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VOLUME[ PART 2  ]  

CHAPTER[ XV. WHEREIN IT IS TOLD AND KNOWN WHO THE KNIGHT OF THE MIRRORS AND HIS SQUIRE

WERE

Don Quixote went off satisfied, elated, and vain-glorious in the highest

degree at having won a victory over such a valiant knight as he fancied

him of the Mirrors to be, and one from whose knightly word he expected to

learn whether the enchantment of his lady still continued; inasmuch as

the said vanquished knight was bound, under the penalty of ceasing to be

one, to return and render him an account of what took place between him

and her. But Don Quixote was of one mind, he of the Mirrors of another,

for he just then had no thought of anything but finding some village

where he could plaster himself, as has been said already. The history

goes on to say, then, that when the bachelor Samson Carrasco recommended

Don Quixote to resume his knight-errantry which he had laid aside, it was

in consequence of having been previously in conclave with the curate and

the barber on the means to be adopted to induce Don Quixote to stay at

home in peace and quiet without worrying himself with his ill-starred

adventures; at which consultation it was decided by the unanimous vote of

all, and on the special advice of Carrasco, that Don Quixote should be

allowed to go, as it seemed impossible to restrain him, and that Samson

should sally forth to meet him as a knight-errant, and do battle with

him, for there would be no difficulty about a cause, and vanquish him,

that being looked upon as an easy matter; and that it should be agreed

and settled that the vanquished was to be at the mercy of the victor.

Then, Don Quixote being vanquished, the bachelor knight was to command

him to return to his village and his house, and not quit it for two

years, or until he received further orders from him; all which it was

clear Don Quixote would unhesitatingly obey, rather than contravene or

fail to observe the laws of chivalry; and during the period of his

seclusion he might perhaps forget his folly, or there might be an

opportunity of discovering some ready remedy for his madness. Carrasco

undertook the task, and Tom Cecial, a gossip and neighbour of Sancho

Panza's, a lively, feather-headed fellow, offered himself as his squire.

Carrasco armed himself in the fashion described, and Tom Cecial, that he

might not be known by his gossip when they met, fitted on over his own

natural nose the false masquerade one that has been mentioned; and so

they followed the same route Don Quixote took, and almost came up with

him in time to be present at the adventure of the cart of Death and

finally encountered them in the grove, where all that the sagacious

reader has been reading about took place; and had it not been for the

extraordinary fancies of Don Quixote, and his conviction that the

bachelor was not the bachelor, senor bachelor would have been

incapacitated for ever from taking his degree of licentiate, all through

not finding nests where he thought to find birds.

Tom Cecial, seeing how ill they had succeeded, and what a sorry end their

expedition had come to, said to the bachelor, "Sure enough, Senor Samson

Carrasco, we are served right; it is easy enough to plan and set about an

enterprise, but it is often a difficult matter to come well out of it.

Don Quixote a madman, and we sane; he goes off laughing, safe, and sound,

and you are left sore and sorry! I'd like to know now which is the

madder, he who is so because he cannot help it, or he who is so of his

own choice?"

To which Samson replied, "The difference between the two sorts of madmen

is, that he who is so will he nil he, will be one always, while he who is

so of his own accord can leave off being one whenever he likes."

"In that case," said Tom Cecial, "I was a madman of my own accord when I

volunteered to become your squire, and, of my own accord, I'll leave off

being one and go home."

"That's your affair," returned Samson, "but to suppose that I am going

home until I have given Don Quixote a thrashing is absurd; and it is not

any wish that he may recover his senses that will make me hunt him out

now, but a wish for the sore pain I am in with my ribs won't let me

entertain more charitable thoughts."

Thus discoursing, the pair proceeded until they reached a town where it

was their good luck to find a bone-setter, with whose help the

unfortunate Samson was cured. Tom Cecial left him and went home, while he

stayed behind meditating vengeance; and the history will return to him

again at the proper time, so as not to omit making merry with Don Quixote

now.

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