xercise his Prowess; Its
Poignancy is highly quicken'd, and consequently the Pleasure it gives
you, by his miserable Disasters, and the doleful Mortifications of all
his Importance and Dignity;--But here, after the Knight, by diverting
you in this manner, has brought himself down to the lowest Mark, he
rises again and forces your Esteem, by his excellent Sense, Learning
and Judgment, upon any Subjects which are not ally'd to his Errantry;
These continually act for the Advancement of his Character; And with
such Supports and Abilities he always obtains your ready Attention,
and never becomes heavy or tedious.

To these you are to add the perfect _good Breeding_ and _Civility_ of
the Knight upon every Occasion; which are some Kind of Merit in his
Favour, and entitle him to Respect, by the Rules of common Gentility
and Decency; At the same time his Courage, his Honour, Generosity,
and Humanity, are conspicuous in every Act and Attempt; The _Foibles_
which he possesses, besides giving you exquisite Pleasure, are wholly
inspir'd by these worthy Principles; Nor is there any thing base, or
detestable, in all his Temper or Conduct; It was from hence that the
DUKE and the DUTCHESS were extremely delighted with his Visit at their
_Castle_; And you yourself, if he existed in real Life, would be fond
of his Company at your own Table; which proves him, upon the whole, to
be an amiable Character;--It is therefore no wonder that Signior _Don
Quixote of la Mancha_ has been so courteously receiv'd in every
Country of _Europe_.

Thus delightfully wrought, as this History is, with _Humour_ and
_Ridicule_, yet _Cervantes_, still fearful of tiring you with too much
of the _Errantry_, has introduc'd the most charming Variety of other
Adventures; --All along in the pacific Intervals, you are inform'd of
the private Occurrences between the Knight and his 'Squire; And from
these, where it is least to be expected, you are surpriz'd with the
most high and delicious Repast;-- Nothing can be more pregnant with
Mirth, than the Opposition continually working between the grave
Solemnity and Dignity of _Quixote_, and the arch Ribaldry and Meanness
of _Sancho_; And the Contrast can never be sufficiently admir'd,
between the _excellent fine Sense_ of the ONE, and the _dangerous
common Sense_ of the OTHER.

It is here that the Genius and Power of _Cervantes_ is most admirably
shewn; He was the greatest Master that ever appear'd, in finely
opposing, an