The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-10-07
A GREAT CATHOLIC AUTHOR
cERvANTEs, AUTHOR or "DoN
ouIxoTE" WAS THE SHAKE.
sPEARE OF sPAIN-INFLUENcE
ON SUBSEQUENT LITERATURE.


Don QuiXote" is almost as epoch
making as that Of Avon's bard. It
is eXerted upon the subsequent litera-
ture of many countries to a degree
uneXampled by any other one author
| except Shakespeare. Ceramics was
a Catholic, a soldier and an adven-
| turer, whose exploits make nearly as
interesting and romantic biography
as do those of the Knight of the
SorroWful Figure" himself, writes r.
G. Stump in 1.-THE Magnificat."
Miguel lie Cervantes Saavedra was
born of noble parentage at Alcala de-
| Henares, New CASTLE, Spain, October
g, 1547, and died at Madrid April 23,
1916, on the same day as Shakespeare.
His early training was received at
Madrid in school conducted by a
cleric, Juan Lopez de Hoyos. He de-
voted himself to letters, particularly
| cultivating a poetical gift, from early
youth, but his juvenile productions
met with little favor from his country
men. At the age of twenty-one he
entered the service of Cardinal Aqua
viva, to whom he had been introduced
at the Spanish capital while the pre-
late was on mission to the court,
and went to Rome in the Cardinals
retinue. There he studied Italian
| literature.
He joined the expedition to assist
the Cyprians against the Turks under
Selim II, and took part, on shipboard,
in the great battle of Lepanto, 1871,
where he was shot through the left
hand, which remained crippled there
| after. Later he participated in a
campaign against the Moslems in
Africa, and in 1875, on his way back
to Madrid, he was captured by. AL
gerian corsairs and carried into slav-
cry, suffering many hardships as
captive for four years. After unsuc-
cessful attempts by Spaniards. to OBJ
tain their release, Cervantes and his
companions were ransomed by the
Trinitarian Fathers, Juan Gil and An
tonic de la Bella
On his return to the land of his
birth, CerVantes again took up arms,
and went on three successive eXpedi-
tons to the Azores Islands. Then he
exchanged the sword for the pen, de-
voting himself to writing from the
year 1882 on, producing "Galatea, a
| Pastoral Romance" the play, Eel
Trato de Argel,'' and the tragedy
"Numancia." His wife was Catalina
| de Palacios.
In 1905 he published the first part
of his immortal book, "El Ingenioso
Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha,"
which far outshone his other works
in popularity and fame One Fernan-
DEE Avalanche printed a spurious
continuation of the adventures of
Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho
Panza, much to the chagrin of Ger
vantes, who published, in rebuttal
the true Second part of the world
famous tale in 1915. Other writings,
such as LA Gitanilla," followed, but
none became such a universal favor
lite as did don Quixote." The Brus-
sells edition of 1907 spread over Eur
ope. The British authors Middleton,
Ben Jonson, Fletcher and Massinger
found abundant material in this rich
| Spanish gold mine for their English
plays. Buffers satire, "Hudibras,"
doubtless found it's first inspiration in
Don Quixote''
Byron's line Tin don Juan'O Ger
vantes smiled SPANS chivalry away"
has become proverbial. Our author
certainly attacked the books of chiv-
airy, SO much in vogue when he wrote,
of set purpose. The attitude of the
Church and of scholars toward them,
is sufficiently indicated by the priests
comments on the contents of the mad
| Don's library, most of which he con-
signs to the flames. AS a matter of
fact, the Emperor Charles v forbade
that the romances of chiyalry be al
| lowed to enter his American domini-
ons. The publication of don Quiz
| Ote" did more than any edict could to
discourage their longevity in Spain.
Cervantes has Jared much as did
Swift at the hands of readers, who
read "Quixote" and "Gulliver' not as
satires but as stories that amuse the
imagination rather than appeal to the
intellect, regardless of what their
authors original intention may have
been. Neither can we consider it, in
any sense, an assault upon religion
and Catholic doctrine, as is asserted
by some commentators.
/ quote from recent article, con-
corning the devotion of Cervantes to
the teachings of his faith:
"Cervantes in the maturity of his
powers was deeply religious. 1t is
recorded that on April 10, 1909, he
joined the then recently established
Confraternity of Slaves of the Blessed
| Sacrament. This Confraternity cor
responded in no slight degree to our
Holy Name Society of the present day.
During the same year, 1909, the
record tells us that his wife and
sister Andrea received the habit of the
Third Order of st. Francis"
Many passages from Don Quixote"
have been adopted into English, and
equally with the sayings of Shake
speafe, have passed into proverbs and
help to form the idiom of daily speech.
Honest Sancho's wise saw and
modern instances" (for which his
learned master frequently reproved
him) are as much in our mouths as
his. Let us consider few of the
numerous instances where Cervantes
has added to the worlds great treas