the consummation of this wedding to-morrow will be attended by his death."

"Heaven forbid, marry and amen!" cried Sancho. "Who can tell what may happen? he that gives a broken head can give a plaister. This is one day, but to-morrow is another, and strange things may fall out in the roasting of an egg. After a storm comes a calm. Many a man that went to bed well, has found himself dead in the morning when he awaked. Who can put a spoke in fortune's wheel? nobody here, I am sure. Between a woman's yea and nay, I would not engage to put a pin's-point, so close they be one to another. If Mrs Quiteria love Mr Basil, she will give Camacho the bag to hold for this same love, they say, looks through spectacles, that makes copper like gold, a cart like a coach, and a shrimp like a lobster.” "Whither, in the name of ill-luck, art thou running now, Sancho ?" said Don Quixote. "When thou fallest to threading thy proverbs and old wives sayings, the devil (who I wish had thee) can't stop thee. What dost thou know, poor animal, of fortune, or her wheel, or any thing else ?"—" Why truly, sir," quoth Sancho, "if you don't understand me, no wonder if my sentences be thought nonsense. But let that pass, I understand myself; and I am sure I have not talked so much like a ninny. But you, forsooth, are so sharp a cricket."-" A critic, blockhead," said Don Quixote, " thou confounded corrupter of human speech!"-" By yea and by nay," quoth Sancho, "what makes you so angry, sir? I was never brought up at school nor varsity,

to know when I murder a hard word. I was never at court to learn to spell, sir. Some are born in one town, some in another; one at St Jago, another at Toledo; and even there all are not so nicely spoke."

"You are in the right, friend," said the student: "those natives of that city, who live among the tanners, or about the market of Zocodover, and are confined to mean conversation, cannot speak so well as those that frequent the polite part of the town, and yet they are all of Toledo. But propriety, purity, and elegance of style, may be found among men of breeding and judgment, let them be born where they will; for their judgment is in the grammar of good language, though practice and example will go a great way. As for my part, I have had the happiness of good education; it has been my fortune to study the civil law at Salamanca, and I have made it my business all along to express myself properly, neither like a rustic nor a pedant.”"Ay, ay, sir," said the other student, "your parts might have qualified you for a master of arts degree, had you not misemployed them in minding so much those foolish foils you carry about with you, and that make you lag behind your juniors."—" Look you, good Sir Batchelor," said the other, "your mean opinion of these foils is erroneous and absurd; for I can deduce the usefulness of the art of fencing from several undeniable axioms."-" Psha," said Corchuelo, for so was the other called, " don't tell me of axioms: I will fight you, sir, at your weapons. Here am I that understand neither quart, nor tierce; but I have an arm, I have strength, and I have courage.

Give me one of your foils, and in spite of all your distances, circles, falsifies, angles, and all other terms of your art, I will shew you there is nothing in it, and will make reason glitter in your eyes. That man breathes not vital air, that I will turn my back on. And he must have more than human force, that can stand his ground against me."—" As for standing ground," said the artist, "I won't be obliged to it. But have a care, sir, how you press upon a man of skill, for ten to one, at the very first advance, but he is in your body up to the hilt."“I will try that presently," said Corchuelo; and springing briskly from his ass, snatched one of the foils which the student carried. "Hold, hold, sir," said Don Quixote, "I will stand judge of the field, and see fair play on both sides ;" and interposing with his lance, he alighted, and gave the artist time to put himself in his posture, and take his distance.

Then Corchuelo flew at him like a fury, helter skelter, cut and thrust, backstroke and forestroke, single and double, and laid on like any on. But the student stopped him in the middle of his career with such a dab in the teeth, that he made Corchuelo foam at the mouth. He made him kiss the button of his foil, as if it had been a relic, though not altogether with so much devotion. In short, he told all the buttons of his short cassock with pure clean thrusts, and made the skirts of it hang about him in rags like fish tails. Twice he struck off his hat, and in fine, so mauled and tired him, that through perfect vexation Corchuelo took the foil by

the hilt, and hurled it from him with such violence, that one of the countrymen that were by, happening to be a notary-public, has it upon record to this day, that he threw it almost three quarters of a league; which testimony has served, and yet serves to let posterity know that strength is overcome by

art.

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At last Corchuelo, puffing and blowing, sat down to rest himself, and Sancho, coming up to him, "Mr Batchelor,” quoth he, “ henceforward take a fool's advice, and never challenge a man to fence, but to wrestle or pitch the bar; you seem cut out for those sports: but this fencing is a ticklish point, sir, meddle no more with it; for I have heard some of your masters of the science say, they can hit the eye of a needle with the point of a sword." Corchuelo acknowledged himself convinced of an error by experience, and embracing the artist, they became the better friends for this tilting. So, without staying for the notary that went for the foil, and could not be back in a great while, they put on to the town where Quiteria lived, they all dwelling in the same village.

By the way, the student held forth upon the excellency of the noble science of defence, with so many plain and convincing reasons, drawn from expressive figures and mathematical demonstrations, that all were satisfied of the excellency of the art, and Corchuelo was reclaimed from his incredulity. It was now pretty dark; but before they got to the village, there appeared an entire blazing constellation: Their ears were entertained with the pleasing, but confu

sed sounds of several sorts of music, drums, fiddles, pipes, tabors and bells; and as they approached nearer still, they found a large arbour at the entrance of the town stuck full of lights, which burnt undisturbed by the least breeze of wind. The musicians, which are the life and soul of diversion at a wedding, went up and down in bands about the meadow. In short, some danced, some sung, some played, and mirth and jollity revelled through that delicious seat of pleasure. Others were employed in raising scaffolds for the better view of the shows and entertainments prepared for the happy Camacho's wedding, and likewise to solemnize poor Basil's funeral. All the persuasions and endeavours of the students and countrymen could not move Don Quixote to enter the town; urging for his reason the custom of knights-errant, who chose to lodge in fields and forests under the canopy of heaven, rather than in soft beds under a gilded roof; and therefore he left them, and went a little out of the road, full sore against Sancho's will, who had not yet forgot the good lodging and entertainment he had at Don Diego's house or castle.

CHAPTER XX.

An Account of rich Camacho's wedding, and what befel poor Basil.

SCARCE had the fair Aurora given place to the refulgent ruler of the day, and given him time, with