These preliminaries settled, he did not care to put off any longer the execution of his design, urged on to it by the thought of all the world was losing by his delay, seeing what wrongs he intended to right, grievances to redress, injustices to repair, abuses to remove, and duties to discharge. So, without giving notice of his intention to anyone, and without anybody seeing him, one morning before the dawning of the day (which was one of the hottest of the month of July) he donned his suit of armour, mounted Rocinante with his patched-up helmet on, braced his buckler, took his lance, and by the back door of the yard sallied forth upon the plain in the highest contentment and satisfaction at seeing with what ease he had made a beginning with his grand purpose. But scarcely did he find himself upon the open plain, when a terrible thought struck him, one all but enough to make him abandon the enterprise at the very outset. It occurred to him that he had not been dubbed a knight, and that according to the law of chivalry he neither could nor ought to bear arms against any knight; and that even if he had been, still he ought, as a novice knight, to wear white armour, without a device upon the shield until by his prowess he had earned one. These reflections made him waver in his purpose, but his craze being stronger than any reasoning, he made up his mind to have himself dubbed a knight by the first one he came across, following the example of others in the same case, as he had read in the books that brought him to this pass. As for white armour, he resolved, on the first opportunity, to scour his until it was whiter than an ermine; and so comforting himself he pursued his way, taking that which his horse chose, for in this he believed lay the essence of adventures.
Thus setting out, our new-fledged adventurer paced along, talking to himself and saying, “Who knows but that in time to come, when the veracious history of my famous deeds is made known, the sage who writes it, when he has to set forth my first sally in the early morning, will do it after this fashion? ‘Scarce had the rubicund Apollo spread o’er the face of the broad spacious earth the golden threads of his bright hair, scarce had the little birds of painted plumage attuned their notes to hail with dulcet and mellifluous harmony the coming of the rosy Dawn, that, deserting the soft couch of her jealous spouse, was appearing to mortals at the gates and balconies of the Manchegan horizon, when the renowned knight Don Quixote of La Mancha, quitting the lazy down, mounted his celebrated steed Rocinante and began to traverse the ancient and famous Campo de Montiel;’” which in fact he was actually traversing. “Happy the age, happy the time,” he continued, “in which shall be made known my deeds of fame, worthy to be moulded in brass, carved in marble, limned in pictures, for a memorial for ever. And thou, O sage magician, whoever thou art, to whom it shall fall to be the chronicler of this wondrous history, forget not, I entreat thee, my good Rocinante, the constant companion of my ways and wanderings.” Presently he broke out again, as if he were love-stricken in earnest, “O Princess Dulcinea, lady of this captive heart, a grievous wrong hast thou done me to drive me forth with scorn, and with inexorable obduracy banish me from the presence of thy beauty. O lady, deign to hold in remembrance this heart, thy vassal, that thus in anguish pines for love of thee.”
So he went on stringing together these and other absurdities, all in the style of those his books had taught him, imitating their language as well as he could; and all the while he rode so slowly and the sun mounted so rapidly and with such fervour that it was enough to melt his brains if he had any. Nearly all day he travelled without anything remarkable happening to him, at which he was in despair, for he was anxious to encounter some one at once upon whom to try the might of his strong arm.
Writers there are who say the first adventure he met with was that of Puerto Lapice; others say it was that of the windmills; but what I have ascertained on this point, and what I have found written in the annals of La Mancha, is that he was on the road all day, and towards nightfall his hack and he found themselves dead tired and hungry, when, looking all around to see if he could discover any castle or shepherd’s shanty where he might refresh himself and relieve his sore wants, he perceived not far out of his road an inn, which was as welcome as a star guiding him to the portals, if not the palaces, of his redemption; and quickening his pace he reached it just as night was setting in. At the door were standing two young women, girls of the district as they call them, on their way to Seville with some carriers who had chanced to halt that night at the inn; and as, happen what might to our adventurer, everything he saw or imaged seemed to him to be and to happen after the fashion of what he read of, the moment he saw the inn he pictured it to himself as a castle with its four turrets and pinnacles of shining silver, not forgetting the drawbridge and moat and all the belongings usually ascribed to castles of the sort. To this inn, which to him seemed a castle, he advanced, and at a short distance from it he checked Rocinante, hoping that some dwarf would show himself upon the battlements, and by sound of trumpet give notice that a knight was approaching the castle. But seeing that they were slow about it, and that Rocinante was in a hurry to reach the stable, he made for the inn door, and perceived the two gay damsels who were standing there, and who seemed to him to be two fair maidens or lovely ladies taking their ease at the castle gate.
