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A continuation of Don Quixote's curious and excellent discourse upon arms and learning.
"Since, speaking of the scholar, we began with his poverty,
and its several parts," continued Don Quixote, "let us now observe
whether the soldier be any richer than he; and we shall
find that poverty itself is not poorer; for he depends on his
miserable pay, which he receives but seldom, or perhaps never;
or else on that he makes by marauding, with the hazard of his
life, and trouble of his conscience. Such is sometimes his want of
apparel, that a slashed buff-coat is all his holiday raiment and
shirt; and in the depth of winter being in the open field, he has
nothing to cherish him against the sharpness of the season but
the breath of his mouth, which issuing from an empty place, I am
persuaded is itself cold, though contrary to the rules of nature.
But now see how he expects night to make amends for all these
hardships in the bed prepared for him, which, unless it be his own
fault, never proves too narrow; for he may freely lay out as much
of the ground as he pleases, and tumble to his content without
danger of losing the sheets. But above all, when the day shall
[Pg 138]
come, wherein he is to put in practice the exercise of his profession,
and strive to gain some new degree, when the day of battle
shall come; then, as a mark of honour, shall his head be dignified
with a cap made of lint, to stop a hole made by a bullet, or
be perhaps carried off maimed, at the expense of a leg or arm.
And if this do not happen, but that merciful Heaven preserve his
life and limbs, it may fall out that he shall remain as poor as
before, and must run through many encounters and battles, nay
always come off victorious, to obtain some little preferment; and
these miracles, too, are rare; but, I pray tell me, gentlemen, if
ever you made it your observation, how few are those who obtain
due rewards in war, in comparison of those numbers that perish?
Doubtless you will answer that there is no parity between them,
that the dead cannot be reckoned up; whereas those who live
and are rewarded may be numbered with three
figures.[9] It is
quite otherwise with scholars, not only those who follow the law,
but others also, who all either by hook or by crook get a livelihood;
so that though the soldier's sufferings be much greater, yet
his reward is much less. To this it may be answered, that it is
easier to reward two thousand scholars, than thirty thousand soldiers,
because the former are recompensed at the expense of the
public, by giving them employments, but the latter cannot be
gratified but at the cost of the master that employs them; yet
this very difficulty makes good my argument. Now for a man
to attain to an eminent degree of learning costs him time, watching,
hunger, nakedness, dizziness in the head, weakness in the
stomach, and other (...)
(......)
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