Don Quixote — Chapter 30 in French
By Miguel de Cervantes
Le curé n’avait pas fini de parler que Sancho lui dit : « Par ma foi, seigneur licencié, savez-vous qui a fait cette belle prouesse ? The curate had hardly ceased speaking, when Sancho said, "In faith, then, senor licentiate, he who did that deed was my master; and it was not for want of my telling him beforehand and warning him to mind what he was about, and that it was a sin to set them at liberty, as they were all on the march there because they were special scoundrels."
Imbécile! "Blockhead!" — Imbécile, s’écria Don Quichotte, est-ce, par hasard, aux chevaliers errants à vérifier si les affligés, les enchaînés et les opprimés qu’ils trouvent sur les grands chemins vont en cet état et dans ces tourments pour leurs fautes ou pour leurs mérites ? said Don Quixote at this, "it is no business or concern of knights-errant to inquire whether any persons in affliction, in chains, or oppressed that they may meet on the high roads go that way and suffer as they do because of their faults or because of their misfortunes. Ils n’ont rien à faire qu’à les secourir à titre de malheureux, n’ayant égard qu’à leurs misères, et non point à leurs méfaits. It only concerns them to aid them as persons in need of help, having regard to their sufferings and not to their rascalities. Quiconque y trouverait à redire, sauf toutefois le saint caractère du seigneur licencié et sa vénérable personne, je lui dirai qu’il n’entend rien aux affaires de la chevalerie, et qu’il ment comme un rustre mal appris ; et je le lui ferai bien voir avec la lance ou l’épée, à pied ou à cheval, ou de telle manière qu’il lui plaira. » En disant cela, Don Quichotte s’affermit sur ses étriers, et enfonça son morion jusqu’aux yeux ; car, pour le plat à barbe, qui était à son compte l’armet de Mambrin, il le portait pendu à l’arçon de sa selle, en attendant qu’il le remît des mauvais traitements que lui avaient fait essuyer les galériens. I encountered a chaplet or string of miserable and unfortunate people, and did for them what my sense of duty demands of me, and as for the rest be that as it may; and whoever takes objection to it, saving the sacred dignity of the senor licentiate and his honoured person, I say he knows little about chivalry and lies like a whoreson villain, and this I will give him to know to the fullest extent with my sword;" and so saying he settled himself in his stirrups and pressed down his morion; for the barber's basin, which according to him was Mambrino's helmet, he carried hanging at the saddle-bow until he could repair the damage done to it by the galley slaves.
Dorothée, qui était pleine de pénétration et d’esprit, connaissant déjà l’humeur timbrée de Don Quichotte, dont elle savait bien que tout le monde se raillait, hormis Sancho Panza, ne voulut point demeurer en reste ; et, le voyant si courroucé : « Seigneur chevalier, lui dit-elle, que votre grâce ne perde pas souvenance du don qu’elle m’a promis sur sa parole, en vertu de laquelle vous ne pouvez vous entremettre en aucune aventure, quelque pressante qu’elle puisse être. Calmez votre cœur irrité, car, assurément, si le seigneur licencié eût su que c’était à ce bras invincible que les galériens devaient leur délivrance, il aurait mis trois fois le doigt sur sa bouche, et se serait même mordu trois fois la langue, plutôt que de lâcher une parole qui pût causer à votre grâce le moindre déplaisir. Dorothea, who was shrewd and sprightly, and by this time thoroughly understood Don Quixote's crazy turn, and that all except Sancho Panza were making game of him, not to be behind the rest said to him, on observing his irritation, "Sir Knight, remember the boon you have promised me, and that in accordance with it you must not engage in any other adventure, be it ever so pressing; calm yourself, for if the licentiate had known that the galley slaves had been set free by that unconquered arm he would have stopped his mouth thrice over, or even bitten his tongue three times before he would have said a word that tended towards disrespect of your worship."
je le jure, sur ma foi, s’écria le curé, et je me serais plutôt arraché la moustache. "That I swear heartily," said the curate, "and I would have even plucked off a moustache."