Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 7Sylvester, Charles Herbert
General
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 7
Sylvester, Charles Herbert
Children's literature; Literature -- Collections
[433-1] The _olla_ is the national dish of Spain, and is a stew composed
of beef, bacon, sausage, chick-peas and cabbage, with any other meat or
vegetables which may be on hand.
[434-2] A _morion_ is a helmet without visor or beaver for protecting
the face.
[435-3] Alexander the Great was so fond of his horse Bucephalus that
when it died in India during Alexander's sojourn there, he founded a
city which he called Bucephalia, in honor of the steed.
[435-4] The Cid was the greatest of Spanish heroes.
[436-5] _Rocin_ is, in Spanish, a horse used for labor, as distinguished
from one kept for pleasure or for personal use; _ante_ means _before_.
Thus the name Rocinante meant that the horse had formerly been a hack,
or work horse.
[436-6] Amadis de Gaul was the hero of one of the most celebrated
romances of chivalry.
[438-1] When Don Quixote first set out on his quest of adventures, he
was unattended. Having been forced, however, to return to his native
town, he persuaded a peasant, Sancho Panza by name, to go with him and
serve as his squire. While Sancho was a hard-headed, practical man, he
was carried away by Don Quixote's promises of reward, and in time,
through listening constantly to the Don's conversation, he became almost
as mad as his master.
[440-2] Briareus was a famous giant of ancient mythology, who had fifty
heads and one hundred arms.
[440-3] By _sage_ is here meant an enchanter or magician.
[441-1] Don Quixote and Sancho had remained in terror through an entire
night, fancying from the noise they heard that they were near some
terrible danger. In the morning they found that this noise proceeded
from some fulling mills in the neighborhood.
[442-2] Mambrino was a Moorish king, mentioned in some of the romantic
poems which _Don Quixote_ is intended to burlesque. He possessed an
enchanted golden helmet which rendered the wearer invulnerable, and
which was naturally much sought after by all the knights. Rinaldo
finally obtained possession of it. Don Quixote, whose helmet had been
destroyed, had sworn that he would lead a life of particular hardship
until he had made himself master of the wonderful helmet.
[445-3] The _piece of eight_ is equal to about one dollar of American
money. The _maravedi_ is a small copper coin, of the value of three
mills in American money.
[446-4] The _god of smithies_ was the old Greek and Roman god Hephaestus,
or Vulcan; the _god of battles_ was Mars.
[446-5] _Martino_ is a blunder of Sancho's for _Mambrino_.
[448-1] This was a gentlemanly person whom Don Quixote had met on the
road a short time before.
[462-1] In certain rivers of Spain, floating mills, moored in
mid-stream, were common.
[467-1] This was the wicked enchanter who had caused the beards to grow.
[468-2] This was the leader of the sorrowful bearded ladies.
[468-3] The duke had promised to bestow on Sancho the government of an
island.
[469-4] The name of the "Distressed One."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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