While Sancho Panza and his wife, Teresa Cascajo, held the above irrelevant conversation, Don Quixote’s niece and housekeeper were not idle, for by a thousand signs they began to perceive that their uncle and master meant to give them the slip the third time, and once more betake himself to his, for them, ill-errant chivalry. They strove by all the means in their power to divert him from such an unlucky scheme; but it was all preaching in the desert and hammering cold iron. Nevertheless, among many other representations made to him, the housekeeper said to him, “In truth, master, if you do not keep still and stay quiet at home, and give over roaming mountains and valleys like a troubled spirit, looking for what they say are called adventures, but what I call misfortunes, I shall have to make complaint to God and the king with loud supplication to send some remedy.”
To which Don Quixote replied, “What answer God will give to your complaints, housekeeper, I know not, nor what his Majesty will answer either; I only know that if I were king I should decline to answer the numberless silly petitions they present every day; for one of the greatest among the many troubles kings have is being obliged to listen to all and answer all, and therefore I should be sorry that any affairs of mine should worry him.”
Whereupon the housekeeper said, “Tell us, senor, at his Majesty’s court are there no knights?”
“There are,” replied Don Quixote, “and plenty of them; and it is right there should be, to set off the dignity of the prince, and for the greater glory of the king’s majesty.”
“Then might not your worship,” said she, “be one of those that, without stirring a step, serve their king and lord in his court?”
“Recollect, my friend,” said Don Quixote, “all knights cannot be courtiers, nor can all courtiers be knights-errant, nor need they be. There must be all sorts in the world; and though we may be all knights, there is a great difference between one and another; for the courtiers, without quitting their chambers, or the threshold of the court, range the world over by looking at a map, without its costing them a farthing, and without suffering heat or cold, hunger or thirst; but we, the true knights-errant, measure the whole earth with our own feet, exposed to the sun, to the cold, to the air, to the inclemencies of heaven, by day and night, on foot and on horseback; nor do we only know enemies in pictures, but in their own real shapes; and at all risks and on all occasions we attack them, without any regard to childish points or rules of single combat, whether one has or has not a shorter lance or sword, whether one carries relics or any secret contrivance about him, whether or not the sun is to be divided and portioned out, and other niceties of the sort that are observed in set combats of man to man, that you know nothing about, but I do. And you must know besides, that the true knight-errant, though he may see ten giants, that not only touch the clouds with their heads but pierce them, and that go, each of them, on two tall towers by way of legs, and whose arms are like the masts of mighty ships, and each eye like a great mill-wheel, and glowing brighter than a glass furnace, must not on any account be dismayed by them. On the contrary, he must attack and fall upon them with a gallant bearing and a fearless heart, and, if possible, vanquish and destroy them, even though they have for armour the shells of a certain fish, that they say are harder than diamonds, and in place of swords wield trenchant blades of Damascus steel, or clubs studded with spikes also of steel, such as I have more than once seen. All this I say, housekeeper, that you may see the difference there is between the one sort of knight and the other; and it would be well if there were no prince who did not set a higher value on this second, or more properly speaking first, kind of knights-errant; for, as we read in their histories, there have been some among them who have been the salvation, not merely of one kingdom, but of many.”
“Ah, senor,” here exclaimed the niece, “remember that all this you are saying about knights-errant is fable and fiction; and their histories, if indeed they were not burned, would deserve, each of them, to have a sambenito put on it, or some mark by which it might be known as infamous and a corrupter of good manners.”
“By the God that gives me life,” said Don Quixote, “if thou wert not my full niece, being daughter of my own sister, I would inflict a chastisement upon thee for the blasphemy thou hast uttered that all the world should ring with. What! can it be that a young hussy that hardly knows how to handle a dozen lace-bobbins dares to wag her tongue and criticise the histories of knights-errant? What would Senor Amadis say if he heard of such a thing? He, however, no doubt would forgive thee, for he was the most humble-minded and courteous knight of his time, and moreover a great protector of damsels; but some there are that might have heard thee, and it would not have been well for thee in that case; for they are not all courteous or mannerly; some are ill-conditioned scoundrels; nor is it everyone that calls himself a gentleman, that is so in all respects; some are gold, others pinchbeck, and all look like gentlemen, but not all can stand the touchstone of truth. There are men of low rank who strain themselves to bursting to pass for gentlemen, and high gentlemen who, one would fancy, were dying to pass for men of low rank; the former raise themselves by their ambition or by their virtues, the latter debase themselves by their lack of spirit or by their vices; and one has need of experience and discernment to distinguish these two kinds of gentlemen, so much alike in name and so different in conduct.”
