don quixote(堂·吉珂德)-第186节
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stern judge stands not higher than that of the compassionate。
〃If perchance thou permittest the staff of justice to swerve; let it
be not by the weight of a gift; but by that of mercy。
〃If it should happen thee to give judgment in the cause of one who
is thine enemy; turn thy thoughts away from thy injury and fix them on
the justice of the case。
〃Let not thine own passion blind thee in another man's cause; for
the errors thou wilt thus commit will be most frequently irremediable;
or if not; only to be remedied at the expense of thy good name and
even of thy fortune。
〃If any handsome woman come to seek justice of thee; turn away thine
eyes from her tears and thine ears from her lamentations; and consider
deliberately the merits of her demand; if thou wouldst not have thy
reason swept away by her weeping; and thy rectitude by her sighs。
〃Abuse not by word him whom thou hast to punish in deed; for the
pain of punishment is enough for the unfortunate without the
addition of thine objurgations。
〃Bear in mind that the culprit who comes under thy jurisdiction is
but a miserable man subject to all the propensities of our depraved
nature; and so far as may be in thy power show thyself lenient and
forbearing; for though the attributes of God are all equal; to our
eyes that of mercy is brighter and loftier than that of justice。
〃If thou followest these precepts and rules; Sancho; thy days will
be long; thy fame eternal; thy reward abundant; thy felicity
unutterable; thou wilt marry thy children as thou wouldst; they and
thy grandchildren will bear titles; thou wilt live in peace and
concord with all men; and; when life draws to a close; death will come
to thee in calm and ripe old age; and the light and loving hands of
thy great…grandchildren will close thine eyes。
〃What I have thus far addressed to thee are instructions for the
adornment of thy mind; listen now to those which tend to that of the
body。〃
CHAPTER XLIII
OF THE SECOND SET OF COUNSELS DON QUIXOTE GAVE SANCHO PANZA
WHO; hearing the foregoing discourse of Don Quixote; would not
have set him down for a person of great good sense and greater
rectitude of purpose? But; as has been frequently observed in the
course of this great history; he only talked nonsense when he
touched on chivalry; and in discussing all other subjects showed
that he had a clear and unbiassed understanding; so that at every turn
his acts gave the lie to his intellect; and his intellect to his acts;
but in the case of these second counsels that he gave Sancho he showed
himself to have a lively turn of humour; and displayed conspicuously
his wisdom; and also his folly。
Sancho listened to him with the deepest attention; and endeavoured
to fix his counsels in his memory; like one who meant to follow them
and by their means bring the full promise of his government to a happy
issue。 Don Quixote; then; went on to say:
〃With regard to the mode in which thou shouldst govern thy person
and thy house; Sancho; the first charge I have to give thee is to be
clean; and to cut thy nails; not letting them grow as some do; whose
ignorance makes them fancy that long nails are an ornament to their
hands; as if those excrescences they neglect to cut were nails; and
not the talons of a lizard…catching kestrel… a filthy and unnatural
abuse。
〃Go not ungirt and loose; Sancho; for disordered attire is a sign of
an unstable mind; unless indeed the slovenliness and slackness is to
he set down to craft; as was the common opinion in the case of
Julius Caesar。
〃Ascertain cautiously what thy office may be worth; and if it will
allow thee to give liveries to thy servants; give them respectable and
serviceable; rather than showy and gay ones; and divide them between
thy servants and the poor; that is to say; if thou canst clothe six
pages; clothe three and three poor men; and thus thou wilt have
pages for heaven and pages for earth; the vainglorious never think
of this new mode of giving liveries。
〃Eat not garlic nor onions; lest they find out thy boorish origin by
the smell; walk slowly and speak deliberately; but not in such a way
as to make it seem thou art listening to thyself; for all
affectation is bad。
〃Dine sparingly and sup more sparingly still; for the health of
the whole body is forged in the workshop of the stomach。
〃Be temperate in drinking; bearing in mind that wine in excess keeps
neither secrets nor promises。
〃Take care; Sancho; not to chew on both sides; and not to eruct in
anybody's presence。〃
