Adventurous age and blessed are those who did not albeit the frightening fury of these possessed artillery machines, the inventor of which I believe that it is in the hell to receive the guide of his diabolical found, through which he made an ignoble and ignoble Coward Arme can take the life of a brave knight.
The quote reflects a critical perspective on the nature of warfare during the age of gunpowder and the advent of artillery. It suggests a sense of nostalgia for the valor associated with knights, contrasting it with the cowardice enabled by artillery machines. The speaker seems to lament the loss of honorable combat, where bravery was paramount, and implies that those who did not engage with these terrifying inventions are fortunate. The mention of the inventor suggests a condemnation of the technology that has transformed battle into something less noble.
Cervantes critiques the dehumanizing aspects of modern warfare, where technology allows for destruction from a distance, stripping away the courage once required in battle. This transformation is portrayed as a descent into a hellish creation, producing a "Coward Arm" that can take down the bravest of knights. Through this, Cervantes highlights the moral implications of relying on such tools in conflict, suggesting that true valor and honor have been diminished by the mechanization of violence.