“God bless me!” said the niece, “that you should know so much, uncle — enough, if need be, to get up into a pulpit and go preach in the streets — and yet that you should fall into a delusion so great and a folly so manifest as to try to make yourself out vigorous when you are old, strong when you are sickly, able to put straight what is crooked when you yourself are bent by age, and, above all, a caballero when you are not one; for though gentlefolk may he so, poor men are nothing of the kind!”
“There is a great deal of truth in what you say, niece,” returned Don Quixote, “and I could tell you somewhat about birth that would astonish you; but, not to mix up things human and divine, I refrain. Look you, my dears, all the lineages in the world (attend to what I am saying) can be reduced to four sorts, which are these: those that had humble beginnings, and went on spreading and extending themselves until they attained surpassing greatness; those that had great beginnings and maintained them, and still maintain and uphold the greatness of their origin; those, again, that from a great beginning have ended in a point like a pyramid, having reduced and lessened their original greatness till it has come to nought, like the point of a pyramid, which, relatively to its base or foundation, is nothing; and then there are those — and it is they that are the most numerous — that have had neither an illustrious beginning nor a remarkable mid-course, and so will have an end without a name, like an ordinary plebeian line. Of the first, those that had an humble origin and rose to the greatness they still preserve, the Ottoman house may serve as an example, which from an humble and lowly shepherd, its founder, has reached the height at which we now see it. For examples of the second sort of lineage, that began with greatness and maintains it still without adding to it, there are the many princes who have inherited the dignity, and maintain themselves in their inheritance, without increasing or diminishing it, keeping peacefully within the limits of their states. Of those that began great and ended in a point, there are thousands of examples, for all the Pharaohs and Ptolemies of Egypt, the Caesars of Rome, and the whole herd (if I may such a word to them) of countless princes, monarchs, lords, Medes, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and barbarians, all these lineages and lordships have ended in a point and come to nothing, they themselves as well as their founders, for it would be impossible now to find one of their descendants, and, even should we find one, it would be in some lowly and humble condition. Of plebeian lineages I have nothing to say, save that they merely serve to swell the number of those that live, without any eminence to entitle them to any fame or praise beyond this. From all I have said I would have you gather, my poor innocents, that great is the confusion among lineages, and that only those are seen to be great and illustrious that show themselves so by the virtue, wealth, and generosity of their possessors. I have said virtue, wealth, and generosity, because a great man who is vicious will be a great example of vice, and a rich man who is not generous will be merely a miserly beggar; for the possessor of wealth is not made happy by possessing it, but by spending it, and not by spending as he pleases, but by knowing how to spend it well. The poor gentleman has no way of showing that he is a gentleman but by virtue, by being affable, well-bred, courteous, gentle-mannered, and kindly, not haughty, arrogant, or censorious, but above all by being charitable; for by two maravedis given with a cheerful heart to the poor, he will show himself as generous as he who distributes alms with bell-ringing, and no one that perceives him to be endowed with the virtues I have named, even though he know him not, will fail to recognise and set him down as one of good blood; and it would be strange were it not so; praise has ever been the reward of virtue, and those who are virtuous cannot fail to receive commendation. There are two roads, my daughters, by which men may reach wealth and honours; one is that of letters, the other that of arms. I have more of arms than of letters in my composition, and, judging by my inclination to arms, was born under the influence of the planet Mars. I am, therefore, in a measure constrained to follow that road, and by it I must travel in spite of all the world, and it will be labour in vain for you to urge me to resist what heaven wills, fate ordains, reason requires, and, above all, my own inclination favours; for knowing as I do the countless toils that are the accompaniments of knight-errantry, I know, too, the infinite blessings that are attained by it; I know that the path of virtue is very narrow, and the road of vice broad and spacious; I know their ends and goals are different, for the broad and easy road of vice ends in death, and the narrow and toilsome one of virtue in life, and not transitory life, but in that which has no end; I know, as our great Castilian poet says, that —
It is by rugged paths like these they go
That scale the heights of immortality,
Unreached by those that falter here below.”
“Woe is me!” exclaimed the niece, “my lord is a poet, too! He knows everything, and he can do everything; I will bet, if he chose to turn mason, he could make a house as easily as a cage.”
“I can tell you, niece,” replied Don Quixote, “if these chivalrous thoughts did not engage all my faculties, there would be nothing that I could not do, nor any sort of knickknack that would not come from my hands, particularly cages and tooth-picks.”
At this moment there came a knocking at the door, and when they asked who was there, Sancho Panza made answer that it was he. The instant the housekeeper knew who it was, she ran to hide herself so as not to see him; in such abhorrence did she hold him. The niece let him in, and his master Don Quixote came forward to receive him with open arms, and the pair shut themselves up in his room, where they had another conversation not inferior to the previous one.
