' answers are pat; and to be sure, you are a pretty young fellow; but, hark ye, youngster, I am the air that will blow in your poop, until you are fafely lodged in prifon.-Here, take and carry him to goal, I will take order that he fhall fleep for one night without 'air. Fore God!' cried the youth, " your honour can no more make me leep in goal, than you can make me king.'And wherefore cannot I make thee fleep in goal?' replied Sancho; is it not in my power to confine and releafe thee, when and where I 'please ''How great foever your honour's power may be,' faid the young man, it is not fufficient to make me fleep in prifon.'-' How! not fufficient?' cried Sancho: away with him, and let his own eyes convince him of his mistake; and left the gaoler thould practife his interested generofity upon him, I will fine him in two thousand ducats, if he fuffers thee to move one ftep from the prifon. All this is matter of mirth,' anfwered the youth; for the truth is, all the people upon earth fhall not make me fleep in pri'fon.'-'Tell me, devil,' faid Sancho, haft thou got a familiar to releafe thee, and loofe the chains with which I intend thou shalt be fettered?' Now, my lord governor,' replied the youth with a graceful air, let us argue the matter, and come to the point. Sup'pofe your excellency fhould order me to be carried to goal, to be loaded with chains and fhackles, and thrust into a dungeon, and lay an heavy pe'nalty upon the gaoler, in case he should allow me to elcape; and laftly, fup'pofe he should perform his duty with all imaginable care and faccefs; not'withstanding all these precautions, if I have no inclination to fleep, and can 'keep myself awake all night, without clofing an eye, pray tell me, is all your lordfhip's power fufficient to make me fleep against my will?'-' No, surely,' faid the fecretary; and the young man has made good his affertion. 'vided always,' faid Sancho, that your defying fleep would be merely for your own pleasure, without any 'intention to contradict mine.'-' No my lord,' replied the youth; 'I never dreamt of any fuch intention.'Then, peace be with you,' refumed the governor, you may go and sleep at home, and God fend you a found fleep; for I have no defign to disturb your repofe: but let me advife you, never henceforth to crack`a joke upon juf ་ 'tice; otherwife you may chance to light upon fome of her minifters that will 'crack your fcull.' The youth went away, the governor continued his circuit; and he had not gone far, when two ferjeants brought in a perfon they had taken, faying, My lord governor, this here perfon that feems to be a min, is no other 'than a woman, and that not ugly nei'ther, in man's cloaths.' Here they held up two or three lanthorns, by the light of which they difcovered the face of a woman, feemingly about fixteen years of age, beautiful as a thousand pearls, with her hair tied up in a net of green filk and gold. Having furveyed her from head to foot, they perceived her ftockings were of flesh-coloured filk, tied with garters of white taffeta, and fringes of gold embroidery; her breeches were of green cloth of gold; he had a loofe coat of the fame ftuff under which fhe wore a jacket of the finest brocade; and her fhoes were white, and made like thofe used by men. She had no fword about her, but a very rich dagger, and upon her fingers were a great number of valuable rings: in a word, all who beheld the girl were ftruck with her appearance, though not one of them knew her face; and the inhabitants of the town faid they could not conceive who fhe was. But those who concerted the jokes that were practifed upon Sancho were most ftruck with admiration; for this incident and falvage was not of their contriving; and therefore they stood in fufpence, waiting to fee the iffue of the adventure; while Sancho, confounded at the girl's beauty, asked who the was, whither he was going, and what had induced her to appear in the habit of a She, fixing her eyes upon the ground, with the moft engaging bathfulness, replied, My lord, I cannot 'difclofe in fuch a publick company, 'what it concerns me fo much toconceal. • One circumftance I beg leave to com'municate: I am no thief or criminal Pro-perfon; but an unfortunate young la dy, compelled by jealoufy to trefpafs ( upon that decorum which is due to my 'honour and reputation.' The steward hearing these words, faid to Sancho, My lord governor, be fo good as bid the people retire, that this lady may disburden her mind with 'more freedom.' The governor accordingly laid his commands upon his attendants, all of whom retired, except the steward, the gentleman-iewer, and the fecretary; and the young lady find3 Ha ing ing they were gone, proceeded to this effect: Gentlemen, I am the daughter of Pedro Perez Mazorca, farmer of • the wool in this town, who comes frequently to my father's houfe.'