At this moment it so happened that a swineherd who was going through the stubbles collecting a drove of pigs (for, without any apology, that is what they are called) gave a blast of his horn to bring them together, and forthwith it seemed to Don Quixote to be what he was expecting, the signal of some dwarf announcing his arrival; and so with prodigious satisfaction he rode up to the inn and to the ladies, who, seeing a man of this sort approaching in full armour and with lance and buckler, were turning in dismay into the inn, when Don Quixote, guessing their fear by their flight, raising his pasteboard visor, disclosed his dry dusty visage, and with courteous bearing and gentle voice addressed them, “Your ladyships need not fly or fear any rudeness, for that it belongs not to the order of knighthood which I profess to offer to anyone, much less to highborn maidens as your appearance proclaims you to be.” The girls were looking at him and straining their eyes to make out the features which the clumsy visor obscured, but when they heard themselves called maidens, a thing so much out of their line, they could not restrain their laughter, which made Don Quixote wax indignant, and say, “Modesty becomes the fair, and moreover laughter that has little cause is great silliness; this, however, I say not to pain or anger you, for my desire is none other than to serve you.”
The incomprehensible language and the unpromising looks of our cavalier only increased the ladies’ laughter, and that increased his irritation, and matters might have gone farther if at that moment the landlord had not come out, who, being a very fat man, was a very peaceful one. He, seeing this grotesque figure clad in armour that did not match any more than his saddle, bridle, lance, buckler, or corselet, was not at all indisposed to join the damsels in their manifestations of amusement; but, in truth, standing in awe of such a complicated armament, he thought it best to speak him fairly, so he said, “Senor Caballero, if your worship wants lodging, bating the bed (for there is not one in the inn) there is plenty of everything else here.” Don Quixote, observing the respectful bearing of the Alcaide of the fortress (for so innkeeper and inn seemed in his eyes), made answer, “Sir Castellan, for me anything will suffice, for
‘My armour is my only wear,
My only rest the fray.’”
The host fancied he called him Castellan because he took him for a “worthy of Castile,” though he was in fact an Andalusian, and one from the strand of San Lucar, as crafty a thief as Cacus and as full of tricks as a student or a page. “In that case,” said he,
“‘Your bed is on the flinty rock,
Your sleep to watch alway;’
and if so, you may dismount and safely reckon upon any quantity of sleeplessness under this roof for a twelvemonth, not to say for a single night.” So saying, he advanced to hold the stirrup for Don Quixote, who got down with great difficulty and exertion (for he had not broken his fast all day), and then charged the host to take great care of his horse, as he was the best bit of flesh that ever ate bread in this world. The landlord eyed him over but did not find him as good as Don Quixote said, nor even half as good; and putting him up in the stable, he returned to see what might be wanted by his guest, whom the damsels, who had by this time made their peace with him, were now relieving of his armour. They had taken off his breastplate and backpiece, but they neither knew nor saw how to open his gorget or remove his make-shift helmet, for he had fastened it with green ribbons, which, as there was no untying the knots, required to be cut. This, however, he would not by any means consent to, so he remained all the evening with his helmet on, the drollest and oddest figure that can be imagined; and while they were removing his armour, taking the baggages who were about it for ladies of high degree belonging to the castle, he said to them with great sprightliness:
Oh, never, surely, was there knight
So served by hand of dame,
As served was he, Don Quixote hight,
When from his town he came;
With maidens waiting on himself,
Princesses on his hack —
— or Rocinante, for that, ladies mine, is my horse’s name, and Don Quixote of La Mancha is my own; for though I had no intention of declaring myself until my achievements in your service and honour had made me known, the necessity of adapting that old ballad of Lancelot to the present occasion has given you the knowledge of my name altogether prematurely. A time, however, will come for your ladyships to command and me to obey, and then the might of my arm will show my desire to serve you.”
