The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1859-12-27

A SCHOLARS OPINION or Don QuIxoTfE. THE
burning Of Don Quixotte's Library is genialIy
treated by "Tom Folio" 10 the Boston Tran
script He alIades to the rae old volumes of
ehivalry destroyed by those VandaIs, the doc
tor and tho priest, and spesks Of the universal
error of ofreadsrs, In laughing at the booE and
forgetting its exquisite pathos. Indeed many
readers think the Don mere lunatic: TyaC
"But not SO think readers that are readers
NOT so thinks Charles Lamb, who says that
that man has read tho book by halves who
has laughed over 1t, 'mistaking the authors
purpose, which was teers;--not so thiuks Will
liam Hnziitt, who says that Through the
crazed and battered figure of the knight the
spirit of chivalry shines in undminished lus-
tre;'--not SO thinks John Ruskin, who saws
that true readers pass over the rude adven-
lure and scurrile Jest in haste, perhaps In pain,
to penetrate beneath the rusty corslet, and
catch from the wandering glance the
evidence and expression of fortitude, self
devotion and universal love;'-not so
thinks friend Of mine, who says that among
all those knightly deeds that have been "told
in story or sung in rhyme" there is mot a
more heroic man or truer gentleman than Don
Quixotte de la Mancha. Everybody the
priest, the barber, the inn keepers, the gen.
tlemsn in green, the canon Of Toledo, the
Duke and Duchess--everybody he conversed
with charmed and amazed with his converse
ton, inasmuch that after listening to one of
his eloquent harangues, one began to waver in
his opinion as to his being madman. And
in truth, saving his hobby for knight-errantry,
he was saner man than the worthy priest
nIf ,.cxh h. E
castles, and wind mills for giants, yet main
SO insane as the Signor Licentiate Pero Perez
and his gossip, the barber, did in destroying
their friend Quixotte's library, thereby to cure
him of his passion for knight errantry."
W0MANs CoNsTANCY AND THE PROVERBS
THKBEON.-"WOmen are variable as April
weather"-(G German. "Women, wind and
fortune soon change"-(Spanish.) Francis T.,
of France, wrote one day with diamond on
window of the chateau of Chamboard,
"Souvent femme varie
Blen fou Qut a'y fe." ---------
"a woman changes oft !: u D. .a..
Who trusts her Is right 5ett"
His sister, Queen Margaret of Navarro, en-
tered the room as he was writing the ungal-
liant couplet, and, protesting against such
slander on her seY, she declared that she could
quote twenty instances of mans fckleness.
Francis retorted that her reply was not to the
point, and that he would rather hear QUO in
stance of woman's constancy. "Can you men,
ton single instance of her Inconsistency ?"
asked the Queen of Navarro. 1t happened
that few weeks before this conversation q
gentleman of the court had been thrown
into prison upon a serious charge; and
his wifo, who was one of the Queens ladies in
waiting, was reported to have eloped with his
page. Certain 1t was that the psgo and the
lady had fed, no one could tell whittier.
Francis triumphantly cited this case; but
Margaret warmly defended the lady, and
said that time would prove her innocence.
The King shook his head, but promised that
if, within a month, her character should be
70. established, he would break the pane on
which the couplet was written, and grant his
sister whatever boon she might ask. tFn., .
Many days had not elapsed after this, when
it was discovered that it was not the lady who
had fed with the page, but her husband.
During ono Of her visits to him in prison they
had exchanged clothes, aud he was thus
enabled to deceive the jailor and effect his
escape, while the devoted wife remained in
his place. Margaret claimed his pardon at
the Kings hand, who not only granted it,
but gave a grand tete and tournament to eel
ebrate this instance Of conjugal affection. He
also destroyed the pane of glass, but the cal.
luminous saying inscribed on it has unfortun-
ately survived. trl 4rr 5fg fa1.H