Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 7Sylvester, Charles Herbert
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Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 7
Sylvester, Charles Herbert
Children's literature; Literature -- Collections
So then, his armor being furbished, his morion turned into a helmet, his
hack christened, and he himself confirmed, he came to the conclusion
that nothing more was needed now but to look out for a lady to be in
love with; for a knight-errant without love was like a tree without
leaves or fruit, or a body without a soul. As he said to himself, "If,
for my sins, or by my good fortune, I come across some giant
hereabouts, a common occurrence with knights-errant, and overthrow him
in one onslaught, or cleave him asunder to the waist, or, in short,
vanquish and subdue him, will it not be well to have some one I may send
him to as a present, that he may come in and fall on his knees before my
sweet lady, and in a humble, submissive voice say, 'I am the giant
Caraculiambro, lord of the island of Malindrania, vanquished in single
combat by the never sufficiently extolled knight Don Quixote of La
Mancha, who has commanded me to present myself before your Grace, that
your Highness dispose of me at your pleasure'?" Oh, how our good
gentleman enjoyed the delivery of this speech, especially when he had
thought of some one to call his Lady! There was, so the story goes, in a
village near his own a very good-looking farm girl with whom he had been
at one time in love, though, so far as is known, she never knew it nor
gave a thought to the matter. Her name was Aldonza Lorenzo, and upon her
he thought fit to confer the title of Lady of his Thoughts; and after
some search for a name which should not be out of harmony with his own,
and should suggest and indicate that of a princess and great lady, he
decided upon calling her Dulcinea del Toboso--she being of El Toboso--a
name, to his mind, musical, uncommon, and significant, like all those he
had already bestowed upon himself and the things belonging to him.
THE ADVENTURE OF THE WINDMILLS
Upon the plain they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills, and as
soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his squire, "Fortune is
arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires
ourselves, for look there, friend Sancho Panza,[438-1] where thirty or
more monstrous giants present themselves, all of whom I mean to engage
in battle and slay, and with whose spoils we shall begin to make our
fortunes; for this is righteous warfare, and it is God's good service to
sweep so evil a breed from off the face of the earth."
"What giants?" said Sancho Panza.
"Those thou seest there," answered his master, "with the long arms, and
some have them nearly two leagues long."
"Look, your worship," said Sancho, "what we see there are not giants but
windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned by
the wind make the millstone go."
"It is easy to see," replied Don Quixote, "that thou art not used to
this business of adventures: those are giants; and if thou art afraid,
away with thee out of this and betake thyself to prayer while I engage
them in fierce and unequal combat."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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