—' Madam,' faid the fteward, this will not • go down. I am very well acquainted with Pedro Perez, and know he has I neither chick nor child, male or fe male; befides, you firft fay he is your ◄ father, and then add, he frequently ' comes to your father's houfe.' That ⚫ circumftance I likewife took notice of,' faid Sancho. Well, gentlemen,' replied the damfel, I am in fuch confufion, that I know not what to fay: but the truth is, I am the daughter of Diego dé Llana, whom you must all know.' 'farmer, whom, because he comes fre quently to our house, I took it in my head to call my father, in order to 'conceal the name of my real parent. 'I have been very difconfolate for many days and months, on account of this confinement, and his conftant refufal to let me go to church; I longed to fee the world, at leaft the town in which I firft drew breath; and I did not think, this defire transgressed the 'bounds of that decorum which young women of fashion ought to preserve. When I heard of bull-feafts, darting the javelin, and plays, I defired my brother, who is a year younger than 'myfelf, to defcribe the nature of these and many other things which I had not feen, and he gratified my defire to the utmost of his power; but his defcription ferved only to inflame my impatience to behold these spectacles; in a word, to cut fhort the account of my ruin, I fay, I defired and intreated my brother would to God I had never 'defired or intreated him!' Aye, this goes better,' answered the fteward; Diego de Llana is my acquaintance, and a gentleman of rank and fortune; I know, too, he has a fon and daughter; though, fince he was a widower, no perfon in this town can pretend to fay he ever faw the face of his daughter, whom her father keeps fo clofely fhut up, that the fun himself has no opportunity to behold her; and yet, report fays fhe is extremely beautiful. True,' proceed, and finish the ftory of your faid the damfel; I am that very daugh- 'adventure; for your own words and <ter, and whether or not fame has ( tears, keep us all in the utmost fubelyed me in point of beauty, youfpence.I have little elfe to fay,' yourselves, gentlemen, may judge from your own obfervation.' So faying, fhe began to weep moft bitterly. The fecretary perceiving her distress, faid to the fewer in a whifper, 'Doubtlefs, fomething of confequence muft have happened to this poor young lady, feeing a perfon of her quality quits < her own home at fuch an hour, and in fuch an equipage.'-Certainly,' replied the other, that fufpicion is confirmed by her tears.' As for Sancho, he confoled her in the best terms he could use, and defired that he would, without fear or constraint, communicate what had befallen her; for they would endeavour to remedy her difafter with great fincerity, and by all poffible means. This, then, is the cafe, gentlemen,' anfwered the damfel, my father has locked me up for the space of ten years, which are elapfed fince my mother was committed to her grave: there is in the house a rich oratory where mafs is faid; and, in all that time, I have feen nothing but the fun in the heavens by day, and the moon and ftars by night. I am utterly unacquainted with the ftreets, fquares, churches, and all mankind, except my father, my brother, and Pedro Perez, the wool And here the renewed her lamentation; when the fleward interpofing, 'Madam,' faid he, be fo good as to replied the damfel, though a great many tears to shed, for fuch irrregular de'fires are always, without fail, attended by fuch misfortunes.' The beauty of this damfel having made an impreffion on the foul of the gentleman-fewer, he once more held up the lanthorn to take another view, and the tears he let fall, he took to be feedpearl, or the dew-drops of the meadow; nay, his fancy even compared them to oriental pearls, and he ardently withed that her misfortune might not appear fo great as her fighs and lamentation feemed to indicate. The governor being tired of the dilatory manner in which the girl told her ftory, defired the would keep them no longer in fufpence; for it was late, and they had a great part of their round ftill to perform. Then the, in the midst of interrupted fobbings and broken figh, proceeded thus: My misfortune and my difafter is nothing elfe than this; I begged my brother to difguife me in one of his fuits, and carry me out 'to fee the town, fome night while my 'father fhould be afleep; he, importuned by my intreaties, complied with