The Exemplary Novels of CervantesCervantes Saavedra, Miguel de
General
The Exemplary Novels of Cervantes
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de
Spanish fiction -- Translations into English
In fine, the queen took such securities from the merchant as made the
payment certain; and not content with this, she sent for the master of a
Flemish vessel who was about to sail for France, only to obtain a
manifest from some French port, in order to be allowed to land in Spain;
and she begged him to take Isabella and her parents, treat them well,
and land them safely at the first Spanish port he reached. The master,
who desired to please the queen, said he would do so, and would land
them at Lisbon, Cadiz, or Seville. After this the queen sent word to
Clotald not to take from Isabella any of the presents she had given her,
whether jewels or clothes.
The next day Isabella and her parents came to take leave of the queen,
who received them with great affection. The queen gave them the
merchant's bills, besides many other presents, both in money and in
things suitable for their voyage. Isabella expressed her gratitude in
such terms as to increase the queen's gracious disposition towards her.
She took leave of the ladies of the court, who, now that she had become
plain, would rather have had her remain among them, having no longer
reason to envy her beauty, and being willing to enjoy her society for
the sake of her good qualities of mind and disposition. The queen
embraced the three, and took leave of them, commending them to good
fortune and to the master of the vessel, and asking Isabella to inform
her of her arrival in Spain, and of her health at all times through the
French merchant. That evening they embarked, not without tears on the
part of Clotald, his wife, and his whole household, by whom Isabella was
exceedingly beloved. Richard was not present at the departure, for, in
order to avoid betraying his feelings, he had gone with some of his
friends to the chase.
Many were the dainties which the lady Catherine gave. Isabella for use
on the voyage; endless were her embraces, her tears, and her injunctions
that she should write to her; for all which Isabella and her parents
returned suitable thanks. That night the vessel set sail, and having
reached France with a fair wind, and obtained the necessary papers to
enable them to enter Spain, they crossed the bar of Cadiz thirty days
afterwards, and there Isabella and her parents disembarked. Being known
to the whole city, they were joyfully welcomed, and warmly congratulated
on their recovery of Isabella, and on their liberation, from their
Turkish captors (for that fact had been made known by the captives whom
Richard generously released), and also from detention in England. By
this time Isabella began to give great hopes that she would quite
recover her original beauty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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