The Children's Hour, v 5. Stories From Seven Old FavoritesTappan, Eva March
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The Children's Hour, v 5. Stories From Seven Old Favorites
Tappan, Eva March
Children's stories; Literature -- Adaptations
It was time to look to his horse, who had more false quarter than
real, being a worse jade than Gonela's, _qui tantum pellis et ossa
fuit_; however, his master thought that neither Alexander's Bucephalus
nor the Cid's Babieca could be compared with him. He was four days
considering what name to give him; for, as he argued with himself,
there was no reason that a horse bestrid by so famous a knight, and
withal so excellent in himself, should not be distinguished by a
particular name; and therefore he studied to give him such a one as
should demonstrate as well what kind of horse he had been before his
master was a knight-errant, as what he was now; thinking it but just,
since the owner changed his profession, that the horse should also
change his title, and be dignified with another; a good big word, such
a one as should fill the mouth, and seem consonant with the quality
and profession of his master. And thus, after many names which he
devised, rejected, changed, liked, disliked, and pitched upon again,
he concluded to call him Rozinante; a name, in his opinion, lofty,
sounding, and significant of what he had been before, and also of what
he was now; in a word, a horse before, or above, all the vulgar breed
of horses in the world.
When he had thus given his horse a name so much to his satisfaction,
he thought of choosing one for himself; and having seriously pondered
on the matter eight whole days more, at last he determined to call
himself Don Quixote. Whence the author of this most authentic history
draws this inference, that his right name was Quixada, and not
Quesada, as others would maintain. And observing that the valiant
Amadis, not satisfied with the bare appellation of Amadis, added to it
the name of his country, that it might grow more famous by his
exploits, and so styled himself Amadis de Gaul; so he, like a true
lover of his native soil, resolved to call himself Don Quixote de la
Mancha; which addition, to his thinking, denoted very plainly his
parentage and country, and consequently would fix a lasting honor on
that part of the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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