As Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza, were discoursing on their way, they caught sight of some thirty or forty windmills in the plain; and, as soon as the knight had spied them, " Fortune," cried he, "directs our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished! 5 Look yonder, friend Sancho; there are at least thirty outrageous giants whom I intend to encounter; and, having deprived them of life, we will begin to enrich ourselves with their spoils. For they are lawful prizė; and the extirpation of that cursed brood will be an acceptable 10 service to Heaven." "What giants?" quoth Sancho Panza. "Those whom thou seest yonder," Quixote," with their long extended arms. answered Don Some of that detested race have arms of so immense a size that some- 15 times they reach two leagues in length." 66 Pray look better, sir," quoth Sancho; "those things yonder are no giants, but windmills, and the arms you fancy are their sails, which, being whirled about by the wind, make the mill go." "It is a sign," cried Don Quixote, "that thou art but little acquainted with adventures! I tell thee, they are giants; and, therefore, if thou art afraid, go aside and say thy prayers, for I am resolved to engage in a dreadful and unequal combat against them all." 20 25 This said, he clapped spurs to his horse Rocinante, without giving ear to his squire Sancho, who bawled out to him and assured him that they were windmills and no giants. But he was so fully possessed with a strong conceit of the contrary that he did not so much as hear his 30 squire's outcry, nor was he sensible of what they were, although he was already very near them. Far from that, 66 Stand, cowards!" cried he as loud as he could; "stand your ground, ignoble creatures, and fly not basely from a single knight, who dares encounter you all." 5 At the same time, the wind rising, the mill sails began to move, which, when Don Quixote spied, "Base miscreants," cried he, "though you move more arms than the giant Briareus, you shall pay for your arrogance." He then most devoutly recommended himself to his lady 10 Dulcinea, imploring her assistance in this perilous adventure; and so, covering himself with his shield and couching his lance, he rushed with Rocinante's utmost speed upon the first windmill he could come at; and, running his lance into the sail, the wind whirled about 15 with such swiftness that the rapidity of the motion immediately broke the lance into shivers and hurled away both knight and horse along with it, till down Don Quixote fell, rolling a good way off the field. Sancho Panza ran to help his master, whom he found 20 lying prostrate and not able to stir, such a blow had he and Rocinante received. 66 Mercy on me!" cried Sancho, "did I not give your worship fair warning? Did not I tell you they were windmills, and that nobody could think otherwise unless 25 he had also windmills in his head!" "Peace, friend Sancho," rejoined Don Quixote. "There is nothing so subject to the inconstancy of fortune as war. I am verily persuaded that a necromancer has transformed these giants into windmills to deprive me of the 30 honor of the victory; such is his inveterate malice against me. But, in the end, all his pernicious wiles and strata gems shall prove ineffectual against the prevailing edge of my sword." 66 "Amen, say I,” replied Sancho; and so, heaving him up again upon his legs, once more the knight mounted poor 5 Rocinante, who was half-shoulder-slipped in his fall. I. Don Quix'ote. Çid: the surname of Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar (1044?-1099), a renowned Spanish knight, who won many victories over the Moors. Ber när'do děl Cär'pï o:a famous Spanish knight, one of the favorite subjects of the old minstrels. An tae'us: according to Greek mythology, a giant slain by Hercules. Môr găn'te (ta): a terrible giant, the hero of an Italian story, who is said to have performed many wonderful exploits and to have been at last killed by the bite of a crab. Bu ceph'(çef) à lùs: the favorite horse of Alexander the Great. After its death, Alexander built a city called Bucephala in its honor. Bä bï'e (a) ça: the Cid's horse. Rōci (së) nän'te (tä). II. Mōat: a ditch or trench around a castle or fortified place, sometimes filled with water. Draw'bridge: a bridge which can be raised or lowered at pleasure, placed before the gate of a town or castle, or over a river or canal. Ap pûr'tėnanç es: things which belong to some more important thing; adjuncts. Căs'těl lăn: warder or keeper of a castle. III. Săncho Pănza: Don Quixote’s servant. Ex tir pā'tion (shun): total destruction. Còn çēit': idea; thought. Bri ā'rẻ us: according to Greek mythology, a giant with a hundred Dŭl çìn'ê à děl Tỏ bō'sở: Don Quixote's lady love. Něc'rô măn çer: enchanter; magician. Half-shoulder-slipped: having almost put his shoulder out of joint. arms. Oh what a tangled web we weave - SCOTT Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865): The sixteenth President of the United States. During his presidency occurred the war between the states, and soon after its close President Lincoln was assassinated. This eloquent address was delivered at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, November 19, 1863. Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing 5 whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here |