Cervantes, Miguel de [actually: Pérez de Montalbán, Juan]
The Diverting Works of the Famous Miguel de Cervantes (London: J. Round/ E. Sanger/ A. Collins/ T. Atkinson/ T. Baker, 1709).

Image: © Elise S. James

THE| DIVERTING| WORKS| OF THE| FAMOUS| Miguel de Cervantes,| Author of the History of| DON QUIXOT.| [rule]| Now first Translated from the Spanish.| [rule]| With an Introduction by the Author of| The LONDON-SPY.| [rule]| LONDON,| Printed and Sold by J. Round, in Exchange-Alley in Cornhill;| E. Sanger, at the Post House; A. Collins, at the Black-Boy;| and T. Atkinson, in the Temple Change, in Fleet-street; and| T. Baker, at the Bible and Rose in Ludgate-Street, 1709.

Description

title page/ p.i-xii preface/ p.1-232/ 8°.

Shelf-marks

{L: 12490.e.8} {Na:N: Case Y 1565.P411} {Private:}

Bibliographical Reference

W. H. McBurney (1960), p.19

Author

Not Cervantes but Juan Pérez de Montalbán.

History of Publication

Cf. source: Juan Pérez de Montalbán, Para Todos, exemplos morales 1632 or 1633 - possibly based on a French translation like La Semaine de Montalban, ou les Marriages mal-assortis, contenus en huit nouvelles tirées du Para todos du même auteur, traduite de l'espagnol [transl. by J. Vanel] (1684).

English translator unknown. Edward Ward, "The Author of the London Spy", only signs the preface. Sold in 1710 under a new title page as A Week's Entertainment at a Wedding [...] Written in Spanish by the Author of Don Quixot (London: J. Woodward, 1710).

Remarks

Preface and frame: Marriage of of two couples near Madrid. Each evening one of the noblemen offers a lovestory he has lived through. Emphasis on the strange Spanish customs. The frame gets lost, the stories are not told by first person narrators. They are all in all Spanish novels of unfortunate love affairs. Jalousy and tragedy get mixed - somtimes we get happy endings, often endings in bloodshed. The last story is about an outlawed man falling into the hands of robbers. He becomes the gang's leader, betrays his men (though making it possible that they can become soldiers), is rehabilitated so that he can finally marry the lady he loves...