"It may be so," said the bachelor; "but dubitat Augustinus."

"Doubt who will," said the page; "what I have told you is the truth,and that will always rise above falsehood as oil above water; if notoperibus credite, et non verbis. Let one of you come with me, and hewill see with his eyes what he does not believe with his ears."

"It's for me to make that trip," said Sanchica; "take me with you,senor, behind you on your horse; for I'll go with all my heart tosee my father."

"Governors' daughters," said the page, "must not travel along theroads alone, but accompanied by coaches and litters and a great numberof attendants."

"By God," said Sanchica, "I can go just as well mounted on a she-assas in a coach; what a dainty lass you must take me for!"

"Hush, girl," said Teresa; "you don't know what you're talkingabout; the gentleman is quite right, for 'as the time so thebehaviour;' when it was Sancho it was 'Sancha;' when it is governorit's 'senora;' I don't know if I'm right."

"Senora Teresa says more than she is aware of," said the page;"and now give me something to eat and let me go at once, for I mean toreturn this evening."

"Come and do penance with me," said the curate at this; "forSenora Teresa has more will than means to serve so worthy a guest."

The page refused, but had to consent at last for his own sake; andthe curate took him home with him very gladly, in order to have anopportunity of questioning him at leisure about Don Quixote and hisdoings. The bachelor offered to write the letters in reply for Teresa;but she did not care to let him mix himself up in her affairs, for shethought him somewhat given to joking; and so she gave a cake and acouple of eggs to a young acolyte who was a penman, and he wrote forher two letters, one for her husband and the other for the duchess,dictated out of her own head, which are not the worst inserted in thisgreat history, as will be seen farther on.

CHAPTER LI

OF THE PROGRESS OF SANCHO'S GOVERNMENT, AND OTHER SUCHENTERTAINING MATTERS

Day came after the night of the governor's round; a night whichthe head-carver passed without sleeping, so were his thoughts of theface and air and beauty of the disguised damsel, while the majordomospent what was left of it in writing an account to his lord and ladyof all Sancho said and did, being as much amazed at his sayings asat his doings, for there was a mixture of shrewdness and simplicity inall his words and deeds. The senor governor got up, and by DoctorPedro Recio's directions they made him break his fast on a littleconserve and four sups of cold water, which Sancho would havereadily exchanged for a piece of bread and a bunch of grapes; butseeing there was no help for it, he submitted with no little sorrow ofheart and discomfort of stomach; Pedro Recio having persuaded him thatlight and delicate diet enlivened the wits, and that was what was mostessential for persons placed in command and in responsible situations,where they have to employ not only the bodily powers but those ofthe mind also.

By means of this sophistry Sancho was made to endure hunger, andhunger so keen that in his heart he cursed the government, and evenhim who had given it to him; however, with his hunger and his conservehe undertook to deliver judgments that day, and the first thing thatcame before him was a question that was submitted to him by astranger, in the presence of the majordomo and the other attendants,and it was in these words: "Senor, a large river separated twodistricts of one and the same lordship- will your worship please topay attention, for the case is an important and a rather knotty one?Well then, on this river there was a bridge, and at one end of it agallows, and a sort of tribunal, where four judges commonly sat toadminister the law which the lord of river, bridge and the lordshiphad enacted, and which was to this effect, 'If anyone crosses bythis bridge from one side to the other he shall declare on oathwhere he is going to and with what object; and if he swears truly,he shall be allowed to pass, but if falsely, he shall be put todeath for it by hanging on the gallows erected there, without anyremission.' Though the law and its severe penalty were known, manypersons crossed, but in their declarations it was easy to see atonce they were telling the truth, and the judges let them pass free.It happened, however, that one man, when they came to take hisdeclaration, swore and said that by the oath he took he was going todie upon that gallows that stood there, and nothing else. The judgesheld a consultation over the oath, and they said, 'If we let thisman pass free he has sworn falsely, and by the law he ought to die;but if we hang him, as he swore he was going to die on that gallows,and therefore swore the truth, by the same law he ought to go free.'It is asked of your worship, senor governor, what are the judges to dowith this man? For they are still in doubt and perplexity; andhaving heard of your worship's acute and exalted intellect, theyhave sent me to entreat your worship on their behalf to give youropinion on this very intricate and puzzling case."

