unaltered. But perhaps a fresh translation may be attempted, and
the attempt permitted. For though the piece, of course, has recent
Spanish and even older Italian examples of a kind, still the change in
what may be called "particular universality" is remarkable.

[Sidenote: The opening scene of this.]

The sun had finished more than half his course, and his
chariot, having reached the slope of the world, was running
quicker than he wished. If his horses had chosen to avail
themselves of the drop of the road, they would have got
through what remained of the day in less than half or
quarter of an hour; but instead of pulling at full strength,
they merely amused themselves by curvetting, as they drew in
a salt air, which told them the sea, wherein men say their
master goes to bed every night, was close at hand. To speak
more like a man of this world, and more intelligibly, it was
between five and six o'clock, when a cart came into the
market-place of Le Mans. This cart was drawn by four very
lean oxen, with, for leader, a brood-mare, whose foal
scampered about round the cart, like a silly little thing as
it was. The cart was full of boxes and trunks, and of great
bundles of painted canvas, which made a sort of pyramid, on
the top of which appeared a damsel, dressed partly as for
town, partly for country. By the side of the cart walked a
young man, as ill-dressed as he was good-looking. He had on
his face a great patch, which covered one eye and half his
cheek, and he carried a large fowling-piece on his shoulder.
With this he had slain divers magpies, jays, and crows; and
they made a sort of bandoleer round him, from the bottom
whereof hung a pullet and a gosling, looking very like the
result of a plundering expedition. Instead of a hat he had
only a night-cap, with garters of divers colours twisted
round it, which headgear looked like a very unfinished
sketch of a turban. His coat was a jacket of grey stuff,
girt with a strap, which served also as a sword-belt, the
sword being so long that it wanted a fork to draw it neatly
for use. He wore breeches trussed, with stockings attached
to them, as actors do when they play an ancient hero; and
he had, instead of shoes, buskins of a classical pattern,
muddied up to the ankle. An old man, more ordinarily