Don Quixote de La Mancha
Chapter One
The Life of Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was at once the glory and reproach of
Spain; for, if his admirable genius and heroic spirit conduced to
the honour of his country, the distress and obscurity which attended
his old age, as effectually redounded to her disgrace. Had he lived
amidst Gothic darkness and barbarity, where no records were used,
and letters altogether unknown, we might have expected to derive
from tradition, a number of particulars relating to the family and
fortune of a man so remarkably admired even in his own time. But,
one would imagine pains had been taken to throw a veil of oblivion
over the personal concerns of this excellent author. No inquiry
hath, as yet, been able to ascertain the place of his nativity;
and, although in his works he has declared himself a gentleman by
birth, no house has hitherto laid claim to such an illustrious
descendant.
One author says he was born at Esquivias; but, offers no argument
in support of his assertion: and probably the conjecture was founded
upon the encomiums which Cervantes himself bestows on that place, to
which he gives the ... read full excerpt from Don Quixote ebook
