CHARACTERIZED BY CERVANTES 9 



poor beast that never meant any harm ! " that the 

 Duke may reply — " You are mistaken, Sancho : 

 hunting wild beasts is the most proper exercise for 

 knights and princes ; for in the chase of a stout 

 noble beast, may be represented the whole art of 

 war, stratagems, policy, and ambuscades, with all 

 other devices usually practised to overcome an 

 enemy with safety. Here we are exposed to the 

 extremities of heat and cold : ease and laziness can 

 have no room in this diversion. By this we are 

 inured to toil and hardship; our limbs are strengthened, 

 our joints made supple, and our whole body hale 

 and active : in short, it is an exercise that may be 

 beneficial to many, and can be prejudicial to none." 

 Small, indeed, is the number of those who, in the 

 course of five thousand years, have employed them- 

 selves in the advancement of useful knowledge. 

 Mankind have been blest with but one Titus, that 

 we know of; and, it is to be feared, he has had 

 but few imitators. Days and years fly away ; nor 

 is any account taken of them ; and how many may 

 reasonably be supposed to pass, without affording 

 even amusement to others, or satisfaction to our- 

 selves ? Much more, I think, might be said in 

 favour of the Wimbles ; but it must be confessed, 

 that the man who spends his whole time in trifles, 

 passes it contemptibly, compared with those who 

 are employed in researches after knowledge useful 

 to mankind, or in professions useful to the state. 



I am glad to find that you approve of the plan I 

 propose to observe in the course of these Letters ; 



