Chapter Erragon to Errors of Authors of E by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Then, in regard to singing birds, Captain Mayne Reid speaks of “the incomparable melody of the mock- bird, the full, charming notes of the blue song-thrush, the sweet warbling voice of the silvias, finches, tanagas, which not only adorn the American woods with their gorgeous colours, but make them vocal with never-ending song.”

(9) Byron. Xerxes’ Ships. Byron says that Xerxes looked on his “ships by thousands” off the coast of Salamis. The entire number of sails was 1200; of these 400 were wrecked before the battle off the coast of Sêpias, so that even supposing the whole of the rest were engaged, the number could not exceed 800.—Isles of Greece.

The Isle Teos. In the same poem he refers to “Teos” as one of the isles of Greece, but Teos is a maritime town on the coast of Ionia, in Asia Minor.

(10) Campbell speaks of the aloes and palm trees of Wyoming, neither of which trees grows there.

He also calls the people a “gentle people,” but the mutual hatred between the farmers rendered the place a hell rather than a paradise. Families were so divided that the fire of contention burnt ragingly; but Campbell speaks of it as a “seat of social happiness.”—Howitt: History of England (George III., p. 218).

(11) Cervantes. Dorothea’s Father. Dorothea represents herself as queen of Micomicon, because both her father and mother were dead, but don Quixote speaks of her father to her as alive.—Pt. I. iv. 8.

Mambrino’s Helmet. In pt. I. iii. 8 we are told that the galley-slaves set free by don Quixote assaulted him with stones, and “snatching the basin from his head, broke it to pieces.”In bk. iv. 15 we find this basin quite whole and sound, the subject of a judicial inquiry, the question being whether it was a helmet or a barber’s basin. Sancho (ch. II) says he “picked it up, bruised and battered, intending to get it mended;” but he says, “I broke it to pieces,” or, according to one translator, “broke it into a thousand pieces.” In bk. iv. 8 we are told that don Quixote “came from his chamber armed cap-à-pie, with the barber’s basin on his head..”

Sancho’s Ass. We are told (pt. I. iii. 9) that Gines de Passamonte “stole Sancho’s ass.” Sancho laments the loss with true pathos, and the knight condoles with him. But soon afterwards Cervantes says, “He [Sancho] jogged on leisurely upon his ass after his master.”

Sancho’s Great-coat. Sancho Panza, we are told, left his wallet behind in the Crescent Moon tavern, where he was tossed in a blanket, and put the provisions left by the priests in his great-coat (ch. 5). The galley-slaves robbed him of “his great-coat, leaving only his doublet” (ch. 8), but in the next chapter (9) we find “the victuals had not been touched,” though the rascals “searched diligently for booty.” Now, if the food was in the great-coat, and the great-coat, was stolen, how is it that the victuals remained in Sancho’s possession untouched?

Sancho’s Wallet. We are told that Sancho left his wallet by mistake at the tavern where he was blanket- tossed (ch. 5), but in ch. 9, when he found the portmanteau, “he crammed the gold and linen into his wallet.”—Pt. I. iii.

To make these oversights more striking, the author says, when Sancho found the portmanteau, “he entirely forgot the loss of his wallet, his great-coat, and of his faithful companion and servant Dapple” (the ass).

Supper. Cervantes makes the party at the Crescent tavern eat two suppers in one evening. In ch. 5 the curate orders in supper, and “after supper” they read the story of “Fatal Curiosity.” In ch. 12 we are told “the cloth was laid [again] for supper,” and the company sat down to it, quite forgetting that they had already supped.—Pt. I. iv.