The knights and the squires made two parties, these telling the story of their lives, the others the story of their loves; but the history relates first of all the conversation of the servants, and afterwards takes up that of the masters; and it says that, withdrawing a little from the others, he of the Grove said to Sancho, 'A hard life it is we lead and live, señor, we that are squires to knights-errant; verily, we eat our bread in the sweat of our faces, which is one of the curses God laid on our first parents.
' 'It may be said, too,' added Sancho, 'that we eat it in the chill of our bodies; for who gets more heat and cold than the miserable squires of knight-errantry?
Even so it would not be so bad if we had something to eat, for woes are lighter if there’s bread; but sometimes we go a day or two without breaking our fast, except with the wind that blows.
' 'All that,' said he of the Grove, 'may be endured and put up with when we have hopes of reward; for, unless the knight-errant he serves is excessively unlucky, after a few turns the squire will at least find himself rewarded with a fine government of some island or some fair county.
' 'I,' said Sancho, 'have already told my master that I shall be content with the government of some island, and he is so noble and generous that he has promised it to me ever so many times.
' 'I,' said he of the Grove, 'shall be satisfied with a canonry for my services, and my master has already assigned me one. ' 'Your master,' said Sancho, 'no doubt is a knight in the Church line, and can bestow rewards of that sort on