Count Lucanor | Page 7

cause is no small matter. Again, all people will know that you act only for your own preservation; nor can your enemy declare himself aggrieved. Thus may you preserve peace, which is agreeable to the will of God and all good men."
Don Juan, finding this to be a good example, wrote the following lines, which say: --
When danger comes, haste not to meet it,
Quietly wait, yet boldly treat it.
NOTES.
Of these three knights of the thirteenth century we have little on record. Don Lorenzo Suarez Gallinato, has, however, been mentioned in another example, the forty-ninth CHAPTER of this work, by Don Manuel, where he appears, although a Christian, to have occupied the distinguished post of Chief of the body-guard to the King of Granada.
Of Garcio Perez Vargas the genealogy has been carefully traced by Argote de Molina, in his Nobleza de Andalucia, fol. 96-122, where he is mentioned as one of the nobles of Count Don Pedro. The most brilliant part of his career was at the siege of Seville, and at the battle of Zeres, where he was knighted by the hand of Don Alvar Perez de Castro, for having killed the King of Ganzules. His name is perpetuated by an inscription still existing over the gate of Zeres at Seville, of which the following is a translation: --
"Hercules built me,
Julius C?|sar surrounded me with walls and lofty towers,
A Gothic King lost me,
The holy King won me,
Assisted by Garcio Perez de Vargas."
The brother of this hero, Diego Perez de Vargas, is mentioned by Cervantes as a man of great prowess and valour.
Fighting bravely one day at the siege of Seville, against the Moors, he broke his sword, when seizing a heavy branch or trunk of an oak tree, he, with his terrible weapon, caused such destruction among his enemies that he was nicknamed "El Machaco (the Pounder,)" from the Spanish word Machacar, to pound. Since then the family have assumed the name and have been known as Vargas y Machacar (Don Quixote, cap. 8).

CHAPTER III.
Treats of that which happened to Don Rodrigo el Franco and his knights.
ONE day as Count Lucanor was conversing with Patronio his counsellor, he said: -- "Patronio, it has happened that I have had many great wars, and of such a king that I have often found myself embarrassed. Upon one occasion I was in the greatest distress, when those to whom I have done much service, and who are indebted to me for all they posses, deserted me, -- nay more, even exerted themselves to injure me. Such conduct, to tell you truly, has given me a worse opinion of mankind than I had before I knew these people: I therefore request your advice how to act under these circumstances."
"My lord," said Patronio, "if those people who have acted so ungratefully were like Nu?±ez de Fuente Almejir and Ruy Gonzalez de Zavallos and Gutierre Rodriguez de Langueruella, and had known what happened to them, they would not have acted as they have done."
"How was that?" said the Count.
"My Lord," said Patronio, "it happened thus; -- The Count Rodrigo el Franco married a lady of rank, daughter of Garcia de Azagra. This lady was very virtuous; but the Count, her husband, calumniated her. Having no other resource, she prayed to God that if she were guilty He would demonstrate it by a miracle; and if the Count had falsely accused her, He would show it also by a miracle. Scarcely was the prayer ended, when, by a miracle of God, the Count was smitten with leprosy, and she parted from him. Soon after this separation, the King of Navarre having sent his Ambassador to demand the hand of the lady, she accepted him and became Queen of Navarre. The Count being leprous, and seeing that his disease could not be cured, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land that he might die there. Now, although he had been much honoured and had many faithful retainers, yet there accompanied him only the three knights of whom I have spoken, who dwelt there so long that they expended all they had brought from their own country, and were reduced to such poverty that they had nothing to give the Count to eat. Being so reduced, they resolved that two of them should each day go to the market-place for hire, while the other remained with the Count, -- and in this way they supported their lord; as also every night they bathed and wiped the wounds of the leper. It happened one night, as they were bathing his arms and legs, that they felt inclined to spit, -- and so spat. When the Count saw that all spat, and believing that they did it from the disgust which his malady created, he began to weep, greatly regretting the