my request, and gave me this dress, while he himself put on a fuit of mine, 1 HOGG'S NEW NOVELIST'S MAGAZINE. The SONof DIEGO de LIANA, Seized in the Publi bed by Alex" Hogg March 15.1794 which fits him to a nicety; for he has not one hair upon his chin, and looks exactly like a very handfome girl. This night, about an hour ago, little 'more or lefs, we fallied forth from our ' own house; and conducted by our footboy, and our own unruly defire, went round the whole town; but, when we wanted to return home again, we per'ceived a great number of people coming up, and my brother faid, "Sifter, "this must be the patrole; quicken your pace, put wings to your feet, and run "after me, that they may not know who have fpared all this grunting and groaning.'- -Very true, replied the damfel; but your honours must know, my confufion was fo great, that I was "not mistress of my own behaviour.' There is no harm done,' replied Sancho; let us go and fee you fafe home to the house of your father, who perhaps has not miffed you as yet; and henceforward be not fuch a baby, or fo defirous to fee the world. The 'maid that would keep her good name, 'ftays at home as if he was lame. A 'hen and a houfewife, whatever they 'coft, if once they go gadding will furely be loft. And the that goes to fee, 'I ween, is as defirous to be seen. This is all I fhall at prefent fay upon the 'fubject.' we are, otherwife we fhall be in evil "taking." So faying, he took to his heels, and began-not to run, but to fly; but fcarce had I followed him fix paces, when I fell through fear, and then came the officers of justice, The young man thanked the goverwho brought me before your lordship, nor for his intended civility in feeing where in confequence of my foolith them home; and accordingly they took and rafh conduct, I find myself con- the road to their father's houfe, which ⚫ founded and afhamed before fo much was not far off. When they arrived at company. So that after all, Ma- the gate, the brother threw a pebble at a dam,' faid Sancho, no other mifhap cafement, and immediately a maid-ferhas befallen you, nor was it jealoufy vant who fat up for them, came down that brought you from your own houfe, and opened the door, at which they enas you alledged in the beginning of tered, leaving all the company in adyour story?' Nothing elfe hath hap-miration at their beauty and genteel de'pened to me, nor did I quit my own portment, as well as at their scheme of home from jealoufy, but merely from feeing the world by night, without gothe defire of feeing the world, whiching out of the town; but this they extended no farther than a wish to fee afcribed to their tender years. the ftreets of this town.' ་ The truth of this affertion was confirmed by the arrival of two other ferjeants with her brother, whom they had taken in his flight. He had no other cloaths but a rich petticoat, and a manteel of blue damafk laced with gold; on his head there was no cap, or any other ornament but his own hair, which was fo rich and ruddy, that it looked like ringlets of gold. The governor, fteward, and fewer, taking him afide, that he might not be overheard by his fifter, queftioned him about his being difguifed in that dress; and the youth, with equal bathfulness and diforder, repeated the fame ftory which his fifter had related, to the unfpeakable fatisfaction of the enamoured fewer, Gentlefolks,' faid the governor,' this is certainly a very childish trick, ' and in giving an account of your fim'plicity and rafhnefs, there needed not all this weeping and wailing. Had you faid at firft, our names are fo and fo, and we fell upon this contrivance 'to fteal out of our father's house, merely to gratify our curiofity, without any other defign, the affair would have been at an end, and you might The fewer's heart was tranfpierced by the charms of the fifter, whom he refolved to demand in marriage of her father the very next day, concluding he fhould not meet with a denial becaule he was a domeftick of the duke's. Even Sancho was feized with a whim and inclination to make a match between the youth and his daughter Sanchica, and he actually refolved to effectuate it in due feafon; taking it for granted no man would refufe his hand to a governor's daughter. Thus ended the round for that night, and in two days he faw the end of his government, which overthrew and deItroyed all his defigns, as will be feen in the fequel. CHA P. XVIII. · Which declares who were the inchanters and executioners that fcourged the duenna, and pinched and fcratched Don Quixote-together with the expedition of the page, who carried the letter to Terefa Panza, Sancho's Spouse. |