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The Fourth BookChapter XI.
Chapter XI.
Treating of the Curious Discourse Made by Don Quixote Upon the Exercises of
Arms and Letters
Don Quixote, continuing his discourse, said, `Seeing we begin in the
student with poverty and her parts, let us examine whether the soldier be
richer? Certainly we shall find that no man can exceed the soldier in poverty
itself; for he is tied to his wretched pay, which comes either late or never;
or else to his own shifts, with notable danger of his life and conscience. And
his nakedness is ofttimes so much, as many times a leather jerkin gashed
serves him at once for a shirt and ornament. And in the midst of winter he
hath sundry times no other defence or help to resist the inclemencies of the
air in the midst of the open fields than the breath of his mouth, which I
verily believe doth against nature come out cold, by reason it sallies from an
empty place; expect there till the night fall, that he may repair all these
discommodities by the easiness of his bed, the which, if it be not through his
own default, shall never offend in narrowness; for he may measure out for it
on the earth as many foot as he pleaseth, and tumble himself up and down it
without endangering the wrinkling of his sheets. Let after all this the day
and hour arrive wherein he is to receive the degree of his profession - let, I
say, a day of battle arrive; for there they will set on his head the cap of
his dignity, made of lint to cure the wound of some bullet that hath passed
through and through his temples, or hath maimed an arm or a leg. And when this
doth not befall, but that Heaven doth piously keep and preserve him whole and
sound, he shall perhaps abide still in the same poverty wherein he was at the
first; and that it be requisite that one and another battle do succeed, and he
come off ever a victor, to the end that he may prosper and be at the last
advanced. But such miracles are but few times wrought; and say, good sirs, if
you have noted it, how few are those which the wars reward, in respect of the
others that it hath destroyed? You must answer, without question, that there
can be no comparison made between them, nor can the dead be reduced to any
number; but all the living, and such as are advanced, may be counted easily
with three arithmetical figures: all which falls out contrary in learned men,
for all of them have wherewithal to entertain and maintain themselves by
skirts - I will say nothing of sleeves. So that although the soldier`s labour
is greater, yet is his reward much less. But to this may be answered, that it
is easier to reward two hundred thousand learned men than thirty thousand
soldiers; for they may be advanced by giving unto them offices, which must of
necessity be bestowed on men of their profession; but soldiers cannot be
recompensed otherwise than by the lord`s substance and wealth whom they serve.
And yet this objection and impossibility doth fortify much more my assertion.
`But leaving this apart, which is a labyrinth of very difficult issue,
let us return to the pre - eminency of arms over learning, which is a matter
hitherto depending, so many are the reasons that everyone allegeth for
himself; and among those which I myself have repeated, then learning doth
argue thus for itself, that arms without it cannot be long maintained,
forasmuch as the war hath also laws, and is subject to them, and that the laws
are contained under the title of learning, and belong to learned men.
`To this objection arms do make answer: that the laws cannot be sustained
without them, for commonwealths are defended by arms, and kingdoms preserved,
cities fenced, highways made safe, the seas freed from pirates; and, to be
brief, if it were not for them, commonwealths, kingdoms, monarchies, cities,
and ways by sea and land, would be subject to the rigour and confusion which
attendeth on the war all the time that it endureth, and is licensed to
practice his prerogatives and violence; and it is a known truth, that it which
cost most, is or ought to be most accounted of. That one may become eminent in
learning, it costs him time, watchings, hunger, nakedness, headaches, rawness
of stomach, and other such inconveniences as I have partly mentioned already;
but that one may arrive by true terms to be a good soldier, it costs him all
that it costs the student, in so exceeding a degree as admits no comparison,
for he is at every step in jeopardy to lose his life. And what fear of
necessity or poverty may befall or molest a student so fiercely as it doth a
soldier, who, seeing himself at the siege of some impregnable place, and
standing sentinel in some ravelin or half - moon, feels the enemies
undermining near to the place where he is, and yet dares not to depart or
abandon his stand, upon any occasion whatsoever, or shun the danger which so
nearly threatens him? but that which he only may do, is to advise his captain
of that which passeth, to the end he may remedy it by some countermine, whilst
he must stand still, fearing and expecting when he shall suddenly fly up to
the clouds without wings, and after descend to the depths against his will.
