome among the Turks to give one another nick-names either of the defects, or per∣fections and virtues which they have; and the reason hereof is, that among them all they have but four linages that have sur-names, and these doe contend with that of Ottoman's, for Nobility of blood: And all the rest, as I have said, doe take denomination, sometime from the blemishes of the bodie, and sometime from the virtues of the minde: And this scurvie fellow did row fourteen yeers, being the great Turks Slave, and did renounce his faith, being four and thirtie yeers old, for despight, and because hee might bee revenged on a Turk that gave him a cuff on the face as hee rowed; and his valour was so great, as without ascending by the dishonourable means and waies usually taken by the greatest minions about the great Turk, he came first to be King of Argiers, and after to bee Generall of the Sea, which is the third most noble charge and dignitie of all the Turkish Empire: Hee was born in Calabria, and was a good morall man, and used with great humanity his Slaves, whereof he had above three thousand, which were after his death divided as hee had left in his Testament, between the great Turk (who is ever an inheritour to every dead man, and hath a portion among the deceased his children) and his Runagates. I fell to the lot of a Venetian Runagate, who being a Ship-boy in a certain Vessell, was taken by Vchali, who loved him so tenderly, as hee was one of the deerest youths hee had, and hee became after the most cruell Run∣nagate that ever lived: Hee was called Azanaga, and came to bee very rich, and King of Argiers: With him I came from Constantinople somewhat contented in minde, because I should bee neerer unto Spain; not for that I meaned to write u••to any one of my unfortunate successe, but only to see whether fortune would prove more favorable to me in Argiers then at Constantinople; where I had attempted a thou∣sand waies to escape, but none of them sorted to any good effect: and I thought to search out in Argiers some other means to comp••sse that which I so greedily desired; for the hope of attaining libertie sometime had never abandoned me; and when in the contriving I thought, or put my designes in practice, and that the successe did not answer mine expectation, presently without forsaking me, it forged and sought out for another hope that might sustain mee, although it were debile and weake.

With this did I passe away my life, shut up in a Prison or House, which the Turks call Bathes, wherein they doe inclose the Captive Christians, as well those that belong to the King, as other particular mens, and those which they call of the Almazen, which is as much to say, as Slaves of the Counsell, who are deputed to serve the Citie in the publique works and other Affairs thereof; and these of all other Captives doe with most difficultie attain to libertie; free by reason they belo••g to the Commonalty, and have no particular Master; there is none with whom a man may treat of their Redemption, although they should have the price of their Ransome. To these Bathes, as I have said, some particular men carrie their Captives to bee kept, chiefly if they bee to bee Ransomed; for there they have them at their ease and secure, untill they bee redeemed. The Kings Captives of Ransome also, doe not goe forth to labour with the other poor crue, if it bee not when the paying of their Ransome is deferred; for then, to the end they may make them write for money more earnestly, they make them labour and goe to fetch Wood with the rest, which is no small toyl and trouble. I then was one of those of Ransome; for as soon as it was known how I was a Captain, notwithstanding that I told them of my little possibilitie and want of means, all could not prevaile to disswade them from consorting me with the multitude of Gentlemen, and those of Ransome: they put on me then a chain, rather to bee a token that I was there for my Ransome, then to keep me the better with it: And so I passed away my time there with many other Gentlemen, and men of marke, held and kept in there for their Ransome, And although both hunger and nakednesse did vexe us now and then, or rather evermore, yet nothing did afflict us so much, as to hear and see every mo∣ment the cruelties that my Master used towards Christians. Every day hee hanged up one, he set this man on a stake, and would cut off the others eares, and that for so little

occasion or wholy without it, as the very Turks themselves perceived, that hee did it not for any other cause, but because he had a will to do it, and that it was his naturall inclina∣tion to be a homicide of all humane kind. Onely one Spanish Souldier called such a one of Saavedra, was in his good grace, who although he did sundrie things that will remaine in the memory of that Nation for many yeeres, and all to the end to get his liberties; yet hee never strucke him, nor commanded him to bee strucken, nor said as much as an evill word unto him: and yet we all feared that he should be broched on a stake for the least of many things which he did, and himselfe did also dread it more then once; and if it were not that time denieth me leisure to doe it, I would recount unto you things done by this souldier, which might both entertain and astonish you much more then the relation of my life.

