The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, Part 38 by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
page 13 of 16 (81%)
page 13 of 16 (81%)
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printing offices. He went up to one case and asked what they were about
there; the workmen told him, he watched them with wonder, and passed on. He approached one man, among others, and asked him what he was doing. The workman replied, "Senor, this gentleman here" (pointing to a man of prepossessing appearance and a certain gravity of look) "has translated an Italian book into our Spanish tongue, and I am setting it up in type for the press." "What is the title of the book?" asked Don Quixote; to which the author replied, "Senor, in Italian the book is called Le Bagatelle." "And what does Le Bagatelle import in our Spanish?" asked Don Quixote. "Le Bagatelle," said the author, "is as though we should say in Spanish Los Juguetes; but though the book is humble in name it has good solid matter in it." "I," said Don Quixote, "have some little smattering of Italian, and I plume myself on singing some of Ariosto's stanzas; but tell me, senor--I do not say this to test your ability, but merely out of curiosity--have you ever met with the word pignatta in your book?" "Yes, often," said the author. "And how do you render that in Spanish?" "How should I render it," returned the author, "but by olla?" "Body o' me," exclaimed Don Quixote, "what a proficient you are in the Italian language! I would lay a good wager that where they say in Italian |
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