The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo Villegas — John Shaqi
The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo VillegasQuevedo, Francisco de
General
The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo Villegas
Quevedo, Francisco de
Satire; Spanish literature -- Translations into English
fortune? Did I ever envy the felicity of a court-life, that sells and
spends all for a glance? What pleasure did I ever take in the lewd
discourses of heretics and libertines? Or, did I ever list myself in the
party, to get the name of a gifted brother? Who ever saw me insolent to
my inferiors, or basely servile to my betters? Did I ever go to a
conjurer, or to your dealers in nativities, and horoscopes upon any
occasion of loss or death? Now if you yourselves be guilty of all these
fopperies, and I innocent, I beseech ye where’s the Tony? So that you
see Tony is not the Tony you take him for. But (to crown his other
virtues) he is also endued with so large a stock of patience that whoever
needed it had it for the asking, unless it were such as came to borrow
money; or in cases of women, that claimed marriage of him; or lackeys
that would be making sport with his bauble; and to these, he was as
resolute as John Florio.”
While we were upon this discourse, another of the dead came marching up
to me, with a Spanish pace and gravity; and giving me a touch o’ the
elbow, “Look me in the face,” quoth he with a stern countenance, “and
know, sir, that you are not now to have to do with a Tony.” “I beseech
your lordship,” said I, “(saving your reverence) let me know your honour,
that I may pay my respects accordingly; for I must confess, I thought all
people here had been, hail fellow well met.” “I am called,” quoth he,
“by mortals, Queen Dick; and whether you know me or not, I’m sure you
think and talk of me often enough; and if the devil did not possess ye,
you would let the dead alone, and content yourselves to persecute one
another. Ye can’t see a high crowned hat, a threadbare cloak, a
basket-hilt sword, or a dudgeon dagger, nay not so much as a reverend
matron, well stricken in years, but presently ye cry, “This or that’s of
the mode or date of Queen Dick.” If ye were not every mother’s child of
ye stark mad, ye would confess that Queen Dick’s were golden days to
those ye have had since, and ’tis an easy matter to prove what I say.
Will ye see a mother now teaching her daughter a lesson of good
government? ‘Child,’ says she, ‘you know that modesty is the great
ornament of your sex; wherefore be sure, when ye come in company, that
you don’t stand staring the men in the face, as if ye were looking babies
in their eyes, but rather look a little downward, as a fashion of
behaviour more suitable to the obligations of your sex.’ ‘Downward?’
says the girl, ‘I beseech you, madam, excuse me: this was well enough in
the days of Queen Dick, when the poor creatures knew no better. Let the
men look downward towards the clay of which they were made, but man was
our original, and it will become us to keep our eyes upon the matter from
whence we came.’ If a father give his son in charge, to worship his
Creator, to say his prayers morning and evening, to give thanks before
and after meat, to have a care of gaming and swearing, ye shall have the
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