MUSULMANS' ACCOUNT OF ALEXANDER'S CROSSING THE INDUS. "I CANNOT help taking notice of a curious obfervation made by a learned Brahmen, that whofoever prohibited the croffing of the Attock, meant only that nobody making ufe of the ufual modes known at that time, fhould prefume to cross it: but if he could leap over it, or crofs it in a balloon, or aftride a wild goofe, or any other bird, which may be effected through magic, there could be no harm whatever. This ftrange idea brought to my reccllection a whimsical ftory of the Mufulmans who inhabited the country of Sind or Tata: they fancy Alexander by magical art conveyed his whole army over the Indus, every man of his riding aftride a wild goofe. Alexander was pretty fuccefsful in India: they conceive that this would not have been the cafe if he had croffed the Indus either in boats or by fwimming; and the most obvious method he could adopt, in their opinion, was to convey his foldiers in the above manner."-P. 537 XVIII. The Life and Exploits of the ingenious Gentleman Don Quizate de la Mancha. Tranflated from the original Spanish of M1GUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, by CHARLES JARVIS, Efq. Now carefully revifed and correct, ed: with a new Tranflation of the Spanish Poetry. To which is prefixed, a copious and new Life of Cervantes; including a Critique on the Quixote; alfo a chronological Plan of the Work. Embellifhed with new Engravings, and a Map of Part of Spain. 4 vols. 8vo. pp. 1614. 21. 25. Royal Paper 31. 16s. Proof Plates 51. 5s. Miller. EXTRACTS FROM THE PREFACE, "IN publishing a new edition of Don Quixote, little, at leaft in this place, need be faid of the excellence of the work itself. Its peculiar merits will be difcufed hereafter. Time, however, has put his mark upon it, and that is no bad criterion, by which to judge: more than two centuries have elapfed, and Don Quixote is still univerfally read. "The tranflation of Jarvis has been chofen, as being the best hitherto written. It has been now carefully revised, and fuch errors, as were apparent, corrected. The poetry of every former edition has been, in many points, very defective, particularly in refpect to fidelity of tranflation. That, which accompanies the prefent edition, is entirely new, and, if its poetic merit be thought interior to any former, its genera! conformity to the original will be found more correct. "The title of this work, as given by Jarvis, is certainly not that of Cervantes, but as his tranflation has been kept, it was thought right not to alter it. In Spanish it fimply is, El ingeniofo Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, The ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha. Such, at leaft, is the opinion of the Spanish Academy, who find fault with fome editions for prefixing Vida y fay, as improper, as if the Odylley of Hechos, The Life and Events; atitle, they Homer was called The Life and Events of the prudent Ulyffes. They then notice the incorrectness of the quarto it is probable Jarvis took his title. edition of 1738 by Tonfon, from which "The divifion of the chapters has been a little altered according to the beft Spanish edition; namely, that published at Madrid in 1780 at the expenfe of the king, and under the infpection of the Spanish Academy. Cervantes certainly divided the first part tinued it in the fecond, it is evident he into books, but from having difcondisapproved of that mode; fo that, had he published a fecond edition of the whole, he would probably have altered the first part. Such, however, is the reafoning of the Spanish Academy, which has induced the editor to adopt that arrangement, "The Life of Cervantes, prefixed to this edition, is founded upon that published at Madrid. It would be improper to call it a tranflation, becaufe a faithful translation would occupy four or five times the space; and yet perhaps it has little other merit: every thing, however, has been taken and condenfed, that was thought at all interefting, and fuch new matter added, as occurred in the perufal of other works. The Spanish Life is written by Don Vincente de los Rios, member Pa of of the Spanish Academy, and in Spain it is reckoned a work of great celebrity." Vol. i. p. iii. EXTRACTS FROM THE LIFE. "THE lives of literary men are not often fertile in incidents; fuch at least as are likely to be remembered long after they happened. Paffing their time within the walls of their own ftudy, free from the bule of the world, what happens to them is often unimportant beyond the circumference of their own circle. When, therefore, the long ipace of more than two hundred years has elapfed fince he, of whom our inquiry is made, lived, our information muft, in general, be both feanty and uncertain. In the prefent infance, however, there are two circumftances, which will render this account more varied; Cervantes was a foldier, and he was a captive: not merely a prifoner of war to an European nation, but a flave to the Moors. "Amongst the learned and ingenious men of Spain, none deferve greater praife than our author. This illuftrious writer, who would have graced a more enlightened age, and whofe valour, talcuts, and virtue entitled him to every reward, paffed his life in poverty and neglect. He was even defp fed by his own nation, whofe peaceful days he had dignified by his works, and in whofe victories he fhed his blood. The fingular and