Page:The History of the Valorous and Wity Knight-Errant, Don-Quixote of the Mancha. Volume three.djvu/40

12 choleric, a lover of thieves and debauched company. Touching Rolando, or Rotolando, or Orlando — for histories afford him all these names — I am of opinion and affirm that he was of a mean stature, broad-shouldered, somewhat bow-legged, auburn-bearded, his body hairy, and his looks threatening, dull of discourse, but affable and well-behaved." "If Orlando," said the vicar, "was so sweet a youth as you describe him, no marvel though the fair Angelica disdained him and left him for the handsome, brisk, and conceited beard-budding Medor, and that she had rather have his softness than t'other's roughness." "That Angelica," quoth Don Quixote, "was a light housewife, a gadder, and a wanton, and left the world as full of her fopperies as the reports of her beauty; she despised a thousand knights, a thousand both valiant and discreet, and contented herself with a poor beardless page, without more wealth or honour than what her famous singer Ariosto could give her, in token of his thankfulness to his friend's love, either because he durst not in this respect, or because he would not chant what befel this lady, after her base prostitution, for sure her carriage was not very honest. So he left her when he said, —

And undoubtedly this was a kind of prophecy, for poets are called votes — that is, soothsayers — and this truth hath been clearly seen, for since that time a famous Andalusian poet wept and sung her tears, and another famous and rare poet of Castile her beauty." "But tell me. Master Don Quixote," quoth the barber, "was there ever any poet that wrote a satire against this fair lady, amongst those many that have written in her praise ?" "I am well persuaded," quoth Don