"There arose a great uproar in the inn, for it happened that a certain muleteer and a daughter of one of the guests had come to words."

The chaotic events at the inn continue, with Don Quixote intervening in the muleteer's quarrel, further escalating the confusion.

Chapter 44: Wherein are continued the unheard-of adventures of the inn.

"And so the affair of the helmet and the pack-saddle was settled."

"'She wants me to be a governor, or something of the sort.'"

One of the goatherds tells the tragic love story of Chrysostom and Marcela.

Chapter 12: Of what a goatherd related to those who were with Don Quixote.

"'But tell me, señor,' said Sancho, 'what is the meaning of these fulling hammers that seem to be beating the bowels out of the earth?'"

"'Tell me, Sancho,' said the curate, 'what do you know about proverbs?'"

The captive continues his tale, detailing his time as a slave, his encounters with a beautiful Moorish woman named Zoraida, and their plan to escape.

Chapter 40: Wherein is continued the story of the captive.

"'Hold your peace, Sancho,' replied Don Quixote, 'and do not contradict your master.'"

"'She went away with a soldier, and left her father's house.'"

"Suddenly they saw two men on horseback approaching them, dressed in mourning garments."

"'My misfortunes were so great that they ought to be written in letters of brass.'"

"'But I say that your worship is no more enchanted than my father was.'"

"Sancho Panza was his labourer, a poor man with very little wit in his pate."

"'Fortune,' said Don Quixote, 'is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished; for you see there, friend Sancho Panza, thirty or forty outrageous giants with whom I intend to do battle.'"

"They gave Don Quixote and Sancho a hearty welcome, and Sancho, without being pressed, seated himself at the tail of one of the tables."

* "'But tell me, good sirs, for what offense do they take these poor men along?'"

"'These persons who are going along in chains are men forced by the king's command to serve in the galleys.'"

"'And perchance, when your worship least expects it, you will find your Dulcinea’s letter lying on the ground.'"

"'And what did she say?' asked the curate."

"'And so, señora princess, you may command me as you please.'"

"'And so let us proceed with our story.'"

Don Quixote is found and brought home. His horse Rocinante and his rustic squire, Sancho Panza, are introduced.

7. Wherein is continued the gentleman's sickness, together with the remarkable account of the finding of his horse and squire.

"In this dread pass his sword hung useless by his side, and had not Dulcinea del Toboso come to his aid, he had been by this time in a parlous plight."

"It happened that there were grazing in this valley some scores of Galician mares belonging to certain Yanguesan carriers."

"'See you not that cavalier who is coming towards us on a dapple-grey steed, and wears a golden helmet?'"

"'And he has carried me off from my kingdom, and transformed me into this rustic guise.'"

"Thereupon he asked the landlord to give him a blow on the neck and shoulders by way of dubbing, using the formula and ceremonies he had read of in his books."

Various other characters and storylines intersect at the inn, including a judge and his beautiful daughter, and a quarrel over a muleteer's love affair.

Chapter 42: Which treats of other things that befell the company in the inn.

"'They had agreed to meet that night, and the muleteer was waiting for her.'"

"'Let the pack-saddle be worth as much as the helmet, and let each take his own.'"

"Don Quixote, believing all this to be true, quietly submitted to his fate."

"'Look you, Sancho,' said Don Quixote, 'I tell you that I am enchanted.'"

"'There was a rich man in our village who had a daughter named Leandra.'"

"'We are penitents,' said one of them, 'and we are going to a certain shrine to discharge a vow.'"

"'This gentleman who is with me is a magistrate of the Royal Audience.'"

"'And this muleteer fell in love with her.'"

"Don Quixote, who was always ready to right wrongs, believing that some distress was at hand, placed himself in the midst of the fray."

"'This is the man,' said one of the officers, 'who rescued the galley slaves.'"

"'We will have him carried off in this ox-cart, and we will pretend that he is enchanted.'"

"'I am enchanted, and I must endure this until the heavens shall be pleased to release me.'"

A goatherd recounts the story of a wealthy girl, Leandra, who ran away with a soldier, only to be abandoned and return home in disgrace.

Chapter 51: Wherein the goatherd relates the adventure of Leandra, with other incidents.

"It happened that the innkeeper was a very fat man, and one who, being of a peaceful disposition, when he saw such a figure armed in this fashion, was not at all pleased at the apparition."

"'I intend to remain in this wilderness, and do penance for the many sins that I have committed in this wicked world.'"

"'And as to the signs that she gives you in answer to my message, you will note them all down carefully, so that I may give them the credit they deserve.'"

Dorothea's tale reaches its climax, further convincing Don Quixote of his duty to aid her. The curate and barber marvel at her intelligence.

