PREFACE
A version of Don Quixote which is appended to Mr. Walter Crane's illustrations needs perhaps no apology, but I desire to state briefly what I have endeavoured to do. No existing abridgment of Don Quixote, known to me, gives in simple narrative form the adventures of Knight and Squire, with as much of the wisdom and humour of their discourse as would be within the grasp of the younger generation of readers. This—The Story of Don Quixote, as I call it—I have tried to produce. In doing it I have made use of all the English translations, but the basis of this book is Thomas Shelton's translation, the language of which seems to me better to express the humour of Cervantes than any other. Many will consider such a task in the nature of sacrilege or, at the best, verging on the impertinent. With these views I have much sympathy myself. But at least, let it be understood that all I have attempted to do is to tell a well-known story in print, as one who loves it would seek to tell it in words, to those around his own fireside; in the hope that some may gather from this story that there is a vast storehouse of humour and wisdom awaiting them in the book itself.
CONTENTS
| CHAP. | PAGE | |
| I. | An Introduction to that famous gentleman, Don Quixote of the Mancha, | [1] |
| II. | Of the First Sally that Don Quixote made to seek Adventures, | [7] |
| III. | Of the Pleasant Manner of the Knighting of Don Quixote, | [14] |
| IV. | Of what befell our Knight when he left the Inn, | [21] |
| V. | How Don Quixote returned home, and what happened to his Library, and how he sallied forth a second time to seek Adventures, | [30] |
| VI. | Of the dreadful and never-to-be-imagined Adventure of the Windmills, and of the fearful Battle which the gallant Biscayan fought with Don Quixote, | [38] |
| VII. | Of what passed between Don Quixote and the Goatherds, and of the unfortunate Adventure with the Yanguesian Carriers, | [48] |
| VIII. | How Don Quixote arrived at an Inn which he imagined to be a Castle, and there cured himself and Sancho with the Balsam of Fierabras, | [58] |
| IX. | How Sancho paid the Reckoning at the Inn which Don Quixote supposed was a Castle, | [68] |
| X. | Of the Adventure of the Two Armies, | [75] |
| XI. | Of a wonderful Adventure which Don Quixote went through without peril to himself or Sancho, | [83] |
| XII. | The great Adventure and rich Winning of the Helmet of Mambrino, | [92] |
| XIII. | How Don Quixote set at liberty many poor Wretches who were being taken to a Place to which they had no wish to go, | [98] |
| XIV. | Of what befell Don Quixote in the Brown Mountains, | [108] |
| XV. | The Story of Cardenio, | [118] |
| XVI. | Of the Strange Adventures that happened to the Knight of the Mancha in the Brown Mountains, and of the Penance he did there in imitation of Beltenebros, | [126] |
| XVII. | Of Sancho's Journey to the Lady Dulcinea, | [136] |
| XVIII. | The Story of Cardenio continued, | [143] |
| XIX. | The Story of Dorothea, who loved Don Fernando, | [152] |
| XX. | Of the pleasant Plan they carried out to persuade Don Quixote not to continue his Penance, | [160] |
| XXI. | Of the Journey to the Inn, | [168] |
| XXII. | The Story Sancho Panza told his Master of his Visit to the Lady Dulcinea, | [177] |
| XXIII. | What happened during their further Journey towards the Inn, | [184] |
| XXIV. | Of the extraordinary Battle which Don Quixote waged with what he took to be a Giant, | [191] |
| XXV. | Which treats of other rare Adventures which happened at the Inn, | [198] |
| XXVI. | Wherein is continued the History of the famous Princess Micomicona, | [205] |
| XXVII. | Of the strange Enchantment of the Unfortunate Knight, | [212] |
| XXVIII. | Wherein is continued the wonderful Adventures at the Inn, | [220] |
| XXIX. | Wherein is finally decided the Dispute about Mambrino's Helmet and the Pannel, | [227] |
| XXX. | In which is finished the notable Adventures of our good Knight, | [236] |