About this time it began to rain a little, and Sancho proposed entering
the fulling-mill; but Don Quixote had conceived such an abhorrence of
them for the late jest, that he would by no means go in: turning,
therefore, to the right hand, they struck into another road, like that
they had travelled through the day before. Soon after, Don Quixote
discovered a man on horseback, who had on his head something which
glittered as if it had been of gold; and scarcely had he seen it when,
turning to Sancho, he said, "I am of opinion, Sancho, there is no
proverb but what is true, because they are all sentences drawn from
experience itself, the mother of all the sciences; especially that which
says, 'Where one door is shut another is opened.' I say this because, if
fortune last night shut the door against what we sought, deceiving us
with the fulling-mills, it now opens wide another, for a better and
more certain adventure; in which, if I am deceived, the fault will be
mine, without imputing it to my ignorance of fulling-mills, or to the
darkness of night. This I say because, if I mistake not, there comes one
towards us who carries on his head Mambrino's helmet, concerning which
thou mayest remember I swore the oath."
"Take care, sir, what you say, and more what you do," said Sancho; "for
I would not wish for other fulling-mills, to finish the milling and
mashing our senses."
"The devil take thee!" replied Don Quixote: "what has a helmet to do
with fulling-mills?"
"I know not," answered Sancho; "but in faith, if I might talk as much as
I used to do, perhaps I could give such reasons that your worship would
see you are mistaken in what you say."
"How can I be mistaken in what I say, scrupulous traitor?" said Don
Quixote. "Tell me, seest thou not yon knight coming towards us on a
dapple-gray steed, with a helmet of gold on his head?"
"What I see and perceive," answered Sancho, "is only a man on a gray ass
like mine, with something on his head that glitters."
"Why, that is Mambrino's helmet," said Don Quixote; "retire, and leave
me alone to deal with him, and thou shalt see how, in order to save
time, I shall conclude this adventure without speaking a word, and the
helmet I have so much desired remain my own."
"I shall take care to get out of the way," replied Sancho; "but Heaven
grant, I say again, it may not prove another fulling-mill adventure."
"I have already told thee, Sancho, not to mention those fulling-mills,
nor even think of them," said Don Quixote: "if thou dost--I say no more,
but I vow to mill thy soul for thee!" Sancho held his peace, fearing
lest his master should perform his vow, which had struck him all of a
heap.
Now the truth of the matter, concerning the helmet, the steed, and the
knight which Don Quixote saw, was this. There were two villages in that
neighborhood, one of them so small that it had neither shop nor barber,
but the other adjoining to it had both; therefore the barber of the
larger served also the less, wherein one customer now wanted to be let
blood and another to be shaved; to perform which, the barber was now on
his way, carrying with him his brass basin; and it so happened that
while upon the road it began to rain, and to save his hat, which was a
new one, he clapped the basin on his head, which being lately scoured
was seen glittering at the distance of half a league; and he rode on a
gray ass, as Sancho had affirmed. Thus Don Quixote took the barber for a
knight, his ass for a dapple-gray steed, and his basin for a golden
helmet; for whatever he saw was quickly adapted to his knightly
extravagances: and when the poor knight drew near, without staying to
reason the case with him, he advanced at Rozinante's best speed, and
couched his lance, intending to run him through and through; but, when
close upon him, without checking the fury of his career, he cried out,
"Defend thyself, caitiff! or instantly surrender what is justly my due."
The barber, so unexpectedly seeing this phantom advancing upon him, had
no other way to avoid the thrust of the lance than to slip down from the
ass; and no sooner had he touched the ground than, leaping up nimbler
than a roebuck, he scampered over the plain with such speed that the
wind could not overtake him. The basin he left on the ground; with which
Don Quixote was satisfied, observing that the pagan had acted
discreetly, and in imitation of the beaver, which, when closely pursued
by the hunters, tears off with his teeth that which it knows by instinct
to be the object of pursuit. He ordered Sancho to take up the helmet;
who, holding it in his hand, said, "Before Heaven, the basin is a
special one, and is well worth a piece of eight, if it is worth a
farthing."
He then gave it to his master, who immediately placed it upon his head,
turning it round in search of the visor; but not finding it he said,
"Doubtless the pagan for whom this famous helmet was originally forged
must have had a prodigious head--the worst of it is that one half is
wanting."
When Sancho heard the basin called a helmet, he could not forbear
laughing; which, however, he instantly checked on recollecting his
master's late choler.
"What dost thou laugh at, Sancho?" said Don Quixote.
"I am laughing," answered he, "to think what a huge head the pagan had
who owned that helmet, which is for all the world just like a barber's
basin."
"Knowest thou, Sancho, what I conceive to be the case? This famous
piece, this enchanted helmet, by some strange accident must have fallen
into the possession of one who, ignorant of its true value as a helmet
and seeing it to be of the purest gold, hath inconsiderately melted down
the one-half for lucre's sake, and of the other half made this, which,
as thou sayest, doth indeed look like a barber's basin; but to me, who
know what it really is, its transformation is of no importance, for I
will have it so repaired in the first town where there is a smith, that
it shall not be surpassed nor even equalled by that which the god of
smiths himself made and forged for the god of battles. In the mean time
I will wear it as I best can, for something is better than nothing; and
it will be sufficient to defend me from stones."
Be brief in thy discourse, for what is prolix cannot be
pleasing.
Never stand begging for that which you have the power to
take.
There are two kinds of lineages in the world. Some there are
who derive their pedigree from princes and monarchs, whom
time has gradually reduced until they have ended in a point,
like a pyramid; others have had a low origin, and have risen
by degrees, until they have become great lords. So that the
difference is, that some have been what they now are not,
and others are now what they were not before.
A leap from a hedge is better than the prayer of a bishop.
A snatch from behind a bush is better than the prayer of
good men.
Customs come not all together, neither were they all
invented at once.
Who sings in grief procures relief.
Let every one turn himself round, and look at home, and he
will find enough to do.
To be grateful for benefits received is the duty of honest
men--one of the sins that most offendeth God is ingratitude.
Benefits conferred on base-minded people are like drops of
water thrown into the sea.
Retreating is not running away, nor is staying wisdom when
the danger overbalances the hope; and it is the part of wise
men to secure themselves to-day for to-morrow, and not to
venture all upon one throw.
The wicked are always ungrateful.
Necessity urges desperate measures.