There were over the square court of our prison certain windowes that looked into it, and belonged to a certain rich and principall Moor; the which windowes (as ordi∣narily are all the Moors windowes) rather seemed to be holes then windows: and even these were also very closely covered and shut fast with linnen coverings. It therefore befell that standing one day upon the battlements of our prison with other three com∣panions, trying which of us could leap best in his shackles to passe away the time, and being alone (for all the other Christians were gone abroad to labour) I lifted up by chance mine eyes, and I saw thrust out at one of those so close-shut windows a cane, and a linnen tied at the end thereof, and the cane was mooved and wagged up and down, as if it had made signes, that wee should come and take it: wee looked upon it, and one of my companions went under the cane, to see whether they would let it fall, or what they would doe else but as soone as he approached it, the cane was lifted up, and did stirre it to eyther side, as if they had said (with wagging of the head) No, the Christian returned to us; and the cane being eftsoones let fall, and beginning to moove as it had done before, another of my fellowes went, and the same succeeded unto him, that did to the first. Finally, the third approached it, with no better suc∣cesse then the former two, which I perceiving, would not omit to trie my fortitude: and as soon as I came neere to stand under the cane, it was let slip and fell within the Bathes just at my feet I forthwith went to untie the linnen which was knotted, wherein I found tenn Zianiys, which are certaine pieces of base gold, used among the Moors, and worth, each of them ten Rials of our money. I leave to your discretion to think if I was not glad of my booty: certes my joy and admiration was much, to think whence that good might come unto us, but specially to my selfe, since the signes of re∣fusall to let it fall to the other, did confirme cleerly that the favour was only addrest to my self. I took my welcome money, broke the cane, and returned to the Battlements, and viewed the window earnestly, and perceived a very ••eautifull hand issue out there∣at, which did open and shut it again very speedily. By which imagining and thinking that some woman that dwelled in that house, had done us the charity and bene∣fit, in token of our thankfull minds, we made our courtesies after the Moorish fashion, by inclining of our heads, bending of the body, and pressing our hands to our brests. Within a while after, there appeared out of the same window a little crosse made of canes, which presently was taken in again: this signe did confirm us in the opinion, that there was some Christian woman captive in that place, and that it was she which did to us the courtesie: but the whitenesse of her hand, and her rich bracelets destroyed this presumption: although we did notwithstanding conjecture that it was some run∣nagate Christian, whom their Masters there doe very ordinarily take to wives, yea and account very good hap to light on one of them; for they are much more accounted of, then the women of the Nation it selfe.

Yet in all these Discourses we strayed very farr from the truth of the accident; and so from thence-forward, all our passing of the time was imployed in beholding that Win∣dow as our North, wherein had appeared the Starr of the cane: but fifteen daies past over, or we could descrie either it, or the hand again, or any other signe. And although in the meane time we endeavour all that we might to know who dwelled in that house, or whether there were any Runagate Christian therein, yet never a one could tell us

any other things, but that it belonged to a very rich and noble Moor, called Agui∣morato, who had been Constable of the Pata, a dignity among them of very great qualitie.

