[436-5] Rocin is, in Spanish, a horse used for labor, as distinguished from one kept for pleasure or for personal use; ante means before. Thus the name Rocinante meant that the horse had formerly been a hack, or work horse.
[436-6] Amadis de Gaul was the hero of one of the most celebrated romances of chivalry.
[438-1] When Don Quixote first set out on his quest of adventures, he was unattended. Having been forced, however, to return to his native town, he persuaded a peasant, Sancho Panza by name, to go with him and serve as his squire. While Sancho was a hard-headed, practical man, he was carried away by Don Quixote’s promises of reward, and in time, through listening constantly to the Don’s conversation, he became almost as mad as his master.
[440-2] Briareus was a famous giant of ancient mythology, who had fifty heads and one hundred arms.
[440-3] By sage is here meant an enchanter or magician.
[441-1] Don Quixote and Sancho had remained in terror through an entire night, fancying from the noise they heard that they were near some terrible danger. In the morning they found that this noise proceeded from some fulling mills in the neighborhood.
[442-2] Mambrino was a Moorish king, mentioned in some of the romantic poems which Don Quixote is intended to burlesque. He possessed an enchanted golden helmet which rendered the wearer invulnerable, and which was naturally much sought after by all the knights. Rinaldo finally obtained possession of it. Don Quixote, whose helmet had been destroyed, had sworn that he would lead a life of particular hardship until he had made himself master of the wonderful helmet.
[445-3] The piece of eight is equal to about one dollar of American money. The maravedi is a small copper coin, of the value of three mills in American money.
[446-4] The god of smithies was the old Greek and Roman god Hephæstus, or Vulcan; the god of battles was Mars.
[446-5] Martino is a blunder of Sancho’s for Mambrino.