OF THE COUNSELS WHICH DON QUIXOTE GAVE SANCHO PANZA
BEFORE HE SET OUT TO GOVERN THE ISLAND, TOGETHER WITH
OTHER WELL-CONSIDERED MATTERS
The heaven-riding adventure had been such a success that the Duke and
the Duchess could not rest until they had seen Sancho installed as
governor of his island; for they felt certain they should derive a
great fund of amusement from such an experiment. So Sancho was told to
prepare himself.
But Sancho, having seen heaven, seemed less keen to be governor now,
since he felt how small humanity really was, particularly in
comparison with the goats of the sky which he claimed he had seen, and
he replied that he would much rather have a bit of heaven than any
island on earth. The Duke, however, told Sancho that, not being the
ruler there, it was for God to dispose of such domains. So Sancho
promised to come down to earth and be governor, and to attire himself
in the regalia befitting the office.
This being done, Don Quixote and Sancho withdrew to the knight's room,
and there Don Quixote gave his squire advice about governing. He
admonished him to be a champion of virtue always, to strive to know
himself and not to puff himself up like a peacock, whose feathers, he
bade him remember, were fine, but who had ugly feet. And the advice
and instructions that master gave servant were such that no one would
have thought it was a madman speaking.