What is the origin of "He's a muddled fool, full of lucid intervals."
My 15th Edition of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations has a Cervantes quote,
"He's [Don Quixote's] a muddled fool, full of lucid intervals." Bartlett
10th Edition doesn't even have the quote.
Bartlett source appears to be P. A. Motteux (1663-1718) who initially
translated Don Quixote in 1700, revised 1725. But, Motteux's 7th Edition
1843 and his 8th in 1859 have it as, "He is past Recovery, but yet he has
lucid Intervals." The Modern Library Giant Edition N.Y. 1930, and the
latest print of 1993 I found, has Motteux's quote as, "Had only now and
then lucid intervals."
Encarta, Oxford Dictionary and Yale Book have it as, "He's a muddle-headed
fool, with frequent lucid intervals." Is the origin with Motteux?
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