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Don Quixote, a Spanish gentleman, has his head turned as a result of excessive reading of romances, and, attended by his fat, vulgar squire, Sancho Panza, scours Spain, righting wrongs and rescuing fair damsels, in the fashion of the knights of old.
48 21 douros: say 'dollars' or 'cash. A duro is a Spanish coin whose par value is now five francs, before 1871, a trifle more. 48 20 a deux lieues: cf. note to 4 8. Contrast English 'thank you, which usually expresses assent pourquoi faire? cf. note to 38 21. Cf. note to 43 2.
55 10 s'en allait: for allait, cf. note to 17 4. 55 13 M'sieu: indicates by the spelling the usual pronunciation of Monsieur. 55 15 Après? 'Well, what have you to say? 55 25 algarade: a word borrowed from the Spanish, the root being Arabic. It was originally a military expression meaning a raid, but now is used more or less jocularly for a wordy attack. Transl. 'dispute.
«It is impossible for any one to be more desirous of supporting the spanish government tham I am, whenever they are right, and especially against France. But in this case, we think them decidedly wrong; and I regret very much that your usually sound judgment should have been led to a different conclusion.
63 17 Par: cf. note to 10 22. 63 19 en spartene: 'of esparto cloth, woven from esparto, a Spanish grass much used in the manufacture of mats, baskets, hats, ropes, etc. 63 21 balin-balan: Provençal, 'swaying. 63 22 s'en allait: cf. note to 17 4. 63 27 Hé! monstre de sort: cf. note to 1 12 on dirait monsieur Tartarin: transl. 'if that doesn't look like Mr Tartarin!
I need not say that I attach no credit to this report, and that I believe you have endeavoured, by conciliatory means, to adjust the difference. At the same time, as you have acted in the belief that the spanish government were right in their pretensions, it is clear that your advice, whatever it was, and you do not describe it particularly, could not be expected to produce much effect.
Le roi fut si satisfait de son portrait par Rubens, qu'il voulut poser plusieurs fois encore devant lui. Cumberland, dans ses Anecdotes of spanish painters, dit que Rubens peignit cinq fois Philippe IV: on peut voir la description de ces portraits dans le catalogue que M. André Van Hasselt a publié
The natural, simple, and obvious course was undoubtedly to let the ambassador present his letters to the Queen, to whom they were addressed, and although I attribute the difficulty only to a mistaken suspicion on the part of the spanish government, others will see in it the studied abasement of Royalty, or a determination to quarrel with France at all risks.
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