Chapter VII

OF THE GOOD FORTUNE WHICH THE VALIANT DON QUIXOTE HAD IN THE TERRIBLE AND UNDREAMT-OF ADVENTURE OF THE WINDMILLS, WITH OTHER OCCURRENCES WORTHY TO BE FITLY RECORDED

At this point they came in sight of thirty forty windmills thatthere are on plain, and as soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to hissquire, "Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could haveshaped our desires ourselves, for look there, friend Sancho Panza,where thirty or more monstrous giants present themselves, all ofwhom I mean to engage in battle and slay, and with whose spoils weshall begin to make our fortunes; for this is righteous warfare, andit is God's good service to sweep so evil a breed from off the face ofthe earth.

"What giants?" said Sancho Panza.

"Those thou seest there," answered his master, "with the longarms, and some have them nearly two leagues long."

"Look, your worship," said Sancho; "what we see there are not giantsbut windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails thatturned by the wind make the millstone go."

"It is easy to see," replied Don Quixote, "that thou art not used tothis business of adventures; those are giants; and if thou art afraid,away with thee out of this and betake thyself to prayer while I engagethem in fierce and unequal combat.

"So saying, he gave the spur to his steed Rocinante, heedless ofthe cries his squire Sancho sent after him, warning him that mostcertainly they were windmills and not giants he was going to attack.He, however, was so positive they were giants that he neither heardthe cries of Sancho, nor perceived, near as he was, what they were,but made at them shouting, "Fly not, cowards and vile beings, for asingle knight attacks you."

A slight breeze at this moment sprang up, and the great sailsbegan to move, seeing which Don Quixote exclaimed, "Though ye flourishmore arms than the giant Briareus, ye have to reckon with me."

(Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes, available online here )