Though the earth tremble at thy coming, Lord! Earth's valley, makes earth cheerful. In its rays Blending and circling round from sphere to sphere. pp. 153-155. Vida de Miguel Cervantes Saavedra, escrita e ilustrada con varias Noticias y Documentos inéditos, pertenecientes á la Historia y Literatura de su Tiempo. Por DoN MARTIN FERNANDEZ DE NAVARRETE. Madrid. 1819. Life of Miguel Cervantes Saavedra, written and illustrated with various Notices and unpublished Documents, relating to the History and Literature of his Time. By DON MARTIN FERNANDEZ DE NAVARRETE. CERVANTES, as we are informed in the book whose title we have just given, was born in October, 1547, at Alcalá de Henares, then a famous seat of science in Spain. Very few particulars of his early youth have been handed down to us. He is said to have shown from childhood a great love of works of imagination. In 1568 he is known to have been in Madrid, at which time an envoy, by name Aquaviva, arrived from Rome, to condole with Philip II. on the death of his son Carlos. The cause of the prince's imprisonment was mysterious, his death in confinement sudden, and Philip refused to listen to any of the missions of condolence sent to him on the subject, being anxious to still the talk and excitement which prevailed respecting it. The envoy was therefore immediately dismissed. As he is said to have been fond of the acquaintance of men of letters, Navarrete supposes that Cervantes, who is known to have served some time in Rome as a valet, accompanied him thither. It was not uncommon at this period for young men of rank to act as attendants on popes and cardinals, in order to be enabled to pursue their studies in Rome, and obtain rich benefices by the influence of their masters. Cervantes could not have remained a great while in this capacity, as we find him, in the following year, serving in the Spanish forces in the Italian States, and it was not long before he had an opportunity to display his courage. The Grand Turk, Selim II., in violation of the treaties which he had made with Venice, invaded the island of Cyprus. The Venetians implored the aid of the Christian princes, especially of the Pope, Pius V. He prepared his galleys with alacrity, and put them under the command of Marco Antonio di Colonna, duke of Pagliano, who effected a junction with the fleets of Spain and Venice in the spring of the year 1570. But owing to the dissentions and irresolution of the commanders of the combined fleet, nothing of consequence was done this year. In the next, the court of Rome made great exertions to league the princes of Europe against the Turks; and a formal alliance was made among the three powers whose fleets had acted together the year before, and Don John of Austria, natural son of Charles V., was appointed generalissimo of the combined forces. On the 15th of September, 1571, they sailed from Messina, with a view of attacking the Ottoman fleet. On the 7th of October they came up with it, and an action ensued, in which the Christians gained a splendid victory. Cervantes was among the troops embarked. At this time he was sick of a calenture, and his captain and friends endeavoured to persuade him to remain quiet in his birth during the action. But he replied, "that he had rather die fighting for his God and king, than shelter his life at the price of cowardice." He then requested the captain to give him the post of most danger. His request was complied with, and he fought with a heroism which spread through the galley, so that the crew of this single vessel killed five hundred Turks, together with the captain of the Egyptian admiral's ship, and took the royal standard of Egypt. He received in the engagement three gunshot wounds, two in his breast, and one in his left hand, which was lamed for life. He always declared that he willingly purchased his share in the glory of the day at the price it had cost him; "for a dead soldier," said he, "who has met his fate in battle, is a far better sight than a living one who has saved his life by flight." He afterwards accompanied the forces of Don John in an expedition against the city of Tunis, which was taken, but not long afterwards retaken by the Turks. For two or three years succeeding, Cervantes remained in the service, being most of the time in garrison in various places in Italy and Sicily, and in June, 1575, obtained leave to return to his own country, to solicit the reward which his long services merited, with the highest recommendations from Don John. During this period he had visited the different cities of Italy, of which he has given fine descriptions in various parts of his writings. These show too the traces of the Italian literature, which he had studied during his residence in that country. In September, 1575, he embarked at Naples, in a Spanish galley, in order to return home; but on the 26th of the month, the vessel fell in with an Algerine fleet, and after an obstinate engagement, in which Cervantes distinguished himself, the Spaniards were forced to surrender, and carried into captivity in Algiers. The Moor to whose lot Cervantes fell, finding Don John's letters, concluded that he must be a man of distinction, for whom he could probably get a large ransom. He therefore loaded him with chains, and treated him with extreme harshness, in order to induce him to press his relations and friends to purchase his release. The Moors were accustomed to treat their captives with severity for another reason also, namely, to induce them to renounce their religion. But Cervantes was proof against their attempts, and assiduously labored to effect his own liberation and that of several other Christian captives. With this view he prevailed upon a Moor to undertake to guide them over land to Oran, an enterprise