La española inglesa/the spanish-english lady - Miguel de Cervantes - Bog

Entre los despojos que los ingleses llevaron de la ciudad de Cádiz, Clotaldo, un caballero inglés capitán de una escuadra de navíos, llevó a Londres a una niña de edad de siete años, poco más o menos, y esto contra la voluntad y sabiduría del conde de Leste, que con gran diligencia hizo buscar a la niña para volvérsela a sus padres, que ante él se quejaron de la falta de su hija, pidiéndole que pues se contentaba con las haciendas, y dejaba libres a las personas, no fuesen ellos tan desdichados; que ya que quedaban pobres, no quedasen sin su hija, que era la lumbre de sus ojos y la más hermosa criatura que había en toda la ciudad. Mandó el conde echar bando por toda su armada que so pena de la vida, devolviese la niña cualquiera que la tuviese, mas ningunas penas ni temores fueron bastantes a que Clotaldo le obedeciese, que la tenía escondida en su nave, aficionado, aunque cristianamente, a la incomparable hermosura de Isabel, que así se llamaba la niña. Finalmente, sus padres se quedaron sin ella, tristes y desconsolados, y Clotaldo, alegre sobre modo, llegó a Londres y entregó por riquísimo despojo a su mujer a la hermosa niña. Among the spoils which the English carried off from the city of Cadiz, was a little girl of about seven years old. An English gentleman, named Clotald, commander of a squadron of vessels, took her to London without the knowledge of the Earl of Essex, and in defiance of his general orders. The parents complained to the earl of the loss of their child, and implored him, since he had declared that property alone should be seized, and the persons of the inhabitants should be left free, they should not, besides being reduced to poverty, suffer the additional misery of being deprived of their daughter, who was the very light of their eyes. The earl caused it to be proclaimed throughout his whole army, that whoever had possession of the child, should restore her on pain of death; but no threatened penalties could constrain Clotald to obey; in spite of them, he kept the child concealed in his ship, being fascinated, though in a Christian manner, with the incomparable beauty of Isabella, as she was called. In fine, her inconsolable parents were left to mourn her loss, and Clotald, rejoicing beyond measure, returned to London, and presented the pretty child to his wife, as the richest prize he had brought home from the war.