don quixote(堂·吉珂德)-第123章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


splendid　costumes；　love…sick　princesses；　squires　made　counts；　droll
dwarfs；　love　letters；　billings　and　cooings；　swashbuckler　women；　and；
in　a　word；　all　that　nonsense　the　books　of　chivalry　contain？　For
myself；　I　can　only　say　that　when　I　read　them；　so　long　as　I　do　not　stop
to　think　that　they　are　all　lies　and　frivolity；　they　give　me　a
certain　amount　of　pleasure；　but　when　I　come　to　consider　what　they　are；
I　fling　the　very　best　of　them　at　the　wall；　and　would　fling　it　into　the
fire　if　there　were　one　at　hand；　as　richly　deserving　such　punishment　as
cheats　and　impostors　out　of　the　range　of　ordinary　toleration；　and　as
founders　of　new　sects　and　modes　of　life；　and　teachers　that　lead　the
ignorant　public　to　believe　and　accept　as　truth　all　the　folly　they
contain。　And　such　is　their　audacity；　they　even　dare　to　unsettle　the
wits　of　gentlemen　of　birth　and　intelligence；　as　is　shown　plainly　by
the　way　they　have　served　your　worship；　when　they　have　brought　you　to
such　a　pass　that　you　have　to　be　shut　up　in　a　cage　and　carried　on　an
ox…cart　as　one　would　carry　a　lion　or　a　tiger　from　place　to　place　to
make　money　by　showing　it。　Come；　Senor　Don　Quixote；　have　some
compassion　for　yourself；　return　to　the　bosom　of　common　sense；　and　make
use　of　the　liberal　share　of　it　that　heaven　has　been　pleased　to
bestow　upon　you；　employing　your　abundant　gifts　of　mind　in　some　other
reading　that　may　serve　to　benefit　your　conscience　and　add　to　your
honour。　And　if；　still　led　away　by　your　natural　bent；　you　desire　to
read　books　of　achievements　and　of　chivalry；　read　the　Book　of　Judges　in
the　Holy　Scriptures；　for　there　you　will　find　grand　reality；　and
deeds　as　true　as　they　are　heroic。　Lusitania　had　a　Viriatus；　Rome　a
Caesar；　Carthage　a　Hannibal；　Greece　an　Alexander；　Castile　a　Count
Fernan　Gonzalez；　Valencia　a　Cid；　Andalusia　a　Gonzalo　Fernandez；
Estremadura　a　Diego　Garcia　de　Paredes；　Jerez　a　Garci　Perez　de
Vargas；　Toledo　a　Garcilaso；　Seville　a　Don　Manuel　de　Leon；　to　read　of
whose　valiant　deeds　will　entertain　and　instruct　the　loftiest　minds　and
fill　them　with　delight　and　wonder。　Here；　Senor　Don　Quixote；　will　be
reading　worthy　of　your　sound　understanding；　from　which　you　will　rise
learned　in　history；　in　love　with　virtue；　strengthened　in　goodness；
improved　in　manners；　brave　without　rashness；　prudent　without
cowardice；　and　all　to　the　honour　of　God；　your　own　advantage　and　the
glory　of　La　Mancha；　whence；　I　am　informed；　your　worship　derives　your
birth。〃
　　Don　Quixote　listened　with　the　greatest　attention　to　the　canon's
words；　and　when　he　found　he　had　finished；　after　regarding　him　for　some
time；　he　replied　to　him：
　　〃It　appears　to　me；　gentle　sir；　that　your　worship's　discourse　is
intended　to　persuade　me　that　there　never　were　any　knights…errant　in
the　world；　and　that　all　the　books　of　chivalry　are　false；　lying；
mischievous　and　useless　to　the　State；　and　that　I　have　done　wrong　in
reading　them；　and　worse　in　believing　them；　and　still　worse　in
imitating　them；　when　I　undertook　to　follow　the　arduous　calling　of
knight…errantry　which　they　set　forth；　for　you　deny　that　there　ever
were　Amadises　of　Gaul　or　of　Greece；　or　any　other　of　the　knights　of
whom　the　books　are　full。〃
　　〃It　is　all　exactly　as　you　state　it；〃　said　the　canon；　to　which　Don
Quixote　returned；　〃You　also　went　on　to　say　that　books　of　this　kind　had
done　me　much　harm；　inasmuch　as　they　had　upset　my　senses；　and　shut　me
up　in　a　cage；　and　that　it　would　be　better　for　me　to　reform　and
change　my　studies；　and　read　other　truer　books　which　would　afford
more　pleasure　and　instruction。〃
　　〃Just　so；〃　said　the　canon。
　　〃Well　then；〃　returned　Don　Quixote；　〃to　my　mind　it　is　you　who　are　the
one　that　is　out　of　his　wits　and　enchanted；　as　you　have　ventured　to
utter　such　blasphemies　against　a　thing　so　universally　acknowledged　and
accepted　as　true　that　whoever　denies　it；　as　you　do；　deserves　the
same　punishment　which　you　say　you　inflict　on　the　books　that　irritate
you　when　you　read　them。　For　to　try　to　persuade　anybody　that　Amadis；
and　all　the　other　knights…adventurers　with　whom　the　books　are