The girls, who were not used to hearing rhetoric of this sort, had nothing to say in reply; they only asked him if he wanted anything to eat. “I would gladly eat a bit of something,” said Don Quixote, “for I feel it would come very seasonably.” The day happened to be a Friday, and in the whole inn there was nothing but some pieces of the fish they call in Castile “abadejo,” in Andalusia “bacallao,” and in some places “curadillo,” and in others “troutlet;” so they asked him if he thought he could eat troutlet, for there was no other fish to give him. “If there be troutlets enough,” said Don Quixote, “they will be the same thing as a trout; for it is all one to me whether I am given eight reals in small change or a piece of eight; moreover, it may be that these troutlets are like veal, which is better than beef, or kid, which is better than goat. But whatever it be let it come quickly, for the burden and pressure of arms cannot be borne without support to the inside.” They laid a table for him at the door of the inn for the sake of the air, and the host brought him a portion of ill-soaked and worse cooked stockfish, and a piece of bread as black and mouldy as his own armour; but a laughable sight it was to see him eating, for having his helmet on and the beaver up, he could not with his own hands put anything into his mouth unless some one else placed it there, and this service one of the ladies rendered him. But to give him anything to drink was impossible, or would have been so had not the landlord bored a reed, and putting one end in his mouth poured the wine into him through the other; all which he bore with patience rather than sever the ribbons of his helmet.
