don quixote(堂·吉珂德)-第216部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


across；　be　they　mastiffs　or　terriers；　he　said　were　lurchers；　and　he
discharged　no　more　stones。　Maybe　it　will　be　the　same　with　this
historian；　that　he　will　not　venture　another　time　to　discharge　the
weight　of　his　wit　in　books；　which；　being　bad；　are　harder　than
stones。　Tell　him；　too；　that　I　do　not　care　a　farthing　for　the　threat　he
holds　out　to　me　of　depriving　me　of　my　profit　by　means　of　his　book；
for；　to　borrow　from　the　famous　interlude　of　〃The　Perendenga；〃　I　say　in
answer　to　him；　〃Long　life　to　my　lord　the　Veintiquatro；　and　Christ　be
with　us　all。〃　Long　life　to　the　great　Conde　de　Lemos；　whose　Christian
charity　and　well…known　generosity　support　me　against　all　the　strokes
of　my　curst　fortune；　and　long　life　to　the　supreme　benevolence　of　His
Eminence　of　Toledo；　Don　Bernardo　de　Sandoval　y　Rojas；　and　what
matter　if　there　be　no　printing…presses　in　the　world；　or　if　they
print　more　books　against　me　than　there　are　letters　in　the　verses　of
Mingo　Revulgo！　These　two　princes；　unsought　by　any　adulation　or
flattery　of　mine；　of　their　own　goodness　alone；　have　taken　it　upon　them
to　show　me　kindness　and　protect　me；　and　in　this　I　consider　myself
happier　and　richer　than　if　Fortune　had　raised　me　to　her　greatest
height　in　the　ordinary　way。　The　poor　man　may　retain　honour；　but　not
the　vicious；　poverty　may　cast　a　cloud　over　nobility；　but　cannot　hide
it　altogether；　and　as　virtue　of　itself　sheds　a　certain　light；　even
though　it　be　through　the　straits　and　chinks　of　penury；　it　wins　the
esteem　of　lofty　and　noble　spirits；　and　in　consequence　their
protection。　Thou　needst　say　no　more　to　him；　nor　will　I　say　anything
more　to　thee；　save　to　tell　thee　to　bear　in　mind　that　this　Second
Part　of　〃Don　Quixote〃　which　I　offer　thee　is　cut　by　the　same
craftsman　and　from　the　same　cloth　as　the　First；　and　that　in　it　I
present　thee　Don　Quixote　continued；　and　at　length　dead　and　buried；
so　that　no　one　may　dare　to　bring　forward　any　further　evidence
against　him；　for　that　already　produced　is　sufficient；　and　suffice
it；　too；　that　some　reputable　person　should　have　given　an　account　of
all　these　shrewd　lunacies　of　his　without　going　into　the　matter
again；　for　abundance；　even　of　good　things；　prevents　them　from　being
valued；　and　scarcity；　even　in　the　case　of　what　is　bad；　confers　a
certain　value。　I　was　forgetting　to　tell　thee　that　thou　mayest　expect
the　〃Persiles；〃　which　I　am　now　finishing；　and　also　the　Second　Part
of　〃Galatea。〃