l, and magnificent; above
all, a good Christian, and thus will he fulfil his duties.

In enterprises of every kind, it is better to lose the game by a card
too much than one too little; for it sounds better to be called rash and
daring than timorous and cowardly.

"Signor Don Diego de Miranda, your father, sir, has informed me of the
rare talents you possess, and particularly that you are a great poet."

"Certainly not a great poet," replied Lorenzo; "it is true I am fond of
poetry, and honor the works of good poets; but I have no claim to the
title my father is pleased to confer upon me."

"I do not dislike this modesty," answered Don Quixote; "for poets are
usually very arrogant, each thinking himself the greatest in the world."

"There is no rule without an exception," answered Don Lorenzo; "and
surely there may be some who do not appear too conscious of their real
merits."

"Very few, I believe," said Don Quixote.

THE SCIENCE OF KNIGHT-ERRANTRY.

"It is a science," replied Don Quixote, "which comprehends all, or most
of the other sciences; for he who professes it must be learned in the
law, and understand distributive and commutative justice, that he may
know not only how to assign to each man what is truly his own, but what
is proper for him to possess; he must be conversant in divinity, in
order to be able to explain, clearly and distinctly, the Christian faith
which he professes; he must be skilled in medicine, especially in
botany, that he may know both how to cure the diseases with which he may
be afflicted, and collect the various remedies which Providence has
scattered in the midst of the wilderness, nor be compelled on every
emergency to be running in quest of a physician to heal him; he must be
an astronomer, that he may if necessary ascertain by the stars the exact
hour of the night and what part or climate of the world he is in; he
must understand mathematics, because he will have occasion for them; and
taking it for granted that he must be adorned with all the cardinal and
theological virtues, I descend to other more minute particulars, and say
that he must know how to swim as well as it is reported of Fish
Nicholas;[9] he must know how to shoe a horse and repair his saddle and
bridle: and to return to higher concerns, he must preserve his faith
inviolable towards Heaven, and also to his mistress; he must be chaste
in his thoughts, modest in his words, liberal in good works, valiant in
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