unfortunate deftiny of Cervantes was fuch, that his cotemporaries perfecuted him while living, and were equally unjuf to his memory. They even neglected to publish any account of his Ife, while the events of it were recent, and they might have executed it with eafe and fidelity. Hence the principal actions of it are involved in the confufion and obfcurity of thofe times: hence the difficulty of the prefent attempt. "Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was the fon of Rodrigo Cervantes by Donna Leonora de Cortinas, his wife: he was born at Alcala de Henares on the 9th of October 1547. The place, how ever, of his birth, like that of Homer's, has been questioned. "His parents carried him very early to Madrid, where he was educated under the care of the learned profeffor, Juan Lopez." Kol. i. p. xiv. "Our author continued at the fchool, or rather under the tuition, of Juan Lopez, till the year 1568, when he was twenty-one years of age, and was much beloved by him: he confi dered him as the best and most forward of his pupils; and in a description of the funeral of Queen Donna Isabel de la Paz, published by bim in that year, he inferted a small poem, by Cervantes, on her death, whom he calls his dear and beloved difciple: and also an elegy, in the name of the whole fchool, which was dedicated to Cardinal Don Diego de Efpinofa. It is moft probable, that the first of these poems was a school exercise in Latin, as the elegy is particularly mentioned to have been compofed in the vulgar tongue. "This firft effort of Cervantes did not poffefs much merit: for though poetry was the purfuit of which he was moft fond, he was by no means warmed with the true poetic fire, and his profe works confequently are by far the most excellent. Men are too often guilty of the folly of neglecting to cultivate the talents they poffefs, and endeavour to fhine in thofe they have no pretenfions to: at leaft they are not fatisfied within their proper fphere, but are ambitious of gaining credit in thofe fubjects to which the tafte of their age moft inclines. The fpecies of writing moft esteemed in thofe days were romances, and amatory poems, in which the authors concealed themfelves and their mistresses under fome fictitious or allegorical name. Though the Spanish nation at that period produced men who were fkilful in various arts and feiences, it abounded alfo with innumerable poets and romance-writers; and Cervantes himfelf, hurried away by the prevailing tafte, or fafcinated at that early age by the graces of poetry, united all his efforts in compofitions of this nature, without paying the leaft attention to the cultivation of that fingular genius for profe, in which his invention and wit afterwards rendered him fo famous. Befides the verfes published by Juan Lopez, he compofed a great number of romances, fonnets, and poems of various forts; amongft which was the Filena,' a fpecies of the paftoral. Cervantes himfelf owns, in his Viage Viage del Parnafo,' that all thefe were his, and they were moft likely the firft productions of his pen, by which he acquired the title of a poet, even before his captivity. "Hence arose the diftrefs and poverty in which our author was afterwards involved. An early and violent inclination for books of amulement and poetry, particularly the latter, generally abforbs all the energies of the mind. And a tafte for this kind of literature, though noble, difinterested, and even useful to fociety, is, for this very reason, the more flattering, feductive, and pernicious to the individual interest of a literary man; nay more fo than fome other paffions much more common, although lefs decorous. "Such was the tafte of Cervantes. His paffion for poetry absorbed him to that degree, that he had neither the power, nor even the wifh, of seeking a remedy for that poverty, in which he was involved from his cradle. He left his means of living to chance, and dedicated himself to the Mufes. His application was fo great, that he read even the ballads that were hung up in the streets and alleys; and he thus acquired that great degree of information which is apparent in all his writings, particularly in his Canto de Caliope,' in the account of Don Quixote's library, and in the Viage 'del Parnafo.' The knowledge he thus obtained was indeed fingular, but on this very account fo injurious to our author; who, to obtain it, left his true genius uncultivated, and employed the most useful years of his life, which should have been dedicated to the pursuit of some lucrative profeffion. "The veil was at length drawn from before his eyes, and he determined to leave Spain. The vexation of finding himself grown up without any means of living according to his rank, added to a fecret regret and difguft that his works did not obtain an approbation equal to his wifhes, were fufficient motives to a young man of fuch talents to induce him to leave his country through the hopes of improving his fortune. In 1569 he went to Italy with this idea, and first obtained an estab ishment at Rome as valet, or rather chamberlain, to Cardinal Julio Aquaviva. He remained there till the war, which broke out against the Turks in 1570, prefented him with the means of engaging in a more noble profeflion, and one better adapted to his birth and enterprising mind. "The ifland of Cyprus gave rise to the war. The Sultan Selim, wishing to take it from the