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

CHAP. XXIV.

Relating that which the Goat-heard told to those that carried away Don-Quixote.

THere is a Village distant some three leagues from this Valley, which al∣beit it bee little, is one of the richest of this Commark: Therein some∣time did dwell a wealthie Farmer of good respect, and so good, as although Reputation and Riches are commonly joyned together, yet that which hee had was rather got him by his Virtue, then by any Wealth hee possessed: But that which did most accumulate his hap∣pinesse (as hee himself was wont to say) was, that hee had a Daughter of so accom∣plished Beauty, so rare Discretion, Comelinesse, and Virtue, that as many as knew and beheld her, admired to see the passing indowments wherewith Heaven and Nature had inriched her. Being a child shee was fair, and increasing dayly in feature; shee was at the age of sixteen most beautifull: the fame whereof extended it self over all the bor∣dering Villages: But why say•• I the bordering Villages alone if it spread it self over the farthest Cities yea, and entred into the Kings Pallace, and into the cares of all kinde of People; so that they came from all parts to behold her as a rare thing, and patterne of miracles? Her father did carefully keep her, and shee likewise heeded her self; for their is neither Guard, Lock nor Bolt able to keep a Mayden better then is her own warinesse and care: The Wealth of the Father and Worth of the Daughter moved divers, as well of his own Village as Strangers, to demand her to wife; but hee (as one whom the disposall of so rich a Jewell most neerly concerned) was much perplexed, and unable to determine on whom, among such an infinite number of importunate Wooers, hee might bestow her: Among others that bore this good will towards her, I my self was one to whom they gave many and very great hopes of good successe, the knowledg that her Father had of me, my birth in the same village, my descent honest, and blood untainted, flourishing in years, very rich in goods, and no lesse in gifts of the minde. Another of the same Village and Qualities was also a Suiter unto her; which was an occasion to hold her in suspence, and put his will in the ballance, deeming, as hee did, that shee might be bestowed on either of us two: and that hee might bee rid of that doubt, hee resolved to tell it to Leandra (for so doe they call the rich Maid which hath brought me to extream misery) noting discreetly, that seeing wee both were equall••, it would not bee amisse to leave in his dear Daughters power the making choyce of whether shee liked-best; A thing worthy to bee noted by all those Parents that would have their Children marry: Wherein my meaning is not that they should per∣mit them to make a bad or base choyce; but that they propound certain good ones, and refer to their liking which of them they will take. I know not what was the liking of Leandra, but only know this, That the Father posted us off, by alledging the over∣green yeers of his Daughter, and using generall terms which neither obliged him nor discharged us. My rivall was called Anselmo, and my self Eugenio: that you may also have some justice of the persons which were Actors in this Tragedie, whose con∣clusion is yet depending, but threatens much future disaster.

About the very same time there arrived to our Village one Vincente of the Rose, son to a poor labourer of the same place, which Vincente returned as then from I••••ly and divers other Countries wherein hee had been a Souldier; for being of some twelve yeers of age a certain Captain, that with his Companie passed along by our Village, did carry him away with him, and the Youth, after a doozen yeers more, came back again attired like a Souldier, and painted with a hundred colours, full of a thousand devices of Cristall, five steel chains: To day he would put on some gay thing, the next day

some other, but all of them slight painted, and of little weight, lesse worth. The clown∣ish people which are naturally malicious, and if they have but ever so little idlenesse or leisure, become malice it self, did note and reckon up all his braveries and Jewels, and found that he had but three suits of apparell of different colours, with garters and stockings answerable to them; but hee used so many disguisements, varieties, trans∣formations and inventions, which they, as if they had not counted them all, some one would have sworn that hee had made shew of more then ten suits of apparell, and more then twentie plumes of feathers: and let not that which I tell you of the appa∣rell bee counted impertinent, or from the matter; for it makes a principall part in the History. Hee would sit on a bench that stood under a great Poplar Tree in the midst of the Market place, and there would hold us all with gaping mouthes, listening to the gallant Adventures and resolute Acts he recounted unto us: There was no Land in all the World whose soile hee had not trodden on, no Battell wherein hee had not been present; hee had slain more Moors then the Kingdomes of Morocco and Tuney contained, and undertaken more single Combats, as hee said, then ever did either Gant, Luna, or Diego Garcia de Paredes, and a thousand others whom hee named; and yet he still came away with the victory, without having ever left one drop of blood. On the other side hee would shew us signes of wounds, which although they could not be discerned, yet would hee perswade us that they were the marks of bullets which hee received in divers Skermishes and Warrs. Finally, hee would thou his equalls, and those which knew him very well, with marvellous arrogancie; and said that his Arme was his Father, his works his Linage, and that beside his being a Souldier hee ought not a whit to the King: To these his arrogancies was annext some superficiall skill in Mu∣sick, for hee could scratch a little on a Gyttern, and some would say that hee made it speak: but his many graces made not a stop there; for hee had likewise some sha∣dows of Poetry, and so would make a Ballad of a league and a half long upon every toy that hapned in the Village.

