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B _ _ K ,
F _ R
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H _ V _
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Q _ _ T _
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_ N D
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F _ L L _ W
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T _
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T H _ M
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B _ G _ N N _ N G ,
_ S
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D _ ,
_ N D _ R
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L _ T T _ R S
A ,
B ,
C ,
B _ G _ N N _ N G
W _ T H
A R _ S T _ T L _
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_ N D _ N G
W _ T H
X _ N _ P H _ N ,
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T H _ _ G H
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S L _ N D _ R _ R
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P _ _ N T _ R . Clue
OF ALL THIS THERE WILL BE NOTHING IN MY BOOK, FOR I HAVE NOTHING TO QUOTE IN THE MARGIN OR TO NOTE AT THE END, AND STILL LESS DO I KNOW WHAT AUTHORS I FOLLOW IN IT, TO PLACE THEM AT THE BEGINNING, AS ALL DO, UNDER THE LETTERS A, B, C, BEGINNING WITH ARISTOTLE AND ENDING WITH XENOPHON, OR ZOILUS, OR ZEUXIS, THOUGH ONE WAS A SLANDERER AND THE OTHER A PAINTER. ALSO MY BOOK MUST DO WITHOUT SONNETS AT THE BEGINNING, AT LEAST SONNETS WHOSE AUTHORS ARE DUKES, MARQUISES, COUNTS, BISHOPS, LADIES, OR FAMOUS POETS. THOUGH IF I WERE TO ASK TWO OR THREE OBLIGING FRIENDS, I KNOW THEY WOULD GIVE ME THEM, AND SUCH AS THE PRODUCTIONS OF THOSE THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST REPUTATION IN OUR SPAIN COULD NOT EQUAL. I HAVE NEVER YET SEEN ANY BOOK OF CHIVALRY THAT PUTS TOGETHER A CONNECTED PLOT COMPLETE IN ALL ITS NUMBERS, SO THAT THE MIDDLE AGREES WITH THE BEGINNING, AND THE END WITH THE BEGINNING AND MIDDLE; ON THE CONTRARY, THEY CONSTRUCT THEM WITH SUCH A MULTITUDE OF MEMBERS THAT IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY MEANT TO PRODUCE A CHIMERA OR MONSTER RATHER THAN A WELL-PROPORTIONED FIGURE. HE THEN BEGGED THE BACHELOR, IF HE WERE A POET, TO DO HIM THE FAVOUR OF COMPOSING SOME VERSES FOR HIM CONVEYING THE FAREWELL HE MEANT TO TAKE OF HIS LADY DULCINEA DEL TOBOSO, AND TO SEE THAT A LETTER OF HER NAME WAS PLACED AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH LINE, SO THAT, AT THE END OF THE VERSES, "DULCINEA DEL TOBOSO" MIGHT BE READ BY PUTTING TOGETHER THE FIRST LETTERS.