Venetians, sent, a large army to attack it. The latter fought the aid of alm.oft every Chriftian prince, efpecially of Pius V. who appointed Marco Antonio Colona, Duke of Paliano, commander in chief of both army and navy. Cervantes inftantly enlifted under him, and ferved in the campaign which began towards the end of 1570 with the relief of Cyprus, and an attempt to raise the fiege of Nicofia. The diffenfions of the different generals, and confequent inactivity of the army, did not, however, prevent the Turks om taking Nicofia by affault. "The year 1571 is memorable for the victory obtained over the Turks in the gulf of Lepanto. In this action Cervantes gave many proofs of his valour, and loft alfo his hand and part of his left arm, of which he boafts in many parts of his works. After this action the army retired and wintered in Meflina. Cervantes of course went there alfo, but moft likely did not ferve in the campaign of 1572, on account of his wound, although he often refers to it in the novel of The Captive,' as if he had been present. The honour Cervantes thus acquired determined him to continue in the army, notwithstanding the lofs of his hand; and he often boafted in his writings, that he had no other profeffion than that of a foldier. With this view, on his recovery, he joined the Neapolitan army under Philip II. and remained with it till 1575. "As he was going into Spain in the beginning of this year in a galley, called the Sun, he was taken by the famous corfair, Arnautè Mami, on the 26th of September; and on the divifion of the captives he fell to the captain's lot. An African captivity, a misfortune in thofe times fo much dreaded by the Spaniards, is certainly capable of some degree of alleviation, if the mafter happen to be both rich and humane. But even this confolation was denied to Cervantes. Arnaute Mami was an Albanian renegado, fo cruel to the Spaniards, and hoftile to Chriftians, that we muft pafs over the account of his bloody atrocities, nor fhock hu manity, manity by the recital. It is fufficient to obferve, that his tyranny was the moft fevere and infupportable of any in Argel. This fituation would have broken the spirit of any one but Cervantes; on him it produced a different effect, and his mind was always employed in fome daring attempt to efcape from his oppreffor. It is difficult to believe, that a flave fhould be able to form and encounter fuch dangerous and extraordinary enterprifes under the very eye of a barbarous and fanguinary mafter: but the event proves, that Cervantes even owed his fafety to the boldnefs with which, though in vain, he conftantly endeavoured to efcape. "The Alcayda Haffan, a Greck renegado, had a garden about three miles from Argel, and near the fea, which was taken care of by a Christian flave, who had made a very deep cave in the moft fecret part of it. In February 1577, Cervantes efcaped from the houfe of his mafter, and concealed himself in this cave; and had also the generofity to offer it as an afylum to others. Their number in a few months amounted to fifteen, all men of some confequence. The fubfiftence and regulation of this fubterraneous community depended entirely upon Cervantes, who risked more than the reft in performing this office. The gardener was of courfe acquainted with the fecret; and it was neceffary to intruft it to another captive, called El Dorador, depending for his prudence on the hopes they gave him of obtaining his own liberty. "They refided many months in this voluntary dungeon before an opportunity for flight offered itself. But, on the aft of September, a native of Majorca, called Viana, being ranfomed, they agreed with him to arm a brigantine, and fend it to the coast, from whence they might embark for Spain. This man was brave, active, and well acquainted with the coaft. He equipped a veffel as foon as he arrived at Majorca, and failed for Barbary. When night came on he approached the fhore near the garden, having previously examined the place. But at the very moment of landing, fome Moors happened to pass by, who diftinguifhed, though it was night, both the Chrif tians and the veffel, and began immediately to call so loud for aflistance, that Viana thought it most prudent to put to fea again, in order to prevent a difcovery. In the mean time, Cer, vantes and his companions, ignorant of what had paffed, were confoling themselves with the hopes of a happy and almost immediate escape. Thefe hopes, however, were too foon blafted, and in a way impoffible to have been prevented, because unforeseen. "The flave El Dorador, o whom Cervantes had intrufted fo much, was a man of a moft malignant difocítion, He concealed, under the appearance of good faith and candour, the deepest diffimulation and moft depvca intentions. Intereft was his raling paffion; this made him a recgado wher he was young; this again induced him to become a Catholic; and a third time to change to a renegada: for with this pretext he prefented himself to the King, difcovered to him the fecret of the flaves, the fituation of the cave, and the fkill with which Cervantes managed the whole enterprite. The King inftantly ordered a detachment of foldiers, and fending the informer for their guide, he commanded them to fecure the gardener and the other flaves, particularly Cervantes, as being moft guilty. The foldiers executed their orders, and brought them to the King, who