But when wee thought least that it would rain any more Zianiys, by that way wee saw the Cain suddainly to appear, and another linnen hanging on it, whose bulk was much greater: and this befell when the Bath was freed of concourse, and void, as the other time before. Wee made the accustomed triall, every one approaching it before me, but without effect untill I came; for presently as I approached it, it was permit∣ed to fall. I untied the knot, and found inwreathed in it fourty Duckets of Spanish gold with a Letter written in the Arabian tongue, and at the end thereof was drawn a very great crosse. I kissed the crosse, took up the money, and returned again to the bat∣tlements, and wee altogether made our receivers: The hand also appeared: I made signes that I would read the paper, and the window was shut incontinently. All of us were marvellously astonished, yet joyfull at that which had befaln us, and by reason that none of us understood the Arabian tongue, the desire that wee had to understand the contents of the Letter was surpassing great, but greater the difficultie to finde out some trustie person that might read it. In the end I resolved to trust in this affair a Runnagate of Murcia, who did professe himself to bee my very great friend, and having by my liberalitie and other good turns, done secretly, obliged him to bee secreet in the affair wherein I would use him: for some runagates are accustomed when they have an intention to return into the Christian Countries, to bring with the testimonies of the most principall Captives, wherein they inform, and in the amplest manner they may, how the Bearer is an honest man, and that hee hath ever done many good turns to the Christians, and that hee hath himself a desire to escape by the first commoditie. Some Runnagates there are which procure those testimonies sincerely, and with a good intention: Others take the benefit of them either by chance or industrie; who in∣tending to goe and rob into the Countries of Christians, if by chance they be astray or taken, bring forth their testimonies, and say, that by those papers may bee collected the purpose wherewithall they came, that is, to remain in Christian Countries; and that therefore they came abroad a Pyrating with the other Turks: and by this means they escape that first brunt, and are reconciled again to the Church, without receiving any harme at all: and when they espie their time, doe return again into Barbarie, to bee such as they were before. Others there are which procure those writings with a pure in∣tention, and doe after stay in Christian Countries. Well, this my friend was a Runna∣gate of this last kinde; who had the testimonies of all my Companions, wherein wee did commend him as amply as wee could devise: And certainly if the Moors had found those Papers about him, they would have burnt him for it. I understand how hee could speak the Arabian tongue very perfectly, and not only that alone, but also write it withall: yet before I would wholly break my minde to him, I requested him to reade mee that scrowle, which I had found by chance in a hole of my Cabine, hee o∣pened it, and stood a good while beholding and construing thereof, murmuring some∣what betweene his Teeth. I demanded therefore of him, whether hee understood it? And he answered that hee did very well, and that if I desired to have it translated ver∣batim, I should bring unto him Pen and Inke, to the end hee might doe it more com∣pletely; wee presently gave unto him that which hee asked, and hee did translate it by little and little, and havi••g finished it, hee said; All that is here in Spanish, is punctu∣ally, without omitting a Letter, the contents of the Moorish paper: And here you must note, that where it sayes Lela Marien, it meanes our Ladie the blessed Virgin Mary: Wee read the Paper whereof the contents were these which ensue.

WHen I was a Childe, my Father had a certain Christian Woman Captive, that taught me in mine own tongue all the Christian Religion, and told me many things of Lela Marien. The Christian dyed, and I know shee went not to the fire, but to Ala; for shee appeared to me twice after her death, and bade me goe to the Christian Countrey to see Lela Marien, who loved me much: I know not how I may goe: I have seen many Christians thorow this Window, and none of them hath seemed to me a Gentleman but thy self: I am very beautifull and young, and I have a great deal of Riches to carry with me. See thou whether thou canst contrive the way how wee may depart, and thou shalt there bee my Husband, if thou pleasest; and if thou wilt not, I doe not greatly care, for Lela Marien will provide me of a Husband. I wrote my self this Billet; bee there∣fore warie whom thou trustest to read it: Doe not trust any Moor; for they are all of them deceitfull Traytors. It is this that grieves me most of all; for I would not have thee, if it were possible, to disclose the matter to any living bodie: for if my Father did know it, hee would throw me down into a Well and oppresse me in it with stones. I will hang a thread to the end of the Cane, and therein thou mayst tye thine Answer. And if thou canst not write the Arabian, tell me thy minde by signes, for Lela Marien will make mee to understand it. Who with Ala preserve thee, and this Crosse which I doe many times kisse: for so the Captive commanded me to doe.

See, good Sir, if it was not great reason, that the reasons comprehended in this Letter should recreate and astonish us. And certainly the one and the other was so great, as the Runagate perceived well that the Paper was not found by chance, but was really addressed unto some one of us; and therefore desired us earnestly, that if that were true which hee suspected, that wee would trust and tell it unto him, and hee would adventure his life to procure our Liberties: And saying this, hee took out of his bosome a Crucifixe of mettle, and protested with very many teares by the God which that Image represented, in whom hee, although a sinner and wicked man, did most firmly believe, that hee would bee most loyall and secreet to us in all that which wee would discover unto him; for it seemed to him, and hee almost divined, that both himself and wee all should recover our liberties by her means that did write the Letter; and hee should then also see himself in the State which hee most desired, to wit, in the bosome of his Mother the holy Catholique Church; from which, through his ignorance and sinne, hee was departed and divided as an unprofitable and corrupt member. The Runnagate said this with so many teares, and such evident tokens of repentance, as all of us consented to open our mindes unto him, and declare the truth of the matter; and so we recounted unto him the whole discourse, without conceal∣ing any circumstance, and shewed unto him the Window by which the Cane was wont to appear; and hee marked the house from thence, and rested with speciall charge to

inform himself well of those that dwelled therein. Wee thought also that it was re∣quisite to answer the Moorish Ladies Letter: and therefore having him present that could so well perform that task, wee caused the Runnagate to draw out an answer presently as I did dilate it to him, which was punctually such as I will recount: for of all the most substantiall points that befell me in that Affair, no one is faln out of my memorie, nor shall ever as long as I have breath. In effect that which I answered to the Moor was this.