And if this appear to be but a small danger, let us weigh whether the
grappling of two galleys, the one with the other in the midst of the spacious
main, may be compared, or do surpass it, the which nailed and grappled fast
the one to the other, the soldier hath no more room in them than two foot
broad of a plank in the battlings, and notwithstanding, although he clearly
see laid before him so many ministers of death, for all the pieces of
artillery that are planted on the adverse side do threaten him, and are not
distant from his body the length of a lance; and seeing that if he slipped
ever so little aside, he should fall into the deeps, doth yet nevertheless,
with undaunted heart, borne away on the wings of honour, which spurreth him
onward, oppose himself as a mark to all their shot, and strives to pass by
that so narrow a way into th enemy`s vessel. And what is most to be admired
is to behold how scarce is one fallen into that place, from whence he shall
never after arise until the world`s end, when another takes possession of the
same place; and if he do likewise tumble into the sea, which gapes like an
enemy for him also, another and another will succeed unto him, without giving
any respite to the times of their death, valour, and boldness, which is the
greatest that may be found among all the trances of warfare. Those blessed
ages were fortunate which wanted the dreadful fury of the devilish and
murdering pieces of ordinance, to whose inventor I am verily persuaded that
they render in hell an eternal guerdon for his diabolical invention, by which
he hath given power to an infamous, base, vile, and dastardly arm to bereave
the most valorous knight of life; and that, without knowing how or from
whence, in the midst of the stomach and courage that inflames and animates
valorous minds, there arrives a wandering bullet (shot off, perhaps, by him
that was afraid, and fled at the very blaze of the powder, as he discharged
the accursed engine), and cuts off and finisheth in a moment the thoughts and
life of him who merited to enjoy it many ages.
`And whilst I consider this, I am about to say that it grieves me to have
ever undertaken the exercise of a knight - errant in this our detestable age;
for although no danger can affright me, yet notwithstanding I live in jealousy
to think how powder and lead might deprive me of the power to make mysrlf
famous and renowned by the strength of mine arm and the edge of my sword
throughout the face of the earth. But let Heaven dispose as it pleaseth; for
so much the more shall I be esteemed, if I can compass my pretensions, by how
much the dangers were greater to which I opposed myself, than those achieved
in foregoing times by knights - adventurous.`
Don Quixote made all this prolix speech whilst the rest of his company
did eat, wholly forgetting to taste one bit, although Sancho Panza did now and
then put him in remembrance of his victuals, saying that he should have
leisure enough after to speak as much as he could desire. In those that heard
was again renewed a kind of compassion, to see a man of so good a wit as he
seemed to be, and of so good discourse in all the other matters which he took
in hand, to remain so clearly devoid of it when any occasion of speech were
offered treating of his accursed chivalry. The curate applauded his discourse,
affirming that he produced very good reasons for all that he had spoken in the
favour of arms; and that he himself (although he was learned and graduated)
was likewise of his opinion.
The beaver being ended, and the table - cloths taken away, whilst
Maritornes did help her mistress and her daughter to make ready the room where
Don Quixote had slept for the gentlewomen, wherein they alone might retire
themselves that night, Don Fernando entreated the Captive to recount unto them
the history of his life, forasmuch as he suspected that it must have been rare
and delightful, as he gathered by the tokens he gave by coming in the lovely
Zoraida`s company. To which the Captive replied, that he would accomplish his
desire with a very good will, and that only he feared that the discourse would
not prove so savoury as they expected; but yet for all that he would tell it,
because he would not disobey him. The curate and all the rest thanked him for
his promise, and turned to request him again to begin his discourse; and he
perceiving so many to solicit him, said that prayers were not requisite when
commandments were of such force. `And therefore I desire you,` quoth he, `to
be attentive, and you shall hear a true discourse, to which perhaps no feigned
invention may be compared for variety or delight.` The rest, animated by these
his words, did accommodate themselves with very great silence; and he,
beholding their silence and expectation of his history, with a modest and
pleasing voice, began in this manner.
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