To this Sancho made answer, "Indeed those gentlemen the judgesthat send you to me might have spared themselves the trouble, for Ihave more of the obtuse than the acute in me; but repeat the case overagain, so that I may understand it, and then perhaps I may be ableto hit the point."

The querist repeated again and again what he had said before, andthen Sancho said, "It seems to me I can set the matter right in amoment, and in this way; the man swears that he is going to die uponthe gallows; but if he dies upon it, he has sworn the truth, and bythe law enacted deserves to go free and pass over the bridge; but ifthey don't hang him, then he has sworn falsely, and by the same lawdeserves to be hanged."

"It is as the senor governor says," said the messenger; "and asregards a complete comprehension of the case, there is nothing left todesire or hesitate about."

"Well then I say," said Sancho, "that of this man they should letpass the part that has sworn truly, and hang the part that has lied;and in this way the conditions of the passage will be fully compliedwith."

"But then, senor governor," replied the querist, "the man willhave to be divided into two parts; and if he is divided of course hewill die; and so none of the requirements of the law will be carriedout, and it is absolutely necessary to comply with it."

"Look here, my good sir," said Sancho; "either I'm a numskull orelse there is the same reason for this passenger dying as for hisliving and passing over the bridge; for if the truth saves him thefalsehood equally condemns him; and that being the case it is myopinion you should say to the gentlemen who sent you to me that as thearguments for condemning him and for absolving him are exactlybalanced, they should let him pass freely, as it is always morepraiseworthy to do good than to do evil; this I would give signed withmy name if I knew how to sign; and what I have said in this case isnot out of my own head, but one of the many precepts my master DonQuixote gave me the night before I left to become governor of thisisland, that came into my mind, and it was this, that when there wasany doubt about the justice of a case I should lean to mercy; and itis God's will that I should recollect it now, for it fits this case asif it was made for it."

"That is true," said the majordomo; "and I maintain that Lycurgushimself, who gave laws to the Lacedemonians, could not have pronounceda better decision than the great Panza has given; let the morning'saudience close with this, and I will see that the senor governor hasdinner entirely to his liking."

"That's all I ask for- fair play," said Sancho; "give me mydinner, and then let it rain cases and questions on me, and I'lldespatch them in a twinkling."

The majordomo kept his word, for he felt it against his conscienceto kill so wise a governor by hunger; particularly as he intended tohave done with him that same night, playing off the last joke he wascommissioned to practise upon him.

It came to pass, then, that after he had dined that day, inopposition to the rules and aphorisms of Doctor Tirteafuera, as theywere taking away the cloth there came a courier with a letter from DonQuixote for the governor. Sancho ordered the secretary to read it tohimself, and if there was nothing in it that demanded secrecy toread it aloud. The secretary did so, and after he had skimmed thecontents he said, "It may well be read aloud, for what Senor DonQuixote writes to your worship deserves to be printed or written inletters of gold, and it is as follows."

DON QUIXOTE OF LA MANCHA'S LETTER TO SANCHO PANZA,GOVERNOR OF THE ISLAND OF BARATARIA.