Chapter 35: Wherein is concluded the savoury tale of the shepherdess Dorothea, with other incidents that were much to be admired

Leaving the inn, Don Quixote intervenes in a dispute between a farmer and his servant Andrés, believing he has righted a wrong, but the abuse continues after he leaves.

Chapter 4: Of what befell our knight when he sallied forth from the inn.

"Scarcely had Don Quixote sallied forth from the inn, when a voice as of someone weeping piteously reached his ears from a thicket hard by."

"And so they went on emptying the shelves, burning one after another."

"'They may be giants,' replied Don Quixote, 'and if you are afraid, move aside and begin to pray, while I engage them in fierce and unequal combat.'"

"Rocinante, who was always peaceable and particularly so when he had had his fill, took it into his head, without anyone driving him, to mingle with the mares."

"In short, the battle was joined, and they dealt one another so many fisticuffs and cuffs that more than half the teeth in the inn were knocked out."

"'You must know, Sancho,' said Don Quixote, 'that it is no dishonour to change one's mind.'"

"'Without any fear whatsoever, do you place yourself upon Rocinante, and I upon my Dapple, and let us go and see what this terrible noise is.'"

"Thereupon Don Quixote ordered the gentleman to open the cage, and the gentleman said that he would not do so on any account."

Fleeing the authorities after freeing the galley slaves, Don Quixote retreats into the Sierra Morena mountains and decides to imitate the penance of Amadís of Gaul.

Chapter 23: Of what befell Don Quixote in the Sierra Morena.

"'We are going, good Sancho,' said the curate, 'in search of a madman, who calls himself Don Quixote of La Mancha.'"

...that he made of Beltenebros’ penance. (Chapter 25)Don Quixote begins his exaggerated and comical penance in the Sierra Morena.

Which treats of the strange things that befell the valiant Don Quixote in the Sierra Morena, and of the imitation...

The curate and the barber devise a plan to trick Don Quixote into returning home by having Dorothea pretend to be a damsel in distress.

27.Wherein are related the curate's devices for drawing Don Quixote from the rigorous penance which he had undertaken.

"'Now, Master Nicholas,' said the curate, 'we have a plan for curing our friend Don Quixote.'"

"'We will dress ourselves, you as a damsel in distress, and I as her squire.'"

"'She said... she said... that your worship should tell her knight to come and see her, and that she would be very glad to receive him.'"

"'All the same, I think the pleasure would be greater if one conquered giants, as your worship says, and then the princess became queen and gave your worship a kingdom.'"

"'A good heart breaks bad luck,'" Sancho remarked.

"He dreamt that he had entered the kingdom of Micomicona, and that he was standing before the giant Malambruno."

"'Fortune did not favour my design, for scarcely had we been two leagues out to sea when we were overtaken by two Turkish galleys.'"

"'She proposed to me that I should fly with her to Christian lands.'"

"'And this young lady is his daughter, who is going to Seville to see a lawsuit that her brother has won.'"

"'Hold, sirs, hold!' cried he, brandishing his sword."

The story of the muleteer's love affair with the guest's daughter is recounted, involving a secret rendezvous and a jealous servant.

Chapter 43: Wherein is related the pleasant story of the young muleteer, with other strange things that happened in the inn.

"'Gentlemen,' said Don Quixote, 'there is no need of quarrels in this matter.'"

Officers of the Holy Brotherhood arrive at the inn to arrest Don Quixote for freeing the galley slaves, leading to a tense standoff.

Chapter 46: Wherein is ended the notable adventure of the officers of the Holy Brotherhood, with other great events.

"Don Quixote stood up, and drew his sword, and placed himself before the door."

"'It is necessary to try some other remedy for this poor gentleman's malady.'"

"Sancho entertained them so much with his remarks that the curate could scarcely restrain his laughter."

"'Take comfort, your worship,' said Sancho, 'for this enchantment will not last for ever.'"

* "'Let her manage her spinning-wheel, and not meddle with governments.'"

...which the curate contrived with the barber. (Chapter 52)The argument between Don Quixote and the goatherd continues. The curate and barber stage a procession of penitents to further their plan to get Don Quixote home.

Wherein the quarrel between Don Quixote and the goatherd was continued, with the strange adventure of the penitents,...

"'There was in this inn a daughter of one of the guests from Aragon, a very graceful and pleasing maiden.'"

"'But the soldier left her, and she came back to our village, disgraced and heartbroken.'"

A captive who joins their company recounts his life story, including his capture by pirates and his experiences in Algiers.

Chapter 39: Wherein the captive relates his life and adventures.

"But the muleteer, without paying any heed to his words, continued his attack."

...befell the invincible Don Quixote. (Chapter 45)The dispute over the barber's basin (Mambrino's helmet) and a pack-saddle is resolved in a comical and illogical manner by Don Quixote.

