• the curious impertinent

    From Arthur Neuendorffer@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jul 14 14:36:31 2021
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/B12019.0001.001/1:2?rgn=div1;view=fulltext

    THE HISTORY OF THE VALOROVS AND WITTIE KNIGHT-ERRANT,
    DON-QVIXOTE Of the Mancha.

    LONDON Printed by William Stansby, for Ed. Blount and W. Barret. 1612. ........................................................
    Book 4: CHAP. VII. Wherein is prosecuted the history of the curious impertinent.

    And seeing this is so, let not these scruples & nice thoughts assault or further disturbe your mind, but perswade your selfe that Lothario esteemes you as much as you doe him, and liues with content & satisfaction, seeing that it was your fortune to fal
    into the amorous snare, that it was his good lucke to catch you with his valour and deserts: who not only hath the foure. S S. which they say euery good louer oughtto haue, but also the whole A. B. C. which if you will not credite, doe but listen to me a
    while, and I will repeate it to you by roate. He is as it seemes, and as farre as can iudge amiable, bountifull, courteous, dutifull, enamored, firme, gallant, honourable, illustrious, loyall, milde, noble, honest, prudent, quiet, rich, and the S. S.
    which they say, and besides true, valorous. The X. doth not quader well with him, because it sounds harshly: Y. he is young. And the Z. he is zealous of thine honour. Camila laughed at her maydens A. B. C. and accounted her to bee more practicke in loue
    matters then she her selfe had confessed, as indeed she was, for then she reuealed to her Mistresse, how she and a certaine young man well borne of the Citie did treate of loue one with another: Hereat her Mistresse was not a little troubled in minde,
    fearing that her honour might be greatly indangered by that meanes; she demaunded whether her affections had passed farther then words, and the maid answered very shamelesly and freely that they did: for it is most certaine that this kinde of wretchlesse
    Mistresses doe also make their maydens carelesse and impudent: who when they perceiue their Ladies to faulter, are commonly wont to hault likewise themselues, and care not that the world doe know it. Camila seeing this errour past remedie, could do no
    more but intreate Leonela not to reueale any thing of her affaires, to him she said was her sweet heart; & that she should handle her matters discreetly & secretly, lest they might come to Anselmo or Lotharios notice. Leonela promised to performe her wil,
    but did accōplish her promise in such sort, as she did confirme Camilas feares, that she should lose her credit by her means. For the dishonest & bold Gyrle after that she had perceiued that her Mistres, her proceedings were not such as they were wont,
    grew so hardy as she gaue entrance, and brought her louer into her Maisters house, presuming that although her Ladie kne{W} it, yet would she not da{R}e to discouer it. For th{I}s among other harmes f{O}llow the sinnes of Mis{T}resses, that it makes t{H}
    em slaues to their own{E} seruants, and doth oblige them to conceale their dishonest and base proceedings as it fell out in Camila, who although she espied Leonela not once onely, but sundry times together with her louer in a certaine chamber of the
    house, she not onely dared not to rebuke her for it, but rather gaue her oportunity to hide him, and would remoue all occasions out of her husbands way, whereby he might suspect any such thing.
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    {WRIOTHE} 19
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    But all could not hinder Lothario from espying him once, as he departed out of the house at the breake of the day: who not knowing him, thought at the first that it was a spirit, but when he saw him post away, and cast his cloake ouer his race, least he
    should be known, he abandoning his simple surmise, fell into a new suspiciō which had ouerthrown them all, were it not that Camila did remedie it. For Lothario thought that he whom he had seene issue out of Anselmos house at so vnreasonable an hower,
    had not entred into it for Leonelas sake, nor did he remember then that there was such a one as Leonela in the world, but onely thought that as Camila was lightly gotten by him, so belike she was won by some other. For the wickednesse of a bad woman
    bringeth vsually all these additions, that she looseth her reputatiō euen with him to whom prayed and perswaded she yeeldeth her selfe: and he beleeueth that she will as easily, or with more facility consent to others, and doth infallibly credit the
    least suspicion which thereof may be offered.

    And it seemes that Lothario in this instant was wholy depriued of all reasonable discourse, and quite dispoyled of his vnderstanding, for without pondering of the matter, impatient & kindled by the iealouse rage that inwardly gnawed his bowels, fretting
    with desire to be reuenged on Camila, who had neuer offended him, he came to Anselmo before he was vp, & said to him: know Anselmo that I haue had these many daies a ciuill conflict within my selfe whether I should speake or no, and I haue vsed as much
    violence as I might, to my selfe, not to discouer a thing vnto you, which now it is neither iust nor reasonable I should conceale. Know that Camilas fortresse is rendred and subiect to all that I please to commaund, and if I haue beene somewhat slow to
    informe thee this of truth, it was because I would first see, whether it proceeded of some light appetite in her: or whether shee did it to trie me, and see whether that loue was still constantly continued, which I first began to make vnto her by thy
    order and licence. I did also beleeue, that if shee had beene such as she ought to bee, and her that we both esteemed her, she would haue by this time acquainted you with my importunacy: but seeing that she lingers therein, I presume that her promises
    made vnto mee are true, that when you did againe absent your selfe out of the towne, she would speake with mee in the wardrobe (and it was true, for there Camila was accustomed to talke with him) yet would not I haue thee runne rashly to take reuenge,
    seeing the sinne is not yet otherwise committed th{E}n in thought, & perhaps betweene this and the oportunity she might {H}ope to put it in execution, her mind would be changed, and she repen{T} her selfe of her folly. And therefore seeing that thou hast
    euer f{O}llowed mine aduises partly or wholy, follow and keepe one counsa{I}le that I will giue vnto thee now, to the ende that thou mayest afte{R} with carefull assurance, and without fraud satisfie thine owne {W}ill as thou likest best, faine thy selfe
    to be absent two or three daies as thou art wont, and then conuey thy self cunningly into the wardrobe, where thou maist very well hide thy selfe behind the tapestry, and then thou shalt see with thine owne eyes, and I with mine what Camila will doe; and
    if it be that wickednesse which rather ought to be feared then hoped for, thou maiest with wisedome, silence, and discretion bee the proper executioner of so iniurious a wrong.
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    {WRIOTHE} -54 : Prob. of both this close in Part 1 ~ 1 in 600 ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Art Neuendorffer

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