When I was expecting to hear of thy stupidities and blunders, friendSancho, I have received intelligence of thy displays of good sense,for which I give special thanks to heaven that can raise the poor fromthe dunghill and of fools to make wise men. They tell me thou dostgovern as if thou wert a man, and art a man as if thou wert a beast,so great is the humility wherewith thou dost comport thyself. But Iwould have thee bear in mind, Sancho, that very often it is fittingand necessary for the authority of office to resist the humility ofthe heart; for the seemly array of one who is invested with graveduties should be such as they require and not measured by what his ownhumble tastes may lead him to prefer. Dress well; a stick dressed updoes not look like a stick; I do not say thou shouldst wear trinketsor fine raiment, or that being a judge thou shouldst dress like asoldier, but that thou shouldst array thyself in the apparel thyoffice requires, and that at the same time it be neat and handsome. Towin the good-will of the people thou governest there are two things,among others, that thou must do; one is to be civil to all (this,however, I told thee before), and the other to take care that foodbe abundant, for there is nothing that vexes the heart of the poormore than hunger and high prices. Make not many proclamations; butthose thou makest take care that they be good ones, and above all thatthey be observed and carried out; for proclamations that are notobserved are the same as if they did not exist; nay, they encouragethe idea that the prince who had the wisdom and authority to make themhad not the power to enforce them; and laws that threaten and arenot enforced come to he like the log, the king of the frogs, thatfrightened them at first, but that in time they despised and mountedupon. Be a father to virtue and a stepfather to vice. Be not alwaysstrict, nor yet always lenient, but observe a mean between these twoextremes, for in that is the aim of wisdom. Visit the gaols, theslaughter-houses, and the market-places; for the presence of thegovernor is of great importance in such places; it comforts theprisoners who are in hopes of a speedy release, it is the bugbear ofthe butchers who have then to give just weight, and it is the terrorof the market-women for the same reason. Let it not be seen thatthou art (even if perchance thou art, which I do not believe)covetous, a follower of women, or a glutton; for when the people andthose that have dealings with thee become aware of thy specialweakness they will bring their batteries to bear upon thee in thatquarter, till they have brought thee down to the depths ofperdition. Consider and reconsider, con and con over again the advicesand the instructions I gave thee before thy departure hence to thygovernment, and thou wilt see that in them, if thou dost followthem, thou hast a help at hand that will lighten for thee the troublesand difficulties that beset governors at every step. Write to thy lordand lady and show thyself grateful to them, for ingratitude is thedaughter of pride, and one of the greatest sins we know of; and he whois grateful to those who have been good to him shows that he will beso to God also who has bestowed and still bestows so many blessingsupon him.

My lady the duchess sent off a messenger with thy suit and anotherpresent to thy wife Teresa Panza; we expect the answer every moment. Ihave been a little indisposed through a certain scratching I came infor, not very much to the benefit of my nose; but it was nothing;for if there are enchanters who maltreat me, there are also some whodefend me. Let me know if the majordomo who is with thee had any sharein the Trifaldi performance, as thou didst suspect; and keep meinformed of everything that happens thee, as the distance is so short;all the more as I am thinking of giving over very shortly this idlelife I am now leading, for I was not born for it. A thing has occurredto me which I am inclined to think will put me out of favour withthe duke and duchess; but though I am sorry for it I do not care,for after all I must obey my calling rather than their pleasure, inaccordance with the common saying, amicus Plato, sed magis amicaveritas. I quote this Latin to thee because I conclude that since thouhast been a governor thou wilt have learned it. Adieu; God keep theefrom being an object of pity to anyone.

Thy friend,DON QUIXOTE OF LA MANCHA.

Sancho listened to the letter with great attention, and it waspraised and considered wise by all who heard it; he then rose upfrom table, and calling his secretary shut himself in with him inhis own room, and without putting it off any longer set aboutanswering his master Don Quixote at once; and he bade the secretarywrite down what he told him without adding or suppressing anything,which he did, and the answer was to the following effect.

SANCHO PANZA'S LETTER TO DON QUIXOTE OF LA MANCHA.

The pressure of business is so great upon me that I have no timeto scratch my head or even to cut my nails; and I have them so long-God send a remedy for it. I say this, master of my soul, that youmay not be surprised if I have not until now sent you word of how Ifare, well or ill, in this government, in which I am suffering morehunger than when we two were wandering through the woods and wastes.

Title: Don Quixote
Author: Miqeul de Cervantes
Viewed 440111 times

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