 Section 47 of Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Volume 8 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Ron Altman Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Volume 8 Section 47 The Ending of All Don Quixote's Adventures Of How Don Quixote Fell Sick And Of The Will He Made And How He Died by George Santayana As nothing that is man's can last forever, but all tends ever downwards from its beginning to its end, and above all man's life, and as Don Quixote's enjoyed no special dispensation from heaven to stay its course, its end and close came when he least looked for it. Or whether it was of the dejection the thought of his defeat produced, or of heaven's will that so ordered it, a fever settled upon him and kept him in his bed for six days, during which he was often visited by his friends the curate, the bachelor, and the barber, while his good squire, Sancho Panza, never quitted his bedside. They persuaded that it was grief at finding himself vanquished, and the object of his heart, the liberation and disenchantment of Delsinia, unattained, that kept him in this state, strove by all the means in their power to cheer him up. The bachelor bidding him take heart and get up to begin his pastoral life, for which he himself, he said, had already composed an eclog that would take the shine out of all Sanazaro had ever written, and had bought with his own money two famous dogs to guard the flock, one called Barsino and the other Butron, which a herdsman of Quintanar had sold him. But for all this Don Quixote could not shake off his sadness. His friends called in the doctor, who felt his pulse, and was not very well satisfied with it, and said that in any case it would be well for him to attend to the health of his soul, as that of his body was in a bad way. Don Quixote heard this calmly, but not so his housekeeper, his niece, and his squire, who fell weeping bitterly as if they had him lying dead before them. The doctor's opinion was that melancholy and depression were bringing him to his end. Don Quixote begged them to leave him to himself, as he had a wish to sleep a little. They obeyed, and he slept at one stretch, as the saying is, more than six hours, so that the housekeeper and niece thought he was going to sleep forever. But at the end of that time he woke up, and in a loud voice exclaimed, Blessed be Almighty God, who has shown me such goodness! In truth his mercies are boundless, and the sins of men can neither limit them nor keep them back! The niece listened with attention to her uncle's words, and they struck her as more coherent than what usually fell from him, at least during his illness, so she asked, What are you saying, Signor? Has anything strange occurred? What mercies or what sins of men are you talking of? The mercies' niece, said Don Quixote, are those that God has this moment shown me, and with him, as I said, my sins are no impediment to them. My reason is now free and clear, rid of the dark shadows of ignorance, that my unhappy constant study of those detestable books of chivalry cast over it. Now I see through their absurdities and deceptions, and it only grieves me that this destruction of my illusions has come so late that it leaves me no time to make some amends by reading other books that might be a light to my soul. Nece, I feel myself at the point of death, and I would feign meet it in such a way as to show that my life has not been so ill that I should leave behind me the name of a madman. For though I have been one, I would not that the fact should be made plainer at my death. Call into me, my dear, my good friends, hear it, the bachelor, Samson Carrasco, and Master Nicholas the barber, for I wish to confess and make my will. But his niece was saved the trouble by the entrance of the three. The instant Don Quixote saw them, he exclaimed, Good news for you good sirs, that I am no longer Don Quixote of La Mancha, but Alonso Quijano, whose way of life won for him the name of good. Now am I the enemy of Amadi of Gaul, and of the whole countless troop of his descendants. Odious to me now are all the profane stories of night errantry. Now I perceive my folly and the peril into which reading them brought me. Now, by God's mercy, scooled into my right senses, I loathe them. When the three heard him speak in this way, they had no doubt whatever that some new craze had taken possession of him, and said Samson, What, senor Don Quixote, now that we have intelligence of the Lady Dalsinia being disenchanted, are you taking this line? Now, just as we are on the point of becoming shepherds to pass our lives singing like princes, are you thinking of turning hermit? Hush for heaven's sake, be rational, and let's have no more nonsense. All that nonsense, said Don Quixote, that until now has been a reality to my hurt, my death-will with heaven's help turned to my good. I feel, sirs, that I am rapidly drawing near death, a truce to jesting. Let me have a confessor to confess me, and a notary to make my will, for in extremities like this man must not trifle with his soul. And while the curate is confessing me, let someone I beg go for the notary. They looked at one another, wondering at Don Quixote's words. But though uncertain, they were inclined to believe him, and one of the signs by which they came to the conclusion he was dying was this so sudden and complete return to his senses after having been mad. For to the words already quoted he added much more, so well expressed, so devout, and so rational, as to banish all doubt and convince them that he was sound of mind. The curate turned them all out and left alone with him, confessed him. The bachelor went for the notary and returned shortly afterwards with him and with Sancho, who having already learned from the bachelor the condition his master was in and finding the housekeeper and niece weeping began to blubber and shed tears. The confession over the curate came out saying, Alonso Quejano the good is indeed dying and is indeed in his right mind. We may now go into him while he makes his will. This news gave a tremendous impulse to the brimming eyes of the housekeeper, niece and Sancho Panza, his good squire, making the tears burst from their eyes and a host of sighs from their hearts. For of a truth, as has been said more than once, whether as plain Alonso Quejano the good or as Don Quixote of La Mancha, Don Quixote was always of a gentle disposition and kindly in all his ways and hence he was beloved not only by those of his own house but by all who knew him. The notary came in with arrest and as soon as the preamble of the will had been set out and Don Quixote had commended his soul to God with all the devout formalities that are usual, coming to the bequests, he said, item, it is my will that touching certain monies in the hands of Sancho Panza whom in my madness I made my squire in as much as between him and me there have been certain accounts and debits and credits no claim be made against him nor any account demanded of him in respect of them but that if anything remain over and above after he has paid himself what I owe him the balance which will be but little shall be his and much good