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I: ABOUT THIS TRANSLATION

It ith considerable reluctance that I abandoned in favour of the

present undertaking what had long been a favourite project: that of a new

edition of Shelton's "Don Quixote," which has now become a somewhat

scarce book There are some--and I confess myself to be one--for whom

Shelton's racy old version, with all its defects, has a charm that no

modern translation, however skilful or correct, could possess Shelton

had the inestieneration as

Cervantes; "Don Quixote" had to him a vitality that only a contemporary

could feel; it cost his as Cervantes saw

thee; he put the Spanish of

Cervantes into the English of Shakespeare Shakespeare himself most

likely knew the book; he s to Stratford on one of his last journeys, and under the

enius in its

pages

But it was soon made plain to me that to hope for even a moderate

popularity for Shelton was vain His fine old crusted English would, no

doubt, be relished by a minority, but it would be only by a minority His

warmest admirers must admit that he is not a satisfactory representative

of Cervantes His translation of the First Part was very hastily made and

was never revised by hiour, but also a

full measure of the faults, of a hasty production It is often very

literal--barbarously literal frequently--but just as often very loose He