which had terminated unfortunately in several similar cases. Their guide abandoned them on the second day of their march, and they were obliged to return to Algiers, where they were treated with still greater severity, particularly Cervantes. Late in the year 1576, some of his friends were ransomed, and he took this opportunity to write to his parents an account of VOL. II. 53 his unhappy condition. His father immediately pledged his own estate, his sons' patrimony, and his daughters' portions, to raise money for his ransom, and the whole family were reduced to poverty. Cervantes, on receiving the sum thus raised, endeavoured to negotiate his release with his master, Dali Mami. But as he had formed a high opinion of his quality, and was moreover a man of insatiable avarice, the sum offered seemed to him insignificant. Unable to obtain his own freedom, Cervantes employed the money in ransoming his brother Rodrigo, and directed him on his arrival in Spain, to send an armed vessel to the African coast, which should make the land at a given point in the neighbourhood of Algiers, and liberate him with many other Christian captives. This was an enterprise which he had long meditated and provided for. West of Algiers, at the distance of three miles, was a garden, belonging to a Greek renegade, and taken care of by a slave named Juan, a native of Navarre. This man had, with much care, prepared a cave in the most retired part of the grounds, where several Christian slaves took refuge, under the direction of Cervantes. When Rodrigo Cervantes sailed for Spain, there were fourteen or fifteen so concealed, all men of rank. They owed their security to the gardener's hopes of recovering his liberty along with them. He took care that no dangerous person should come near them. Another slave, named Dorador, who had once renounced Christianity and afterwards embraced it again, brought them provisions. When Cervantes thought the time of the vessel's arrival near, he quitted his master's house, and took refuge with the rest. The vessel was quickly prepared and despatched, under the command of a captain experienced in the seas and coasts of Barbary. Late in September she arrived at Algiers, and standing off and on, approached the shore by night at the point nearest the garden, and began to communicate with the Christians in the cave. Some Moors, either in a fishing-bark or on a tongue of land between the ship and the captives, heard their discourse, and shouted for assistance; at this the crew of the vessel took fright, and put to sea again. On approaching the coast a second time, she was taken by the Moors, and thus the whole enterprise was defeated. Cervantes and his companions, however, ignorant of her capture, remained in the cave and consoled themselves for their privations by the hope of liberty. But of this hope they were soon to be deprived. Dorador, the repentant renegade, on whom they mainly relied for subsistence, was a hypocrite, and resolved to renounce christianity anew. With this view he presented him self to Azan, the governor of Algiers, disclosed his purpose, and in order to ingratiate himself with him, made known the secret of the cave, and the means by which Cervantes had contrived to support his friends there. The governor was much gratified with this intelligence, and resolved to appropriate the captives immediately, as lost, and thereby forfeited according to the custom of the rulers of Algiers. He immediately ordered the captain of his guard to enter the garden with eight or ten soldiers on horseback, and twenty-four on foot, and carry off the captives together with the gardener. The Christians were taken in the manner directed, and in the midst of the alarm and confusion attending their surprise, Cervantes charged his companions to throw all the blame on him, and thereby save themselves from punishment. While the Turks were binding the prisoners, Cervantes, calling the attention of all present, said, with a clear voice and collected manner, that none of his unhappy companions were to blame for what had taken place, as he had prevailed on them to secrete themselves and had conducted the whole business. The Turks, surprised at this noble confession, despatched one of the horsemen with an account of it to the governor, who thereupon ordered all the other prisoners to be confined in his baths, and Cervantes to be brought before him. He was accordingly manacled and driven with blows into the presence of the ruler, who examined him several times with all the art of which he was master, and with threats of death and torture, to make him reveal his accomplices. But he was proof against threats and seduction, and persisted in declaring that he alone was to blame. Wearied at last by his firmness, Azan desisted, and contented himself with taking possession of him and all the other captives, as forfeited. Cervantes now remained strictly watched, but no less intent than before to shake off the yoke of servitude. With this view he found means secretly to despatch a Moor with letters to the commandant of Oran, and several other persons of his acquaintance in the same place, requesting them to send trusty persons to aid his escape, and that of three other gentlemen confined with him. The messenger, on his arrival at Oran, was apprehended by certain other Moors; and the letters were found and sent to Azan, who, on seeing the signature of Cervantes, ordered the Moor to be impaled, and Cervantes to receive two thousand lashes. This punishment, however, he escaped by means of the powerful intercession made for him; yet it is strange that he did, considering that three Christians had lately been beaten to death by Azan's order, and in his presence, who had been apprehended in the attempt to escape to Oran. |