While this was going on there came up to the inn a sowgelder, who, as he approached, sounded his reed pipe four or five times, and thereby completely convinced Don Quixote that he was in some famous castle, and that they were regaling him with music, and that the stockfish was trout, the bread the whitest, the wenches ladies, and the landlord the castellan of the castle; and consequently he held that his enterprise and sally had been to some purpose. But still it distressed him to think he had not been dubbed a knight, for it was plain to him he could not lawfully engage in any adventure without receiving the order of knighthood.
事已就绪，他迫不及待地要把自己的想法付诸实施。他要铲除暴戾，拨乱反正，制止无理，改进陋习，清理债务，如果现在不做，为时晚矣。在炎热的七月的一天，天还未亮，他没有通知任何人，也没有让任何人看见，全副武装，骑上罗西南多，戴上破头盔，挽着皮盾，手持长矛，从院落的旁门来到了田野上。看到鸿图初展竟如此顺利，他不禁心花怒放。可是刚到田野上他就想起了一件可怕的事情。这件事情非同小可，差点儿让他放弃了刚刚开始的事业。原来他想到了，自己还未被封为骑士。按照骑士道，他不能也不应该用武器同其他任何一个骑士战斗。即使他已被封为骑士，也只能是个新封的骑士，只能穿白色的甲胄，而且盾牌上不能有标志，标志要靠自己努力去争得才会有。这样一想，他有点犹豫不决了。不过，疯狂战胜了他的其他意识，他决定像小说里看到的许多人所做的那样，请他碰到的第一个人封自己为新封的骑士。至于白色甲胄，他打算有时间的时候把自己的甲胄擦得比白鼬皮还白。这么一想，他放心了，继续赶路，信马而行。他觉得是一种冒险的力量在催马前行。
这位冒险新秀边走边自语道：“有谁会怀疑呢？将来有关我的举世闻名的壮举的真实故事出版时，著书人谈到我如此早又如此这般初征时肯定是这样写：‘金红色的阿波罗刚刚把它的金色秀发披撒在广袤的地面上，五颜六色的小鸟啼声宛转，甜甜蜜蜜地迎接玫瑰色曙光女神的到来。女神刚刚离开多情丈夫的软床，透过门户和阳台，从曼查的地平线来到世人面前。此时，曼查的著名骑士唐吉诃德放弃了多年不用的羽毛笔，跨上名马罗西南多，开始行走在古老而又熟悉的蒙铁尔原野①上。’”他的确是走在那块田野上。接着，他又自语道：“幸运的时代，幸运的世纪，我的功绩将载在这里。它应该被铭刻在青铜器上，雕琢在大理石上，画在木板上，留芳千古。哦，还有你，杰出的智者，这部游侠的故事由你来写。我请求你不要忘记始终处处伴随我的良马罗西南多。”然后，他好像真的在恋爱，又说，“哦，杜尔西内亚公主，你拥有我这颗被俘虏了的心！你撵我，斥责我，残酷地令我不得再造访你这位国色天香，已经严重伤害了我。美人儿，请你为想起这颗已经属于你的心而高兴吧，它为了得到你的爱情已饱经了苦楚。”
①蒙铁尔原野是著名的古战场。
他又说了一串胡话，而且词句上也尽力模仿书上教他的那套。他自言自语，走得很慢，可是太阳升得很快，而且赤日炎炎。如果他还有点头脑，这点头脑也被烈日照化了。他几乎全天都在走，可是并没有碰到什么值得记述的事情。他感到沮丧。他想马上碰到一个人，以便比试一下自己健臂的力量。有人说，他的第一次历险是在拉皮塞隘口，另一些人说是风车之战。可我的考证结果和曼查编年史的文字记载却是他全天都在游荡。傍晚，他的马和他疲惫不堪，饥饿至极，举目四望，看是否能发现一个城堡或牧人的茅屋，暂避一时，以便充饥、方便。他看到离路不远处有个客店，便仿佛看到了一颗星星，一颗不是引他去客店，而是引他去救生之地的福星。他加紧赶路，到达时已是日暮黄昏了。
恰巧门口有两个青年女子，人们称之为风尘女。她们随同几个脚夫去塞维利亚，今晚就投宿在这个客店里。我们这位冒险家所思所见所想象的，似乎都变成了现实，一切都和他在书上看到的一样。客店在他眼里变成了城堡，和书上描写的一样，周围还有四座望楼，望楼尖顶银光闪闪，吊桥、壕沟一应俱全。接近那家在他眼里是城堡的客店时，他勒住罗西南多的缰绳，等待某个侏儒在城堞间吹起号角，通报有骑士来到了城堡。可是迟迟不见动静，罗西南多又急于去马厩，他只好来到客店门口。看到门口两个女子，他宛如看到了两个漂亮的少女或两位可爱的贵夫人在城堡门口消磨时光。
