Don Quixote spoke on every subject that was handled, with such discretion, as actually convinced the two examiners, that he was quite sound, and had recovered the right exercise of his judgment; while the niece and housekeeper, who were present all the time, thought they could never be thankful enough to God, when they heard their master talk so sensibly.
You must know, good woman, said Don Quixote, all knights cannot be courtiers, neither can or ought all courtiers to be knights-errant; there ought to be plenty of both, and tho’ we are all knights, there is a great difference between the one sort and the other: your courtiers, without crossing the thresholds of their own bed chambers, travel over the world, in maps, gratis, and never know what it is to suffer either heat, cold, hunger or thirst, in their journey; whereas, we real knights-errant measure the whole globe with our own footsteps, exposed night and day, on horseback and afoot, to the summer’s sun and winter’s cold, and all the inclemencies of weather[.]
The bachelor was astonished at hearing the manner and conclusion of Sancho’s speech; for, although he had read the first part of his master’s history, he never believed him so amusing as he is there represented; but, now, hearing him talk of the will and codicil that could not be rebuked, instead of revoked, he was convinced of the truth of what he had read, and confirmed in the opinion of his being one of the most notorious simpletons of the present age[.]