桑乔·潘萨和他的妻子特雷莎·卡斯卡霍聊天的时候，唐吉诃德的外甥女和女管家也没闲着。种种迹象表明，她们的舅舅或主人又要第三次出门，去从事游侠骑士的破行当。她们想尽各种办法，想让唐吉诃德打消这个可恶的念头，可一切都是对牛弹琴，徒劳一场。尽管如此，她们还是苦口婆心地劝他。女管家说：
“说实在的，我的主人，如果您不踏踏实实地在家待着，而是像个幽灵似的出去翻山越岭，寻什么险，依我说就是自找倒霉，那我只好大声地向上帝和国王抱怨，请他们来管管这事了。”
唐吉诃德对此回答道：
“管家，上帝将怎样回答你的抱怨，我不知道；陛下将怎样回答你，我也不知道。我只知道如果我是国王，就不去理会这些每天没完没了的瞎告状。国王有很多让人挠头的事，其中之一就是要听大家的禀报，还要答复大家。所以，我不想让我的事情再去麻烦他。”
女管家说：
“那么，您告诉我，大人，陛下的朝廷里有没有骑士？”
“当然有，”唐吉诃德说，“这不仅是帝王伟大的一种陪衬，而且是为了炫耀帝王的尊严。”
“那么，”女管家说，“您为什么不安安稳稳地留在宫廷里服侍国王呢？”
“你看，朋友，”唐吉诃德说，“并不是所有的骑士都能成为宫廷侍从，也不是宫廷侍从都能成为游侠骑士的，世界上各种各样的人都得有。虽然我们都是骑士，可骑士跟骑士又有很大差别。宫廷侍从可以连宫廷的门槛都不出，就在自己的房间里看地图游历世界，不用花一分钱，也不用遭风吹日晒，忍饥受渴。而我们这些真正的游侠骑士就得顶着严寒酷暑，风餐露宿，不分昼夜，步行或骑马，足迹踏遍各地。我们对付敌人并不是纸上谈兵，而是真刀真枪。危险时刻我们冲上前，从不多考虑什么骑士规则，我们的矛剑是否太短，是否带着护身符，是否把阳光分平均了①，还有其他一些诸如此类的决斗规则。这些你不懂，我却都知道。而且你应该知道，即使面对十个巨人，那些巨人高得刺破云天，腿似高塔，胳膊好像船上粗大的桅杆，眼睛大如磨盘，还冒出比炼玻璃炉更热的火焰，一个优秀的游侠骑士也不会感到畏惧；相反，他会潇洒勇猛地向巨人进攻，如果可能的话，就一下子把巨人打得落花流水，虽然那些巨人身披一种鱼鳞甲，据说比金刚石还结实，而且手持的不是短剑，是精致闪亮的钢刀，或是钢头铁锤，这种锤子我见过几次。我的管家，我说这些就是为了让你知道骑士与骑士并不完全相同。所以，各国君主特别器重这第二种骑士，或者说是第一等的游侠骑士，是理所当然的。在我读过的几本书里，有的游侠骑士拯救了不止一个王国，而是很多王国呢。”
①决斗双方选择位置时，应注意面向阳光的程度要相等，以示公正。
“可是我的大人，”外甥女这时候说，“您应该知道，这些说游侠骑士的书都是编造的。这些书如果还没被烧掉，也应该给它们穿上悔罪衣或者贴上什么标记，让人们知道它们全是些胡说八道、有伤风化的东西。”
“我向养育了我的上帝发誓，”唐吉诃德说，“假如你不是我的外甥女，不是我姐妹的女儿，就凭你这番侮慢不恭的话，我早就狠狠地惩罚你了，让大家都能听到你叫唤！你这个乳臭未干的毛孩子，怎么能对骑士小说评头品足呢？如果阿马迪斯大人听到了会怎么说呢？不过，我敢肯定他会原谅你，因为他是他那个时代最谦恭的骑士，而且特别愿意保护少女。可是，如果其他不像他那样客气的骑士听到了会怎么样呢？有的骑士就很粗鲁。并非所有自称骑士的人都是一样的。有的很优秀，有的就很一般，看上去都像骑士，可并不是所有人都经得起考验。有些出身卑微的人特别渴望能被人看作骑士，可也有出身高贵的骑士却甘愿成为下等人。前一种人凭野心或是凭良心变得有地位了，而后一种人却因为懒惰或行为不轨而堕落了，所以，我们一定要以我们自己的明断力来区分这两类骑士，他们名称相同，行为却不一样。”
