"It may be on the dice," said Don Quixote, "that all thou sayest will

come true; overlook the past, for thou art shrewd enough to know that our

first movements are not in our own control; and one thing for the future

bear in mind, that thou curb and restrain thy loquacity in my company;

for in all the books of chivalry that I have read, and they are

innumerable, I never met with a squire who talked so much to his lord as

thou dost to thine; and in fact I feel it to be a great fault of thine

and of mine: of thine, that thou hast so little respect for me; of mine,

that I do not make myself more respected. There was Gandalin, the squire

of Amadis of Gaul, that was Count of the Insula Firme, and we read of him

that he always addressed his lord with his cap in his hand, his head

bowed down and his body bent double, more turquesco. And then, what shall

we say of Gasabal, the squire of Galaor, who was so silent that in order

to indicate to us the greatness of his marvellous taciturnity his name is

only once mentioned in the whole of that history, as long as it is

truthful? From all I have said thou wilt gather, Sancho, that there must

be a difference between master and man, between lord and lackey, between

knight and squire: so that from this day forward in our intercourse we

must observe more respect and take less liberties, for in whatever way I

may be provoked with you it will be bad for the pitcher. The favours and

benefits that I have promised you will come in due time, and if they do

not your wages at least will not be lost, as I have already told you."

"All that your worship says is very well," said Sancho, "but I should

like to know (in case the time of favours should not come, and it might

be necessary to fall back upon wages) how much did the squire of a

knight-errant get in those days, and did they agree by the month, or by

the day like bricklayers?"

"I do not believe," replied Don Quixote, "that such squires were ever on

wages, but were dependent on favour; and if I have now mentioned thine in

the sealed will I have left at home, it was with a view to what may

happen; for as yet I know not how chivalry will turn out in these

wretched times of ours, and I do not wish my soul to suffer for trifles

in the other world; for I would have thee know, Sancho, that in this

there is no condition more hazardous than that of adventurers."




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