In belief of the good reception
and honours that Your Excellency
bestows on all sort of books as
prince so inclined to favor good
arts, chiefly those who by their nobleness
do not submit to the service
and bribery of the vulgar, I have
determined bringing to light The
Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote
of la Mancha, in shelter of Your
Excellency's glamorous name, to
whom, with the obeisance I owe
to such grandeur, I pray to receive
it agreeably under his protection,
so that in this shadow, though
deprived of that precious ornament
of elegance and erudition
that clothe the works composed in
the houses of those who know, it
2
FORWARD
dares appear with assurance in the
judgment of some who, trespassing
the bounds of their own ignorance,
use to condemn with more
rigour and less justice the writings
of others. It is my earnest hope that
Your Excellency's good counsel in
regard to my honourable purpose,
will not disdain the littleness of so
humble a service.
Miguel de Cervantes
