“I will give them with all my heart,” answered Sancho; “but what has been done with the lions? Are they dead or alive?”
Then the keeper recounted minutely and at his leisure the issue of the encounter, extolling, to the best of his power and skill, the valour of Don Quixote, at sight of whom the cowed lion cared not, or durst not, to come out of his cage, though he had held the door open a good while, and that it was through his having told the Knight that it was a tempting of Providence to provoke the lion so as to force him to come out, as he wanted him to do, that he had most unwillingly and against the grain permitted him to close the door.”
“What is your judgment on this, Sancho?” quoth Don Quixote; “are there enchantments which avail against true valour? The enchanters may be able to rob me indeed of fortune, but of my resolution and courage, it is impossible.”
Sancho gave the gold crowns; the carter yoked up; the keeper kissed Don Quixote’s hands for the largess received, and promised to relate that valorous deed to the King himself when he should see him at Court.
“And if by chance his Majesty should ask who performed it,” said Don Quixote, “you shall tell him, The Knight of the Lions; for henceforth I would that into this may be changed, altered, varied, and transferred, the name which till now I have borne, of the Knight of the Rueful Feature; and in this I follow the ancient usage of Knights Errant, who changed their names at their pleasure and according to the occasion.”
The cart proceeded on its journey, and Don Quixote. Sancho, and he of the Green Coat, continued theirs.
Of the strange adventures which happened to Don Quixote in the Castle.
... With this she began to touch a harp very softly.
On hearing this Don Quixote was startled, for in that moment there came into his memory the infinite adventures similar to that, of windows, lattices, and gardens; of serenades, love-plaints, and languishments, which he had read of in his giddy books of chivalries. He at once conceived that some one of the Duchess’s maidens was enamoured of him, and that modesty compelled her to keep her love in secret. He trembled lest he should yield, but resolved in his mind not to let himself be overcome; so, commending himself with all good heart and soul to his lady Dulcinea del Toboso, he determined to listen to the music; and to let them know he was there, he feigned to sneeze, at which the damsels were not a little rejoiced, for they desired nothing better than that Don Quixote should hear them. Then, the harp being set up and tuned, Altisidora struck up this ballad—
BALLAD.