Don Quixote observed it, and approaching them said, "I know verywell what this seizure arises from."
"I know not from what," replied the friend, "for Altisidora is thehealthiest damsel in all this house, and I have never heard hercomplain all the time I have known her. A plague on all theknights-errant in the world, if they be all ungrateful! Go away, SenorDon Quixote; for this poor child will not come to herself again solong as you are here."
To which Don Quixote returned, "Do me the favour, senora, to let alute be placed in my chamber to-night; and I will comfort this poormaiden to the best of my power; for in the early stages of love aprompt disillusion is an approved remedy;" and with this he retired,so as not to be remarked by any who might see him there.
He had scarcely withdrawn when Altisidora, recovering from herswoon, said to her companion, "The lute must be left, for no doubt DonQuixote intends to give us some music; and being his it will not bebad."
They went at once to inform the duchess of what was going on, and ofthe lute Don Quixote asked for, and she, delighted beyond measure,plotted with the duke and her two damsels to play him a trick thatshould be amusing but harmless; and in high glee they waited fornight, which came quickly as the day had come; and as for the day, theduke and duchess spent it in charming conversation with Don Quixote.
When eleven o'clock came, Don Quixote found a guitar in his chamber;he tried it, opened the window, and perceived that some persons werewalking in the garden; and having passed his fingers over the frets ofthe guitar and tuned it as well as he could, he spat and cleared hischest, and then with a voice a little hoarse but full-toned, he sangthe following ballad, which he had himself that day composed:
Mighty Love the hearts of maidens
Doth unsettle and perplex,
And the instrument he uses
Most of all is idleness.
Sewing, stitching, any labour,
Having always work to do,
To the poison Love instilleth
Is the antidote most sure.
And to proper-minded maidens
Who desire the matron's name
Modesty's a marriage portion,
Modesty their highest praise.
Men of prudence and discretion,
Courtiers gay and gallant knights,
With the wanton damsels dally,
But the modest take to wife.
There are passions, transient, fleeting,
Loves in hostelries declar'd,
Sunrise loves, with sunset ended,
When the guest hath gone his way.
Love that springs up swift and sudden,
Here to-day, to-morrow flown,
Passes, leaves no trace behind it,
Leaves no image on the soul.
Painting that is laid on painting
Maketh no display or show;
Where one beauty's in possession
There no other can take hold.
Dulcinea del Toboso
Painted on my heart I wear;
Never from its tablets, never,
Can her image be eras'd.
The quality of all in lovers
Most esteemed is constancy;
'T is by this that love works wonders,
This exalts them to the skies.
Don Quixote had got so far with his song, to which the duke, theduchess, Altisidora, and nearly the whole household of the castle werelistening, when all of a sudden from a gallery above that wasexactly over his window they let down a cord with more than ahundred bells attached to it, and immediately after that dischargeda great sack full of cats, which also had bells of smaller size tiedto their tails. Such was the din of the bells and the squalling of thecats, that though the duke and duchess were the contrivers of the jokethey were startled by it, while Don Quixote stood paralysed with fear;and as luck would have it, two or three of the cats made their wayin through the grating of his chamber, and flying from one side to theother, made it seem as if there was a legion of devils at large in it.They extinguished the candles that were burning in the room, andrushed about seeking some way of escape; the cord with the large bellsnever ceased rising and falling; and most of the people of the castle,not knowing what was really the matter, were at their wits' end withastonishment. Don Quixote sprang to his feet, and drawing his sword,began making passes at the grating, shouting out, "Avaunt, malignantenchanters! avaunt, ye witchcraft-working rabble! I am Don Quixoteof La Mancha, against whom your evil machinations avail not nor haveany power." And turning upon the cats that were running about theroom, he made several cuts at them. They dashed at the grating andescaped by it, save one that, finding itself hard pressed by theslashes of Don Quixote's sword, flew at his face and held on to hisnose tooth and nail, with the pain of which he began to shout hisloudest. The duke and duchess hearing this, and guessing what itwas, ran with all haste to his room, and as the poor gentleman wasstriving with all his might to detach the cat from his face, theyopened the door with a master-key and went in with lights andwitnessed the unequal combat. The duke ran forward to part thecombatants, but Don Quixote cried out aloud, "Let no one take him fromme; leave me hand to hand with this demon, this wizard, thisenchanter; I will teach him, I myself, who Don Quixote of La Manchais." The cat, however, never minding these threats, snarled and heldon; but at last the duke pulled it off and flung it out of the window.Don Quixote was left with a face as full of holes as a sieve and anose not in very good condition, and greatly vexed that they did notlet him finish the battle he had been so stoutly fighting with thatvillain of an enchanter. They sent for some oil of John's wort, andAltisidora herself with her own fair hands bandaged all the woundedparts; and as she did so she said to him in a low voice. "All thesemishaps have befallen thee, hardhearted knight, for the sin of thyinsensibility and obstinacy; and God grant thy squire Sancho mayforget to whip himself, so that that dearly beloved Dulcinea ofthine may never be released from her enchantment, that thou mayestnever come to her bed, at least while I who adore thee am alive."