confined them all in his bath, which is a fort of prifon, except Cervantes, whom he kept in his palace, in order to ascertain the author of this attempt. "When an ambitious or avaricious man thinks he has it in his power to gratify his ruling paffion, no one is more cunning. It happened that there was at that time in Argel, a perfon called Father George Olivar, commander of Valencia, who was a particular friend of Cervantes: and the King, in order to get this man into his power, and obtain a confiderable fum for his ranfom, endeavoured to make it be believed, that he was the principal author of the plot. With this view he examined Cervantes very often, but could never draw from him, either by promifes or threats, any other account than that he himself was the fole contriver of the plot, and therefore alone to blame. The King at length gave up the attempt, but appropriated all the captives, not omitting Cervantes, to his own ufe. "Intereft triumphed over vanity in the the mind of the King; hence Cervantes and the other flaves escaped with their lives, because the King hoped to obtain a confiderable fum by their ranfom. He was, however, obliged to return fome of them to their old masters, and Cervantes became once more the property of Arnautè Mami. Scarcely had he got back, when he was again impelled, by the mifery he suffered, to make fresh attempts. Four times by failure he endangered his life, yet he neither despaired nor defifted; and he at laft formed a project, the magnitude and difficulty of which do credit to his courage and perfeverance. "To efcape by flight had been hitherto his only object; but the miffortunes which he had experienced from the repeated failure of thefe attempts, made him determine upon the bold and daring enterprise of raifing an infurrection in Argel; and at one blow to deftroy the power of thefe pirates in the Mediterranean. This confpiracy was alfo unfuccefsful from the pufillanimity of a few who were engaged in it. Cervantes, however, conducted it with fo much fkill, that, when the Argellines difcovered it, they began both to refpect and fear him. The better this lame Spaniard is 'guarded,' faid the King,the safer will be my capital, my flaves, and 'my fhips. Fear took fuch frong poffeffion of this prince, that at laft he did not think himfelf fecure, unlefs Cervantes was in his own power. But as he had been obliged to restore him after the discovery of the firft plot to Arnautè Mami, no other means of obtaining him now remained but by purchase: and he in fact gave five hundred crowns for him. The King immediately fent him to the bath and loaded him with irons, but at the fame time treated him with a degree of kindness he had not hitherto experienced. Cervantes himself, in "The Cap'tive,' after mentioning the tyranny and cruelty with which the flaves were in general treated, adds: One Spanish foldier only, called fuch a one de Saavedra, happened to be in his good graces; and though he did things which will remain in the memory of thofe people for many years, and all 'towards obtaining his liberty, yet he never gave him a blow, nor ordered one to be given him, nor even reproached him with fo much as a hard word: and for the leaft of many 'things he did, we all feared he would be impaled alive, and he feared it himfelf more than once.' "Such is the respect and eftimation in which an heroic spirit and a daring foul are held even by barbarians, that Arnautè Mami, nay the King himself, diftinguished Cervantes from the other captives by a benignity and mildness fo oppofite to their natural character. "These various attempts to obtain his liberty did not prevent his applying to Spain for his raifom. And in order to effect it, his mother, now a widow, went with Donna Andrea de Cervantes, his fifter, from Alcala to Madrid in July 1579, and paid into the hands of Father Juan Gil, and Father Antonio de la Vella Trinitarios, three hundred ducats for that purpofe. Thefe Fathers arrived in Argel in May 1580, and began to treat for the ransom of the different flaves. It was more difficult to obtain that of Cervantes, be caufe he belonged to the King, who afked a thoufand crowns for his freedom. This was the cause of long delay, and he probably never might have been redeemed, had not the King, Haffan, been ordered by the Grand Seignior to refign his kingdom to Jaffa Paza, on whom it had been lately beftowed. Upon this he decreased his demand to five hundred crowns in gold, and threatened, if he did not immediately receive that fum, to take Cervantes with him to Conftantinople, and had already put him on board his galley. At length, through compaffion and the fear of lofing every future opportunity, by borrowing fome money, and employing part of that which he had for the ranfom of other captives, Father Gil procured Cervantes his liberty in 1580; and in the beginning of the following year he arrived in Spain." Fol. i. p. xvii. "It is an obfervation of Juan Huartè, in his Examen de Ingenios,' that in applying the mind to any science, the inclination for that fcience should not only be confidered, but whether the mind be more inclined to its theory or its practice; because each often requires a different fpecies of abilities. This reflection is fully confirmed in Cervantes. His theoretic knowledge of poetry and the drama, which was excelent, did not enable him to compofe in an equal ftyle of perfection. |