THE true Ala preserve you, deer Ladie, and that blessed Marien who is the true Mother of God, and is shee that hath put in your minde the desire to goe into the Christian Countries, because shee doth love you well: Pray unto her that shee will vouchsafe to instruct you how you may bring the matter to passe which shee commandeth you to doe; for shee is so good as shee will easily condiscend to doe it. As for my part I doe promise, as well for my self as for these other Christians that are with me, to doe for you all that wee are able to doe untill death. Doe not omit to write unto me, and acquaint me with your purposes, and I will answer you every time; for great Ala hath given us a Captive Christian that can write and reade your Language well, as you may perceive by this Paper; So that you may securely, and without any dread, advise us of all that you shall think good. And as concerning that which you say, that you will become my Wife after we arive to the Christian Countries, I doe pro∣mise you the same, as I am a good Christian; and you shall understand that the Christians doe accomplish their words far better then doe the Moors. Ala and Marien his Mother preserve you, my dearest Lady.

The Letter being written and inclosed, I expected two dayes, that the Bathes might be free of concourse, as it was wont, which as soone as it befell, I went up to my accusto∣med place of the battlements, to see whether the cane appeared; which was presently after thrust out at the window. And as soon as I perceived it, although I could not note who it was that set it, I shewed my paper, to give them warning to set on the threed: but it was already hanging thereon. To the which I tied the Letter, and with∣in a while after began to appear our Starr, with the white flagg of peace, and the knotted linnen; which they let fall, and I tooke up, and I found therein in divers sorts of money and gold more then fiftie Ducats, which redoubled our joyes more then fifty times, and confirmed the hope wee conceived of attayning Libertie. The very same night our Runnagate returned to us, and told, how hee had learned that the very same Moor which we were informed of before called Aguimorata, dwelt there, and was exces∣sive rich, and had one only daughter, the Heir of all his goods; of whom the common opinion throughout the City was, that shee was the fairest woman of all Barbarie: and that many of the Vice-Royes that came there, had demanded her to wife, but shee would never condiscend to any motion of mariage; and that hee likewise had under∣stood that shee had sometimes a Christian captive, which now was deceased: all which agreed with the contents of the Letter. We presently entred in Councell with the Run∣nagate, about the means wee were to use, to fetch away the Moor, and come all of us to Christian Lands, and in the end we concluded to attend for that time, the second

advice of Zoraida (for so was shee then called, who now means to name her selfe Ma∣ria) for as much as we cleerely perceived that it was shee, and none other, that could minister to us the meanes to remove all these difficulties. After wee had rested on this resolution, the Runagate bid us bee of good courage, for hee would ingage his life, or set us at liberty. Foure dayes after the Bathes were troubled with People; which was an occasion that the Cane appeared not all that while: But that impediment being re∣moved, and the accustomed solitude returned, the Cane did againe appeare with a lin∣nen hanging thereat so grosly impregned, as it promised to bee delivered of a most hap∣py burthen. Both Cane and Linnen bent themselves to mee, and in them I found ano∣ther Paper and a hundred Ducats in Gold, besides other small money. The Run∣nagate was present, and wee gave him the Letter to reade, the effect whereof was this:

I Know not good Sir, what order to give for our going into Spayne, nor hath Lela Marien told mee any thing concerning it, although I have demanded her counsaile. That which at present I conceive may bee done is, that I will through this windowe give unto you great store of money, wherewith you may redeeme your selfe and your friends: and let one of you goe into the Christians Countrey and buy a Barke, and after returne for his fellowes, and he shall finde mee in my fathers Garden, which is at the gate of Babazon, neere to the Sea-coast, where I meane to stay all the Summer, with my father aud my servants; from whence you may take mee out boldly by night, and cary mee to the Barke. And see well that thou wilt bee my Husband: For if thou wilt not, I will demand of Marien to chastise thee; and if thou darest trust no body to goe for the Vessell, Redeeme thy selfe and goe, for I know thou wilt rather returne then another, seeing thou art a Gentleman and a Christian; learne out the Garden, and when I see thee walke there where thou now art, I will make account that the Bath is emptie, and will give thee great store of money. Ala preserve thee, my deere friend.