To all this Don Quixote made no answer except to heave deep sighs,and then stretched himself on his bed, thanking the duke and duchessfor their kindness, not because he stood in any fear of thatbell-ringing rabble of enchanters in cat shape, but because herecognised their good intentions in coming to his rescue. The duke andduchess left him to repose and withdrew greatly grieved at theunfortunate result of the joke; as they never thought the adventurewould have fallen so heavy on Don Quixote or cost him so dear, forit cost him five days of confinement to his bed, during which he hadanother adventure, pleasanter than the late one, which hischronicler will not relate just now in order that he may turn hisattention to Sancho Panza, who was proceeding with great diligence anddrollery in his government.
CHAPTER XLVII
WHEREIN IS CONTINUED THE ACCOUNT OF HOW SANCHO PANZA CONDUCTEDHIMSELF IN HIS GOVERNMENT
THE history says that from the justice court they carried Sanchoto a sumptuous palace, where in a spacious chamber there was a tablelaid out with royal magnificence. The clarions sounded as Sanchoentered the room, and four pages came forward to present him withwater for his hands, which Sancho received with great dignity. Themusic ceased, and Sancho seated himself at the head of the table,for there was only that seat placed, and no more than one coverlaid. A personage, who it appeared afterwards was a physician,placed himself standing by his side with a whalebone wand in his hand.They then lifted up a fine white cloth covering fruit and a greatvariety of dishes of different sorts; one who looked like a studentsaid grace, and a page put a laced bib on Sancho, while another whoplayed the part of head carver placed a dish of fruit before him.But hardly had he tasted a morsel when the man with the wand touchedthe plate with it, and they took it away from before him with theutmost celerity. The carver, however, brought him another dish, andSancho proceeded to try it; but before he could get at it, not tosay taste it, already the wand had touched it and a page had carriedit off with the same promptitude as the fruit. Sancho seeing thiswas puzzled, and looking from one to another asked if this dinnerwas to be eaten after the fashion of a jugglery trick.
To this he with the wand replied, "It is not to be eaten, senorgovernor, except as is usual and customary in other islands wherethere are governors. I, senor, am a physician, and I am paid asalary in this island to serve its governors as such, and I have amuch greater regard for their health than for my own, studying day andnight and making myself acquainted with the governor's constitution,in order to be able to cure him when he falls sick. The chief thingI have to do is to attend at his dinners and suppers and allow himto eat what appears to me to be fit for him, and keep from him whatI think will do him harm and be injurious to his stomach; andtherefore I ordered that plate of fruit to be removed as being toomoist, and that other dish I ordered to he removed as being too hotand containing many spices that stimulate thirst; for he who drinksmuch kills and consumes the radical moisture wherein life consists."
"Well then," said Sancho, "that dish of roast partridges therethat seems so savoury will not do me any harm."