of sight than Aldudo whips the boy again, and mockingly tells him to follow the madman. The knight-errant continues his journey homewards, quite satisfied with the world and himself. Rosinante trots along and the Don talks of the queenly Dulsinea in words which have the sanction of the knights of old and of the books.
V.
The Don has not gone far when he perceives six men approaching, each holding an open sunshade in his hand. They are accompanied by four servants and three muleteers. He challenges them, and imagining they are knights, he addresses them in the language of the books, and bars their progress unless they admit that Dulsinea is the most beautiful princess in the world. One of the number, a playboy, argues that he himself could not proclaim Dulsinea the most beautiful of princesses, as he had not seen her. The Don attacks him, but Rosinante falls and the knight, owing to his heavy armour, is unable to rise. He is picked up by a former neighbour of his, and taken on the top of a load of wheat home. Approaching the house about nightfall, they listen to the conversation of the people of the household. It was all about the master and his books. They enter and are recognised. The Don orders that the great physician Ugunda be sent for, tells of his feats of valour against ten men, and how his horse’s stumble saved their lives. He is put to bed, and the priest threatens to burn the books!
VI.
Whilst Don Ciochóté sleeps, Alonso tells the company where he found him and the state he was in. The priest decides to burn the books; and himself and Nicolas, on the advice of the women, burn every book in the library. They then close up the place with a wall so that nobody can know there ever was a room there. When he gets up he looks for his books. His housekeeper tells him that the Evil One has come and has taken them all away. “Not he,” said the young woman, “but a sorcerer.” Our hero felt that jealousy prompted the sorcerer to do so. He enlists the sympathy of Sancho Panza his exploits. The latter, having a wife and children, at first demurs. Don Cíochóté holds out the promise of a governorship or kingship of some conquered island, and Sancho consents, and takes an ass with him. On the way, Sancho reminds Don Cíochóté of the promise of the island, and the latter quotes from the books the customs of knights-errant. He intends to outdo them all in generosity. Sancho is afraid his wife would never make a good queen, whatever else she might be fitted for. Our knight-errant advises Sancho not to ambition anything more humble than the position of Viceroy.