These were the contents of the seco••d Letter, which being heard by us all, every one offered to be himselfe the ransomed person, and promised to goe and returne with all punctuality, and among the rest I also made a proffer of my selfe; to all which reso∣lutions the Runnagate opposed himselfe saying; That hee would consent in no wise that any one of us should bee freed, untill wee were all together delivered; for experi∣ence had taught him how evill Ransomed men were wont to keepe those promises which they passed in the times of their thraldome; for many times certaine principall captives had made that kinde of tryall, redeeming of some one or other that should goe to Valentia or Mallorca, with money to freight a Barke or Friggot, and returne for him that had ransomed them, and did never returne againe; for the recovered liberty, and the feare of adventuring to lose it againe concurring, did blot out of their memory all the other obligations of the world. And to confirme the truth which hee averred, hee briefly recounted unto us an accident which befell much about the same time, to certain Christian Gentlemen, the strangest as I suppose that ever hapned in those quar∣ters, wherein doe succeed every other day events full of wonder and admiration; and

and therefore concluded, that what ought and might bee done, was, that they would give unto him to buy a Bark, such money as they meant to imploy in the ransome of a Captive, and hee would buy it there in Argiers, under pretext of becoming a Mer∣chant and Sayler in Tetuan and that coast: and being once owner of a Bark, hee would easily devise how to have them out of the Baths and imbarque them all: how much more if the Moorish Ladie did as shee promised, give them money enough to ransome them all was it a most easie thing, they being free, to imbarque themselves at mid∣day? But the greatest difficultie in this Affair was, that the Moors use not to permit any Runnagate to buy any Barke or other small Vessell, but only great Vessels of War; for they suspect that hee that buyes a Barke, specially if hee bee a Spainiard, does it for no other end but to runne away to Christian Countries. And yet hee knew how to facilitate that inconvenience, by inducing a Tangerine Moor to become his Partner of the Barke and the gains that should hee gotten by the commodities thereof, and with this shadow he would become Lord of it himself, and therewithall accounted the matter ended. And although that my self and my Camarada's held it the better course to send unto Mallorca for one, as the Moorish Lady said, yet durst wee not contradict him, fearfull that if wee did not what hee would have us to doe, hee would discover us and indanger our lives, if hee did once detect Zoraida's practices, for the safe-guard of whose life wee would all of us most willingly adventure our own: and therefore wee determined to put our selves into Gods and the Runnagates hands: And so wee an∣swered at the same instant to Zoraida, telling her that wee would accomplish all that shee had admonished us, because shee had advertised us as well as if Lela Marien had told her what shee should say, and that the dilating or shortning of the Affair did con∣sist onely in her self. I did offer my self a new to become her Husband; and with this the day insuing, wherein the Bath was also free, shee sent me down at divers times by the Cane two thousand Ducats and a Letter, wherein shee said that shee would goe to her Fathers Garden the next Iumia, that is, the Friday following, and that before shee: went away shee would give us more money; and that if it were not enough, wee should advise her, and shee would give unto us as much as wee would demand; for her Father had so much treasure as hee would never perceive it; how much more seeing shee had and kept the keyes of all. Wee gave five hundred Crowns presently to the Runnagate to buy a Barke, and with eight hundred I redeemed my self, giving the money to a Valentian Merchant which was at that season in Argiers, who did ransome me of the King, taking me forth on his word, which hee passed to pay my ransome at the arrivall of the first Ship that should come from Valentia: For if hee had delivered the money instantly, it would have given occasion to the King, to suspect that my ransome was many dayes before in Argiers, and that the Merchant had kept it silently to make his benefit thereof. Finally, my Master was so cavilous, as I durst not in any wise pay him presently.

The Thursday before the Friday of the beautifull Zoraida's departure towards the garden, she gave unto us other two thousand Ducats, and did likewise advise us of her going away, intreating me, that as soon as I had ransomed my selfe, I should learn the way to the garden, and take occasion howsoever to goe to it, and see her. I answe∣red her briefly, that I would doe so, and prayed her that she would carefully commend our proceedings to Lela Marien, with those prayers which the captive had taught her. This being done, order was also given for the ransoming of my three companions, to facilitate our issue out of the Bathes, and also that they seeing me free, and them selves undelivered, might not bee troubled or perswaded by the Devill, to doe any thing in prejudice of Zoraida: For although that they, being the men of that quality they were, might assure me from this feare, I would not, for all that, adventure the mat∣ter; and therefore I caused them to bee ransomed by the same meanes that I was re∣deemed my selfe, giving all the money to the Merchant, that hee might with the more security passe his word for us: to whom yet we never did discover our practice and secret, by reason of the eminent danger of the discovery thereof.