Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-05-30

had entered the law and succeeded II
the pursuit, even making money, ar
raying themselves in fine apparel, ant
with personal pompOus bearing OF
the streets and in the courts of justice
whose mental stupidity was q fruitful
subject for jesting and amusement
AMONG men of much less pretentionI
and far greater abilities. This mos
veritable assurance of 'the facts in the
case" were amply satisfactory and con-
soling to Cervantes, and he continued tG
follow the smooth, straight pathway ol
his genius, which made him so famous
being very little the worse for his legal
advantage. We merely refer to this
little episode in Cervantes's varied ca.
reer, because it illustrates the variety Of
his mental efforts and his pronounced,
undeniable, knightly courage in enter
ing the lists to do battle as one of the
legal champions of Christendom. Many
other men, all unknown to fame, have
given battle in the came grand cause,
been vanquished and forgotten, while
the name of the celebrated author OF
Don Quixote will live with that OF
Shakespeare and Milton, and others, that
were not born to die.
iCERvANTEs, OR MIGUEL DE CERvAN-
| TEs sAAvEDRA.
The life of this extraordinary man,
whom, for the space of nearly three
centuries, civilized Europe has admired
above every other Spanish writer, has
been so frequently related, that brief
abstract of his biography, derived from
the most authentic sources, will be suf-
ticient for the purpose of this article.
1t is singular fact, that the contempo.
raries of this celebrated man, whom
every town, not merely in Spain, but
throughout the world, would be proud
to have produced, should have neglected
to record bis native place. After long
investigation and warm disputes, which
call to mind the contest of the seven
Greek towns for the honor of having
given birth to Homer, 1t is at length
agreed that, according to the most prob
able supposition, Miguel de Cervantes
Saavedra was born at Alcala de He>
mares in the year 1547. His parents,
who were not rich, were merely enabled
time literary education. They sent
him to the schools of Madrid, where he
acquired some knowledge of classical
learning. At Madrid he had an op-
portunity of witnessing the dramas
which the ingenious Lope de Rueda
represented on his rudely constructed
stage Juan Lopez, the tutor of Ger
vantes. was an indefatigable writer of
poetry, particularly OF romances, and
he sought every means of cherishing
his pupils taste for poetic composition.
Some verses by Cervantes were intro
duced in description of the funeral of
Spanish princess, which Lopez pub
lished in 1869. But young Cervantes,
who had now attained his twenty Sec
ond year, seems to have had no certain
means of gaining subsistence. BE
wrote numerous romances and sOnnets !;
and it was probably about this period
that he composed pastoral romance,
entitled Filena, which, if we may give
credit to his own testimony, was very
generally read. It appears that he
thought he could better his condition
| by travelling; and 7he resolved to pro-
ceed to Italy. Here commences the pc.
riod of his adventures. In Rome. Car
dinal Acquaviva for short time be-
| came his patron and protector. When
we were in the Eternal City" in 1878
our guide conducted US through the
then dilapidated old palace of several
former pIincely owners, and showed a
room which possessed the traditionary
legend OF having nce been occupied by
the immortal author of Don Quixote !;
land this little incident, In connection
with go famous man, made this ru-
| lined and crumbling palace an extra OBJ
| iect of interest to curious travellers So
| journing in the ancient city. But i'm
PEELED, either by necessity or choice, he
entered into the military profession.
| He enlisted under the banners of his
sovereign, to serve in the wars against
the Turks and African corsairs, who at
that time disturbed the tranquility of
Spain and Italy. During the war he
proved himself to be wholly devoted to
his new profession; and being engaged
in the great battle of Lepanto in 1872.
he received q wound which deprived
him of his left hand, together with a
part of the arm. This honorable mutt
iation, to which he hardly alludes in
his later writings, obliged him to re-
turn to Spain. The ship, however, in
which he had embarked, was captured
by an Algerine corsalr, and Cervantes
was conveyed to Algiers and sold for a
slave. His captivity, which lasted for
nearly eight years. must have been of
the most romantic description, If the
fact be, as has frequently been conjec.
tured, that Cervantes described his own
adventures in the novel of the Captive.
He was at length ransomed, and in the
year 1881 he returned to his native coun-
try. The third period of the life of
Cervantes was exclusively devoted to
| literature. He had now attained his
thirty second year, and with matured
understanding, joined to considerable
practical knowledge of the world, and
an ardent passion for literature, he re.
solved to withdraw from the busy scene
of life.
In his retirement he wrote his second
pastoral romance, entitled Galatea,
which has SO eclipsed FSlena, that the
latter is quite neglected and forgotten.
| He shortly afterwards married, and 1t
would appear that he lived for some
time on his wife's dowry. At length
he began to write for the stage but the
dramas which he composed at this Pc
riod of his life, though amounting to
about Thirty in number, are nearly all
lost. About this time arose the rivalry
between Cervantes and Lope de Vega,
whose dramas were SO much admired
that they bore away the palm of public
favor. Mortified, as it would appear,
by the ill success of his dramatic efforts.
Cervantes laid aside his pen for con-
siderable period. 1t is conjectured that
in the meanwhile he obtained post in
Seville, the emoluments of which ena-
bled him to subsist. He did not again
appear in the literary world until the
death of Philip II. in the year 1898.
1t can scarcely be doubted, though no
Spanish writer has advanced the con-
lecture, that the death of Philip ii had
a favorable influence on the genius OF
Cervantes. Certainly. our knowledge
of this bigoted and cruel son of Charles
V. las we learn through Mr.. Motley,
one of the most reliable Of historians)
leads us to such an inevitable conclusion.
1t is we'll known fact that the turbu-
lent, violent, prosecuting reign of such
Monarch is not at all conducive to a
vigorous literary growth, but is much
more calculated to depress and dwarf
every pursuit of true enlightenment,
and close every avenue of true and po-
lite knowledge of these arts and sci
ences that are SO we'll developed during
the peaceful reign of wise and good
Ruler After the accession of the in do.
lent Philip III every man in Spain
felt that he might then have more free-
dom than he had dared to take during
the gloomy intolerance of the preced
ing reign. The Spaniards now ven
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