may it do him and if as when I was mad I had a share in giving him the government of an island so now that I am in my senses I could give him that of a kingdom it should be his for the simplicity of his character and the fidelity of his conduct deserve it and then turning to Sancho he said forgive me my friend that I led thee to seem as mad as myself making thee fall into the same error I myself fell into that there were and still are knights errant in the world ah said Sancho weeping don't die master but take my advice and live many years for the foolishest thing a man can do in this life is to let himself die without rhyme or reason without anybody killing him or any hands but melancholies making an end of him come don't be lazy but get up from your bed and let us take to the fields in shepherd's trim as we agreed perhaps behind some bush we shall find the Lady Dalsinia disenchanted as fine as fine can be if it be that you are dying of vexation at having been vanquished lay the blame on me and say you were overthrown because I had girthed Rosinante badly besides you must have seen in your books of chivalry that it is a common thing for knights to upset one another and for him who is conquered today to be conquered tomorrow very true said Zamsen and good Sancho Pansa's view of these cases is quite right sirs not so fast said Don Quixote in last year's nests there are no birds this year I was mad now I am in my senses I was Don Quixote of Lamancha I am now as I said Alonso Quijano the good and may my repentance and sincerity restore me to the esteem you used to have for me and now let master notary proceed item I leave all my property absolutely to Antonio Quijano my niece here present after all has been deducted from the most available portion of it that may be required to satisfy the bequests I have made and the first disbursement I desire to be made is the payment of the wages I owe for the time my housekeeper has served me with twenty dukats over and above for a gown the curate and the bachelor Samson Carrasco now present I appoint my executors item it is my wish that if Antonio Quijano my niece desires to marry she shall marry a man of whom it shall be first of all ascertained by information taken that he does not know what books of chivalry are and if it should be proved that he does and if in spite of this my niece insists upon marrying him and does marry him then she shall forfeit the whole of what I have left her which my executors shall devote to works of charity as they please item I entreat the aforesaid gentlemen my executors that if any happy chance should lead them to discover the author who is said to have written a history now going about under the title of second part of the achievements of Don Quijote of La Mancha they beg of him on my behalf as earnestly as they can to forgive me for having been without intending it the cause of his writing so many and such monstrous absurdities as he has written in it for I am leaving the world with a feeling of compunction at having provoked him to write them with this he closed his will and a faintness coming over him he stretched himself out at full length on the bed all were in a flutter and made haste to relieve him and during the three days he lived after that on which he made his will he fainted away very often the house was all in confusion but still the niece ate and the housekeeper drank and Sancho Panza enjoyed himself for inheriting property wipes out or softens down in the air the feeling of grief the dead man might be expected to leave behind him at last Don Quijote's end came after he had received all the sacraments and had in full and forcible terms expressed his detestation of books of chivalry the notary was there at the time and he said that in no book of chivalry had he ever read of any nighterrant dying in his bed so calmly and so like a Christian as Don Quijote who amid the tears and lamentations of all present yielded up his spirit that is to say died unperceiving it the curate begged the notary to bear witness that Alonso Quijono the Good commonly called Don Quijote of La Mancha had passed away from this present life and died naturally and said he desired this testimony in order to remove the possibility of any other author save Seed Hammett Beningale bringing him to life again falsely and making interminable stories out of his achievements such was the end of the ingenious gentleman of La Mancha whose village Seed Hammett would not indicate precisely in order to leave all the towns and villages of La Mancha to contend among themselves for the right to adopt him and claim him as a son as the seven cities of Greece contended for Homer the lamentations of Sancho and the niece and housekeeper are omitted here as well as the new epitaphs upon his tomb Samson Carrasco however put the following Adote gentleman lies here a stranger all his life to fear nor in his death could death prevail in that last hour to make him quail he for the world but little cared and at his feats the world was scared a crazy man his life he passed but in his senses died at last and said most sage Seed Hammett to his pen rest here hung up by this brass wire upon this shelf oh my pen whether of skillful make or clumsy cut I know not here shalt thou remain long ages hence unless presumptuous or malignant storytellers take thee down to profane thee but ere they touch thee warn them and as best thou canst say to them hold off ye weaklings hold your hands adventure it let none for this enterprise my lord the king was meant for me alone for me alone was Don Quixote born and I for him it was his to act mine to write we two together make but one not withstanding and in spite of that pretended to a desolusque writer who has ventured or would venture with his great course ill trimmed ostrich quill to write the achievements of my valiant night no burden for his shoulders nor subject for his frozen wit whom if perchance thou shouldst come to know him thou shalt warn to leave at rest where they lie the weary mouldering bones of Don Quixote and not to attempt to carry him off in opposition to all the privileges of death to old Castile making him rise from the grave where in reality and truth he lies stretched at full length powerless to make any third expedition or new sally for the two that he has already made so much to the enjoyment and approval of everybody to whom they have become known in this as well as in foreign countries are quite sufficient for the purpose of turning into ridicule the whole of those made by the whole set of the night's errand and so doing shalt thou discharge thy Christian calling giving good counsel to one that bears ill will to thee and I shall remain satisfied and proud to have been the first who has ever enjoyed the fruit of his writings as fully as he could desire for my desire has been no other than to deliver over to the detestation of mankind the false and foolish tales of the books of chivalry which thanks to that of my true Don Quixote are even now tottering and doubtless doomed to fall forever farewell End of Section 47 Recording by Ron Altman End of Library of the World's Best Literature Ancient and Modern, Vol. 8