〃Eruct!〃 said Sancho; 〃I don't know what that means。〃
〃To eruct; Sancho;〃 said Don Quixote; 〃means to belch; and that is
one of the filthiest words in the Spanish language; though a very
expressive one; and therefore nice folk have had recourse to the
Latin; and instead of belch say eruct; and instead of belches say
eructations; and if some do not understand these terms it matters
little; for custom will bring them into use in the course of time;
so that they will be readily understood; this is the way a language is
enriched; custom and the public are all…powerful there。〃
〃In truth; senor;〃 said Sancho; 〃one of the counsels and cautions
I mean to bear in mind shall be this; not to belch; for I'm constantly
doing it。〃
〃Eruct; Sancho; not belch;〃 said Don Quixote。
〃Eruct; I shall say henceforth; and I swear not to forget it;〃
said Sancho。
〃Likewise; Sancho;〃 said Don Quixote; 〃thou must not mingle such a
quantity of proverbs in thy discourse as thou dost; for though
proverbs are short maxims; thou dost drag them in so often by the head
and shoulders that they savour more of nonsense than of maxims。〃
〃God alone can cure that;〃 said Sancho; 〃for I have more proverbs in
me than a book; and when I speak they come so thick together into my
mouth that they fall to fighting among themselves to get out; that's
why my tongue lets fly the first that come; though they may not be pat
to the purpose。 But I'll take care henceforward to use such as befit
the dignity of my office; for 'in a house where there's plenty; supper
is soon cooked;' and 'he who binds does not wrangle;' and 'the
bell…ringer's in a safe berth;' and 'giving and keeping require
brains。'〃
〃That's it; Sancho!〃 said Don Quixote; 〃pack; tack; string
proverbs together; nobody is hindering thee! 'My mother beats me;
and I go on with my tricks。' I am bidding thee avoid proverbs; and
here in a second thou hast shot out a whole litany of them; which have
as much to do with what we are talking about as 'over the hills of
Ubeda。' Mind; Sancho; I do not say that a proverb aptly brought in
is objectionable; but to pile up and string together proverbs at
random makes conversation dull and vulgar。
〃When thou ridest on horseback; do not go lolling with thy body on
the back of the saddle; nor carry thy legs stiff or sticking out
from the horse's belly; nor yet sit so loosely that one would
suppose thou wert on Dapple; for the seat on a horse makes gentlemen
of some and grooms of others。
〃Be moderate in thy sleep; for he who does not rise early does not
get the benefit of the day; and remember; Sancho; diligence is the
mother of good fortune; and indolence; its opposite; never yet
attained the object of an honest ambition。
〃The last counsel I will give thee now; though it does not tend to
bodily improvement; I would have thee carry carefully in thy memory;
for I believe it will be no less useful to thee than those I have
given thee already; and it is this… never engage in a dispute about
families; at least in the way of comparing them one with another;
for necessarily one of those compared will be better than the other;
and thou wilt be hated by the one thou hast disparaged; and get
nothing in any shape from the one thou hast exalted。
〃Thy attire shall be hose of full length; a long jerkin; and a cloak
a trifle longer; loose breeches by no means; for they are becoming
neither for gentlemen nor for governors。
〃For the present; Sancho; this is all that has occurred to me to
advise thee; as time goes by and occasions arise my instructions shall
follow; if thou take care to let me know how thou art circumstanced。〃
〃Senor;〃 said Sancho; 〃I see well enough that all these things
your worship has said to me are good; holy; and profitable; but what
use will they be to me if I don't remember one of them? To be sure
that about not letting my nails grow; and marrying again if I have the
chance; will not slip out of my head; but all that other hash; muddle;
and jumble… I don't and can't recollect any more of it than of last
year's clouds; so it must be given me in writing; for though I can't
either read or write; I'll give it to my confessor; to drive it into
me and remind me of it whenever it is necessary。〃
〃Ah; sinner that I am!〃 said Don Quixote; 〃how bad it looks in
governors not to know how to read or write; for let me tell thee;
Sancho; when a man knows not how to read; or is left…handed; it argues
one of two things; either that he was the son of exceedingly mean
and lowly parents; or that he himself was so incorrigible and
ill…conditioned that neither good company nor good teaching could make
any