Wherein is concluded the intricate affair of the helmet of Mambrino and the pack-saddle, with other adventures that...

"'Take care, your worships,' said Don Quixote, 'what you do, for these are not persons whom you have any right to arrest.'"

The curate and barber, with the help of others, trick Don Quixote into being transported back home in a caged ox-cart, convincing him it's an enchantment.

Chapter 47: Of the strange manner in which Don Quixote was carried off, and other rare incidents.

Don Quixote remains convinced of his enchantment during the journey, while Sancho has amusing conversations with the travelers.

Chapter 48: Wherein Don Quixote continues to bear himself like an enchanted person, with other remarkable occurrences.

Sancho recounts the cleverness and ambition of his wife Teresa Panza, who desires a higher social standing.

Chapter 49: Wherein Sancho Panza relates to his master the cunning devices of his wife Teresa Panza, with other matters worthy t

"'My wife Teresa Panza gives me a thousand counsels as if I were her son.'"

Don Quixote and Sancho have another disagreement about the nature of their adventures and the reality of the enchantments.

Chapter 50: Wherein Don Quixote and Sancho Panza had another contention.

"'I tell you again that they are knights, and that you are ignorant.'"

This chapter introduces Alonso Quijano, a hidalgo obsessed with chivalric romances, who decides to become the knight-errant Don Quixote.

Chapter 1 : Which treats of the condition and pursuits of the famous gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.

"Finally, his wits being quite gone, he hit upon the strangest notion that ever madman in this world hit upon, and that was that he believed it was fitting and necessary, as well for his own honour as for the service of his country, that he should make a knight-errant of himself."

"Don Quixote believed that the innkeeper was making game of him, and said, 'Where I am watching my armour, there is no need of a chapel.'"

"Having made these preparations, he would not delay any longer putting his design into execution, for he considered that his delay was a loss to the world, seeing the grievances that were righting, the wrongs that were redressing, the abuses that were amending, and the debts that were being satisfied."

"So eagerly did he give himself up to these delectable studies that he spent whole days and nights over them; and thus by little and little his brain grew dry and he lost his judgment."

"In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing."

"The neighbour, who had helped him home, related to the curate and the barber how he had found Don Quixote lying in the middle of the plain, unable to move."

with other occurrences worthy to be duly recorded. (Chapter 8)Don Quixote and Sancho set out on their second adventure, and Don Quixote attacks windmills, believing them to be giants.

Of the good success which the valorous Don Quixote had in the dreadful and never-before-imagined adventure of the windmills...

"'Look, your worship,' said Sancho, 'what we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned them.'"

"But the misfortune of it is that the author of this history left this battle pending and unfinished."

Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote (Part 1) is a brilliant satire on chivalry, reality, and human folly. Following the delusional yet noble Don Quixote and his pragmatic squire Sancho Panza, the novel explores themes of idealism, adventure, and the clash between fantasy and truth. With humor and depth, Cervantes critiques society while celebrating the power of dreams. A foundational work of literature, Part 1 sets the stage for one of the most influential stories ever written...

Don Quixote, errant knight and sane madman, with the company of his faithful squire and wise fool, Sancho Panza, together roam the world and haunt readers' imaginations as they have for nearly four hundred years.

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Philosophy

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History

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Creativity

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Books

Edith Grossman's definitive English translation of the Spanish masterpiece. Widely regarded as the world's first modern novel, and one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the famous picaresque adventures of the noble knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. Unless you read Spanish, you've never read Don Quixote. "Though there have been many valuable English translations of Don Quixote, I would commend Edith Grossman's version for the extraordinarily high quality of her prose. The Knight and Sancho are so eloquently rendered by Grossman that the vitality of their characterization is more clearly conveyed than ever before. There is also an astonishing contextualization of Don Quixote and Sancho in Grossman's translation that I believe has not been achieved before. The spiritual atmosphere of a Spain already in steep decline can be felt throughout, thanks to her heightened quality of diction. Grossman might be called the Glenn Gould of translators, because she, too, articulates every note. Reading her amazing mode of finding equivalents in English for Cervantes's darkening vision is an entrance into a further understanding of why this great book contains within itself all the novels that have followed in its sublime wake." From the Introduction by Harold Bloom Miguel de Cervantes was born on September 29, 1547, in Alcala de Henares, Spain. At twenty-three he enlisted in the Spanish militia and in 1571 fought against the Turks in the battle of Lepanto, where a gunshot wound permanently crippled his left hand. He spent four more years at sea and then another five as a slave after being captured by Barbary pirates. Ransomed by his family, he returned to Madrid but his disability hampered him; it was in debtor's prison that he began to write Don Quixote. Cervantes wrote many other works, including poems and plays, but he remains best known as the author of Don Quixote. He died on April 23, 1616.