At last Don Quixote expired, after having received all the sacraments, and in the strongest terms, pathetically enforced, expressed his abomination against all books of chivalry; and the notary observed, that in all the books of that kind which he had perused, he had never read of any knight-errant who died quietly in his bed as a good Christian, like Don Quixote; who, amidst the tears and lamentations of all present, gave up the ghost, or, in other words, departed this life. The curate was no sooner certified of his decease, than he desired the notary to make out a testimonial, declaring that Alonzo Quixano the Good, commonly called Don Quixote de la Mancha, had taken his departure from this life, and died of a natural death; that no other author, different from Cid Hamet Benengeli, should falsely pretend to raise him from the dead, and write endless histories of his achievements. This was the end of that extraordinary gentleman of La Mancha, whose birthplace Cid Hamet was careful to conceal, that all the towns and villages of that province might contend for the honor of having produced him, as did the seven cities of Greece for the glory of giving birth to Homer. The lamentations of Sancho, the niece and the housekeeper, are not here given, nor the new epitaphs on the tomb of the deceased knight, except the following one, composed by Sampson Carrasco: “A doughty gentleman lies here, A stranger all his life to fear; Nor in his death could Death prevail, In that last hour, to make him quail. “He for the world but little cared; And at his feats the world was scared; A crazy man his life he passed, But in his senses died at last.” WILLS IN POETRY OR RHYME The disposition of one’s worldly possessions by a testamentary document in poetry or rhyme, appears incongruous, yet there are numerous documents of this nature: a brief, but striking example of such, by an attorney named Smithers who resided in London, follows: “As to all my wordly goods, now or to be in store, I give them to my beloved wife, and hers forevermore. I give all freely; I no limit fix; This is my will, and she’s executrix.” WILL OF MOTHER HUBBARD’S DOG “This wonderful dog Was Dame Hubbard’s delight; He could dance, he could sing, He could read, he could write. “She went to the druggist To get him a pill; And when she came back, He was writing his will. “So she gave him rich dainties Whenever he fed; And put up a monument When he was dead.”