This Souldier therefore whom I have deciphred, this Vincente of the Rose, this Brag∣gard, this Musician, this Poet, eyed and beheld many times by Leandra from a certain window of her house that looked into the Market-place; and the golden shew of his Attire enamoured her, and his Ditties inchanted her; for hee would give twenty Copies of every one hee composed: The report of his worthy acts, beautified by him∣self, came also unto her eares; and finally (for so it is likely the Divill had ordered the matter) shee became in Love with him before hee presumed to think once of solliciting her. And, as in Love adventures, no one is accomplished with more facilitie then that which is favoured by the womans desire; Leandra and Vincente made a short and easie agreement: and e're any one of her Suiters could once suspect her desires, shee had fully satisfied them, abandoned her deer and loving Fathers house (for her Mother lives not) and running away from the Village with the Souldier, who departed with more Triumph from that Enterprise then from all the others which hee had arrogated to himself. The accident amazed all the Town; yea, and all those to whom the ru∣mour thereof arrived were astonished, Anselmo amazed, her Father sorrowfull, her Kinsfolk ashamed. The ministers of Justice carefull, and the Troupers ready to make pursuit; all the wayes were laid, and the Woods, and every other place neerly search∣ed; and at the end of three dayes they found the lustfull Leandra hidden in a Cave within a Wood, naked in her smock, and despoyled of a great summe of Money, and many precious Jewels which shee had brought away with her: They returned her to her dolefull Fathers presence, where asking how shee became so dispoyled, she pre∣sently confessed, that Vincent of the Rose had deceived her: for having passed his word to make her his Wife, hee perswaded her to leave her Fathers house, and made her be∣leeve that hee would carrie her to the richest and most delightfull Citie of the World, which was Naples: And that shee through indiscretion and his fraud, had given credit to his words, and robbing her Father, stole away with him the very same night that shee was missed; and that hee carried her to a very rough Thicket, and shut her up in that Cave wherein they found her: She also recounted how the Souldier, without touch∣ing

her honour, had rob'd her of all that shee carried, and leaving her in that Cave, was fled away; which successe strook us into greater admiration then all the rest; for wee could hardly bee induced to beleeve the young gallants continencie; but shee did so earnestly protest it, as it did not a little comfort her comfortlesse Father, who made no reckoning of the Riches hee had lost, seeing his Daughter had yet reserved that Jewell, which being once gone, could never again bee recovered. The same day that Leandra appeared, shee also vanished out of our sights, being conveighed away by her Father, and shut up in a Nunnerie at a certain Town not farre off, hoping that time would obliterate some part of the bad opinion already conceived of his Daughters facilitie. Leandra her youth served to excuse her errour, at least with those which gained nothing by her beeing good or ill; but such as knew her discretion and great wit, did not attribute her sinne to ignorance, but rather to her too much lightnesse, and the naturall infirmitie of that Sexe, which for the most part is inconsiderate and slipperie. Leandra being shut up, Anselmo's eyes lost their light, or at least beheld not any thing that could delight them: and mine remained in darknesse without light that could addresse them to any pleasing object in Leandra's absence. Our griefs increased; our patience diminished; wee cursed the Souldiers Ornaments; and abhord her Fathers want of looking to her: To bee brief, Anselmo and my self resolved to abandon the Village and come to this Valley, where hee feeding a great flock of Sheep of his own, and I as copious a Heard of Goats of mine, wee passe our lives among these Trees, giving vent to our passions, either by singing together the beautifull Leandra's praises or dispraises; or by sighing alone, and alone communicating our quarrelsome complaints with Hea∣ven. Many others of Leandra's Suitors have since, by our example, come to these in∣tricate Woods, where they use our very exercise; and they are so many, as it seems that this place is converted into the Pastorall Arcadia; it is full of Sheepheards and Sheep-Folds; and there is no one part thereof wherein the name of the beautifull Leandra resoundeth not: There one doth curse her, and termeth her humours, inconstant and dishonest: another condemns her of being so facile and light: some one absolves and pardons her: another condemns and despises her, and celebrates her beautie: another execrates her disposition: and finally, all blame, but yet adore her; and the raving distraction of them all doth so farre extend it self, as some one complains of disdain that never spoke word unto her: and some one laments and feels the inraged fits of jea∣lousie, though shee never ministred any occasion thereof; for, as I have said, her sinne was known before her desires: There is no Clift of a Rock, no Bank of a Stream, nor Shadow of a Tree without some Sheepheard or other, that breaths out his misfortunes to the silent air. The Eccho repeats Leandra's name, wheresoever it can be formed: The Woods resound Leandra: The Brooks doe murmur Leandra: and Leandra holds us all perplexed and inchanted, hoping without hope, and fearing without knowledge what wee fear.

And among all this Flock of frantick men, none shews more or lesse judgement then my companion Anselmo, who having so many other Titles under which hee might plain him, only complains of absence, and doth to the sound of a Rebeck (which hee handles admirably well) sing certain dolefull Verses, which fully discover the excellen∣cie of his conceit. I follow a more easie, and (in mine opinion) a more certain way, to wit, I rayle on the lightnesse of Women, on their inconstancie, double dealing, dead promises, crack'd trust, and the small discretion they shew in placing of their affections; and this, Sir, was the occasion of the words and reasons I lately used to this Goat, whom I doe esteem but little, because shee is a female, although shee bee otherwise the best of all my Heard. And this is the Historie which I promised to tell you, wherein if I have been prolixe, I will bee altogether as large in doing you any service; for I have here at hand my Cabine, and therein store of fresh Milk, and savory Cheese, with many sorts of excellent Fruit, no lesse agreeable to the sight then pleasing to the taste.