就在这时，一个猪倌从收割后的地里赶回一群猪来。猪倌吹起号角，猪循声围拢过来。这回唐吉诃德希望的机会到来了，他认为这是侏儒在通报他的光临。他怀着一种奇怪的快乐，来到客店和那两个女人面前。两个女人看到他这副打扮，还手持长矛、皮盾，都惊恐不已，意欲躲进客店。唐吉诃德估计她们是因为害怕而企图逃避，便掀起纸壳做的护眼罩，态度优雅、声音平缓地对她们说：
“你们不必躲避，也无须害怕任何不轨。有骑士勋章作证，勇士不会对任何人图谋不轨，更何况对两位风范高雅的娇女呢。”
两个女子望着他，用眼睛搜寻他那张被破眼罩遮护着的脸，听到称她们为“娇女”，与她们的身份相距甚远，不禁大笑起来，笑得唐吉诃德直不好意思，对她们说：
“美女应该举止端庄，为一点小事就大笑更是愚蠢。我这样说不是为了惹你们生气，而是为你们好。”
两个女子听了更是迷惑不解，再看我们这位骑士的模样，愈发笑得厉害，唐吉诃德却生气了。如果不是这个时候店主走出来，事情就闹大了。店主很胖，所以很和气。看到这个人的反常样子，配备的胫甲、长镫、长矛、皮盾和胸甲也都各式不一，店主并不像两个女子那么开心。可是他害怕那堆家伙，决定还是跟唐吉诃德客客气气地说话。他说：
“骑士大人，您若是找住处，这里什么都富余，就是缺少一张床。”
唐吉诃德把客店看成城堡，把店主看成谦恭的城堡长官，回答说：
“卡斯蒂利亚诺①大人，我随便用什么东西都行，因为‘甲胄是我服饰，战斗乃我休憩②’……”
①“卡斯蒂利亚诺”有多种含义，可以理解为城堡长官，也可以是卡斯蒂利亚人。此处唐吉诃德是指城堡长官。
②此处唐吉诃德和下面店主均引用了一首古谣：“甲胄是我服饰，／战斗乃我休憩，／坚石为我床铺，／不寐系我睡眠。”
店主听到称他为卡斯蒂利亚诺，以为自己的样子像卡斯蒂利亚人。其实他是安达卢西亚人，是圣卢卡尔海滩那一带的人，论贼性不比那个卡科差，论调皮也不比学生或侍童次。
他答道：
“既然如此，‘坚石为您床铺，不寐系您睡眠’。看来您可以下马了，您完全可以在寒舍一年不睡觉，何止一个晚上呢。”
说有，店主来扶唐吉诃德下马。唐吉诃德很困难、很吃力地下了马。他已经一整天未进食了。
他吩咐店主悉心照料他的马，因为世界上所有吃草料的动物中数它最好。店主看了看马，觉得它完全不像唐吉诃德说的那么好，连一半都不及。把马安顿在马厩之后，店主又回来看唐吉诃德还有什么吩咐。这时两个女子正在帮唐吉诃德脱甲胄，他们已经言归于好。虽然她们脱掉了唐吉诃德的护胸、护背，却脱不掉也不知道如何才能脱掉护喉和破头盔，这些都用绿带子系住了，结子解不开，只能剪断带子。可是他无论如何也不同意。于是整个晚上，他一直带着头盔，那副滑稽怪诞的样子就可想而知了。他想，那两个帮他脱甲胄的女子一定是城堡的贵小姐或贵夫人，便也谈吐文雅起来，说：
自古从无骑士，
幸如唐吉诃德。
纵然来自乡村，
却得佳丽侍奉。
夫人侍候勇士，
公主照料骏骑。
“哦，罗西南多，这是我的马的名字，我的美女们。曼查的唐吉诃德是我的名字。我本来不想暴露我的名字，直到有一天，我为诸位效劳的事迹会告诉你们我是谁。就因为借助兰萨罗特岛①古老民谣来应景，我才让诸位提前知道了我的名字。不过，以后定会有机会听候阁下的吩咐。我的臂膀的力量将证明我为诸位效劳的愿望。”
①北大西洋加那利群岛最东端的岛，属西班牙的拉斯帕尔马斯省。上面引的诗模仿了兰萨罗特岛的民谣。
两位女子不习惯听这种辞令，所以无言以对，只是问他是否想吃点什么。
“随便什么吧，”唐吉诃德说，“因为我觉得我该吃点东西了。”
恰巧那天是星期五，整个客店里只有几份鱼，那种鱼在卡斯蒂利亚叫腌鳕鱼，在安达卢西亚叫咸鳕鱼，有的地方叫鳕鱼干，有的地方叫小鳕鱼。她们问阁下能不能吃点小鳕鱼，没有别的鱼可吃。
“既然有很多小鳕鱼，”唐吉诃德说，“你们不如给我来份大鳕鱼，就好比八个雷阿尔的零币和一枚八雷阿尔的钱币，对我来说都一样。更何况小鳕鱼还好呢，就像牛犊比牛好，羊羔比羊好一样。可是，不管怎样，得赶紧拿来，这副甲胄又沉又累人，空肚子已经受不了啦。”
客店门口放了张桌子，那儿凉快。店主给他端来一份腌得不好、烹得极差的咸鱼，还有一块像他的盔甲那样又黑又脏的面包。他吃饭的样子真能当作大笑料。他吃饭时仍戴着头盔，只是把护眼罩掀了起来，因此，如果别人不把食物放到他嘴里，光靠自己的手，他什么东西也吃不到嘴里。于是一位女子给他喂食。但喂水还是不行。多亏店主捅通了一节芦竹，一头放进他嘴里，从另一头把酒灌进去。他耐心地吃喝，只求不要把头盔的带子弄断。这时，一位劁猪人恰巧来到客店。他一到就吹了四五声芦笛，这一下唐吉诃德更确定他是在一个著名城堡里了，音乐是为他而奏的，还认定小鳕鱼就是大鳕鱼，面包是精白面的，风尘女是贵夫人，店主是城堡长官，由此断定他决心出征完全正确。不过，今他沮丧的是他还没有被封为骑士。他觉得没有骑士称号就不能合法从事任何征险活动。