a quarter where
they were not deserved. It is the misfortune of the good prince to be
blamed by some of his subjects, for faults committed by others of them,
which he could not remedy if he would, for the circumstances attendant
on war are for the most part inevitably harsh, oppressive, and untoward.

In the course of a fortnight, what with my own cleverness, and the
diligence of him I had chosen for my patron, I learned to jump for the
king of France, and not to jump for the good-for-nothing landlady; he
taught me to curvet like a Neapolitan courser, to move in a ring like a
mill horse, and other things which might have made one suspect that they
were performed by a demon in the shape of a dog. The drummer gave me the
name of the wise dog, and no sooner were we arrived at a halting place,
than he went about, beating his drum, and giving notice to all who
desired to behold the marvellous graces and performances of the wise
dog, that they were to be seen at such a house, for four or eight
maravedis a head, according to the greater or less wealth of the place.
After these encomiums everybody ran to see me, and no one went away
without wonder and delight. My master exulted in the gains I brought
him, which enabled him to maintain six of his comrades like princes. The
envy and covetousness of the rogues was excited, and they were always
watching for an opportunity to steal me, for any way of making money by
sport has great charms for many. This is why there are so many puppet
showmen in Spain, so many who go about with peep shows, so many others
who hawk pens and ballads, though their stock, if they sold it all,
would not be enough to keep them for a day; and yet they are to be found
in taverns and drinking-shops all the year round, whence I infer that
the cost of their guzzling is defrayed by other means than the profits
of their business. They are all good-for-nothing vagabonds, bread
weevils and winesponges.

_Scip._ No more of that, Berganza; let us not go over the same ground
again. Continue your story, for the night is waning, and I should not
like, when the sun rises, that we should be left in the shades of
silence.

_Berg._ Keep it and listen. As it is an easy thing to extend and improve
our inventions, my master, seeing how well I imitated a Neapolitan
courser, made me housings of gilt leather, and a little saddle, which he
fitted on my back; he put on it a little figure of a man, with lance in
hand, and taught