The Life and Exploits of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Miguel de Cervantes

Don Quixote, was born in the year 1549, and most probably atM adrid; though other towns of Spain, as Esquivias, Seville, and Lucena, have claimed the honour of his birth. At least, it is certain, he lived atM adrid, as appears from the following superscription of a pleasant letter of Apollo to him :T oM ichael deC ervantes Saavedra, in Orchard Street, fronting the palace belonging to the Prince of Morocco, in Madrid :postage half a real, I mean seventeen marevedis. tF rom his childhood he was so fond of books, that he tells us |he was apt to take up the least scrap of written or printed paper that lay in his way, though it were in the middle of the street. But he addicted himself chiefly to the reading of poetry and novels, as is evident from his own writings, and especially from the carious and pleasant scrutiny of Don Quixote slibrary. Cervantes leftS pain (but in what year is uncertain) and went into I taly; where be became Chamberlain to Cardinal Acquaviva at Rome; and afterwards followed the profession of arms, under the famous Commander Bffarco Antonio Colonna.|| It is certain, from his own account of himself,ir that he was present at the great sea-fight of Lepanto against the Turks, in 1751 ;in which action he lost his hand, or at least the use of it, by a shot fjrom the enemy. It appears, likewise, that he was taken by theM oors, and carried to A lgiers, where he continued under captivity five years and a Prefixed to the edition of this translation in quarto. tS ee his Joomey toP arnassus, ch: .viiL tD on Qmxote, chap. liii. I :. chap. tL 4S ee theD edication of his Galatea. Preface to theS econd Part of Don Quixote.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Clas