“上帝保佑，”外甥女说，“您知道得可真够多的。如果必要的话，您真可以到大街上搭个布道台去进行说教了。可是您又睁着眼睛说瞎话，愚蠢得出奇。您本来已经上了年纪，却想让人以为您还很勇敢；您本来已经疾病缠身，却想让人以为您还年富力强；您本来已经风烛残年，却想让人以为您还能拨乱反正；尤其是您还自以为是骑士，其实您根本不是，破落贵族根本不能做骑士，穷人也不能做骑士！”
“你说得很对，外甥女，”唐吉诃德说，“关于家族问题，我可以给你讲出一大堆话来，你准会感到惊奇。不过，我不想讲那么多了，以免把神圣的事同世俗的事混淆起来。你们仔细听我说，世界上各种各样的家族归纳起来一共有四种。一种是最初卑微，后来逐渐发展到很高贵的层次。另一种是开始就兴旺，后来始终保持着最初的水平。再一种就是开始很兴旺，后来发展成了一个金字塔尖。它的家族逐渐缩小，变成了极小的一部分，就像一座金字塔，它的底座已经毫无意义。最后一种家族人数最多，他们起初还算不错，说得过去，后来也是这样，就像一般老百姓家一样。第一种由卑微发展为高贵，而且仍然保持着高贵，其例子就是奥斯曼家族。这个家族从地位低下的牧人发展到了我们现在见到的这种地位。第二种开始不错，而且也保持下来了，很多君主都可以算作这种例子。他们继承了过去的境况，又把它保持下来，没有发展，也没有衰败，踏踏实实地过着他们的日子。至于那种最初很兴旺，后来只剩下一个尖的例子就成千上万了，例如埃及法老、图特摩斯、罗马的凯撒，还有无数的国王、君主、领主、米堤亚人、亚述人、波斯人、希腊人和北非伊斯兰教各国人，与先人相比，这些人的家族和权势都只剩下一点儿，现在已经找不到他们的后代了，即使能找到，地位也都很低下。
“至于那些平民家族，我只能说他们的人数在不断扩充，可他们没有任何事迹可以留下美名，受到赞扬。你们这两个蠢货，我讲这些是为了让你们明白，现在对家族问题的模糊意识有多么严重。只有那些品德高尚、经济富有、慷慨好施的人才算得上伟大高贵。我说他们必须品德高尚、经济富有，而且慷慨好施，是因为一个人若只是伟大，如果他有毛病，那么他的毛病也大；如果一个人富有而不慷慨，那么她只能是个吝啬的乞丐，因为他只会拥有，不会正确使用他的财富，只会任意乱花或不花，而不会有效地利用它。贫穷的骑士则只能靠自己的品德，靠他和蔼可亲、举止高贵、谦恭有礼、勤奋备至、不高傲自大、不鼠肚鸡肠、尤其是仁慈敦厚来显示自己是个真正的骑士。他心甘情愿地给穷人两文钱，也和敲锣打鼓地施舍一样属于慷慨大方。如果他具有了上述品德，别人即使不认识他，也一定会以为他出身高贵，要不这样认为才怪呢。称赞历来就是对美德的奖励，有道德的人一定会受到称赞。
“宝贝们，一个人要想既发财又有名气，有两条路可以走，一条是文的，另一条是武的，而我更适合于武的。我受战神的影响，生来偏武，所以我必须走这条路，即使所有人反对也无济于事。你们费心劳神地想让我不从事天意所指、命运所定、情理所求、尤其是我的意志希望我去做的事情，那只能是枉费心机，因为我知道游侠骑士须付出的无数辛劳，也知道靠游侠骑士能得到的各种利益。我知道这条道德之路非常狭窄，而恶习之路却很宽广，但是它们的结局却不相同。恶习之路虽然宽广，却只能导致死亡，而道德之路尽管狭窄艰苦，导致的却是生机，而且不是有生而止，是永生而无穷尽，就像我们伟大的西班牙诗人①说的：
沿着这崎岖的道路，
通向不朽的境界，
怯者无指望。”
①此处指加尔西拉索·德拉·维加（1539—1616）。
“我真倒霉透了，”外甥女说，“瞧我的舅舅还是诗人呢。他无所不知，无所不能。他若是个泥瓦匠，盖一所房子准像搭个鸟笼子似的易如反掌。”
“我敢保证，外甥女，”唐吉诃德说，“若不是骑士思想占据了我的全部身心，我真可以无所不能呢。我什么都会做，特别是鸟笼子、牙签之类的东西，这并不新鲜。”
这时候有人叫门。几个人问是谁在叫门，桑乔说是他。女管家对桑乔简直讨厌透了，一听是他，立刻躲了起来，不愿见他。外甥女打开了门，唐吉诃德出来展开双臂迎接他。两个人又在房间里开始了另外一场谈话，同前面那次一样有趣。