CERVAN'TES MIGrEL DE, one of the greatest imaginative writers of Spain, was b. of an old Galician family, at Alcala de Ilenares, Get. 0, 1547. He studied at Salamanca, and afterwards at Madrid, where he was placed under the care of a learned theologian, Juan Lopez de Hoyos, who was then professor of belles-lettres in the university. But his natural love of poetry led him to spend most of his time in writing elegies, ballads, sonnets, and a pastoral romance entitled Rlena. When 22years old, C. served for some time as valet-de-chambre to cardinal Giulio Aquaviva of Rome. In 1570, he served as a volunteer under the command of the papal admiral, Marco Antonio Colonna, and fought gallantly against the Turks. At the battle of Lepanto, he was. maimed for life by a gunshot wound in the left hand. He afterwards took part in vari ous campaigns. Captured 'by an Algerine squadron, he was made a slave, but was ran soured in 1580, after a four years' captivity. On his return to Spain, he rejoined his regi ment iu the army sent by Philip II. to support his claims in Portugal, and distinguished himself in the expedition to the Azores. In 1584, he returned to Spain, and retired into private life, to devote his attention to literature. Soon after his publication of the pastoral romance, Galatea (1584), he married, commenced writing for the stage, and produced, in the course of a few years, as many as 30 dramatic pieces, of which the tragedy Yumancia is the most remarkable. During the years 158840, he lived in strait ened circumstances in Seville. In 1605, he once more appeared as an author, and now in a sphere exactly suited to his genius. In his immortal work, Don Quixote, C. intended to put an end to that taste for extravagant romances of chivalry which had so long pre vailed. The first part of this great satirical work appeared in .ladrid, and was received at first coolly, but soon afterwards with loud applause, which, at a later period, was echoed from all parts of educated Europe. Don Quixote, though written with a satirical purpose, is throughout pervaded by the true spirit of poetry. With that universality which belongs to the highest genius, C. connected a universal human interest with descriptions of local and temporary characteristics. He did not intend by his Don Quixote to burlesque the old Spanish knight-errantry, for, as Mr. Ford remarks (see Handbook of Spain, part i., p. 238), " the thing had expired a century before his birth;" but to put an end to the absurd and affected romances which it was then the fashion to read, and which were believed to be true pictures of chivalry. Ile had also, it is quite clear, another object in view—viz., to show that the deeper and truer and more guile less a nature is, the more will it become the jest and butt of real life; but he likewise teaches us that the pure heart and the high soul obtain a triumph which misfortunes and blunders cannot tarnish; for the knight always "disinterested, generous, elevated, and beneficent," though "the sweet bells of his intellect are jangled and out of tune," maintains throughout a firm hold on our affections and esteem. Charles Lamb has truly
said, that readers who see nothing more than a burlesque in Don Quixote, have but a shallow appreciation of the work.
Though received with enthusiasm, Don Quixote brought no pecuniary reward to the author. Ile was left in the obscurity and poverty in which he bad passed so many years, and vainly endeavored to improve his circumstances. After silence during sev eral years, C. published his twelve .2Vorelas Examplares (Exemplary Tales), 1613; his Viage at Parnaso (Journey to Parnassus), 1614—his next best production to Don Quixote; and in the following year he produced eight new dramas, but these were indifferently received. In 1614, a certain Alonso Fernandez de Avellaneda published at Tarragona a so-called continuation of Don Quixote, which was made a vehicle of abuse lay ished on Cervantes. It appears that C. suffered considerably under these despicable attacks; but he revenged himself in noble style by publishing (1615) the true continua tion of Don Quixote. Near the close of his career, C. found a patron in the count of Lemos, who relieved his poverty. During the last few years of his life, he resided in Madrid, where he died, April 23, 1616. No stone marls the spot where his remains were interred. His novel, The Sorrows of Persiles and Sigismunda, was posthumously published. In 1835, when the house in which the poet had lived in Madrid was rebuilt, a bust of C., by the sculptor Don Antonio Sola, was placed in the front.
Among the several editions of Don Quixote, we may mention the splendid one in 4 vols. (Madrid, 1780); that by Pellicer (5 vols., Madrid, 1798); the fourth published by the Madrid academy, with an admirable life of C. by Navarette (5 vols., Madrid, 1819); Diego Clemencin's edition, with the most complete commentary (0 vols., Madrid, 1833-39); and a good pocket-edition, published at Leipsic (6 vols., 1800-7), Of the collected works of C., an edition, not containing the comedies, appeared at Madrid (16 vols., 1803-5); and another, without the Journey to Parnassus, was published in the same city (11 vols., 1829). Don Aug. Garcia de Arrieta published a selection from the works of C. (10 vols., Paris, 1826-32); and a reprint of the collected works is included in Baudry's Celeecion de los 3lejores Autores ETaholes (Paris, 1840-41). England has been fertile in translations of C.'s immortal work. The first is that of Thomas Skelton (1612-20), in addition to which may be mentioned those of Philips, Motteux, Smollett, Durfey, Jar vis, Wilmot. and Clark. The best are those of Skelton, Jarvis, and Clark..