filled；　never　existed；　would　be　like　trying　to　persuade　him　that　the
sun　does　not　yield　light；　or　ice　cold；　or　earth　nourishment。　What
wit　in　the　world　can　persuade　another　that　the　story　of　the　Princess
Floripes　and　Guy　of　Burgundy　is　not　true；　or　that　of　Fierabras　and　the
bridge　of　Mantible；　which　happened　in　the　time　of　Charlemagne？　For
by　all　that　is　good　it　is　as　true　as　that　it　is　daylight　now；　and　if
it　be　a　lie；　it　must　be　a　lie　too　that　there　was　a　Hector；　or
Achilles；　or　Trojan　war；　or　Twelve　Peers　of　France；　or　Arthur　of
England；　who　still　lives　changed　into　a　raven；　and　is　unceasingly
looked　for　in　his　kingdom。　One　might　just　as　well　try　to　make　out　that
the　history　of　Guarino　Mezquino；　or　of　the　quest　of　the　Holy　Grail；　is
false；　or　that　the　loves　of　Tristram　and　the　Queen　Yseult　are
apocryphal；　as　well　as　those　of　Guinevere　and　Lancelot；　when　there　are
persons　who　can　almost　remember　having　seen　the　Dame　Quintanona；　who
was　the　best　cupbearer　in　Great　Britain。　And　so　true　is　this；　that　I
recollect　a　grandmother　of　mine　on　the　father's　side；　whenever　she　saw
any　dame　in　a　venerable　hood；　used　to　say　to　me；　'Grandson；　that　one
is　like　Dame　Quintanona；'　from　which　I　conclude　that　she　must　have
known　her；　or　at　least　had　managed　to　see　some　portrait　of　her。　Then
who　can　deny　that　the　story　of　Pierres　and　the　fair　Magalona　is
true；　when　even　to　this　day　may　be　seen　in　the　king's　armoury　the
pin　with　which　the　valiant　Pierres　guided　the　wooden　horse　he　rode
through　the　air；　and　it　is　a　trifle　bigger　than　the　pole　of　a　cart？
And　alongside　of　the　pin　is　Babieca's　saddle；　and　at　Roncesvalles
there　is　Roland's　horn；　as　large　as　a　large　beam；　whence　we　may
infer　that　there　were　Twelve　Peers；　and　a　Pierres；　and　a　Cid；　and
other　knights　like　them；　of　the　sort　people　commonly　call　adventurers。
Or　perhaps　I　shall　be　told；　too；　that　there　was　no　such
knight…errant　as　the　valiant　Lusitanian　Juan　de　Merlo；　who　went　to
Burgundy　and　in　the　city　of　Arras　fought　with　the　famous　lord　of
Charny；　Mosen　Pierres　by　name；　and　afterwards　in　the　city　of　Basle
with　Mosen　Enrique　de　Remesten；　coming　out　of　both　encounters
covered　with　fame　and　honour；　or　adventures　and　challenges　achieved
and　delivered；　also　in　Burgundy；　by　the　valiant　Spaniards　Pedro
Barba　and　Gutierre　Quixada　（of　whose　family　I　come　in　the　direct
male　line）；　when　they　vanquished　the　sons　of　the　Count　of　San　Polo。
I　shall　be　told；　too；　that　Don　Fernando　de　Guevara　did　not　go　in　quest
of　adventures　to　Germany；　where　he　engaged　in　combat　with　Micer
George；　a　knight　of　the　house　of　the　Duke　of　Austria。　I　shall　be
told　that　the　jousts　of　Suero　de　Quinones；　him　of　the　'Paso；'　and
the　emprise　of　Mosen　Luis　de　Falces　against　the　Castilian　knight；
Don　Gonzalo　de　Guzman；　were　mere　mockeries；　as　well　as　many　other
achievements　of　Christian　knights　of　these　and　foreign　realms；　which
are　so　authentic　and　true；　that；　I　repeat；　he　who　denies　them　must
be　totally　wanting　in　reason　and　good　sense。〃
　　The　canon　was　amazed　to　hear　the　medley　of　truth　and　fiction　Don
Quixote　uttered；　and　to　see　how　well　acquainted　he　was　with　everything
relating　or　belonging　to　the　achievements　of　his　knight…errantry；　so
he　said　in　reply：
　　〃I　cannot　deny；　Senor　Don　Quixote；　that　there　is　some　truth　in
what　you　say；　especially　as　regards　the　Spanish　knights…errant；　and
I　am　willing　to　grant　too　that　the　Twelve　Peers　of　France　existed；　but
I　am　not　disposed　to　believe　that　they　did　all　the　things　that　the
Archbishop　Turpin　relates　of　them。　For　the　truth　of　the　matter　is　they
were　knights　chosen　by　the　kings　of　France；　and　called　'Peers'　because
they　were　all　equal　in　worth；　rank　and　prowess　（at　least　if　they
were　not　they　ought　to　have　been）；　and　it　was　a　kind　of　religious
order　like　those　of　Santiago　and　Calatrava　in　the　present　day；　in
which　it　is　assumed　that　those　who　take　it　are　valiant　knights　of
distinction　and　good　birth；　and　just　as　we　say　now　a　Knight　of　St。
John；　or　of　Alcantara；　they　used　to　say　then　a　Knight　of　the　Twelve
Peers；　because　twelve　equals　were　chosen　for　that　military　order。　That
there　was　a　Cid；　as　well　as　a　Bernardo　del　Carpio；　ther