your

hand to."- "A man ought to have some knowledge of every thing," answered Don Quixote, " if he would be duly qualified for the employment I profess."-"Well then," quoth Sancho," do so much as write the warrant for the three asses on the other side of that leaf; and pray write it mighty plain, that they may know it is your hand at first sight."—"I will," said Don Quixote; and with that he wrote it accordingly, and then read it in this form:

"My dear Niece,

"Upon sight of this my first bill of asses, be pleased to deliver three of the five which I left at home in your custody to Sancho Pança, my squire, for the like number received of him here in tale; and this, together with his receipt, shall be your discharge. Given in the very bowels of Sierra Morena, the 22d of August, in the present year."

"It is as it should be," quoth Sancho; "there only wants your name at the bottom."" There is no need to set my name," answered Don Quixote, "I will only set the two first letters of it, and it will be as valid as if it were written at length, though it were not only for three asses, but for three hundred."" I dare take your worship's word," quoth Sancho. "And now I am going to saddle Rozinante, and then you shall give me your blessing, for I intend to set out presently, without seeing any of your mad tricks; and I will relate, that I saw you perform so many, that she can desire no more."

"Nay," said Don Quixote, " I will have thee stay a while, Sancho, and see me stark naked; it is also absolutely necessary thou shouldst see me practise some twenty or thirty mad gambols. I shall have dispatched them in less than half an hour, and when thou hast been an eye-witness of that essay, thou mayest with a safe conscience swear thou hast seen me play a thousand more; for I dare assure thee, for thy encouragement, thou never canst exceed the number of those I shall perform."-" Good sir," quoth Sancho," as you love me do not let me stay to see you naked! it will grieve me so to the heart, that I shall cry my eyes out; and I have blubbered and howled but too much since yesternight for the loss of my ass; my head is so sore with it, I am not able to cry any longer: but if you will needs have me see some of your antics, pray, do them in your clothes out of hand, and let them be such as are most to the purpose, for the sooner I go, the sooner I shall come back, and the way to be gone is not to stay here. I long to bring you an answer to your heart's content, and I will be sure to do it, or let the Lady Dulcinea look to it; for if she does not answer it as she should do, I protest solemnly I will force an answer out of her guts by dint of good kicks and fisticuffs; for it is not to be endured, that such a notable knight-errant as your worship is, should thus run out of his wits without knowing why or wherefore, for such a-odsbobs, I know what I know; she had best not provoke me to speak it out; for, by the Lord, I shall let fly, and out with it by wholesale, though it spoil the market.”

"protest, Sancho," said Don Quixote," I think thou art as mad as myself."-" Nay, not so mad neither," replied Sancho, "but somewhat more choleric. But talk nomore of that.-Let us see, how will you do for victuals when I am gone? Do you mean to do like the other madman yonder, rob upon the high-way, and snatch the goat-herds' victuals from them by main force ?"—" Never let that trouble thy head,” replied Don Quixote, “for though I had all the dainties that can feast a luxurious palate, I would feed upon nothing but the herbs and fruits which this wilderness will afford me; for the singularity of my present task consists in fasting, and half starving myself, and in the performance of other austerities."

"But there is another thing come into my head," quoth Sancho; "how shall I do to find the way hither again, it is such a bye-place ?"-" Take good notice of it before-hand," said Don Quixote, " and I will endeavour to keep hereabouts till thy return; besides, about the time when I may reasonably expect thee back, I will be sure to watch on the top of yonder high rock for thy coming. But now I bethink myself of a better expedient, thou shalt cut down a good number of boughs, and strew them in the way as thou ridest along, till thou gettest to the plains, and this will serve thee to find me again at thy return, like Perseus's clue to the labyrinth in Crete.”

"I will go about it out of hand," quoth Sancho. With that he went and cut down a bundle of boughs, then came and asked his master's blessing, and, after a shower of tears shed on both sides, mounted Rozinante, which Don Quixote very seriously recom

mended to his care, charging him to be as tender of that excellent steed as of his own person. After that he set forward toward the plains, strewing several boughs as he rode, according to order. His master importuned him to stay and see him do two or three of his antic postures before he went, but he could not prevail with him: however, before he was got out of sight he considered of it and rode back. "Sir, quoth he, "I have thought better of it and believe I had best take your advice, that I may swear with a safe conscience I have seen you play your mad tricks; therefore I would see you do one of them at least, though I think I have seen you do a very great one already, I mean your staying by yourself in this desert."

"I had advised thee right," said Don Quixote; " and therefore stay but while a man may repeat the Creed, and I will shew thee what thou wouldst see.” With that, slipping off his breeches, and stripping himself naked to the waist, he gave two or three frisks in the air, and then pitching on his hands, he fetched his heels over his head twice together; and as he tumbled with his legs aloft, discovered such rarities, that Sancho even made haste to turn his horse's head, that he might no longer see them, and rode away full satisfied, that he might swear his master was mad. And so we will leave him to make the best of his way till his return, which will be more speedy than might be imagined.

CHAPTER XII.

A continuation of the refined extravagancies by which the gallant Knight of La Mancha chose to express his love in the Sierra Morena.

THE history relates, that as soon as the Knight of the Woeful Figure saw himself alone, after he had taken his frisks and leaps naked as he was, the prelude to his amorous penance, he ascended the top of a high rock, and there began seriously to consider with himself what resolution to take in that nice dilemma, which had already so perplexed his mind; that is, whether he should imitate Orlando in his wild ungovernable fury, or Amadis in his melancholy mood. To which purpose, reasoning with himself, "I do not much wonder," said he, " at Orlando's being so very valiant, considering he was enchanted in such a manner, that he could not be slain, but by the thrust of a long pin through the bottom of his foot, which he sufficiently secured, always wearing seven iron soles to his shoes; and yet this availed him nothing against Bernardo del Carpio, who, understanding what he depended upon, squeezed him to death between his arms at Roncevalles. But, setting aside his valour, let us examine his madness; for that he was mad, is an unquestionable truth; nor is it less certain, that his frenzy was occasioned by the assurances he had that the fair Angelica had resigned herself up to the unlawful