Note 206 — BOOK IV. (continued 2)

This was Michael Scot, who lived in the thirteenth century, and was such an adept in medicine, mathematicks, chymistry, alchymy, and other branches of natural knowledge, that the vulgar looked upon him as a wizard or magician. But as this philosopher died in 1291, and this conversation between Don Antonio and our knight must have happened after the year 1605, when the first part of Don Quixote was licensed, how could the disciple of Scot be in the house of Don Antonio? Yet this anachronism might easily pass upon Don Quixote, as it related to matters of inchantment.