OfthelinethatsettledinAndalusia, DeigodeCervantes, CommanderoftheOrderofSantiago, marriedJuanaAvellaneda, daughterofJuanAriasdeSaavedra, andhadseveralsons, ofwhomonewasGonzaloGomez, CorregidorofJerezandancestoroftheMexicanandColumbianbranchesofthefamily; andanother, Juan, whosesonRodrigomarriedDonaLeonordeCortinas, andbyherhadfourchildren, Rodrigo, Andrea, Luisa, andMiguel, ourauthor.
ThepedigreeofCervantesisnotwithoutitsbearingon "DonQuixote." , too, towhathesaysinmorethanoneplaceaboutfamiliesthathaveoncebeengreatandhavetaperedawayuntiltheyhavecometonothing, .
HewasbornatAlcaladeHenaresandbaptisedinthechurchofSantaMariaMayoronthe9thofOctober, , unlessitbefromtheglimpsehegivesusintheprefacetohis "Comedies" , however, isasignificantone, foritshowstheearlydevelopmentofthatloveofthedramawhichexercisedsuchaninfluenceonhislifeandseemstohavegrownstrongerashegrewolder, andofwhichthisverypreface, writtenonlyafewmonthsbeforehisdeath, , too, thathewasagreatreaderinhisyouth; butofthisnoassurancewasneeded, fortheFirstPartof "DonQuixote" aloneprovesavastamountofmiscellaneousreading, romancesofchivalry, ballads, popularpoetry, chronicles, forwhichhehadnotimeoropportunityexceptinthefirsttwentyyearsofhislife; andhismisquotationsandmistakesinmattersofdetailarealways, itmaybenoticed, thoseofamanrecallingthereadingofhisboyhood.
